By the time I reach the room, I’m done.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgfyeqWkr2
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Physically. Emotionally. Cosmically.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Cvc4DRQgB
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC82XEtpCHO
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I take one step inside — and the world tilts.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1adrU0HHZ
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv67rA8ZLj0
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“Okay…” I whisper to the floor. “Let’s review.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAgMBylN6C
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I was in my house.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTTw3VnwpK
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I downloaded a weird game called The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDfzidO20Z
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiRxIFqdicL
I opened the bathroom door… and now I’m apparently some kidnapped royal with commitment issues and a family drama complex.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vDO4xaXqK
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Totally normal Tuesday.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4yyEgPmxP
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pXQa2hBzU
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Then it hits me.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiDg2HuDEZ
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The Game of Fate.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKbSU5RJb4G
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The developer’s name. It was weird — something like “@1823BCE.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbA4IGHAuRf
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My brain replays it, letters turning over like puzzle pieces.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RRLKTG3gM
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1823 BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP3yFBpscbR
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…BCE.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HST3LUu3m
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My mouth goes dry.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhSRURip5RY
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPQTO5r6Sz
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No electricity. No screens. No sound of cars, or phones, or anything.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIQBVDndzh
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“Wait, wait, wait,” I mumble, dragging myself upright. “BCE. As in… Before Common Era. As in… ancient.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpyNi6q3VV
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7C36iC5qL
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“Oh my god,” I whisper. “I’m in the freaking timeline.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFSC7kiDmBa
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrFHkOrNkU
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“Cool. So I time-traveled because I downloaded a cursed mobile game. Awesome. Love that for me.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbpK25sHDZG
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkZwlNZwFlI
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ03n22WLiwy
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgmMsOnQuO
‘Please help.’183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKmWKXBHE0S
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183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6t0HXZdCig
I sit up, point dramatically at the air, and say, “Nope. Not my problem.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8fa1gyMWq
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Then I drop flat onto the bed, yank the covers over my head, and close my eyes.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡremLZE7drK
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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.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSRBBrjrTbI
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My voice muffles under the blanket. “Problem solved.”183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5yLWa4eHeN
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SLVVn6DHD
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The sheets are warm, heavy, real. My breathing slows, the world softens—183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfgUxKckSg
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLTE82P3Pf2
183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5xfGC0alU
—and just before sleep takes me, I swear I hear a faint whisper at the edge of my mind.183Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdx9N4zsKau
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“Ariana…”1234 copyright protection179ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPMXMt94rL 尼

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