wasn’t going to move. If I just didn’t look around, I wouldn’t see anything. I was back in that meadow, the one I had spent most of my time in. Except the forest was less dense and the sound of canons echoed through the trees. It was daylight and the sky was a gorgeous cloudless blue. Olli was getting really heavy, but with the way Thorne had me jumping in and out of the tunnel I couldn’t risk losing my puppy now that I’d gotten him back.
“Saraphina!”
I gasped and spun toward the sound of my name being called by a woman’s voice…then frowned. She wasn’t speaking to me. Her pale gray eyes were focused on the other side of the meadow. I gasped. She was speaking to past-me.
Past-me grinned up at her from the base of an oak tree, looking exactly the way I had every day. “It is Saffie, Victoria.”
Victoria. Despite the flare of pain in my heart, I actually smiled. She was another one of my friends. I hadn’t had many, given how I looked, but Victoria had been one of my favorites. She had reminded me of my mother with her dark brown hair and gray eyes…and she’d been so kind. She always gave me bedding, blankets, and food. She would come and sit with me for hours, telling me of the state of the world while never prying about mine. I missed her kindness when she left.
“Yes, yes, I know. But Saraphina is so pretty.”
Past-me arched one eyebrow and my stomach sank remembering that Riah had crossed my mind in that moment. I had not seen him in over a century, yet he’d haunted my thoughts. It was weird to remember that now. It was strange to watch your own memories. Victoria skipped over in her modest gray dress that buttoned up to her throat and all the way down her sleeves. Her skirt was wildly poofy and I remembered she used to wear one of those cage things under it.
“Saffie, the war with the North is upon us. You must be careful—”
“I promise, I am careful.”
The war with the North? Then it clicked, she meant the war America fought itself over.
Olli barked and wiggled in my arms, throwing me balance off. I stumbled back a few steps …then crashed into the tunnel wall. Green vines shot out and wrapped around my legs so I kicked them to get off but I had far less fight in me. My heart was too heavy. I just wanted to surrender to my pain. But I refused. I would not give up on my freedom now that it was within my reach.
Applause echoed down the tunnel and a chill slid down my spine.
I cringed and peaked over my shoulder.
Prince Thorne was still leaning against the wall but this time he cackled. “Having fun? I am. Where to next? Let’s see…” he flicked his wrist.
I cursed and dove to try and get out of his range of motion…and came out in the middle of Hidden Kingdom. My breath caught in my throat. This couldn’t have been too long ago. It looked almost exactly the same. I instantly spotted myself sitting at the edge of the pool at the base of Fairy Fountain with a teenage boy sitting beside me that I recognized at once.
Jonathan. My bestest friend.
Jonathan was my favorite companion over my three centuries, and the longest. I’d met him when he was a young boy, back when he hadn’t been much taller than me. His father owned the park so he would come and spend his days with me…for almost an entire century. I’d watched him grow from five years old to ninety-five, while I never changed a single bit.
“Yellow roses are my favorite,” I heard past-me say with a happy sigh.
I looked up and a sob ripped up my throat. Jonathan was a teenager here. He sat beside me with a bouquet of yellow roses and a cheeky grin. The sun was setting behind us, painting the sky in gorgeous reds and pinks. Tears streaked down my face. My breaths hitched. My whole body trembled. Jonathan.
Olli barked and wiggled until he got his big fat paws on my shoulder, then he howled in my ear at something behind me. I saw his wagging tail in my peripheral vision. I didn’t look. My gaze was locked on my old friend. I blinked through the rush of tears.
“Jonathan,” I breathed and rushed toward him.
I knew I couldn’t interfere, I