Eternal Youth (29 page)

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.

After making several twists and turns, trying to work off memory, Callie realized she was lost. She leaned against a wall and pulled the map from her bag. Thanks to all her time in the jungles with her mother, Callie was pretty good at navigation. She studied the hand drawn instructions, but unfortunately, the temple was like a maze. Almost every hall she walked looked the same. Frustrated, Callie shoved the map back in the bag and turned around, intent on retracing her steps.

After several moments, she was so flustered she felt like crying.
Whoever designed this place was either a moron or a genius.

Just as she was considering a temper tantrum on the dirty floor, Callie heard footsteps and breathed in a sigh of relief when she saw it was one of the soldiers. He was recognizable by his simple cotton uniform, identical to what she’d seen Josie wear.

Callie smiled sheepishly. “It seems I’m lost. Can you point me in the direction of Gretta’s office?”

The solider nodded. His head was shaved and his face boyish. “Straight down the hall. Two lefts and then a right.”

“Thanks,” Callie said, and shuffled off. When the sound of the soldier’s boots on the floor disappeared, she hung her head in defeat.

She’d had the perfect opportunity to find the hidden room, and she blew it.

“So, this is where you live,” Callie said, squinting under the bright sun. Alaric had met her outside the temple when she’d left work and walked her to his place. They stood before a large structure like any other in Aionia, but the difference was obvious—three stories high with a single door. “Apartments?”

“Yep, sure is. Come on.” He offered his arm, and Callie slipped her own through his elbow.

“Do you live with Josie?” she asked as they ducked through the low-hanging doorway and into the dark interior. It was cool inside, lit by the soft glow of the wall torches.

Alaric steered her toward a staircase to the right, and they mounted the steps.

“No, we chose not to live together. Even though we’re good at pretending we get along great, we actually fight on a regular basis. Siblings, you know.” He grinned. “She lives next door.”

Callie laughed as they exited onto the second floor landing. “Well, at least she’s close.”

“Close is good enough.” He produced a skeleton key from his pocket and stuck it in the lock of the first door on the right.

Alaric’s apartment was very small and spare. It was a single room, much like the downstairs of Callie’s own home. His furniture was obviously handmade—shaved wooden chairs and a table, crudely hewn cabinets in the kitchenette, and a lopsided bookcase against one wall. The bed was made out of thick tree branches and covered with a colorful quilt. There was only one doorway inside, and Callie assumed it led to a bathroom.

“It’s not much.” Alaric shrugged. “But, it’s been home since I arrived in Aionia.”

“It’s cute,” Callie assured him.

“So, have a seat.” He gestured to the table.

Callie was struck by the fact that his hands seemed to be trembling.
Is he nervous?

“And I’ll start the stew.”

“Um, I’d rather help, if that’s okay.” Callie brushed off her hands dramatically and put them on her hips. “I’m an
expert
at chopping vegetables.”

Alaric smiled, and his eyes were soft. “I would like that.”

They gathered the necessities from Alaric’s open pantry—gnarled potatoes, stubby carrots, and bruised onions, as well as celery, tomato, and a small amount of salted beef.

“I’ve been saving it for a special meal,” Alaric told her, setting the sealed package on the counter.

Callie eyed it warily. “I’ve never had salted meat before. In the present day, where I’m from, we have refrigerators. Meat doesn’t have to be salted anymore. Why don’t you have an icebox, like we do at our house?”

“Some homes don’t,” he responded. He dropped his vegetables to the counter and gave her a playful wink. “It’s okay. Where
I
came from, we had salted meat.”

He handed Callie a square cutting board. “Better to cut at the table, I think. More room.”

The counter
was
really small. Callie settled into a seat at the table and got to work cubing the potatoes as Alaric set up a big soup pot. She glanced over periodically, watching as he lit his woodstove, filled the pot with water and a decent dollop of butter, then added the already chopped meat.

She’d always found a certain Zen in cooking that couldn’t be achieved elsewhere. She figured it had to do with the tedious, monotonous motion—slicing and chopping, then pushing the end product to the side to slice and chop some more. It was a good time for one’s mind to wander.

Across the table, Alaric sliced carrots with intense concentration. Callie watched him from the tops of her eyes, a smile playing across her face. His hair hung limply, diagonal across his forehead—probably weighed down by the day’s humidity, like Callie’s own dark locks were.
He’s so adorable.

“No luck today, huh?” he said, noticing with a knowing grin that she’d been staring at him.

“Unfortunately…no. I got lost.” Callie made a face.

“Were my maps not good?”

“No, they’re wonderful!” Callie rushed to reassure him. “I just got turned around. I’ll try again tomorrow.”

They chattered a little while longer as they finished dicing their veggies, and then carried it all to the pot.

The meat and buttery water combination already smelled delicious. Callie dumped her finished products into the water, the steam hitting her face as she watched. “This is going to be awesome.”

“I love stew.” Alaric lifted his own cutting board and used his knife to slide all of his carrots and celery into the water. “Filling and good.”

“Me, too. My best friend Avery from back home in California, her mom makes the best Irish stew. She pours it over mashed potatoes.”

Alaric was silent for a moment as he poured the bowl of onion slices into the stew. “Callie, what are you going to do if this hidden room and search for a way out of Aionia turns into a wild goose chase?”

Callie put her own cutting board down and leaned her hip on the counter. Meeting his eyes, she said quietly, “I used to call my mom’s search for the Fountain of Youth a ‘wild goose chase.’ And look now—it exists. We found it here.”

His pale eyes were so sad, but he didn’t say anything.

She put a hand on his chest, idly playing with the string at the collar of his shirt that held the two sides together. “I don’t think I disbelieve
anything
anymore. I will find a way home if it’s the last thing I do.”

“I don’t want you to go,” Alaric burst out. He stepped forward, encircling her waist with both arms as he stared down at her. “Callie, I’m falling in love with you.”

Callie’s eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened. “Wh-what?”

“I love you,” he repeated, leaning to press his forehead to hers. “Don’t leave me. Stay here. In Aionia. Let’s make a life together.”

“Alaric, I’m not even seventeen yet.”

He pecked her lips and chuckled. “It doesn’t have to happen right away. We can wait until you’re eighteen to get married and move in together. Callie, I have forever to live and I would wait forever for you.” His face darkened. “But, if you leave Aionia…we won’t get that chance.”

Speechless, Callie wasn’t sure what to say or do, so she just closed the space between them and kissed him.

Nailah was sitting outside the house with a handsome, dark-complected man with big, dark eyes and fluffy black eyelashes. The moon was nonexistent as Callie walked up to them in the darkness. They were framed in the warm, flickering light emanating from the open townhouse door. Both stood when they saw her.

“Hey! Did you have a good time with Alaric?” Nailah asked. She looked beautiful from her date—a sleek, ankle-length dress that highlighted her thin curves and long limbs and her braids piled into a ponytail.

“Um. I need to talk to you,” Callie murmured.

“Oh. Sure.” She pointed to her date. “This is Marcus. Marcus, Callie.”

“Great meeting you, Callie. I’ve heard much.” Marcus’s shake was quick and firm. He grinned at Nailah, his smile nearly iridescent in the night. “I will head home. See you tomorrow, Nailah?”

Callie waved and walked inside, leaving them to say their goodbyes.

Gran was sound asleep on the couch, one of Charlotte’s books open across her chest. Callie’s mom was at the table, bent over a crossword puzzle as she bit her lip in thought. She glanced up, her face brightening. “Hey, baby. Nice night outside, huh?”

“Windy,” Callie replied. “I’m gonna go to bed. Gotta work in the morning.”

Emma’s brow wrinkled, but she just nodded. “Of course. Sleep well.”

Callie took the dark stairs—she could do it with her eyes closed after so many weeks of living in a house without electricity. She entered her bedroom, where Nailah had left an oil lamp burning. They’d learned the hard way that before the sun went down, they needed to light their lamp. It took forever trying to do it in the dark.

Still moving in somewhat of a fog, Callie pulled off her clothes and changed into a pair of soft pajama pants and a tank top. She was just crawling under the covers when Nailah came into the room.

“What’s going on?” her friend asked worriedly, perching on the edge of Callie’s bed. “Please tell me you guys didn’t break up. You’re perfect for each other. Whatever you did, undo it.”

Callie rolled her eyes. “I didn’t
do
anything. You have so much faith.”

Nailah laughed. “I’m just kidding. What happened?”

Pausing for effect, Callie murmured, “He told me he loved me.”

“Oh.” Nailah shook her head. “Why is this a problem?”

Callie fell back to her pillow and groaned. “He makes me want to stay.”

Nailah got to her feet and crossed the room to her closet. “For heaven’s sake, Calista. There is
every
reason to remain here and little to return.”

“But the reason for going home—”

“Braden and Avery. I know. But, Cal—” Nailah pulled a nightgown from a hanger and turned her serious gaze to Callie—“they’re strong enough to move on.”

Callie shook her head. “If the tables were turned, they’d find a way back to me.”

“You do what you want, Calista,” Nailah told her, stripping off her dress. She tugged the short pink nightgown over her head. “But, remember, this is your chance to start a new life. To get back all those years you lost, searching for the Fountain of Youth.”