Burning in a Memory

by Constance Sharper

  “I am not afraid of you. You can’t hurt me,” she blurted upon finding her voice.

  “That boy is not going to protect you…”

  “You don’t know anything. Leave me alone,” she spat. He was just taunting her now, and it affected her more than she’d like to admit. She turned and pressed her ear against the door. If Adam was on the other side, he stayed silent. Her skin crawled when she couldn’t hear anything at all from the hallway.

  “You cannot even protect yourself,” the shade said.

  “Then you’ve never met me.”

  The door suddenly groaned. It shifted in its frame and she grabbed the knob again. She yanked the door open and the sweet, fresh air of freedom beckoned her out of the dank basement. But then the shade called out to her again and this time he stopped her dead in her tracks.

  “Regardless, you will come see me soon if you want to survive,” he said. “Because I know your secret. I know what you’re doing here.”

  She skipped the last step, got out, and slammed the door behind her. She slid into the living room, slowing only when splinters bit at her toes. The pain snapped her attention to the ground. One of the banisters from the stairs didn’t make it. She wasn’t sure where the feathers came from. Before Adelaide could completely lose it, a hand on her shoulder rooted her back to Earth.

  “Are you good?” Adam came from the living room.

  She sized him up immediately. His clothes remained intact, skin clear, and hair out of place like usual. Meanwhile Tony sat on the kitchen counter with a blackened eye, bloody lip, and an ice pack. Leon was nowhere to be seen.

  “I’m fine,” she babbled. Angie worked furiously with a broom nearby. The windows had been opened near her, letting in fresh air. The auras had completely dissipated. Despite the wreckage all over the ground, calm was restoring to the floor. “What’s going on?”

  Surprisingly it was Tony who answered her first. He looked over the crimson-splotched rag up against his face and gave her a toothy, bloody smile.

  “We’re all totally fine now,” he said. If it was a joke, she didn’t get it. Next to her, she could feel Adam hunch over.

  “It’s just tension from being crammed in a small house together.”

  She nodded at his explanation but didn’t believe it. Angie approached, sweeping the wreckage with a few quick brushes. She moaned something about the repair costs every time another pile built up. Adam’s hand caught Adelaide’s and he gestured toward her bare feet and one of the couches. She stepped carefully around anything that could damage her feet for a second time.

  “I heard what you guys had to say,” she revealed. No one seemed surprised, so she prodded for information. “What’s happening with the shade? Did you guys actually agree on something?” she asked when she sprung into the red cushions.

  “We’re going to kill it right after we get the last few answers it has to offer. It won’t be here by the end of this week.”

  She had to glance at her watch to remember the day. Friday. She had two days until the end of the week. The recognition struck her like a heavy, sinking anchor in her chest. She felt numb again. She’d be speaking with it shortly, after all.

  Nineteen

  The sun touched her skin until the warmth seeped all the way to her bones. Leaning back until the top of her head was covered in the cabana, she peered into the bright distance as she waited for her cell to connect.

  “Hello,” she greeted when she heard the distinctive click of the line answering. There was quiet on the other side.

  She let out a breath, shifting forward until she could see the screen of her phone in the sunlight. The digital clock ticked away, counting the minutes the call was connected. She brought the phone back to her ear. This time Bradley’s voice answered.

  “I can’t believe you’d call now, after ignoring me forever!” he shouted. She cringed at the static blow through the speaker and brought it an inch away from her head. Her gaze did another familiar sweep of the grounds. She sat on the patio out back, a place she’d known existed but barely spent much time in. Built into the side of the patio was a cabana that helped shield her from the heat of direct sunlight, and she utilized it greedily.

  “It has hardly been forever,” she chided back.

  “It has been forever, for my sister. I was worried you’d go after that Colton guy. I was worried you’d be hurt.”

  She sighed.

  “I’m sorry, Bradley, I really am. But I need you to get mom or dad on the phone now.”

  “Why? What’s wrong now? Are you okay?”

  She grimaced.

  “I’m okay. I need to talk to our parents though. Now.”

  He whined but complied. She braced herself for the voice that came on the line.

  “What the hell?”

  Short, sweet, and painfully bitter, it did sound like her mother.

  “I’m doing great, thank you for asking.”

  She snorted. “Your brother has been crying to me all week. I don’t know what’s wrong with you. Every day we think you’re out there, dying on the streets, all because you couldn’t let go of the concept of magic. I hope what you found was worth it.”

  Her heart sunk back into her stomach. She wanted the sweet woman back, not the angry mother. She hated herself enough anyway.

  “I can’t talk long, but I have to ask you something huge. Please, I know dad will refuse to do it but you guys have to leave the house. Go on vacation. Don’t lie to me about the money, I know you have a vacation fund stacked on top of the fridge.”

  Her mother sputtered and gasped on the other line. Adelaide bit into her lip until it turned white.

  “Why? What’s going to happen? We can’t leave this house, Adelaide, we just bought it,” her mother said, her voice breaking.

  “Make it temporary until I figure out what’s going on. I’m not certain, but if you’re in danger too then I won’t have a chance to warn you again,” Adelaide said firmly. She posed to hang up. The only thing that could come after would be more tears, more guilt trips, and more panic. Her mother said something though she didn’t expect. It was something sweet but was equally painful to hear.

  “When most people are in trouble, Adelaide, they come home. Are you going to come home to us?”

  She brought the phone down to her chin.

  “I’ll speak with you later. Thank you and be safe.”

  She clicked off the phone without another word. The Nokia lingered in her lap while she sat there. She only stood when she couldn’t pardon her thoughts any longer, and then she entered the house through the sliding glass door. The living room was spotless, the room smelling of bleach, and the air conditioning roaring on circulate. She saw no one around. She listened for sounds and felt for auras as she carefully approached the basement.

  “Adelaide,” Adam called. Whirling so quickly, she was lucky she didn’t nail herself with the bedroom door. Adam popped his head out.

  “I was hoping you’d be busy for another few moments,” he said.

  She stopped short, momentarily deterred from her original task.

  “Oh, well in that case, I’ll go away,” she answered half-heartedly. She couldn’t get to the basement with him nearby so she would just as soon be outside on the patio again.

  “No, I was going to come find you in a bit anyway. Please, come in,” he said with a gesture.

  Her gaze slid to the basement door for only a brief second. She followed him inside a moment after.

  “What’s up?” she cued.

  “So, I wanted to do something with you that was actually fun. My family promised no drama today. They’re keeping to themselves.”

  She scanned the room. It looked the same but the bed lacked the comforter.

  “So you’re inviting me for fun in your bedroom? Well that’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

  Adam choked instantly.

  “No, I-I didn’t invite you for that,” he clarified with a frantic wave of his hands. On
ce catching sight of his flushed skin, she laughed weakly.

  “No, I was just grabbing something. If I didn’t hide my stuff in here, someone would steal it.”

  He pulled a bottle off of the counter. Catching sight of its gold label and red hue, she grinned as he presented it to her.

  “I never took you for a wine person,” she said.

  “I never took you as a whiskey person, or I would have whipped that out instead. I think wine is good for now. And I can feel less bad about handing it off to the legally under-aged. To the living room,” he directed.

  They passed the family room, the dining room, and stopped in one of the lesser-used living rooms. She’d seen it upon their initial tour, but hadn’t spent much time in it since. It looked like no one had. A large room with only bookcases lining the corners, the room’s appeal was its emptiness. Wide wooden floors and vaulted ceilings gave it a spacious feel. It also felt removed from the rest of the house, like they were in their own little world.

  Between two of the biggest bookshelves was a mini-bar. Adam set down the wine and fished out two glasses as she made the rounds through the room.

  “You must enjoy reading,” she commented. While she recognized many of the names on the dusty covers, she’d never seen quite this many in one house.

  “There’s not much to do here. We have to get creative,” he said while he worked. She trailed her fingertips along the books until her fingers grazed smooth plastic. Amongst the books she’d found CDs. Stopping, she reexamined the labels before she pulled one free. She was already holding it when Adam returned with the wine.

  “Please tell me you have a stereo down here,” she said. He traded her the CD case for a wine glass.

  “Journey?”

  “Hey, it beats listening to the news stations. Plus I haven’t seen these songs on discs since the millennium.”

  She sipped the wine to hide her smile. Adam shook his head but obeyed. The radio in this room was subtly hidden on one of the bookshelves. He retrieved it from its hiding place and set the CD in. The wine tasted strong and rich and she felt it all the way down. The music played smoothly over the speakers before Adam returned.

  “Like it?” he asked. He maneuvered beside her and slipped the glass from her hands. She hadn’t finished yet but he placed it on the nearest shelf anyway.

  “Hey, I do. Why did you take it away?”

  He shushed her, grasped one of her hands and slid his other arm around her back. Drawing her close, he moved them gently to the music. Her heart sped up and she turned her cheek. Leaning into him, she tried to hide her blush.

  “You were the one who demanded music,” he whispered.

  “But wine, music, and dancing?”

  The music picked up, the beat quickened, and they moved faster. Adam spun her and she crashed back into him. Laughter erupted in her throat.

  “Too much wine?”

  “Too much romance,” she countered with a grin.

  “Oh, I think you like it,” he said. She blushed brightly now and he leaned down and kissed her. Their swaying fell to a minimum as Adelaide focused on the spicy taste of his lips. The CD made a shrill skipping sound as it bounced to the next track. He ignored it, stopped them both in position and held her waist. When he stopped, she sucked in a few deep breaths.

  “Ugh, this is the worst stereo we have,” he groaned, apparently unable to ignore the skipping sounds.

  When he released her, she returned to grab her wine glass and chug the rest.

  “This is delicious,” she commented to calm him as he fumbled with the stereo. He seemed reluctant to release it and turned back to her. Snagging his own glass, he followed in unison.

  “I’m not trying to get you drunk,” he said when he poured her a new one. It warranted an eyebrow raise, which she gave him. “I’m not. I don’t want you to be drunk,” he whispered the last part. Closing the distance between them again, he kissed her the second time. It was Adelaide’s turn to break away.

  “Do you think doing this out here will lead to any more rumors?” she pointed out.

  “I don’t care,” he said and pinned her against the wall. She shifted to press closer. Abruptly he inched back and hesitated. Adelaide conjured the best pout she could manage.

  “You just said you didn’t care about rumors. Come back,” she said as a joke, but her tone came off too breathless.

  Adam shook his head and answered without words. He took the wine glass from her and then captured her lips again. The kiss deepened, hot and heavy, without a break for a breath. Her hands lingered but Adam’s didn’t. They brushed her neck, behind her ears, her locks of hair.

  When she had to break away long enough to whimper, she hurried to drop her hands to his shirt. Adam gasped, but the sound of it made her pause. Her fingers hovered at the hem line. The second time he hesitated, Adelaide stopped them. She gave a gentle push to his shoulder with one hand and held his shirt with the other. When he shifted backwards, she yanked the cotton up. Her instinct had been right, but she wasn’t prepared for what she saw. A garish purple discoloration marred his flesh from his abdomen to his hip.

  “What happened?” she gasped. She took a clean breath of air and leaned back. Body heat broken, the distance helped her regain her head. Adam immediately walked away, leaving her to trail after him stubbornly. Once they reached the bedroom, he spoke.

  “It’s nothing, I’m fine,” he insisted, but she noticed he closed the door behind them to quell the sound of their voices.

  “From a shade attack?” she asked next.

  “No, nothing really. It was an accident.”

  The darkness of the color hadn’t indicated an accident. She sized the rest of him up now, but saw nothing out of place. The damage was hidden beneath his clothes.

  “Leon did it by accident earlier. It’s not as bad as it looks,” he added eventually.

  “It looks pretty bad.”

  Adam only made a face.

  “You should go to a doctor,” she said.

  “There are no doctors out here. And it’d be too difficult to move everyone with me back to the city.”

  She growled at his disobedience.

  “Adam, forgive me, but I have to ask. Do you think your brother is still dangerous? Will he ever go back to normal?” The question was too probing, too harsh, and she knew that. But it was important for him to consider so she refused to back down.

  Leon had confessed fairly readily to Adelaide that he still heard the shade’s voice in his head. He wasn’t evil but mad, and here looking at the ugly evidence, she wasn’t certain he could be safe.

  “Look, Leon is my brother. He is my only nuclear family left and my best friend. I refuse to leave him—I don’t care how dangerous he is. I am hoping he can get better but that doesn’t mean it will happen.”

  Adelaide reached out to touch him and root him back to Earth.

  “You can’t tell me anything I don’t know, Adelaide. I knew he was like this and that’s why I told you my life might not go back to normal. And, honestly, if he becomes too dangerous, I was going to send you away for your protection. Do you see where I stand now? Do you see how complicated this is?

  “I’ll never be able to put you in harm’s way. I know I said I wasn’t going to stop things between us but I’m hoping you will be the better person here. I’m hoping you’ll run away like everyone else and I won’t have to do it.”

  “So you want me to leave?”

  “I don’t. I want a normal life, Adelaide, but I’ll never have one. Just know that I won’t blame you if you leave. I’m lucky I’ve had you this long. Better to have loved and lost.” He laughed at the last part, but it wasn’t funny.

  “If you want a normal life so bad, then get one. If something happens to Leon, you will be free again.”

  Adam stiffened suddenly. He withdrew his touch.

  “I’m never leaving my brother. It’s part of being a coven. It’s part of being a family.”

  “And sometimes it�
��s better to look out for yourself,” she said knowing she had pressed too far. He looked as if he’d never touch her again but she didn’t care. “I’m worried about you, Adam.”

  His face softened but then he just looked tired. He sat down on the edge of the bed and invited her to join him. After a minute, he tried to sound happy.

  “I know. That’s why I like you and I’ll always appreciate the sentiment,” he said.

  Twenty

  The wine had done a bit to calm her nerves, but she broke out in a cold sweat anyway. She sat up reluctantly and slowly. The weight of Adam’s body was next to her in the bed. It was funny, in retrospect. For all the trouble his coven had given her yesterday morning, she still slept in his bed with him. But they just slept. After their conversation, they barely spoke for the rest of the day. Adam killed the bottle and passed out on top of the sheets, purposely or not, she wasn’t sure. His bruises might have signaled something worse beneath, but, despite her urging, he insisted there was no need for medical care.

  “I’m good at recognizing internal injuries,” he’d said. She couldn’t help but wonder now how often he’d encountered them in the past. While she’d been thrown around a few good times by shades, she also recognized it was a very rare encounter. Mages wouldn’t fight against shades and win very many times.

  Try as she might, her mind drifted quickly and the fear returned. Adam’s presence was distracting when he was awake, but not so much when he slept. She watched him for a moment, illuminated in the moonlight that came in through the window, until she was certain he slept heavily.

  Her feet yearned to move so she indulged them. Sliding out of the sheets, she gingerly let them touch the floor. The floorboards accepted her weight without creaking and she let out a silent sigh of relief. She headed for the door next, eyeing him one last time before she opened and shut it behind her.

  Anxiety she’d kept at bay thus far exploded as she entered the hall. To the right of her waited the basement door, but she lacked the courage to descend its steps. Instead, she paced the corridors of the bottom floor. She sized up the doors, windows, and rooms. She listened for a hint of life and felt nothing but dull auras. The whole house seemed to be out cold and it surprised her. Were they comfortable or just that desperate for rest? She finally returned to the basement door.