By the time I reach the room, I’m done.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDW2P9tTrKC
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBRdHvZIuk
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡThBy8MCcs2
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvhXpC5uwVQ
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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.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LGxgmbUnT
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgJsb5z5zM
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I was in my house.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPrQdd5lR5
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrJqdyji57
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4tCJgkNEm
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Totally normal Tuesday.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnvvVBv8ReO
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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.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡySRATbct5G
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Then it hits me.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5L4IjzGol
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The Game of Fate.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTj5bvngvji
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQLnNeWfxp3
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy1dtaYJ2R1
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1823 BCE.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeC6xbgUPa3
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…BCE.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXm3CxK0QO
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My mouth goes dry.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXIZvKwUMVy
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfaDyNzxKY2
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmokXe0Gat
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHoDtbblPl
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIeYA4X9RR
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1E24TVnzE
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWIrec5bItd
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eYEqPpsjl
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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.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdDDG488by
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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:185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLwbqfBtws
185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3VYarnqny
‘Please help.’185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozqrV4lb8P
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I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2mnU36eSPz
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsoZ1birxw5
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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.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuw7B5L5qkj
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOitXEWcut
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbBB2b4ZgM
185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjNp3OadXUO
185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4TMO9MuJA
—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.185Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ndtW5CyJZ
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection181ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeBr6p4ie0 尼

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