4 Sisters of the Apocalypse

72- Jo

Jo

It's scary teleporting in bad weather. What if I accidentally ended up under a frozen lake? I had to concentrate. Beth told me to have faith. I held onto Amy's hands. She prayed I focused on Aunt Catherine's round wooden kitchen table. I ate there so many times.  When grandma was alive we'd have ladies poker there every Thursday night.

Amy looked frantic. "Are you praying Jo?"

"I'm thinking!" I protested. "I put all my energy into where I wanna be."

Amy clicked her tongue. "That's not how it works Jo."

"Oh yeah? How would you know? You can't teleport Amy!"

"No... not yet... but when I heal people I don't work myself up into a sweat. I merely believe they'll get well." Amy looked all too pleased with herself.

"That's easy for you to say, Amy. But if they don't get healed or someone doesn't give you a free donut you're still ok." I closed my eyes and pictured Aunt Catherine's kitchen. She has a retro looking refrigerator. It's mint green.

In the twinkling of an eye Amy and I were holding hands in our aunt and uncle's kitchen.

We startled Uncle Jerry. "Hello dolls! I didn't hear you come in. Does Aunt Catherine know you're here?"

While Amy distracted Uncle Jay I ran to the sink for a sponge. Once I wiped the front door clean I began closing all the blinds.

Aunt Catherine caught me. "Hi Jo! Why are you closing our house up like a tomb?"

"It's not safe, Aunt Catherine. Is there someplace else you can go?"

"No dear. The government's issued curfews. We're on lockdown until further notice. This sickness is killing a lot of people."

"What if I told you it's not the sickness killing people but the powers that be?"

"Jerry!" Aunt Catherine yelled, "We got another conspiriarist for your team!"

"No Aunt Cee listen..."

Uncle Jay came to my defense. "Leave her alone hon. You know there's a bit of truth behind every conspiracy theory."

I tried explaining how we saw hundreds of sick people dying in hospital corridors. "It's as if they didn't want to help them but hold them until..."

Aunt Cee looked worried. "Until what?"

I told them the whole story. I even tried to explain our super powers.

Aunt Catherine teased Amy. "Is that why I made tiramisu? Did you prefer it?"

Amy hugged her around her chubby waist. "Yes Aunt Cee. I wasn't sure my powers were really working so I practiced on you. I'm really sorry."

Then Uncle Jay demanded a demonstration on my power. "Take me to Rome, Italy."

I became sweaty and started trembling. "No Uncle Jay! What if I accidentally popped us into the Red Sea?"

"That's nowhere near Rome!"

"Exactly! It's too dangerous. How about I pop us on the roof?" Uncle Jerry agreed. I grabbed a hold of his arm and poof we were on their steep roof. "Hold on Uncle Jay." He grabbed onto the chimney for dear life. "And you wanted to go to Italy!"

From our high vantage point we could see a convoy of military vehicles turning down our block. Uncle Jerry turned pale. "I wonder what they're up to." As if they could hear me a voice blasted from scratchy loudspeakers, "Stay inside your homes. No citizens are permitted to leave their domiciles. Anyone caught breaking lock down will be imprisoned."

"We'd better get inside before they notice us." Poof! We were back in the kitchen.

Aunt Cahterine looked up from washing the dishes. She teased, "So... how was Italy?"

"A bit chilly actually." Uncle Jerry kissed his wife of nearly 40 years on the cheek.

"I don't mean to interrupt but I think those government vehicles are for us!" As I tried explaining how Amy healed sick people in Manhattan and we broke out a patient I closed every blind in the house. "Amy shut off all the lights! We've gotta be very quiet. Pretend we're not even home."

We all sat behind the sofa in the living room and tried not to make a peep. Aunt Cahterine broke the silence with a husky whisper. "We're supposed to be home. All of New York is on a mandatory statewide quarantine and curfew."

BANG BANG BANG! An officer pounded on the front door. I could make out his muffled voice. "No one's answering, boss."

His commanding officer yelled from his vehicle. "What do the markings on the door say? Any sick?"

The underling replied, "No markings sir. It looks like they were rubbed off. Maybe they left for the hospital?"

I could hear a jeep door open and slam shut then heavy boots climbing the porch steps.  "No hospitals are accepting patients anymore. People are to die--convalese in their own homes from now on."

"Perhaps they're dead sir,"

"Perhaps. I'll send military corenors  to fetch the bodies."

When I heard two sets of boots stomping away I breathed a momentary sigh of relief. "We've gotta get out of here. Those Nazi's are coming back with body bags."

Amy touched up her lip gloss. "Don't be so dramatic Jo. If they come I'll 'prefer' them to go away. Or Jo you could pop them into a cornfield in Nebraska. That'd be perf."

Uncle Jerry looked distraught. "There's no corn this time of year."

Aunt Catherine objected. "No one is putting anyone in a cornfield.  We've don't nothing wrong so we have nothing to fear."

I grunted. "Famous last words of the Jews."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Oh Jo, you're being a tad bit over dramatic don't ya think?"

Suddenly I felt like I'd taken a couple crazy pills. My sisters and I had been getting cryptic messages from our dead mother's journal. We'd been teleporting around New York and had healed hundreds of patients who were supposed to die. We even busted one of them out!  I ran into the kitchen and turned on a small handheld radio. Everyone followed after me. "Listen! All of the news is bad news!"

When an independent newscaster mentioned us by name Amy's blue eyes grew wide then filled with tears. "I'm too young and pretty to go to prison. And what about prom?"

I bugged out. "Amy the whole world's gone to shite and you're worrying about some dumb prom?"

"Just because you didn't get invited to your prom Jo you don't have to poop all over mine!"

Uncle Jerry wrapped an arm around each of us. "Come on now ladies..."

I was hurt. "I did too get invited--several times actually. I opted not to go. It's archaic."

Aunt Catherine peered out the kitchen window. She whispered, "They're back."

BOOM! CRACK! BOOM! CRACK!

Amy clung to me, forgetting all about the prom nonsense. "What's that Jo?"

"That's the sound of Nazi's breaking down the front door. Quick everyone grab hold of me!"

As they held on I pictured upstate NY. I rubbed the etched coordinate on my bracelet imagining my father, Beth, Meg and Rory. In an instant we were in the tiny cabin.