by Julia Crane
It hit Callie squarely in the face. Callie fell dramatically to the covers and clutched her chest, one arm reaching towards the ceiling in supplication.
“Drama Queen. He has just a little bit of an accent. He’s been here for a really long time, so it’s mostly gone.”
Tossing Nailah’s pillow back across the room, Callie sat up and smiled at her best friend. “Nailah, I am going to support you one-hundred percent, no matter what. If you want to give this thing with Marcus a try, then go for it. You’re right.” She made a face. “For now, we’re stuck here. And if you’re happy…even if I find a way out, would you want to go home?”
Nailah’s lack of response was enough of an answer.
Callie could tell Harrison had tried really hard to make a good impression.
Not only was he wearing a very nice suit, but he’d combed his gray hair over and gelled it into place. He also brought a plate full of cookies.
“Baked them myself,” he told Emma as she took the plate from him.
“How lovely, Harrison. Thank you.” Callie’s mom tiptoed to give the man a quick peck on the cheek.
“Hello, Bel.” He smiled shyly at Gran and offered her a hand.
“Hello.” Gran seemed to steel herself, and then she ignored his hand and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Harrison’s neck as she planted a brief, but meaningful, kiss to his lips.
Callie didn’t know a man with such sun-kissed skin could blush, but apparently, it was possible. It spread all the way to his hairline.
He greeted Callie, Alaric, and Nailah with a big smile; Alaric got a hearty handshake, and the girls received hugs. He even inquired about their day—which had been lazy but for a mid-afternoon walk to the fountain, where they’d had a picnic beside it in the sunshine.
Callie propped open the door and they gathered around the kitchen table for dinner as the warm evening breeze filled the house. Her mom and Gran had gone all-out to impress Harrison—rosemary and lime chicken and three of their signature side dishes: fresh salsa and corn, hashbrown casserole, and 8-bean salad.
Callie remembered all the dishes as magnificent back home when they were cooked using pre-made grocery salsa, Campbell’s soups, and canned beans. But with all the fresh vegetables and homemade sauces, the food was extraterrestrial.
After dinner, they all chipped in to clean up—even Alaric and Harrison—and then played a board game eerily similar to Monopoly. It was a raucous game, with Alaric accusing Callie and Nailah of ganging up on him, and Gran and Emma telling loud and embarrassing stories about each other.
It was a real family night. Callie couldn’t remember a time back in the old world where they’d spent so much time together, just doing inane, stupid family things like dinner at the table and a board game.
“You wanted normal,” Nailah murmured halfway through the game. She must have noticed the happy tears in Callie’s eyes and the content look on her face.
“Yeah. I did.”
“Looks like your prayers were answered.”
Callie bit her lip. “In a roundabout way, I guess they were.”
Harrison and Gran settled on the couch for mugs of coffee and a chat, while Nailah cut out for a date with Marcus at a pub in the city center. Emma walked Alaric and Callie to the door.
It was a clear, warm night. The moon was a fingernail crescent, but the stars made a blanket of light. They stopped on the walk outside the door, and Emma touched Callie’s face.
“You guys be careful. If you go in the water, please keep an eye out for sharks.”
“No sharks in Aionia, Mrs. Bishoff. Cross my heart.” Alaric made an “X” over his chest.
“Well, I suppose that eases my mind a bit.”
Callie recognized the look on her mother’s face—sadness and regret, mingled with just a hint of anger. She glanced at Alaric. “Could you give me and my mother a moment, please?”
“Of course.” He kissed her forehead, took the bag that held their towels from her shoulder, and started down the path to the water.
Callie reached for her mother’s hands, running her thumbs over Emma’s angular knuckles for a moment. Her mom used to have pretty hands—soft, feminine. After years of climbing mountains, they were scarred and twisted. But, it didn’t take anything away from her mother’s beauty.
Meeting her mom’s eyes, Callie said, “You miss Dad.”
Tears pooled in Emma’s blue eyes. She looked away, taking a couple deep breaths before she answered. “I do.”
Callie tugged on her mom’s hands until she came close enough to hug. She laid her head on her mother’s shoulder and just held her as silent sobs wracked her body. When they eased, Callie pulled away.
“You’re going to find someone new, Momma.” When her mother opened her mouth, her eyes firing up to protest, Callie shook her head and put a hand to her mother’s mouth. “Don’t argue with me. You found the fountain, Mom. It’s here on this island, and this island is our new home. You worked hard and you met your goal. And now…now, you move on.”
Emma put a hand to her mouth, hiding a sob. She nodded.
“And I’m going to be here, every step of the way. We’re going to move on together. Okay?”
They hugged, a long embrace that held almost seven years of pain, anger, and regret. There was a world between them, but it was a world they’d conquer together.
“I love you, Cal,” Emma murmured in her ear.
“I love you, too.”
“Now.” Emma pushed her away and swiped at the tears on her cheeks. “Go have fun with that boy. I like him.” With a bright smile, her mother went back inside.
When Callie got to the beach, she found that Alaric had dug a hole in the sand and lit a small fire. The flames bounced cozily, casting shadows on his face.
“Is your mom okay?” he asked as Callie dropped to the sand beside him.
“Um. She will be. One day.” Callie smiled sadly. “You know what it’s like. You know, losing someone.”
He just nodded and put an arm around her.
Callie rested her head against his warm shoulder and watched the waves gently lapping the shore.
Alaric cleared his throat. “I have something to show you.”
Pulling away, Callie said, “What?”
His messenger bag lay nearby on the sand. He flipped open the satchel and pulled out a rolled up parchment. “I did a little digging today at work.”
“Oh, I forgot you had to work today.” Callie’s breath hitched as he unrolled the large sheet. “Digging into what?”
“The government building.” He scooted closer to the fire and smoothed the parchment open on the sand. “Look, this is the interior of the pyramid.”
“No way.” Callie lowered her voice. “Alaric, where did you get this?”
He blushed. “I stole it.”
“What? You could lose your job!”
“I want to help you.” He put a hand to each side of her face and touched his forehead to hers. “Even if I’m not positive there is a way back to the other world, I want to do what I can for you.”
Callie shifted to capture his lips and the kiss deepened. They sank to the sand, mouths and bodies so closely enmeshed she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began. He radiated warmth, like sunshine in the night, and he still tasted like coconut. She ran her hands down his strong back, lost in his touch.
“I actually have more to tell you,” he murmured after a few moments. “As much as I love kissing you, I’ve been waiting all day to tell you.”
Callie giggled. “Then tell me.”
“Come here.” He crawled back to the fire and the parchment. “So, Charlotte swears there’s a hidden chamber where this supposed book is held. Now, I cross-coordinated what I know of the temple with what is on these plans,” he said as he touched his temple. “I’ve worked there forever. I know that place.”
“Oka-ay.”
“What I see is that right…here.” He circled an area in the center of the pyramid
with his fingertip. “There is empty space.”
Callie wrinkled her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
“There is a long wall in here that isn’t as long on the plans of the temple. There’s like five feet of space unaccounted for.”
Callie started. “Seriously? Like, it was left out?”
Alaric nodded. “Seems that way.”
“What are you thinking? That that’s where the hidden room is?”
“It might be. It would make sense. If it’s supposed to be hidden—secret—then they wouldn’t want anything to give it away. And I know that hallway is a lot longer than this blueprint shows.”
“Are you going to look for it?”
Alaric clenched his jaw, sucking a breath through his teeth. “I’m watched. All the time. If I’m not at Darren’s side, I’m with one of the others. They’re the neediest damn people. But, you…”
“Gretta sends me off on my own all the time,” Callie responded quietly.
“Exactly.”
“I don’t know my way around that temple, Alaric. There are so many passages and doors…what if I get lost?”
He grinned and held up a finger, then dipped his hand into his bag again. He emerged with a notebook. “I made a map.”
“No way.” Callie laughed.
“Way.” He handed the pad to her. “If you keep that on you, you should never get lost. Searching for the secret room or running errands for Gretta.”
Callie set the notebook aside and moved over the sand until she was thigh-to-thigh with him. She grabbed his head with both hands and before she kissed him, she said, “No, Alaric. I’ll never get lost as long as I have you.”
Back at work the following day, Callie wasn’t given the time or privacy to go searching for the room. The proceeds from the Fall Festival had to be counted and stashed, as well as documented. Callie spent her entire seven-hour day in the accounting department, writing down numbers the office workers called to her and shuttling papers between people.
She got home as the sun was nearing the horizon. It was a hot day; Callie’s pants and shirt were plastered to her body, despite the fact that cotton should have been breathable. In the opposite direction of the sun, there were dark clouds rolling in and the sound of distant thunder.
As Callie meandered up the sidewalk, Gran and Emma appeared in the doorway, giggling like little girls. Gran had her woven straw purse hanging on one shoulder.
“Hey. What’s going on?” Callie asked wearily.
“Hey, baby.” Emma kissed Callie on the cheek. “We’re off to see Gran’s new store!”
“Ohmigod, you bought it?” Callie leapt forward and embraced Gran, dancing around her excitedly.
“Do you want to come?” Emma asked. “Nailah is going to meet us there.”
Callie thought about how tired and hot she was, but she shook it off. “Of course. Let me put my bag down and change clothes.”
Gran’s store was tiny but centrally located on the largest of the main avenues that bisected Aionia. It was basic—four stone walls, two windows, and a small back room to function as an office. It was also entirely empty.
“I’ll have to buy supplies, of course,” Gran said as Emma, Callie, and Nailah stood in the center of the room and glanced around. “Like racks for the products. Oh, and a sign!”
“Have you thought of names?” Nailah asked, stepping forward to put a long arm around Gran’s shoulder. Her question was nearly drowned out by a clap of thunder.
“I have.”
Emma smiled. “And?”
“I’m going to call it Gran’s. Simple, but true.”
“Awesome!” Callie hugged her tightly. “I’m so proud of you. First, Harrison. Now, the store. You’re really making this work, aren’t you?”
Gran pecked Callie’s temple and laid her cheek against her head. “It’s about damn time I do.”
As Gran walked away, Callie was left to ponder her declaration. No worry, no doubt—Gran was just going for it. She was making a dream come true and finding new love. They would have a wet walk home since the rain was beginning to fall, but nobody seemed to care because everybody was so content.
Callie thought of the parchment in her bag that proved there was a missing room in the temple, and Alaric’s meticulously drawn maps.
She had to go for it, too.
Gretta smiled widely when Callie walked in the next morning. “Good morning, Callie! Sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you.” Callie dropped her bag to the floor and settled into one of the two chairs in front of Gretta’s desk. “What’s on the agenda today?”
Gretta slipped her small bifocals onto her prominent nose and squinted at the contents of her desk. “We did well on the Festival details yesterday. I’m really proud of your work there.”
Callie blushed, warmed by the compliment. “Thank you, Gretta.”
“So, no more of that today. The accounting department is all set. I think what I need you to do today is organize the filing room.” Gretta pulled her glasses off and let them dangle from their leather cord around her neck. “When you filed the new arrivals, you did a great job. I’ve had numerous compliments. Do you think you could incorporate those same tactics into the rest of the room? It’s going to be a lot of work.”
“Sure.”
“Wonderful! I’m sure it will be a job that takes you at least a couple days, so consider yourself cut loose to do what you need. You do remember the way to the filing room?”
Reeling from the implication, Callie nodded. “Yep.”
“Then you may go. If you need anything, come find me.”
As Callie walked the familiar hallways that led her to the filing room, her heart was pounding. She had an entire day, if not several, to find the room.
Callie gripped the strap of the bag that held the map. She wanted to search for the supposed hidden room before she lost her nerve, but she knew that wasn’t the smart thing to do. File. Let a couple hours pass. Then, go.
She was relieved when she made it to the filing room without getting lost or needing to pull out Alaric’s maps. Groaning, she sank into a plush chair and glanced around at the filing cabinets. There was no way to know how many years it had been since the cabinets were organized. Half the files she’d passed over the first time she had been in the room had been completely out of alphabetical order. It was going to take her forever to make a dent.
Callie pulled out a stack of files and started to sort through them, fanning them out on the stone floor. Her hands shook as she began to rearrange the files and put them back. The thought of searching by herself… It was too bad Alaric couldn’t help her, but unfortunately, it was something only she could do.
She wondered what would happen if they caught her. Her heart seized.
Shaking her head, Callie mumbled, “Wrong. Train. Of. Thought.”
After an hour of filing, Callie pulled out another stack and set them on the chair. She found a piece of scrap paper and scratched out a quick, Went to the bathroom. Hopefully no one would come to check on her, but if they did, at least she had an excuse. They would believe her if she told them she got lost.
She grabbed her bag and opened it to pull out the notebook Alaric had given her, then double checked to make sure she still had a candle and matches. Opening the notebook, Callie ran her eyes over the first map. It took her a few moments to figure out the set-up of his maps, and to find her location versus the area where Alaric believed the room could be.
Suddenly, the door creaked open.
Callie jumped at the sound, and then whirled around, clutching the open notebook to her chest. Alaric’s head popped through the opening.
“Hey, beautiful.” He gave her a big smile, the rest of him stepping into the room. He was wearing one of the hip-length, pale blue shirts she really liked—it made his eyes look like the sky.
“You scared me,” Callie hissed at him, but she was smiling anyway. She let the notebook fall to the chair and crossed the room to fling her
arms around him as he closed the door.
“Missed you,” he murmured against her mouth. He placed gentle kisses along the line of her bottom lip, and tingles ran through her body.
“We just saw each other last night,” Callie replied with a giggle.
“Oh, yes we did,” Alaric said lasciviously, pulling away so he could wiggle his eyebrows suggestively. “That little bathing suit…”
Callie slapped him on the shoulder. “Little? It was like wearing a dress!”
“I’ll give you that. But it was a small, creamy-colored thing that looked”—he paused, his eyes hungry—“stimulating when wet.”
“You’re such a guy. What happened to my sweet, chivalrous boyfriend?”
“He’s still here,” Alaric murmured, pressing another kiss—more chaste—to her lips and winked as he stepped away “But you have to give him a little leeway.”
Callie was flattered; her cheeks were on fire. “What are you doing here?”
“Do you want to come to my place tonight? I cook a mean stew.”
“Sure!”
“Great. I’m heading out early because I worked some overtime last week. Are you…prepared?” He eyed the notebook splayed on the chair behind her.
“I think so. Thanks to you.”
A smile flitted across his face. “I have faith that if there’s a way out, you’ll be the one to find it.”
His words touched her. She kissed him again.
“I’ll meet you out front after work,” he said, and then left.
Callie went back to her map, her lips still tingling from Alaric’s attention. As luck would have it, she was in the appropriate area of the temple. The less offices and meeting rooms she had to pass in her quest, the better. She closed the notebook and shoved it in her bag, then tossed the bag over her shoulder.
Taking a deep breath, Callie opened the door to the filing room and poked her head out. No one in sight. She let out her held breath and crept into the hall, turning to the left. The corridor was long and wide, so there was nowhere for her to hide if she crossed paths with another person. Hopefully, she wouldn’t run into any of the creepy parliament members; if she did, she was a sitting duck.