by Julia Crane
She took a deep breath and grinned. “Mission accomplished.”
Several emotions flitted across Alaric’s face, but it was the sadness that broke Callie’s heart. She wanted to reassure him that she loved him, too, but she still hadn’t been able to say the words. If she said it, then the intense feelings she had for him would be real…
She didn’t know if she could handle losing him.
“I haven’t…looked,” she told him gently, touching his arm. “Meet me at the place you took me on our first date. After work.”
He nodded. “Of course.”
Hoping no one would notice, Callie had tracked down one of the government’s many messengers and sent him with a note to the Farm, instructing Nailah to meet her, too.
It had taken every ounce of self-control for her to go back to the filing room and continue working. Time seemed to stand still. She was unable to focus—she kept messing up the paperwork and would have to do it over and over again.
The bag had taunted her.
Sitting at the patio table at Sally’s, Callie waited for Alaric to arrive, and the bag still taunted her. Her hands were shaking. She felt like there was a big, red sign pointing at her that screamed “thief.” Calm down, she told herself sternly. If you look innocent, there’s no reason for anyone to expect anything.
Out of all the crazy things she had done in her life, stealing a hidden book from the government was the most nerve-wracking to date.
Alaric and Nailah arrived from either direction at the same time, and as soon as she saw them, Callie jumped to her feet and gathered her things.
“We can’t talk here,” Alaric said in greeting, glancing around at the thick lunch crowd on the patio.
Callie nodded. “I know.”
“Talk about what?” Nailah asked, one thin eyebrow raised as she walked up to catch the end of the conversation.
Callie ignored her question, and glanced furtively around before she murmured, “We’re going to the fountain.”
Nailah put her hands on her hips and cocked her head as she said, “Why?”
“Privacy,” Callie told her. “I’ll explain when we get there.”
The fountain was just as beautiful in daylight, if not more so. Callie had only returned a handful of times, though she knew her mom visited often and wasn’t telling anybody. If it had been Callie’s dream achieved, she would have haunted the place, too.
The Roman columns surrounding the fountain shone white beneath the sun, and the water glittered, gently waving beneath the onslaught of the three-tiered waterfall.
“It’s peaceful here,” Callie observed, not really expecting a reply. She sat on the edge of the fountain, letting her bag fall to the ground at her feet, and patted the cool stone. “Sit.”
Nailah smoothed her long black dress beneath her as she sat, very lady-like and regal with her back straight. Callie noticed she was wearing make-up, and wondered if it was because of Marcus. Alaric took a seat beside her so that they both faced her expectantly.
Callie leaned down and opened her bag—the book was nestled innocently in the bottom. With a hint of reverence, she picked it up and drew it out.
Nailah gasped, a hand drifting to her mouth. She lifted her wide eyes to Callie’s face. “Is that it?”
Callie shrugged and studied the book. “Maybe.”
“You haven’t opened it?” Alaric asked. His face was worried—the squiggle between his eyebrows was cute.
“No. I didn’t want to do it without you guys.” Callie grinned sheepishly. “I was also kinda scared.”
Nailah scooted closer and put an arm around Callie. “Well, we’re here now.”
Alaric nodded, hopping up to come around to the other side of Callie. He sat, his legs warm against hers, and tapped the cover of the book. “Do it.”
Callie laid the book on her knees and opened it.
The first page was some kind of title page. “A History of Aionia,” Callie read, her heartbeat quickening.
“Looks like it might be what we’re looking for,” Nailah said softly, touching the page. “Pretty short book for a full history.”
“I can’t imagine much is known about this place,” Alaric said.
“Maybe more than you think.” Callie trailed a finger down the list. “There are names. Darren, Maire, Gretta… It’s the parliament members.”
“They’ve been in power as long as I’ve been here,” Alaric responded. “I’ve never really thought about it, but it’s not impossible they’ve been here for hundreds of years. They know more about Aionia than anyone I’ve ever known.”
“Turn the page, Callie,” Nailah said.
The next few pages were just stuff—an overall black-and-white map of the island that covered two facing pages, a list of the native flora and fauna and the statistics of each. Callie kept turning pages until she reached the beginning of the text.
“Not much is known about the origins of Aionia,” she read out loud. She frowned. “Though records indicate our modern society began nearly ten thousand years before the appearance of Christ in the Other World. However, no true date of inception has been discovered.”
“Bummer,” Nailah quipped.
Callie flipped forward several pages, scanning the content. “This is all just a history of the parliament and its members. Lame.” She tried to pass it off lightly, but inside, she already felt the deep, crushing depression of her hopes being dashed.
“Cal,” Alaric murmured, squeezing her arm. “You’ve barely gotten into the book. Keep going.”
Clinging to his faith, Callie quickly scanned each page, looking for mention of a way out. There was a lot on buildings—the effect of the salty ocean air on stone and what measures to take to ensure they withstood the test of time, et cetera. There was an entire chapter on past disasters—contrary to what Callie believed, that Aionia was perfect, the island had been subject to several devastating hurricanes and two massive earthquakes. She skimmed over those parts, surprised that Aionia wasn’t the pristine place it pretended to be.
Callie found what she was looking for in the second to last chapter, hiding near the end of the section as inconspicuous as it could possibly be. She almost skimmed right over it.
“I found something,” Callie murmured, her heart beating fast.
Nailah moved closer. “What does it say?”
“On the night of December the twenty-first, a tear in the fabric of time opens. During the first hour of this day, it is possible to leave the island.” The book slipped from Callie’s numb fingers and flopped onto her legs. “It’s true.”
Alaric—seeing Callie’s glazed look—picked up the book and kept reading. “The tear is located at a point on the ocean near the dimensional barrier.”
Nailah sucked in a breath. “Like where the ship burned?”
Alaric shrugged. “I guess. Sounds like it.”
“But, where exactly on the barrier?” Callie whispered.
Alaric shrugged. “I don’t know. It doesn’t specify.”
“So, we find out.” Nailah motioned to the book. “If we find out, we’re already one-over on the people who run this place.”
“December twenty-first.” Callie shook her head, leaning forward to put her elbows on her knees. She stared at the grass beneath her feet. “I’m not even sure what day it is. I’ve marked the amount of days passed since buying my journal, but…how will we know when it’s December twenty-first?”
“I-I know,” Nailah said quickly.
Callie swung her gaze up to her best friend. “What? How?”
Nailah sat up straighter and bit her lip. “I’ve kept track. Since the accident.”
Callie’s jaw dropped. She stared blankly at Nailah for a moment, and then took a deep breath. “No kidding.”
“No kidding.” Nailah gave her a half-smile and a little shoulder shimmy. “It started as keeping track of how long it took us to get home—you know, before we found out we were stuck.”
“And apparently, no
w…” Callie slammed the book shut and waved it in the air, a big grin on her face. “We aren’t stuck anymore.”
December 19, 2011
Aionia
Tomorrow is the day.
It’s been a month since I found the “History of Aionia” lying in the bottom of the trunk in the hidden room. I’d like to say it’s been an uneventful wait for this moment.
But, I’d be lying.
We don’t know where to find the tear in the dimensional fabric.
I know, I know. I mean, that’s a tall order, right? Aionia isn’t HUGE by any means, but it’s big enough that we couldn’t sail the waters around the island in less than an hour. What if we steal the boat and go and go and GO and never find the way out? It would be one more year until we could try again, and even then—if we have to charge the ranks of Aionia’s paramilitary to get to the harbor…
What will happen to us?
Charlotte has been scouring her own archives and has yet to find anything about the location of the tear. Not even a cryptic possibility. She and her daughter are definitely coming with me in hell or high water. Both of which are equally likely in this scenario.
I haven’t told my mom or Gran. What am I supposed to say? Asking them to leave this “second chance”, this “new opportunity”… How can I do that to them? How can I ask my mom to leave the fountain she’s searched forever for? How can I ask Gran to leave the first man she’s loved in sixteen years?
How can I leave the man I love?
Alaric won’t talk to me about it. He’s mum on the subject. I try to bring it up, to ask him if he’s coming with me, but he always steers the conversation away to other topics. We need to work on our communication skills. I’m hoping we’ll have the chance, on the other side, back in San Diego when he comes with me.
I’ve spent the last month trying to enjoy being with him. I’m almost always with him—walking on the beach or lying on the grass beside the fountain. We talk about EVERYTHING…except the escape. He’s told me he loves me almost every day, but I haven’t been able to say it back. If I say it back, it means these intense, desperate feelings inside me are real and 95% of my body is totally against leaving Aionia. Leaving Alaric. I can’t lose my grip on Braden and Avery and my LIFE.
Have I considered the consequences? Yeah. I think so. Aionia is this precious place—one way in, and it’s not a safe way. Forever young, forever beautiful. Isn’t that what everyone in the world wants? By leaving, I give all that up.
Not to mention the worry that Charlotte and her daughter and Alaric may find themselves in a big problem. Alaric is over a hundred years old—what if we find the way out and we come out in modern day, only for Alaric to suddenly age and die?? Same for Charlotte and her daughter—but they’re willing to run the risk in order to get out.
We have the plans laid out—me, Nailah, and Alaric. Even if Nailah isn’t sure she’s coming, even if I’M not sure Alaric is coming, they both helped me figure out the details.
The harbors are on lockdown. Even the merchants have been informed—as is usual, apparently—that they aren’t to sail the ocean that night. I mean, come on, who goes out in a boat at midnight in December anyway? Granted, it’s warmer in Aionia in December than a lot of places on the planet. Still too cold for swimming, but warm.
So the way we figure is this—Alaric knows one of the harbormasters and the guy ALWAYS leaves his own small boat ready for sailing at a moment’s notice. Something about fish mating, I think. Anyway, we’re gonna take his boat. The hard part is going to be getting past the soldiers stationed at the marina.
I’m nervous. I don’t know how to broach the subject with Mom and I don’t know if I’m going to live or die, but I do know one thing—
I still want to go home.
Callie sat on her bed, her eyes on Nailah’s face. “Are you sure?”
Nailah nodded. A single tear left a glistening trail down one cheek. “I’m sure.”
“What about Michael?”
Sighing, Nailah tucked her legs beneath her and rested back against the stone wall. “I loved him, and a part of me always will, but Aionia is it for me. This is what I want, more than anything in the world. I’m…happy. Like, deliriously happy.”
Her eyes were far away, and Callie knew she was seeing the Farm and Marcus. Nailah had been crazy happy in the month since finding the book; she was even talking about moving in with Marcus.
Callie wondered what it was like to be able to move on so quickly. All she’d managed to do was grip her past with the rabid determination of a dog on a toy—just like she’d always done. It had been the same when she was being dragged around the world, searching for the fountain with her mom—then, she’d clung to her dad’s memory and home.
“I’m really going to miss you,” Callie said softly. Hot tears welled in her eyes until Nailah became nothing but a blur. “We got barely any time together.”
“Oh, Callie!” Nailah jumped up and crossed the room to curl up with Callie on the bed. Her voice was low when she went on. “Callie, you have to tell your mom and Gran. They deserve the right to make their own choice. I can’t believe you’ve kept it from them this long.”
“I know, I know…” Callie’s voice trailed off. She bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling. “I guess I should get it over with now. Will you come with me?”
“Of course.” Nailah wiped away her tears and stood up, pulling Callie from the bed. “We’ll do it together.”
As they descended the stairs, Callie was trembling with nerves. She had no idea what reaction she was going to get from her mother and grandmother—she was terrified they wouldn’t want to leave Aionia, and that they’d make her stay, too.
Emma and Gran were sitting at the table with steaming mugs in front of them. Emma was paging through the local newspaper, her face serene, while Gran read from yet another leather-bound romance novel. They looked so content, and Callie was about to disrupt their world.
Maybe I should just forget about all of this. Life is good here.
With a sympathetic smile, Nailah gave Callie the nudge that she needed.
Steeling herself, Callie pulled out a seat and sat down. “I have something that I need to tell you.”
Gran and Emma looked up simultaneously, and Gran said, “What is it, dear?”
Nailah took the seat beside Callie and grabbed her hand, giving her the strength she needed to break the news.
“There is no easy way to say this so I’m just going to spit it out. Tomorrow night, there will be a tear in the dimension which will allow us a chance to escape. The opening will only be there for a short time, and we’re not exactly sure where it is, but I want to try to go home.”
“What?” Emma clapped a hand over her mouth and stared over at Gran, who looked equally as surprised. When Callie’s mother spoke, her voice shook. “Callie, are you sure about this?”
“Yes.” Callie nodded, and then took a deep, calming breath. Her heart beat furiously. “I met a woman—an author you like, actually, Gran. Charlotte Rossier. With her help, and Alaric’s, we found a hidden room in the temple. In that room was a book that outlines the fact that it’s possible to get out of Aionia. I should have told you sooner. I was just scared.”
“How long have you known?” Gran asked, her voice strained.
“I guess about a month.” Callie looked down at her hands, unable to meet their eyes.
“And you’re just now telling us?” Emma raised her voice and glared at her daughter. Her knuckles were white from gripping the coffee mug. “You can’t just spring something like this on us, Calista. We need time to think this over and form a plan.”
“Mom, you don’t have to go back,” Callie murmured. She caught her mother’s eye. “This is your dream, and I can’t tear you from it. Braden can take care of me until I turn eighteen.”
“My god, Callie.” Emma’s face was strickened. “Do you honestly think I would give up my daughter for the fountain?”
“I don’
t know. I just know you’re happy here.” Callie gave her grandmother a sad smile. “And Gran is in love.”
There was a long pause, the atmosphere heavy, before Gran quietly asked, “We can’t talk you out of leaving?”
“No, I’m sorry.” Callie sat back in the chair and stared across the table at them. “This isn’t where I belong. I want to be back with Braden and Avery. I want my life back.”
“What about Alaric?” her mother asked.
The question brought hot tears to Callie’s eyes, but she blinked them away. “I hope he’ll go with me, but I really don’t know.”
“I’ve decided to stay,” Nailah declared, placing her hand over Callie’s on the table. “Aionia is my home now.”
“This is just so much to take in.” Emma stood up and turned the kettle back on. She gathered sugar and spoons as if she needed something to do with her hands. As she lined fresh mugs on the kitchen counter, she glanced over her shoulder at Callie. “When exactly would we have to leave?”
“Tomorrow night just after midnight.”
Emma sat heavily down into her seat and looked at Gran. “What do you think, Mom?”
Gran looked from Callie to Emma and sighed. A thick tear slid down one cheek. “I feel like I was meant to come here, Em. For so long, I was lonely. Life without your father…and now, Harrison. And my shop!” Her tears began to fall freely. “I understand if you decide to go back, and I will miss you terribly, but I’m sorry. I have to be selfish and do what I want to do. I can’t go with you.”
Emma wiped a tear from her eye and placed an arm around her mother’s shoulder. “I understand, Mom, you don’t have to explain and it’s not selfish at all. This is where you belong.”
“What about you?” Nailah asked Emma.
Emma smiled and trained her gaze on her daughter. “You know me, ladies. Always up for an adventure. If this is what Callie wants, then I’m with her—just like she has always been there for me.”
It was late, and Callie had one more day to work. She figured if she didn’t show up, Gretta would send a messenger to figure out why, and Callie was pretty sure she needed to keep a low profile the next day. The best laid plans could always be destroyed by a simple screw-up.
