Eternal Youth

by Julia Crane

  “I’m not that old!” Gran admonished, whacking her daughter on the arm with the back of her hand.

  “So, do they not have dates here?” Callie asked, reading her letter once more. “I start ‘effective the day after this letter is received’.”

  “I’ve yet to see a clock or calendar in this place,” Emma said. She put her form down and smoothed it to the table with both hands. “Mine says the same thing. Maybe they don’t keep calendars here.”

  “That would explain why Alaric never told us exactly how long he’s been here,” Nailah cut in. “No way to know.”

  “I bought a journal.” Callie let her own paper fall to the table, struck by the thought. “I’m going to keep track of how many days it takes us to get home.”

  “That’s great, honey,” Emma said, and then turned to her mother. “Mom, this is a chance for you to start over. If you could turn back the clock and change your career, what would you want to do?”

  Gran smiled sheepishly. “I know this will sound silly to you guys, but I’ve always wanted to open a yarn shop. You know how much I love to knit.”

  “That’s not silly at all. I think it’s a wonderful idea.” Nailah grinned. “I’ll be your first customer. I’ve been wanting a shawl. They’re all the rage in Europe right now.”

  “You really think it’s a good idea?” Gran’s voice was hopeful, like a little girl.

  “It’s a great idea, Mom,” Emma said, patting her mother’s hand. “I have to admit—I’m a little excited about teaching. I always wanted to be a teacher when I was little.”

  “You mean you always liked to boss people around when you were little.” Gran chuckled.

  Her family’s chatter faded into the background of her consciousness as Callie stared at the official letter in her hands. Even though they seemed to be accepting of their new lives, Callie couldn’t justify it. Was she the only sane one?

  I’ll find a way out of this place. And this paper is the key.

  There was no Josie to give her a ride to Parliament the next day, but luckily it was cool and cloudy for the long walk to work. She spent the time alternating between daydreams of her first kiss with Alaric—which she was sure would happen soon—and daydreams of finding a way home.

  Callie walked through the dim hallway that led to the interior of the temple, and strolled up to the reception desk. The guy behind it was gruff and unfriendly, but he motioned for Callie to have a seat, and then he disappeared—presumably to find whoever she was supposed to report to.

  A few minutes later, Gretta entered the reception area and smiled brightly. “Hi, Callie! Welcome to the Parliament building. Are you excited for your first day?”

  Callie stood and shook the woman’s hand, surprised to see her doing—yet again—another job. “Absolutely.”

  “You’re going to be a sort of ‘errand girl’ for the members of parliament, if that makes sense,” Gretta pushed on. She motioned for Callie to follow her, and began to lead her deeper into the temple. “It is very easy to get lost here, so until you’ve learned the halls and recesses well enough to do it alone, I’m going to ask that you stick with someone at all times.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Oh, no need to be formal. Call me Gretta.” They turned down a secondary hall that looked exactly like all the rest, and Gretta opened a door, ushering Callie inside.

  It was a room full of cubicles. Heads peered over the top of the wooden partitions and greeted Callie in a chorus of “welcome” and “hello!” Gretta kept walking, leading Callie past the drones. The woman’s fast pace made Callie’s head spin. They reached a back office, where Gretta opened the door and ushered her inside. She shut the door, and held a hand out for Callie to take a seat.

  The office was painted maroon and boasted a large, carved wooden desk with lion’s feet as legs. The walls were bare. Gretta sat down in the desk chair and shuffled through some papers on her desktop. “Today, I’m going to have you shadow me. You’ll likely bounce between all six of us on a regular basis, particularly until you’ve gotten to know each of us.”

  “Sounds great!” Callie tried to put excitement into her words, but she was pretty sure they fell flat. It sounded as boring as watching a golf game.

  “Most of what you’ll be doing is paper-pushing. Running forms between parliament members, et cetera. But, there is a lot of room for expansion—for moving up—here at the government building.” Gretta smiled, and her round cheeks dimpled. “You seem like a bright young girl. I’m sure you’ll go far.”

  Yeah, I’ll go far enough to go home.

  “So, that’s it really.” Gretta gestured to the room. “Just stick by my side today, and we’ll see what happens.”

  Two hours later, Callie was regretting her rash decision to pretend to be qualified for office work. Gretta had left her alone in a small filing room where Callie had to file away the job forms of the new survivors. She’d already given herself three paper cuts trying to find the right hanging folders for Madeline and Cindy, and the tiny, hand-printed letters made Callie’s eyes hurt.

  Not to mention, she still hadn’t seen Alaric.

  Her stomach rumbled, and she wondered what time it was. It had to be close to lunch time. It was funny the little things she took for granted—like time. The crash had placed a lot of perspective on her life. Callie would have done anything to be back in the rainforest with her mother and Braden on a quest for the fountain. How sad it was that even that seemed normal compared to Aionia.

  “Callie.”

  She dropped the file she was holding in surprise and whirled. “Alaric! You scared me.”

  “Sorry.” He grinned and walked further into the room, letting the door swing shut behind him. She’d never even heard it open, she was so lost in her thoughts. “I just wanted to see if you’d like to get something to eat?”

  The sight of him made her heart pound. She hadn’t seen him since the day he’d bought her journal. His pale hair was angled across his forehead and fell charmingly into his eyes, and he wore a long, navy tunic over cream-colored pants. It made him look like something straight out of history.

  Callie gathered her hair in both hands and shoved it behind one shoulder. “Sure, I’d love to. Let me just clean up this mess.”

  “Take your time.”

  Callie was painfully aware of his presence as she shuffled the remaining files neatly together on the floor. She stood up, smoothed her long skirt, and said, “Do I need to tell Gretta?”

  “I told her on my way in.” He offered her his arm and led her out of the filing closet. “How’s your first day going?”

  With a shrug, Callie replied, “Pretty boring. I guess I thought it would be a little more exciting, to tell you the truth.”

  “It’s interesting once you know your way around. As you move up, you’ll get more responsibilities.” He flashed her a sly smile. “And if nothing else, you get to see me everyday.”

  Callie flushed. “I would say that is definitely a plus.”

  “So, I’ve been thinking about you a lot,” Alaric said quietly. He turned down a secondary hall, his face handsome in the flickering light of the torches as he curled the fingers of his other hand over hers on his arm. “When Gretta told me you were starting today, I was elated at the fact that I’d see you.”

  Her heart drummed overtime. She kept remembering the sweet way he’d kissed her forehead, and all the times she’d daydreamed since of sharing a real kiss with him. “You mean that?”

  Alaric nudged her with the elbow she was holding. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.”

  Her knees went weak as Alaric’s blue eyes met hers. Does he really like me?

  “I hoped I’d see you today,” Callie responded, sure her face was as red as a beet.

  “Well, now we get to have lunch together.”

  Callie recognized the main entryway when they turned into it and crossed the empty room to the doors. Alaric pushed open the front door, and Callie stepped into the su
nlight, blinking. “So, where are you taking me today?”

  Alaric raised an eyebrow and came to a stop on the cobblestones of the courtyard. “I was just going to take you back to Sally’s unless you had something else in mind.”

  “Could we go somewhere new? I love trying new restaurants.”

  “Well, then.” Alaric brushed the tips of his fingers over Callie’s knuckles, his face thoughtful. “Let's go to Denino’s. Amazing pizza.”

  Just the thought of pizza made her think of Jonathan, but the touch of Alaric’s fingers across her skin made her determined to make new memories. “That sounds perfect. I love pizza.”

  Denino’s was a little further down the same street as Sally’s and looked like any other pizza joint she might have seen in San Diego except smaller and simpler. Little round tables were covered by black-and-white checkered tablecloths, and the huge brick oven was open to the restaurant so that they could watch as the owner—Tony Denino—threw together their “Aionia Special.”

  “What do you miss the most?” Alaric asked as they watched Tony toss freshly grated cheese onto their pizza crust.

  “Braden,” Callie answered automatically.

  “Who’s Braden?” Alaric looked at her suspiciously. “He’s not your boyfriend, is he?”

  “No.” Callie giggled at the look on his face. She took a deep breath and went on, her mood a little more somber. “He’s my cousin. We’re really close. I wish there was some way I could get a message to him to let him know that we’re alright.” She felt the tears well up in her eyes and tried willing them to stop, but it was too late.

  “I’m sorry, Callie.” Alaric offered her his cloth napkin, and then took her hand. His skin was warm, comforting, and his grip strong.

  “It sucks,” Callie murmured. “This all sucks.”

  Alaric was quiet for a long moment as Callie picked absently at the napkin, her eyes blurry with unshed tears.

  Alaric cleared his throat. “Can you get out this evening? I want to show you something.”

  Callie rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes. “What is it?”

  “It’s the most beautiful thing about Aionia,” he answered, his pale eyes dancing. “I think once you see it, you’ll understand why people love Aionia so much and don’t wish to leave.”

  I doubt that. But, it was more time to spend with Alaric, getting to know him. Even if Callie was determined to find a way out, she could enjoy the time she had with him. “I can’t wait.”

  Tony whipped up to the table with the pizza on a plate between his hands. He was a short, stocky man with wildly curled black hair and Mediterranean skin. He placed their pizza in front of them. “You need anything else?” he asked in his strong Italian accent.

  “No, thank you, Tony,” Alaric answered.

  After the man walked away, Callie asked, “Do you want me to meet you somewhere?”

  “Not necessary. I’ll pick you up at home.”

  “Do you remember where it is?” Callie asked doubtfully, and took a bite of pizza. There were a lot of houses in her neighborhood. Even she had a hard time remembering where to go.

  A tiny smile played across Alaric’s face, and he reached across the table. His finger left fire across her skin as he wiped pizza sauce from the corner of her lip.

  He licked the sauce from his fingertip—an innocent move that sent chills through Callie. The guy has NO idea how hot he is, she thought.

  “Yeah,” Alaric murmured. “I remember.”

  When Callie trudged up, exhausted from her walk home, she found Nailah sitting in the sunshine on the sidewalk in front of their townhome. She wore a simple white tank top and cotton pants, and her eyes were closed as she reached her arms to the sky, her palms pressed together.

  “What are you doing?” Callie giggled.

  Nailah opened one eye and glared—considering it was just one eye, it was effective. “Yoga.”

  “Why?”

  “To relax me.”

  Callie sat down heavily beside her. “Bad day?”

  Opening both eyes, Nailah dropped her hands to her lap and shook her head. “Not at all. It was amazing. I’m just tired from being on my feet all day.”

  “Yeah, me too. But, yay! I’m glad you liked it.” Callie pushed her friend’s shoulder playfully.

  “What about you? Did you see Alaric?” Nailah grinned.

  “I did.” Callie blushed. “We had lunch, and we’re going out again tonight.”

  “Uh-oh.” Nailah waggled her eyebrows. “It’s getting serious.”

  “Whatever,” Callie said, her face hot. “It’s just a second date.”

  “Third, if you count lunch today.” Nailah stretched her legs out and leaned forward, her head nearly reaching her knees. “And the job? Is it as boring as it sounds?”

  “Unfortunately. But, Gretta is really cool. I spent all afternoon with her in her office. I got to see blueprints of a new building they’re planning, and I got to see the layout of the farm where you’re working.”

  “That’s cool!” Nailah sat back up and turned towards Callie, her back popping as she stretched. “You should come check it out one day. It’s a freaking awesome operation. Whoever came up with the idea knew what the heck they were doing. So…efficient.”

  “Sure, I’d love to. Is Mom home yet?”

  Nailah shook her head. “Not yet. Gran said she had meetings to attend this afternoon. She’s apparently got some serious training ahead of her.”

  “She’ll love it.” Callie sighed. “I’m exhausted. I’m gonna grab a snack and then a nap. What are you going to do tonight?”

  “Nothing, I guess.” Nailah shrugged. “Read a book. Talk to Gran.”

  “I’m sorry I’m going out.” Callie hated leaving her alone. There wasn’t a lot to do in Aionia.

  “It’s okay.” She smiled sadly. “Maybe I’ll meet someone soon.”

  Callie sucked in a deep breath, horrified. “Nailah! What about Michael?”

  Nailah rolled her eyes. “Calista, we are stuck here. I know you’re dead set on finding a way home, but I’m pretty certain this is our future. I have to face the fact that I’ll never see Michael again.”

  Before Callie could respond, Nailah pushed herself gracefully to her bare feet and disappeared inside.

  Callie turned away from the dark maw of her “home” and stared out at the endless jewel of the ocean, more determined than ever to find a way out of Aionia.

  “Are you going to tell me where or what this magical place is?” Callie glanced at Alaric’s face, lit by the full moon high above their heads. She was entirely too aware of his big hand wrapped around hers.

  They were on the same dirt path that Callie and her family had walked on their first day in the townhome. The cool night wind blew around them as they strolled into the cover of the trees, swishing the skirt of Callie’s white dress around her knees.

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” Alaric replied mysteriously.

  “Is it safe to be in the woods at night? You said something about wild cats the day I met you.” Callie shivered.

  “You remember that?” Alaric asked, surprise in his voice.

  “Of course.” Callie squeezed his hand.

  “There are wild cats, but I might have misled you a little,” Alaric admitted sheepishly. “They’re tiny. No bigger than a house cat, really.”

  Callie laughed, a deep belly laugh that sent something in the trees to her left skittering away. She jumped and latched onto Alaric with a shriek.

  “It’s okay, Callie. Probably just a raccoon.”

  She pried her fingers from his arm and shook her head. “Sorry. Startled me. So, why did you lie about the cats?”

  “I didn’t lie. I just allowed you to misinterpret.” He swung her hand between them. “I didn’t want you to keep going and see what I’m about to show you.”

  Callie raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

  “You’ll see when we get there.”

  They passed the clearin
g with the silent, stoic standing stones and the sheer cliff face with which her mother had been so enamored, and continued beyond it. The forest was denser on the other side, and darker. Callie clung to Alaric’s hand, listening to the intermittent scratching of animals passing through the undergrowth and the distant crashing of the waves on the beach.

  “You’re pretty brave for a girl,” Alaric told her after a while. It was too dark to see his face—let alone the path in front of them—but Callie could tell by his tone he was just joking. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just—you don’t seem fazed by the woods at night.”

  “Thanks, but are we not counting when I jumped and screamed like a sissy back at the beginning of the walk?” Callie giggled.

  “Nah. That startled me, too.”

  “I’ve spent half my life overnight in remote jungles,” Callie said absently, her mind returning to those memories. Some of her best memories with Braden came from long, empty nights in the rainforest, staring at the ceiling of the tent as things crashed through the trees around them. “I’m honestly starting to wonder if I know how to be a normal person. How to be stationary.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “My mom has been…searching for something since my dad died.” Callie paused, weighing her words. She wasn’t ready to tell him the truth. “Something she can’t find. We’ve traveled the world. Seen some incredible things. We’ve barely stayed in one place longer than a week.”

  He was silent a few seconds. “Would you be okay with that? If your previous journeys with your mom will now lead you to be a nomad?”

  “A month ago, I would have said no,” Callie told him quietly. “Right now? Maybe. Being here in Aionia has taught me some things, you know?”

  Alaric let go of her hand and slipped his arm around her shoulders. “I know.”

  Callie could see the edge of the forest drawing near; the bright light of the moon—so much larger in Aionia than she’d ever seen it—illuminated the land outside the trees, guiding their footsteps. She heard the faint sound of rushing water.

  “This is a huge secret, Callie,” Alaric murmured, gently pulling her to a stop. She could just make out his face in the light drifting from the clearing ahead. “People aren’t told where this place is, though they eventually know it exists. So, what I’m about to show you…you can’t tell anybody.”