February 2029 - Pine Hollow, North Carolina Sutton family - Sinjin is 49, Audrey is 39, Beatrice is 7
Audrey
is finding herself hungry these days. Starving almost. She wakes up
during the night and gets a snack, but she’s still hungry for breakfast
when she wakes up again later.
February 2029 - Arcadia, North Carolina Gates Household: Nathan Gates is 39, Terri is 39, and Phoebe is 17
Phoebe
can hear it starting already as she gets breakfast. She sits down at
the table in the kitchen because she doesn’t need to be in the dining
room with her parents.
Lucas Craig is finishing out his last year of college at PSU, but he lives with his family off-campus in the house he and Andrea have just bought. He and Andrea got married in a small ceremony right after their baby was born. Lucas isn’t yet working full-time, but Andrea still does acting jobs and brings in the money they need to raise their son Elliott.
January 2029 - Paradise City, Nevada Tang/Lloyd - Suzie Tang is 64, Sunny Lloyd is 64
Suzie Tang is working on her next novel, which is set in a quiet small town sitting out in the desert away from other cities. In the book there is a strange mystery to be solved in between the romance, and so Suzie decides to visit the small town of Paradise City, which sits alone in the Nevada desert.
November 2028 - Arcadia, North Carolina
William Lloyd is 64, Julie is 64, Blake is 39
“Take this and you should be feeling better tomorrow,” Blake Lloyd tells Bianca Gates as he hands over the little cup with thick liquid medicine in it.
“Are you sure?” She had been brought in by her mom with stomach pains that had her almost crying. But the tests didn’t show anything to be worried about, so Blake gives her some medicine to help settle her stomach.
October 2028 - Del Sol Valley, California
Jason Lloyd is 41, Lilly is 40, Jacob and Mia are 7
Life in Del Sol Valley, California is different from the old life back in tiny Pine Hollow, North Carolina. Jason and Lilly have twins, Jacob and Mia, who are now 7 years old. They love life in the bustling city across the country. They spend days after school swimming in the family's pool, which overlooks parts of the city and the Pacific Ocean beyond.
There are many days Cynthia feels every side effect that having yet another birthday only means for more aches and pains. When did this happen? What happened to the girl who jumped from club to club meeting random guys? These days she likes to stay home and play with her younger daughter Raven, even though her back usually makes loud cracking noises when she tries too hard.
Zane Smith is 45, Belinda is 46, Dee is 16, and Emily is 14
(Caleb Gates is 16)
"I'm getting confused on what it is Mr. Gates wants me to write in this paper on advanced waste management," Dee says as she looks over her homework assignment. "What would I know about waste management?"
"Maybe he wants you to write about recycling," Emily says.
"Everyone already knows about recycling," Dee tells her.
It may not be anything that most people would think about when they imagine anniversary celebrations, but just getting out of the house for a couple of hours on their own is a way to celebrate for Emma and Seth.
