Eternal Youth (33 page)

Her daughter, Amelia, hopped to her feet. She was a younger Charlotte—black hair in a loose bun and glittering green eyes with her mom’s curves. She looked as terrified as Callie felt.

“Then, we go,” Emma murmured, glancing at Gran.

Gran sat at the kitchen table, her hands wrapped around a mug. It was a picture Callie would always associate with her grandmother—the wise woman with tea, a shawl draped around her shoulders and a fond smile on her face. It was also a picture Callie knew she’d never see again.

Callie and her mother converged on Gran at the same time. The elder woman stood, wrapping her arms around Callie as Emma held them both. Hot tears sprang to Callie’s eyes; the day had been entirely too emotional. She felt battered.

Callie heard the shuffle of footsteps as the others walked outside. She pressed her face into her grandmother’s shoulder, fighting against the sobs that threatened to come.

“I’ll miss you girls so much,” Gran whispered, squeezing Callie tightly.

“Don’t forget us while you’re living forever,” Emma joked, even though she had mascara streaking down her face.

“Never.”

The three women stood for a moment, gently rocking, until Gran took hold of Callie’s arms and pushed her away. With one hand, Gran pulled her shawl from her shoulders and draped it over Callie’s. “You don’t have much time, my loves. Go.”

“You won’t reconsider, Mom?” Emma asked, her voice breaking.

“No, love. Aionia is my new start, but you…” Gran placed a hand to either of Emma’s cheeks and smiled sadly. “You, my daughter…you don’t need me. You have a new start waiting for you in San Diego. I just know it.”

Callie peered around the thick tree trunk she hid behind, her eyes searching the harbor for the supposed guards. It was utterly empty. There was nothing but the sound of boat hulls hitting the dock and the splash of waves. Without visible soldiers for Nailah to scream for, the diversion wouldn’t work.

Callie glanced at Alaric and lifted her palms as if to say, “Now what?”

“They have to be here,” Charlotte whispered before he could open his mouth. “Maybe they’re hiding?”

“Why would they be hiding?” Amelia rolled her eyes.

“Do you think we got the date wrong?” Just the thought made Callie want to burst into tears. She couldn’t fathom spending another year doing meaningless tasks in the government building and subsisting on reading alone.

Nailah shook her head vehemently. “No. My calculations are fine. It’s December twenty-first.”

Charlotte and Amelia spoke up at once, as Callie began to argue with Nailah. The whispered mash of voices would have gone on if Emma hadn’t interrupted.

“Shh.” Emma swiped at the air with a hand and put a finger to her lips. There was a long pause as they listened to the wind whistle through the forest. Emma shook her head. “Sorry. I thought I heard something.”

“You did.” The voice came from behind them.

Callie jumped, barely stifling a shriek as she whirled to find Josie standing behind them. The soldier had her gun pointed at the ground and her eyes on her brother.

“Alaric. What are you doing here?” There was thunder on her face.

“N-nothing.”

His answer wouldn’t have convinced Callie, and she was sure it didn’t convince his sister. Especially seeing as all the women carried canvas satchels around their bodies—they were obviously up to something.

Josie let the tip of her shotgun rest in the dirt. “What’s going on?”

That’s it. We’re screwed.

“We’re leaving,” Emma answered defiantly.

Josie took a step back, staring at Callie’s mother indifferently. “Why?”

Callie was confused by the question. She’d expected a laugh or something to indicate Josie thought they were crazy…or even a
There’s no way to leave
. Information clicked, and Callie gasped. “You know!”

Alaric glanced at Callie, and then the awareness hit his ice-blue eyes before he jerked them to his sister. “You
know
about the tear in the dimension?”

Josie pursed her lips. “I do.”

“You’ve kept it from me all this time?” There was pain in his voice.

His sister stared unblinking into his accusing gaze. “I lost Mom and Dad. I wasn’t going to lose you, too.”

Callie was startled to see tears in his eyes as Alaric replied, “Even knowing how bad I wanted to return to Mary, you kept it from me?”

Josie shook her head and stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on her brother’s shoulder. “Al, I would never have kept you from your family. I didn’t know until much,
much
later. Would you have wanted to rock their entire existence by returning fifty years after you disappeared?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Callie cut in, trying to find some kind of familiarity in the conversation. “Who is Mary? And what’s this about a family?”

“He hasn’t told you?” Josie gaped at Callie before pressing a hand to her forehead. “Dear God, Alaric, you told me you wanted to spend the rest of your life with this girl and you haven’t told her about your past?”

“What about it?” Callie demanded, shaking his arm. She felt an insane urge to punch him for not telling her
anything
about his life in the real world.

Alaric leaned against a tree and closed his eyes, but not before Callie saw the pain in them. “I was married, Callie. I was married at eighteen to a girl named Mary. When I took the trip with Josie, my wife was pregnant. She would have had my child about the time our ship arrived in Aionia.”

The information hit Callie like a wrecking ball. Her knees crumpled beneath her and she sank to the ground, all the breath rushing from her body.

“Callie!” He moved to reach for her, but Emma stopped him with a shake of her head.

“You were married. And a
dad
.” Callie didn’t feel like the words were even coming from her. The real Callie felt like she was drifting aimlessly somewhere fifteen feet above her head, gazing down on the scene with a kind of detached amusement.

“I’m sorry.” Alaric’s voice broke. “I know I should have told you, but it’s so hard…”

“I understand.” The words came before Callie had even given them thought. Because she did—she thought of her dad and how difficult it was to remember life with him as opposed to without him. It must have killed Alaric to know he would remain forever young and trapped in Aionia, never knowing his child. She really did understand.

“Can you ever forgive me?” He crouched in front of her and met her eye.

Callie gave him the only answer she had. “I don’t know.”

“We’re running out of time,” Emma said after a pause. She turned her gaze to Josie. “If you’re going to stop us, let me know now. If not, then we’ll be going.”

“I’m not going to stop you.” The statement must have been directed to Emma, but as she said it, Josie was looking at her brother. “I’m going to help you.”

Callie blinked. “Oh.”

Josie took a knee next to her brother and said, “Alaric, get the hell out of here. Be happy again. I love you. So much.” She gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, and then swiftly stood. Her shout rocked the silence of the forest. “Trouble at Port David!”

The group stared, astonished, as she winked and took off at a sprint. From all around, shouts began to arise and the
thud
of running footsteps filled the trees. Josie’s country twang sounded again from further away, “All hands, I repeat,
all hands
to Port David!”

“Where is Port David?” Emma asked absently.

“Miriam Harbor,” Charlotte answered, awed. “I have a copy of the soldiers’ manual.”

Nailah’s jaw dropped. “That’s all the way on the other side of the island.”

“She gave us an out.” Emma burst out laughing. “Isn’t that something?”

Callie roused herself, getting to her feet. She smiled at Alaric as his attention shifted to her face from the direction in which Josie had disappeared. She motioned towards the boats and said brightly, “We’re on the move, people.”

There were no shouts as they hurried to the docks because nobody was around to raise an alert. Alaric led them straight to the boat—a small, wooden schooner with the name “Brilliant Pearl” painted in white on the hull. Charlotte and Amelia didn’t even hesitate—they raced up the plank without glancing back.

Callie turned to Nailah and tried desperately not to cry. “This is goodbye.”

“Maybe it’s not.” Nailah embraced Callie, squeezing her waist. “It’s only ‘goodbye’ if you make it ‘goodbye’.”

“If that’s the case…” Callie stepped back and brushed away a tear before Nailah saw it. “I’ll see you later.”

Nailah gave a succinct nod, her dark eyes full of unshed tears. “See you later.”

Emma gave her a quick hug and a peck on the cheek. “Take care of Gran, will you, baby?”

“I will. Always.”

Callie moved to follow her mom up the ramp, but turned one last time to her best friend. “I love you, Nailah.”

“I love you, too.” She tugged at the end of her favorite scarf where it was knotted around Callie’s neck. “Friends forever.”

“Forever,” Callie agreed, and then walked away, shoving her emotions as deep as she could so she could focus on getting out.

She realized Alaric wasn’t behind her about halfway up the ramp. She whipped around to find him on the dock staring blankly at the ship. Her voice shook when she said, “Alaric?”

As if awoken from a dream, Alaric shook his head and looked up at her. “I can’t.”

Callie’s heart sank and almost ceased beating. She crossed her arms over her chest and swallowed her sadness. “What happened to wanting to marry me? To spend forever with me?”

He let his face fall into his hands and groaned. “Callie, what if we make it across and I just suddenly age? My body might try to catch up with the years in a matter of seconds.”

Callie shook her head, taking a step backwards and up the ramp. “I doubt that will happen.”

He looked into her eyes. “If it did? Could you handle it?”

“Could you?” she retorted. She shook her head bitterly and said, “I love you, Alaric. Even if you don’t love me enough to take a risk I would be willing to take.” Turning on her heel, Callie grasped the strap of her satchel and ascended the plank onto the ship.

Before she crested the ramp and stepped off onto the boat’s deck, Callie heard Nailah’s wry voice say, “You’re an absolute idiot if you don’t get on that boat.”

The boat was a simple wood structure. A single mast soared above Callie’s head, the white canvas sail already open to the wind. As Charlotte rushed past, Callie reached out and grabbed the woman’s arm. “What can I do?”

Charlotte paused just long enough to say, “We’re done. Ready to go. I’m heading for the wheel.” And then she smiled and hurried away.

“That was fast,” Callie said to her mother.

Emma was tying off a heavy rope on the railing. She shrugged. “Charlotte knew what she was doing. Are you okay?”

“I will be.” Callie took a couple of breaths to stem yet another tide of tears and gave her mother a fake smile. “When we get home, I’ll be just fine.”

“Help me get the ramp up!” Amelia called from behind them.

Callie rushed across the deck, her sandals slapping on the wood. She took hold of the other side and began to pull, ignoring Alaric’s form—just a shadow beneath them.

The boat began to pull away from the dock, startling Callie. She almost dropped the plank and had to catch herself on the edge of the boat.

“Are you okay?” Amelia asked breathlessly, carefully maintaining her grip on the ramp.

“Yeah.” Callie heaved again and felt the plank move an inch.

“Wait!” His yell was almost desperate, and Callie watched in shock as Alaric launched himself from the dock. There was a moment when he seemed to be suspended in mid-air, and then he fell heavily into the water with a noisy splash.

“Alaric!” Callie stared at the water, waiting for him to surface.

Amelia punched Callie in the arm and yelled, “Callie, help me hook the plank down so he can get up!”

It took a minute for the girls to get the plank hooked back into place, and it fell against the side of the boat with a jarring
bang
. Callie leaned over the railing and sighed in relief as she saw Alaric’s blond head cutting through the water—he was swimming for the ship.

“What in the world is that boy doing?” Emma appeared at Callie’s side.

Callie smiled. “Coming with us.”

Emma’s brow wrinkled. “Is he even going to be able to climb that thing?”

Amelia chuckled as she surveyed her battered palms. “He’s a boy in love. Of course he can. I’m going to see if Mom needs any help.”

Callie didn’t even see her walk away; her attention was on Alaric as he drew up to the hull and reached for the ramp. Arm over arm—and painstakingly slow—he climbed the wood until Callie and Emma could pull him to safety.

“I’m sorry. I’m an idiot.” The words came from him in a rush. His chest heaved from the effort of his swim and climb—he clung to Callie as his knees gave out. They sank to the deck. “I wasn’t sure you even wanted me. Did you mean it?”

He was cold and wet with ocean water beneath her arms, but Callie didn’t care. He was there with her. “Mean what?”

His beautiful eyes met hers, pleading. “Do you love me?”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” Callie laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. She pulled back until they were nose to nose and murmured. “I love you
so
much.”

They kissed. Callie wrapped his soaked hair in her hands and lost herself in the movement of his mouth on hers and the ship beneath them. The saltwater on his lips was tangy.

“I will love you forever,” he whispered against her lips. “I didn’t have a choice about leaving my family, Callie, but I have a choice now. And I choose you. Something divine gave you to me. I’m here, even if it means my life will end as soon as we leave Aionia. I’ll die happy.”

“Don’t be stupid. You’re not going to age and die.” Callie bumped his forehead with hers, her heart doing a dance at his sweet words.

“Callie, Alaric…” Emma’s voice cut in, subdued. “We’re almost to the barrier.”