“I’ll get them some water.” Everly mutters, and leaves the room, her eyes still wide. Jack, no longer transparent, lets his gaze fall on me. 

“Remember me?” I ask silently, tapping my foot anxiously. Jack nods. Everly arrives with two glasses of water. I take them from her, and walk over to the brothers, kneeling on the carpet next to them. Still stunned, George takes the cup from me silently. Jack takes a sip of his water, then sets it down and smiles at me. Out of instinct, I lean forward and pull him into a tight hug. 

“Do you know each other?” Everly asks. “Because I’m pretty sure he died before you were born.” 

“I met him a few days ago. He was a ghost.” I say, pulling back. Jack rubs my hand and drinks the rest of his water. Tessa wiggles her eyebrows at me, and my face heats up. George blinks and stands up. 

“Where’s Lucy?” He asks, looking around. 

“I’m here, Georgie.” Lucy says, raising her wrinkled hand. “It’s been 53 years.” George looks confused. “I’ll tell you what’s happened later, because I’ve got to introduce you to these wonderful children.” She pats Kelsie’s head. “This is Squiggy.” She points to Emie and Tessa. “That’s French Fry and the tall one is Cowabunga.” Lucy points to me. “And that’s Blanche.” Jack looks back at me, and I shrug. He smiles and starts to get to his feet. 

“Interesting names these days.” George says, leaning against the wall. Everly rolls her eyes, and pats Lucy on the head. 

“George, this is Teresa, Lara, Emie, and Kelsie Austin.” Everly says. “And I’m your niece, Everly Mortimer.”

“Nice to meet you.” George says, then turns to Lucy, a teasing smile on his face. “I knew you’d marry John Mortimer. That’s what Jack and I always said.” Jack smiles, and Lucy laughs. The three of them talk happily, as if the barriers between them, time and age and death, didn’t exist. Everly stands off to the side, and turns to Tessa and I. 

“It would be great if you didn’t tell everyone who they are. We can just say they’re my cousins or something.” Tessa nods. Kelsie runs over to the Evans siblings and climbs on Lucy’s lap. 

“Hey, Squiggy.” Lucy says, hugging Kelsie. 

“Hi, Grandma.” Kelsie says, and looks at the Evans brothers. “Hi, ghost people.” Jack waves at Kelsie awkwardly, then back at me, and smiles. I lead Tessa and Emie out of the room and back to the party, then look back at Kelsie. 

“Squiggy stays with me.” Lucy says firmly. 

“Okay.” I say, giving in. Eventually Lucy will get tired of Kelsie’s strange obsession with insects. Jack waves goodbye to me, and I wave back before going back to the party with Everly. Henry and Tessa’s conversation is in full swing, to my annoyance, and Emie has found some neighborhood kids to play with. I grab my cream soda from where I left it, and sit between Henry and Tessa, despite the fact that his voice drives me nuts. I’ll have to endure it to keep them apart. It’s my sisterly duty. 

“Everyone, my cousins just arrived.” Everly says. “This is Jack and George Mortimer, and they’ll be living in town for a while.” Jack smiles at me from across the pool. “And they’ve lived out in the countryside for a while, so you’ll have to forgive them if they don’t know much about modern stuff.” Smart, Everly. Smart. 

“Well, that explains their clothes.” Henry says very condescendingly. I resist the urge to break my soda bottle over his head. Tessa doesn’t laugh at his comment, for once. I roll my eyes at Henry, and stand up, walking over to Jack. He smiles and puts his hands in his pockets. 

“So things are much different in 1963 than 1910, I’m guessing?” He asks, sitting down next to me on a bench. 

“Yeah.” I say, laughing. “I could coach you, if you like.” Jack smiles. 

“Thank you, Lara.” He says, then pauses for a while. “The last thing I ate was a popsicle, and that was fifty-three years ago.” I laugh. 

“Here, let’s go get you some dinner.” I say, laughing, and take his hand, leading him towards the table. Jack looks confused at the chips and the hot dogs and the bubbly, sugary sodas. “I’m going to make you the most modern meal ever, so you can get good and fat like us 1960s children.” Jack laughs. I prepare him a plate of all the new foods that he’s never heard of,  and sit down on a bench next to him. “Eat up, Jack Mortimer.” Jack tastes the hot dog, then nods in approval. The rest of the food produces the same reaction, more or less. 

“Thank you for helping me, Lara.” He says, putting down the glass bottle with a clink. 

“It’s no problem.” I say with a smile. Jack smiles. “Crap, why is it so hot in town?” I ask, rubbing my sweaty head. “I’m going to swim. Are you okay on your own?” I ask. Jack nods. I smile and stand up, pulling my dress up over my head, then jump in the pool, which is cool and refreshing. I sit down at the bottom, and watch the distorted party, silhouetted against the light of the glass lamps. The night sky behind it covers it all like a blanket. 

Muffled laughing noises that sound familiar make me rise to the surface. I search the crowd for Tessa, determined to separate her from Henry. I see her playing with Emie and Kelsie, and the Dearings are leaving the party. False alarm. No enemy boys.  Jack waves to me, and I wave back, then swim over to my sisters. 

“I’m a mermaid, Lara!” Kelsie shouts. “Look!” Tessa holds her around the waist and she swims on her belly, looking more like an otter than a mermaid. 

“Well, you’re a beautiful mermaid.” I state, as Emie climbs onto my back. “What are you doing, you little nut?” I ask, spinning around. “Where’d she go? I could’ve sworn I saw Emie behind me.” Tessa shrugs. I can hear Emie giggle. “Well, I think I might just go to the deep end of the pool and go all the way under the water.”

“Good idea!” Tessa says. Emie screams and starts swimming back to the wall. She giggles. 

“I was on your back!” She says, as if I didn’t know the whole time. 

“You were?” I ask. “Good thing you got off in time, or Miss Mortimer would have a skeleton at the bottom of her pool!” Emie laughs. 

“No I could have saved her!” Kelsie says. “I’m a mermaid, remember?”

“Right. Sorry.” I say. Mom’s voice pierces the air. 

“Girls!” She calls. “Time to go home!” I pick Kelsie up and carry her to the chair where Mom has our towels. Jack watches us leave, and smiles at me as I walk up the driveway to our house. 

“The younger brother seems to like you, Lara.” Tessa whispers to me, as soon as the younger two are asleep. I snort, but feel glad for the cover the dark provides for my red face. 

“The only reason we get along well is because I already knew him.” I defend. “If we hadn’t met before, it would be as awkward as it is with the older brother, because we don’t know him.” Emie stirs in the bunk across from me, and I shut my mouth. 

“Yes, but he looked at you a different way than he looked at anyone else in the room.” 

“Because we knew each other!”

“He knew his siblings.”

“Yeah, but-“ I can’t think of anything to convince her with. 

“I win. He likes you.” Tessa says, and turns on her flashlight, shining it at my face. “And you’re blushing.” I pull my blanket up to cover my face. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone your secret. That’s what sisters are for.”

“Thank you.” I mutter. “But there’s no secret to be told, so there is nothing you need to worry yourself with.”

“Sure there isn’t.” Tessa whispers.