By the time I reach the room, I’m done.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡliWZLc1cLI
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3A4I0TbTfg
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The servants bow and slip out quietly, the door closing behind them with a click that sounds a little too final.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOapJ4LtvUb
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSaHsOQqFbZ
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My knees hit the floor first, then my hands. The silky fabric of the dress pools around me like spilled moonlight. My heart’s doing drum solos in my chest, and I’m pretty sure I forgot how to breathe somewhere between “Your Highness” and “Princess Ariana.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmUoGFmbj5
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PyjaEp16r
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I was in my house.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjLveAWwhX
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9OUjcpcehj
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I opened the bathroom door… and now I’m apparently some kidnapped royal with commitment issues and a family drama complex.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqhnhKgaSNK
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Totally normal Tuesday.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwxtaEZCL9
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I press my palms against the cold marble and let out a shaky laugh. “Maybe this is, like, an ARG. Super realistic VR thing. Yeah. Sure. Except I didn’t sign up. And the Wi-Fi sucks.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPk3dB3ERa
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Then it hits me.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHxO7IFVwQ
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The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccBXORAUdq
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTY3x6kzXH
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU7bmHDWVXd
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1823 BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1IsOclaBuA
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…BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB326pt8T7
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My mouth goes dry.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG8XxOcUgLv
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I glance around the room again — the carved wooden furniture, the golden oil lamps, the faint smell of smoke and honey in the air.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlPUKPOLL9Z
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJOGlHmVMT3
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkmlUfttLnI
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I stare out the window. The city beyond the palace stretches out under a dusky orange sky, all stone and torches and distant market sounds.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aCyfe0k4S
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDneSh1cU2
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For a long moment, I just sit there, stunned. Then, because my brain can’t handle the weight of that sentence, I snort.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡug7IppU7SV
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJHMYIssdo
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I drop back onto the bed, arms spread wide, staring at the ceiling painted with stars that probably don’t even exist yet in my real world.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPabUe35Qed
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And somewhere far off, maybe deep inside my skull, I swear I can still hear that faint, static voice from the game’s page:183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaCtOIhGhf
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8PMiapxvt
‘Please help.’183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡob61FAi1Ts
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I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUu7L8fyxs
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpFHKjVckYU
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“If this is a dream, I’ll wake up. If it’s not, I’ll deal with it after eight hours of denial.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAgQYnHRiu
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGYWhcsDyuX
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxUrpS38Om
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUMiX2x8BWi
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwLhscZLdc
—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0Vbjod8Jk
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection179ＰＥＮＡＮＡZX0d8IWLX0 尼

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