Eternal Youth

by Julia Crane

  Puzzled, Callie replied, “Okay.”

  He took her hand and pulled her beyond the edge of the trees.

  The clearing wasn’t large, but the structure dominated it. A line of Roman columns formed a three-sided “U” connected at the top by arched headstones that gleamed nearly white in the moonlight. Nestled in the embrace of the pavilion-like structure was a large pond of sparkling water, waving from the impact of the three-tiered fountain in the center.

  “It’s lovely,” Callie breathed, her eyes tracing the white water as it flowed from all three tiers and splashed into the pool. “But, it’s just a fountain. Why is it so secret?”

  “Because,” Alaric said, pulling her towards the pool. “It has magical properties.”

  Callie burst out laughing. “Magical properties? What, does it fly?”

  Alaric didn’t laugh. “Callie, I’m serious.”

  “Okay,” she said, attempting to humor him. “What kind of ‘magical properties’?”

  “Did you notice how quickly your injuries and those of the other survivors healed?” Alaric asked. His voice was barely audible over the steady flow of water.

  “Yeah, we did,” Callie replied, her interest piqued.

  “This fountain supplies all the water for the city. It’s connected by clay pipes to points all over the island.” He paused, his eyes drifting to gaze at the fountain. “The water has healing properties.”

  Callie was dumbfounded. “Seriously?”

  He nodded. “But, that’s not all.”

  “Hoo-boy.” Callie shook her head. “Okay. What else?”

  “Callie…” His voice trailed off as he caught her gaze. He set his jaw and closed his eyes momentarily, then opened them and said, “Callie, I’m not eighteen.”

  She giggled. “Well, I mean, you never told me so I just kinda guessed. You aren’t in your twenties are you? My mom would freak.”

  Alaric cleared his throat and reached to take both of her hands between his. When he didn’t speak right away, Callie’s heart began to pound. “Alaric? How old are you?”

  He let out a breath. “I’m one-hundred and thirteen years old.”

  Her heart dropped into her stomach as she slowly turned to look at the fountain, sitting so beautiful, so benignly in the moonlight. “Are you telling me that this fountain…?”

  He placed a warm hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “This is the Fountain of Youth.”

  Callie collapsed to her knees, staring blankly at the water. “You have to be kidding me. Please.” She turned pleading eyes to him. “Please, tell me you’re making this up.”

  Alaric knelt beside her, putting a cool hand to her forehead. “Are you okay? I’m sorry, I know it’s a lot to take in, but you aren’t going to faint, are you?”

  She shoved his hand away and pointed at the fountain. Her voice was high and hysterical when she repeated herself. “Please tell me you’re making this up.”

  He shook his head slowly. “I’m not making it up. I was born in 1898 in northern Pennsylvania. My parents were immigrants from Lancashire, England. I was nineteen years old when the ship brought me and my sister here.”

  “So, Josie…”

  “Is one-hundred and twenty.”

  Callie took a deep breath, her hands resting listlessly on her knees. The fountain flowed on, curved water in the night. My entire world has erupted.

  “Are you okay?” Alaric asked again, touching her shoulder.

  She jumped at the contact. “Yeah. Yes, I’m fine. Alaric, I told you my mother and I have been around the world in her search for something, but I didn’t tell you what that something was…” Her eyes were still on the fountain as she let the implication hang in the air between them.

  Alaric followed her gaze and drew a sharp breath. “No.”

  “Yes.”

  There was a long pause. “Callie, you can’t tell her about—”

  “You can’t ask me to not tell her!” Callie snapped, her eyes full of fire as she caught his gaze. “She has searched for this fountain for years and it’s right here under her nose. You want to deny her that?”

  Without waiting for a reply, she got to her feet and kicked off her sandals. The grass felt like carpet beneath her bare feet.

  “What are you doing?” he asked warily as he stood.

  “I’m going in.” She turned on her heel and strode away.

  “Callie, wait, you aren’t allowed to…” His laughter filled the air as she stepped into the water.

  It was cool, almost a shock to her senses. She waded towards the fountain until she was up to her knees, and then she stood, breathing in the fresh scent of water as the fountain’s spray misted her face.

  She heard the splash as Alaric came in after her, displacing the water as he moved forward. He entered her field of vision, circled her, and came to a stop in front of her.

  “Your pants are getting wet,” Callie told him.

  He took another step forward until he was so close she could feel the heat from his body. Cupping her face in both of his hands, he murmured, “Crazy girl.”

  Closing the distance between them, Alaric kissed her.

  He tasted sweet, like honey, and he smelled woodsy. Callie’s heart was a flutter of movement in her chest as she encircled his neck with her arms and leaned into the kiss. The fountain faded into the background. There was nothing but Alaric: his taste, his touch, his smell.

  When he pulled away, he left her breathless and desperate for him to kiss her again. She opened her eyes. They exchanged shy smiles and he put his forehead to hers in silence, his hands coming to rest on her waist.

  “Thank you for bringing me here,” Callie finally said, sliding her hands to rest against the soft front of his shirt. His chest felt strong beneath the material. She couldn’t help but wonder what it looked like beneath the cotton.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Alaric?”

  His lip quirked into a half-smile. He rubbed her back and said, “Yeah?”

  “Kiss me again.”

  So he did.

  Callie burst through the front door, her face flushed and her eyes dancing with excitement. Her mother, Gran, and Nailah sat at the table, deep in conversation. When Callie ran in, all three faces looked up with smiles.

  “Hey, baby, how was your date?” Emma asked, turning in her chair.

  Callie slipped into the only empty chair at the table and grinned. “You’re not going to believe where I just came from.”

  “I have no idea, but it’s great to see you so happy again.” Emma took a sip of her tea.

  “Why don’t you tell us?” Gran said.

  “I can do one better.” Callie gave them a mysterious smile. “Get dressed and put on some good shoes. We’re taking a walk.”

  Nailah raised an eyebrow, her mug cradled between her hands. “Um. Where are we going?”

  “You won’t believe it in a million years,” Callie told her. She reached across the table and grasped her hand. “You were more right than you know.”

  “Very cryptic,” Nailah responded wryly.

  As her family exchanged amused glances, Callie grinned. They all think I’m crazy. But, she wanted them to see for themselves. She made a motion with both hands. “Hurry up!”

  Her mother laughed. “Okay, okay. Give us a minute to get ready.”

  “Great!” Callie could always count on her mom to be ready for an adventure. “I’ll be outside.”

  It was dark. The moon had begun its descent in the sky, and Callie realized it was probably past her normal bedtime. She would be really tired at work the next day.

  She leaned against the stone façade of the townhouse, relishing the sun’s heat that was stored in the rock. She thought of the goodbye kiss she’d shared just recently with Alaric in that very spot only a few minutes before.

  “I had an incredible time. Tonight, and this morning,” Callie had told him.

  “Me, too,” he murmured as he put his arms around her waist and pulle
d her close. His light blue eyes reflected the stars in the sky as he gazed at her.

  “Thank you. For sharing the fountain. You have no idea what it’s going to mean to my mother.”

  He squeezed her waist, a smile flitting across his face. “I didn’t show you the fountain for your mom,” he murmured, his thumbs tracing fire over her back, even through the thin material of her dress. “I wanted to give you something to hang on to, to love about Aionia.”

  Callie had blushed, smiled, and answered with a long, lingering kiss.

  He doesn’t know, she thought, leaning against her house as she waited on her family to come out. He doesn’t know that he’s already given me something to hang on to.

  “You do realize it’s late, right?” Nailah said, hooking an arm through Callie’s and jolting her from her thoughts.

  Callie giggled. “Yeah, I know. But, trust me. This is good. You don’t want to miss it.”

  Nailah stepped sideways, bumping Callie. “I’m in. Always.”

  Callie wished they had a quicker way to get to the fountain, but none of them had access to a car so they had to go on foot. She was dying to get there and spill the secret. As her mother and Gran came from the house, they started walking for the woods.

  “So, what were you guys talking about when I came in? It looked serious,” Callie asked.

  “Calista, stop using the stall technique. Where are you taking us?” Gran’s voice was stern.

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” Callie replied. She spun around and walked backwards, grinning like a fool, daring them to ask her again.

  “She won’t give in, Mom. We just have to wait. You know how she is.” Emma laughed. “To answer your question, Callie, we were talking about Gran’s business. She applied for a loan today.”

  “It’s going to be great!” Nailah skipped a few steps, yanking Callie forward with her exuberance. “Wait until you see the setup we’ve put together.”

  Callie laughed. “I’m sure it will be perfect with your sense of style and Gran’s knitting skills.”

  Emma huffed. “Don’t forget me. I have to do all the real business planning to pull it together.”

  “We couldn’t forget you, Mom.” Callie laughed.

  They trudged through the silent forest, their flashlight beams dancing over the path as they chatted companionably.

  When they reached the clearing with the standing stones, Callie led them towards the path to the fountain.

  “We’re going beyond this?” Nailah asked doubtfully. “At night? We’ll get lost.”

  “We won’t get lost,” Callie argued, shoving her playfully. “Just come on.”

  A few moments later, Callie recognized the widening of the trees. Her heart started pounding as she pushed through the brush and into the clearing. Turning to face her family, Callie swept an arm out towards the fountain. “Check this out.”

  Emma stopped short, her face puzzled. “Callie, what is…” She trailed off, and Callie saw the information click. Healing properties, no babies on the island, people who didn’t know popular references… Emma covered her mouth with a hand, staring at the fountain, and then glanced back at her daughter with wide eyes.

  Callie nodded, her heart bursting at the look on her mother’s face. “We found it, Momma.”

  Her mother laughed with delight and ran forward, full tilt into the fountain.

  Callie followed on her heels, and Gran and Nailah soon thereafter until the four of them were dancing around in the fountain, splashing each other and shouting excitedly.

  “Seriously. This is the fountain of youth?” Nailah asked, tucking her braids behind an ear as they watched Emma run in and out of the flowing water, her long red skirt trailing in the water.

  “Think about it,” Callie replied. “Remember how quickly we healed just by drinking the water and cleaning our wounds with it? And come on, the residents are so out of touch with modern conveniences.”

  Emma fell to her knees beneath the flow of the fountain and leaned her head back, letting the water cascade down her body.

  “She’s really happy,” Nailah said with a chuckle.

  “It’s a dream come true for her.”

  Callie’s mom climbed to her feet and splashed through the water, her face radiant. She grabbed Callie’s shoulders and gently shook them. “I knew we would find it someday. It’s even more beautiful than I imagined. How did you find it?”

  “Alaric brought me.” Callie grinned. “He told me it had to be kept a secret, but I told him I couldn’t keep it from you. Apparently, everyone knows—eventually—but no one talks about it. He said the people here don’t get older. Whatever age you are when you arrive is what you stay.”

  Gran sat down on the marble edge of the pool, her face stricken. “We’ll never age?” Her voice was so low they could barely hear her over the water.

  Emma sat beside her and took her hand. “This is a good thing, Mom. We’ve been given a second lease on life. People would kill to find this place.”

  “Oh, dear, you must have misunderstood. I’m not upset!” Gran laughed happily, a hand pressed to her flushed face. “It’s more like in shock. As you age, you realize that your life is quickly coming to an end, and it’s scary. I’ve been secretly grateful that we crashed. I can finally do what I want. All my life, it was always about being a wife, mother, and grandmother. I never had time for myself. It’s like a dream come true to be able to live out my days owning a knitting shop. And now I find out my time has been extended! It’s too overwhelming for words.”

  “Mom.” Emma wrapped her arms around Gran and they sat quietly together, both of them with tears coursing down their cheeks.

  Putting an arm around Callie, Nailah leaned her head on her shoulder. “If I have to live an eternity, I’m glad it’s with you and your family.”

  “Good morning, Callie!” Gretta greeted her outside the temple the next morning. She looked like a hippie in her gauzy purple skirt and matching shirt with her long gray hair down around her torso. Not for the first time, Callie thought she needed to meet Gran. The two would get along great.

  Callie felt like there was a brick on her head. It had seemed like no sooner than she’d fallen asleep, the sun had come up and the neighborhood roosters had begun their morning symphony. She’d had little sleep, and even back in the real world, Callie on no sleep was not a happy person.

  “Hi, Gretta,” she answered glumly.

  Gretta frowned. “Are you alright, dear?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep well.”

  “Ah. Well, today shouldn’t be much work at all. You’re going to shadow Maire, and she has solely a paper-pushing desk job.”

  Callie forced a smile. Another boring day. “Lovely.”

  Maire’s office was so small it couldn’t be classified as anything but a closet. Even the happily flickering oil lamp on her desk couldn’t dispel the feeling of claustrophobia.

  Maire was a handsome woman, small but with an obvious air of authority. She had her brown hair bobbed around her long face, and her green eyes crinkled when she smiled. “Calista. Pleasure meetin’ ye.”

  “You, too,” Callie answered, tickled by the woman’s Irish brogue.

  “Have a seat there, love, and we’ll get started.”

  Callie tuned most of the woman’s instructions out as she thought of Alaric, and how excited she was to see him. He’d promised to meet her for lunch again. Callie hoped that would become a regular thing, because just the thought of hours away from him was terrible.

  “Do ye think you understand, Calista?” Maire asked, eyeing Callie over her desk. Even though it was rather tiny, it still dwarfed her.

  “Um, yeah. Yes, of course.” Callie smiled. She had no idea what the woman had said, but Callie was really good at faking it.

  Maire’s face was doubtful, but she shrugged and pushed a stack of folders across the desk. “Alright, then. Left, then right, and then your second left. Just give them to Patricia.”

  Tak
en aback, Callie stared at the folders. Crap. “Okay.”

  She gathered the folders, taking her time in case Maire decided to reiterate any pertinent information. When she didn’t, Callie smiled and left the office.

  No big deal, Callie told herself. I’ll just ask someone to point me in the direction of Patricia. Easy.

  Except, of course, it wasn’t that easy. Callie didn’t pass a single living soul in the hallway outside Maire’s office. She took her first left, sure she was on the right track and positive she’d meet someone in the new hallway.

  But, again, the place seemed strangely deserted. The hallway twisted left and then back to the right at a slight incline, so that Callie felt she was climbing higher in the temple. The torches were fewer and farther between, their flames framed by dark soot marks on the stone. Callie clutched her armful of folders, her heart beating faster.

  I’m gonna get lost. They’ll find my half-rotten body three weeks from now, only they’ll have just a vague idea of how long it’s been because there are no damn calendars.

  She came upon another hallway and forgot the second command she’d been given. Right or left? Callie stood for a minute, indecisive as she stared down both sides of the hallway.

  Nobody in sight.

  With a big sigh, she went left.

  The ground angled steeper here, and it grew stuffier. Callie broke into an uncomfortable sweat and wished she hadn’t worn long pants to work.

  A couple minutes passed before Callie heard any sign of life. Faint voices sounded from further up the hall, where a pool of light spilled across the floor. Callie felt instant relief—she wasn’t going to keel over from heat exhaustion and die, lost in the temple. She’d just knock politely before entering the room and tell whoever was inside that she was new and had become hopelessly lost.

  The voices grew clearer the closer she got, and she was almost certain that one of them was Darren.

  “What about security?”