Chapter l:

Twenty Years Later

Jo’s boots clacked and splashed with every step she took. She paid no mind to the outraged drivers as she made her way across the five lanes of traffic. The blaring horns were no match for her noise-canceling headphones as they blasted saxophone covers of seventies pop music.

When she reached her destination, The Dakin Street Bakery, she pulled out one headphone but left the other just in case anyone wanted to partake in social interaction.

She pushed on the glass door slowly, giving the people inside enough warning to move. The bakery was small, but dozens of customers stood in a curved line ordering bagels, donuts, and other delicious carbs not intended for breakfast.

Jo’s eyes darted around until she saw the sign that read ‘Pick Up Here.’ She walked over to the small counter, leaned against it, and waited for a free employee.

“Beautiful day, isn’t it?” asked a man who resembled a pole more than a human.

Jo pointed to the headphone she left in her ear, hoping the blatant rudeness would deter the young man.

“Oh, sorry.” Jo gave him a goodbye smile, but instead of walking away or pulling out his phone like a normal person would, he walked to the other side of her and repeated, “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

She paused her music. “Uh, yes. It’s pretty.”

The man nodded. He put his hands in his pockets and rolled back on the balls of his feet.
Jo tried to figure out something to say, but as usual, her mind was blank.

“I, uh, I like your shirt,” he said, pointing to her plain grey T-shirt with a tiny breast pocket.

“Thank you,” she said. “I like your shoes.”

She didn’t care for his shoes, but she felt the need to return a compliment.

“Jo?” a woman behind the counter asked.

Jo’s shoulders relaxed as she held up her hand. “That’s me.”

Lisa, as her nametag read, flashed a nervous smile as she slid the long, thin box to Jo. “We wrote exactly what you ordered on the website, but we were worried there was a typo.” She lifted the lid and let Jo read the cake.

“Yep, that’s right.”

Lisa’s shoulders fell from her ears. “Oh, good. We were so worried.”

“It’s just a little inside joke for my friends.” Jo handed her exact change before grabbing the box, thanking her, and quickly making her way out of the crowded room.

Jo ran down the sidewalk, carefully avoiding pedestrians with her box. After going several blocks, she reached her destination, a church mess hall. The building was two stories tall, lined with white bricks and floor-to-ceiling windows. She unlocked the tall doors with unique crosses carved into the wood, then pressed her back against them until they swung open.

The room was empty besides a folding table by the door, which she laid the cake on. She slipped out of her dark green army jacket and tossed it next to the box, then dug through her jacket pockets until she found a folded stack of papers. She unfolded them and placed them to read, ‘Happy 100th Anniversary Wyatt and Eliza.’ She pulled the tape out of a different pocket and secured the papers together.

Once her makeshift banner was hung, she went to the church closet and pulled out seven chairs and placed them in a circle. Satisfied with her work, Jo checked the clock. Four-thirty. She still had half an hour before anyone was supposed to arrive. She sat in one of the chairs and pulled out the phone her granddaughter convinced her to buy.

Why she needed a cell phone after a hundred years of surviving without one she’d never know. She pulled out the Bible app, the only one she had besides the music one and the ones they forced on her, and read her favorite verse: Romans 10:9.

She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn’t hear someone walk into the church. It wasn’t until the smell of Rizzoli pasta filled her nose that she realized she wasn’t alone.

“Mom,” Jo shouted. She jumped out of her chair and ran across the room to the stocky woman. She wrapped her arms around her mother and held her tight.

Annie ran her fingers through Jo’s ponytail. “Oh, my little Josephine.”

“Wow, I guess you forgot about me,” said Jo’s father, Clarence, a man no taller than his wife.

Jo rolled her eyes. “Hey, Dad.” She hugged her father, then pulled away and held her arms out. “So, what do you think?”

Jo’s parents looked around the room at the lackluster decorations. Annie’s smile wavered.

“Great for an office party,” said Clarence, earning him an elbow to the gut from Annie.

Jo huffed. “What’s wrong?”

Annie opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, then opened it again. “When you said you could handle decorations, I just expected there to be a little…more.”

“But I got a cake.” Jo waved them to the table she’d moved to the back corner of the room. She opened the box, a proud smile tattooed on her face as she awaited their reaction. They stared down at the cake that, like the sign, was bland.

“It’s…”

Annie placed a hand over Clarence’s mouth and said, “It’s great, dear. Now come help us get the rest of the food.”

Jo smiled and followed them out to the side parking lot, her short wedges digging into the gravel as they walked to a bright blue jeep. “Where’s your truck?”

“Oh, I decided I’m not much of a truck guy, but look at this beauty,” Clarence said, his grin showing his slightly yellow teeth.

Jo walked to the driver’s side and opened the door. It sported white leather seats and an almost hollow black steering wheel. Jo reached across the seat and grabbed the three large, rectangular containers off the passenger side. “Didn’t you say last month that you weren’t a Jeep guy? You know, when you traded for a truck?” Jo asked as her father took the top box so she could see where she was going.

“Jo, Jo, Jo. This is not a jeep. This is a 1970 Ford Bronco. I paid a guy fifty thousand for it.”

“He overpaid is what he means,” her mother said as she held the door open.

“You’re just jealous I haven’t let you drive it yet.”

“Please. Like I want to drive that death-” She was cut off by an engine speeding toward them.

The skeleton bike, as Jo called it, came down castle road at double the speed limit. Even at this distance, Jo could see all the gears and wiring exposed thanks to the nonexistent cover. The driver took a sharp turn into the parking lot, but the change of terrain caused him to swerve into the grass and dump the bike. The young man tumbled down the field before jumping to his feet and ripping off his helmet.

“Hey, guys,” he said, waving his helmet to the group.

“Charlie,” Jo shouted, running across the field. She wrapped her free arm around his torso and lifted him a foot off the ground.

After she placed him back down, he knocked her shoulder. “Hey, Jo, long time no see.”

Jo rolled her eyes.

“No, seriously. A whole week. What’s changed? Got any more great-grandkids?”

“More like great-great-grandkids, and no, still four.”

Charlie threw his arm around Jo’s shoulder and they walked into the church. As soon as they took a step inside, Annie pushed Jo aside and tackled Charlie. “Oh, my baby.” Charlie leaned back as Annie tried to cover every square inch of his face with kisses.

“Ma.” Charlie finally got away with only a third of his face covered in lipstick.

“Oh, it’s been so long since I last saw you. What was it, two years ago?”

Jo set the containers on the table as Annie dragged Charlie to the chairs and forced him to sit. “Now tell me about all your adventures.”

“Oh, I don’t know if you want to hear about his adventures,” called a voice from the back of the room.

The group turned to the couple. The man was a tall, lean fellow dressed in eighties style clothing, and his wife had similar taste but with a gothic twist.

“Wyatt,” Annie shouted, jumping from her seat to hug her eldest.

Jo shook her head and rolled her eyes at Charlie. Charlie mouthed ‘favorite’ as they watched their mother hug Wyatt tighter and longer than either of them.

Wyatt snuck away from his mother when she turned to Eliza. He walked over to Charlie and patted his shoulder.

“Hey, how have you been? Still being a creep who tries to get with high school girls?”

“It’s not weird. Jo, explain to Wyatt for the millionth time why it’s not weird for me to sleep with high school girls.”

Jo walked out of the back room with a stack of plates with knives and forks. “Because he was turned when he was seventeen, causing his brain development to stop. So, while his consciousness has experienced over 121 years, his brain is still the predeveloped three-pound organ.” She set the plates on the table and gave Wyatt a hug.

“Still weird,” Wyatt said.

Charlie launched from his chair and wrestled Wyatt to the ground.

Annie leaned down, picked up Charlie, and ran him to the other side of the room, a gust of wind following her. “Boys, please.”

Jo grabbed her jacket off the table. Knowing her family, this was just the first fight/speedy parental save of the night, and she didn’t want to get cold.

“You stop that this instant,” Annie said, arms folded to show she meant it.

Charlie nodded, but as soon as Annie turned back to the party, he stuck his tongue out at Wyatt.

“Almost everyone is here.” Annie turned to Jo. “Did Frances tell you when she’d get here? I know she’s awfully busy with that new job. What is she…a biochemical engineer?”

Wyatt, Jo, and Charlie’s eyes darted back and forth to each other. Jo was about to explain when a gust of wind blew past her, making her fall on her butt.

“Electrical engineer, Mama,” Frances said, brushing her hair away from her eyes.

Annie clapped her hands together. “Oh, now all my babies are here.”

Jo flipped over and stood. “No, don’t help me up. I got it.”

Frankie squealed and pulled Jo into a hug so tight it almost cut her in half.

“Ah,” Jo said. “I can’t breathe.”

Frankie pulled away with narrowed eyes. “Ha, ha. Very funny.”

The group finished their greetings and hugs, then went to grab some food.

“Mama, this is so good. Where did you learn the recipe?” Frankie asked, her mouth full of noodles.

“The coast of Italy. That’s where your father and I have been for the last few months.”

“I have to add that to my travel list,” Jo said. She pulled out her phone and typed ‘Coast of Italy’ into her notes app.

Charlie’s jaw dropped when he saw the device in his sister’s hand. “They finally convinced you to get one. Which one? Tommy?”

Jo put the device back in her pocket. “Nope, it was my granddaughter Martha. You remember her?”

Charlie nodded.

“Well, her grandson convinced her to get one. She showed me all the cool things it could do and the next thing I know, we were at the Apple Store buying one for me. I don’t know how she talked me into it. It’s basically useless.”

“Why would they sell electronics at an apple store?”

Clarence asked.

Charlie rolled his eyes. “Dad, that’s just the name of the company. Stop being such an old man.”

Clarence pursed his lips. “You’re one to talk. I’m more than a hundred and fifty; I think I have a right to be a little behind the times.”

“Anyway,” Charlie said, ignoring his father. “I’m glad one of you is actually aware of current events.” He leaned over to Jo. “I can show you some medieval war games if you want.”

“I don’t know about that, but Martha said you could design homes or something. Could you show me how to do that?”

Charlie pulled out his phone. “Better than nothing.”

Wyatt stood, his empty solo cup pointed toward the kitchen. “Jo, did you bring it?”

“Of course.” Jo walked into the kitchen and returned with a thermos. She poured blood into each family member’s cup.

Wyatt held out his cup. “Here’s to a hundred years with my beautiful wife and surviving all the things life has thrown at us.”

“Hear, hear,” Charlie said.

The family tapped their cups together.

Wyatt threw his arm around Eliza. “You know, when we met a hundred and one years ago, I was nervous. Not just because you were the most beautiful girl in the world—” a collection of awes filled the room— “but also because I thought of myself as a monster. When you showed me how alike we were and convinced me I wasn’t the murderer I thought myself to be, I was finally able to love again. Thank you for giving my life back and being with me every step of the way.”

Eliza smiled and pressed a delicate kiss to Wyatt’s lips. She leaned to his ear and whispered, “I love you.”

“Who wants dessert?” Jo asked as she stood to grab the last container.

Wyatt placed his hand on her arm. “Wait. There is one more thing I wanted to discuss with everyone first.”

Annie’s eyes shone. “Are you going to adopt? Am I getting another grandbaby?”

Eliza rolled her eyes, and Wyatt said, “No, Mom, nothing to do with that. It’s something about me, but if it works out, it might affect all of us. Eliza and I have already talked it out, but I’m not going to do it unless everyone is on board.”

Charlie asked, “What is it?”

“I have decided to try to become an actor.”

Everyone in the room stilled. Even the jello in Annie’s desert stopped shaking. A bee buzzed in the forest area behind the church, making every hair on the back of Jo’s neck stand on end. She jumped out of her seat, causing a chain reaction. Annie shook her head while Clarence narrowed his eyes. A tear slipped down Frances’s cheek.

Charlie lunged at Wyatt, throwing him thirty feet across the room, and threw himself on top of him. “What the hell?” he demanded, his hands wrapped around his brother’s lapels. “After everything that happened last time?”

Jo pressed her fist against her lips and sat back in the chair, her legs crossed and knees spilling off the ends. She clapped her hands over her ears.

Clarence ran to the boys. He grabbed Charlie and threw him off Wyatt, his back hitting the wall on the other side of the room. “No,” he shouted. “We are better than this.” He held out his hand to help Wyatt stand.

The three boys walked back to the circle and sat in their original seats, blood seeping down Wyatt’s neck from the cut he’d received in the back of his head.

Eliza grabbed a towel from her bag and wiped it away.

“There,” she said.

Clarence reached under his seat but didn’t find what he was looking for. He turned to Frankie, who had two empty cups under her chair and another pressed to her lips.

She put the cups down and wiped the blood from her lips as Charlie stared at her with crossed arms. “What?” she asked.

“I think the best thing for us to do is go around the room and say what we think about Wyatt’s idea,” Eliza said, her hands folded on top of her crossed legs. “Who would like to go first?”

Charlie raised his hand. “I think you’re an idiot. You must have a death wish, if not for yourself then for us.”

Eliza’s eyes widened. “Well, that’s not what I had in mind. Let’s try someone else. Ah, who else?”

Everyone turned to Jo, whose eyes were closed, hands still over her ears.

“Jo,” Clarence shouted. “You’re good now. You can open your eyes.”

Jo peeked at the scene and once she was sure it was safe, took her hands off her ears and place them on her ankles.

“What do you think about your brother’s idea?”

Jo’s crossed knees bounced, and she stared between both her brothers. She swallowed and turned to Wyatt. He smiled, but she could smell every individual bead of
sweat that fell from his hair to his eyes.

“Okay, moving on,” Annie said. “I’m going to say what I think about all this. Wyatt, we love you, you know we do, but this is too risky. After what happened last time…I don’t think I can support this decision.”

Wyatt groaned. “Come on. Dad?”

“I’m afraid I agree with your mother.”

“Seriously? Jo, Frankie, what do you guys think?”

“Oh, I thought it was a unanimous decision,” Charlie said as he stood.

Wyatt took a step back. “It is. I just thought they might be able to help me get my point across.”

“What? You don’t think we’re smart enough to understand? Jo, back me up.”

“Don’t drag Jo into this.”

“You were about to.”

“That was different.”

Charlie pushed Wyatt. “You always do this. You think you know everything and can protect everyone, but you can’t.”

Wyatt shoved him back. “We’re over a hundred years old. I think it’s time we stopped living in fear. Look at that cake. We’ve been doing the same thing for a century.”

He looked around the room at the rest of his family, then turned to Jo, who had tears welling in her eyes as she stared at the floor. “Jo? What do you think about all this?”

Charlie shoved Wyatt to the ground and smashed a fist into his nose. “Don’t bring her into this.”

“I don’t care what you do!” Jo shouted. “Just stop fighting. Do what you want. I don’t care.”

Charlie got up, and Wyatt slid away from the group before standing, one hand wrapped around his bloody nose.

“Do you really not care?” Charlie asked. “Because if you’re okay with it…then I can be too, but only if you’re sure.”

Jo’s hands shook. She stared at the blood on the floor, the blood one brother drew from the other, then at Wyatt, whose nose was already partially healed. “Fine, do it, but only if you promise to not drag us into it. I can’t…” She took a deep breath. “I can’t live through that again. Do you understand?”

Wyatt nodded and wrapped his arms around Jo. “Thank you.”

Jo looked at Charlie, who was wiping the blood off his knuckles and onto his dark, worn-out jeans. He gave her a smile that she supposed was an attempt at being supportive, but she could see the fear in his eyes. She could hear his heart racing in his chest, and she knew exactly how he felt.