Burning in a Memory

by Constance Sharper

  Adelaide suddenly wondered if the shade showed her this on purpose now. If reminding her she was nothing but a mind trapped in a box now was some type satisfaction to the shade.

  “Thank you,” the shade said when she turned to Zachary. His expression lit up when he saw her and he shamelessly sized her up and down.

  The outfit the shade had chosen for Adelaide’s body wasn’t a type she was unfamiliar with. It hit all of her body’s features just right for a subtle sexy appeal, but suddenly Adelaide felt naked in it. Her cleavage was pushed up too high and her skirt was riding an inch too low. The boot heels gave her height and curves even she didn’t typically have.

  “I like it,” he said then and his gaze finally lingered on her face.

  “It’s all right,” the shade concurred modestly. She watched his face now, too. Adelaide couldn’t even tell whoever crossed the room first, but in short seconds, the two shades were in a tight embrace.

  “Jane,” Zachary whispered the shade’s name into Adelaide’s neck. Could she have shuddered, she would have. Instead, the feeling of excitement snaked through her body’s nerves. A sense of disgust struck her harder than before, but manifested as a worsening of her migraine.

  Then her world threatened to fade and she desperately clung to coherency. Even while she stood behind a wall of glass to look in on her own life, she feared leaving it. Zachary’s migrating hands made it difficult to focus. Her body’s traitorous reactions made it worse.

  Then a glorious diversion happened.

  “Where are the others?” Her body—or Jane, the shade—asked.

  “The others?” Zachary parroted, for the first time sounding less than smooth.

  “The other mages from the Colton coven. The brother is in the basement still, correct? What happened to the others?”

  Zachary shook his head, seeming reluctant to release her body. He stepped back and glanced through the window.

  “No, they’re moving the brother upstairs. In case Leon doesn’t work out, we might as well keep the back up.”

  Jane snarled.

  “You say that until their numbers threaten to overwhelm us. The brother should be turned immediately or put to death.”

  “Calm down, Jane. They stand no chance. Besides, we have regained you again and you, my beloved, are too strong for them.”

  Adelaide could feel a wave of distinct cold hatred that didn’t belong to her. If it belonged to Jane, Jane hid it well on her face. She forced a smile and a nod.

  “Fine. I imagine it’s time to cut to the chase?” she asked, but Adelaide knew it wasn’t a question. Jane walked straight for the door as if she had it all planned.

  Adelaide felt shocked. She hadn’t realized that they could turn her and turn Leon so close in time to each other. But then she realized she didn’t even know how much time had passed since she was taken. She knew a day at least by the position of the sun. What if it had been longer? Adelaide wasn’t sure how to feel about it. She struggled to contain herself, much like Jane had. Adam still lived. Leon still lived. It wasn’t over yet and she reminded herself of that.

  As they maneuvered through the remainder of the Hawthorn manor with ease, Adelaide struggled to make a mental roadmap. She memorized it all the way onto the first floor. Her concentration escaped her when she saw Leon chained to the wall again. Unlike the drooling mess he was earlier, he seemed disturbingly more coherent than before. His attention seemed to lock on her before any other shade in the room.

  “Good evening, Leon,” Jane said.

  He spat at her. Jane stopped short as Zachary held her back. A few loud footsteps from the other room and Margo emerged. They gave a curt nod to the leader.

  “I think he can be brought outside. Front steps. Keep the gore out of here. Leave the chain on,” Margo instructed without missing a beat.

  Zachary led Leon by the thick chain that had already worn bloody blisters into his neck and chest. Leon’s rough demeanor fell upon first step when he cried out in sudden pain. His body contorted violently and he stumbled. Adelaide had once seen this same man blow away half a dozen shades without breaking a sweat. Now he couldn’t walk. She refused to think about why.

  The parade of Hawthorn shades followed them out, most posting up against the wall farthest from Leon. He hardly looked like a viable threat though. The second Zachary relaxed with the chain, Leon collapsed into the dirt.

  “Be mindful of this one,” Margo hissed to all of them. “Who knows how much shade magic he retained? Who knows if he’s half as dead as he acts?”

  As if to make a brutal point on the last part, Margo delivered a swift blow to Leon’s abdomen. It sounded like a wet crunch. Without control of her body, Adelaide couldn’t look away and that was the thing she was beginning to hate most. Jane watched Leon’s beating before she looked elsewhere. She looked through the ashes of the surrounding area and the half burnt trees that remained. She looked behind the house and in the horizon. Her head kept spinning. She nearly missed when Zachary released the chain.

  Margo approached Leon. She knelt to be on his level and touched his hair as if he was a pet dog. Adelaide recognized the difference of her transformation and what was about to be his. She was put in a tiny room in the back of the manor. Leon was out in the open. She was held down by mages. Leon was left alone.

  Jane apparently wasn’t interested in watching the rest. Her attention settled off to the woods. The minutes ticked by and Margo still did nothing. Adelaide knew at that moment that something was wrong.

  “Jane, back up. Back up from the house, this will be messy,” Margo directed of her. Jane obeyed without missing a beat. Zachary was still in the line of fire, but Margo apparently didn’t care. She grasped Leon’s head between two palms and controlled his face. He rasped something so softly it was inaudible. Margo only grinned in return.

  Above the sound of the exchange between Margo and Leon, Adelaide felt the briefest tinge of an aura. Yet while Jane must have felt it too, she never turned around. That’s when Adelaide figured it out. Horrified, she lashed out mentally as if she could use her voice again or raise her arms. Her struggles were in vain. Jane had complete control of this body and left Adelaide only pounding on the imaginary glass box that kept her locked in her mind.

  The shades weren’t going to turn Leon like she thought. But they had everyone else convinced, including the Colton mages who would be lured out to save Leon. She felt the aura again and heard the sounds of twigs snapping. She knew there was more than one, but could gather nothing else.

  When the mages came, they came shooting. Jane whirled to dodge the first blows, only getting struck by flying bark instead. Her skin stung but went ignored. Jane sidestepped in a blur. Aura tapped, magic rushed through her veins, but Adelaide barely recognized the raw power. Adelaide felt a shocking but thrilling wave when Jane took her first shot. The insane sensation of a shade’s magic almost threatened to distract her completely, but then Jane came face to face with Preeti.

  The woman had come back to save Adam after all. No good deed went unpunished and Jane made her pay the price. With another hit of the raw power, she struck Preeti. The blow landed and the mage cowered. Unprotected, Jane continued mercilessly. The sight was gruesome, but the sound of snapping was much worse. Adelaide’s mind screamed. She beat against the glass of her internal prison. As she grew exhausted with rage, she saw the park again. The image flickered before her along with the real world, as if the stations were being crossed on a television. She clung to the real world but could have cried. Jane continued like a tyrant.

  Before Preeti could let out her last, broken cry, something finally stopped Jane. She whirled to face the house again. Even amongst the chaos of other shades, Adam stood there now, still as a board. Adelaide’s thoughts stopped. While Jane readied herself for a fight, Adelaide memorized his face. And all she saw was a look of horror and utter hatred.

  Thirty-three

  Adelaide suddenly didn’t know what she had expected. She didn�
�t know why Adam would see through the shade to Adelaide. The thought was crippling. Before the shade and mage showdown even commenced, Adelaide knew she didn’t want to watch it anymore. She faltered internally. The real world slipped from her. She found herself back on the curb, next to the bushes and across from the park. The hysteria she’d been battling abruptly won. She clutched the side of her head in the imaginary world and let out a scream.

  She wanted to stay there now. She’d stay in the rubbles of her coven waiting for her new family to find her. She’d stay there forever and never have to see that look of disgust again. She couldn’t ban it from her mind. Wherever she was, in whatever crevice of her head the shade had pushed her back to, it didn’t spare her that memory.

  After what felt like an eternity had passed, she calmed. The world in her head was serene. The wind gave her a breeze in the warm climate. The bushes had soft leaves and the branches had no thorns. The park looked scenic.

  She felt more and more passive by the second. It wasn’t her fault, she told herself. She fought as long as she could.

  Her mind wandered to other things. She hadn’t sat here since she was a child, hidden in this very spot by Mistel, while the shades killed her coven. She was an adult now, alone. But then maybe in this reality, her mother would still come for her. She’d take her home—her real home—where she should be right now. Adelaide closed her eyes and wanted it. But then she heard him screaming.

  It pierced her entire world and resounded against the walls of her skull. She clenched her face and shut her eyes. It sounded like Adam screaming. The worst images conjured in her mind, taking away the scenic world of her park. Jane would kill him in short time. She’d beat him senseless until he cracked just like Preeti had. The horror alive and well in her imagination, she refused to sit anymore. She stood in her mental prison and tried to will herself back. Her attempt failed. She clenched her fists and struggled to focus. She’d done it without thinking before, as if Jane had allowed her the first time. She wasn’t sure if the shade had any control over her mental capabilities, but she partially hoped for it. If Jane’s intentions were to hurt Adelaide, seeing Adam now would do it.

  It felt like an agonizing wait, but her mind cleared. She saw through her eyes again and felt the distinct but fuzzy sensations. But when she snapped back into her body, she felt weaker than before. As if she fought to stay awake, she struggled keep her eyes open. They stood inside now, in a room she didn’t recognize, but there was a massive hole broken through one wall. She saw Zachary beside her and heard his ragged breathing. Before both of them was Leon, the source of the screaming. He screamed until he wore out his voice and gasped.

  Margo was at the pinnacle of the circle of shades in the room. Of everyone she could see from this vantage point, Adelaide couldn’t see the location of the mages. She wished Jane would turn and look at the rest of the room. If she couldn’t see Adam, that meant he might be dead. She refused to think like that, knowing a falter in willpower would send her back to the park.

  “Jane, Jane, come here Jane,” Margo catcalled. Jane moved but never reexamined the room. She maneuvered passed Leon who was too downtrodden to even move. Jane lowered her head for Margo to whisper.

  “I gave you one job, Jane,” Margo hissed.

  Jane stiffened. The familiar rage followed and the mad flash of energy. Her fluctuating aura could not have gone unnoticed, but Margo didn’t even budge.

  “You told me not to kill them,” she answered.

  “So you let them get away, Jane?”

  “Only a few…”

  Adelaide listened desperately, hoping for the next words to reveal who had survived.

  “A few that will return, Jane. You’re lucky we gave you a body at all. After last time….” Margo trailed off. Jane clenched her fists.

  “What are you doing with Leon?” Jane asked, changing the subject.

  Adelaide was upset not to hear who Jane let escape, but she knew it could have been Adam. The thought made her happy.

  “Move him,” Margo said dismissively.

  Jane shifted uncomfortably. Her gaze rose and she watched Zachary for a brief second. The purple color decorating his face stood out. Apparently, Adelaide realized, that Leon still had some fight left in him. Jane moved cautiously when she approached Leon but he never looked up.

  “Jane, move him,” Margo called. Jane looked up and that’s when Adelaide saw it. Their leader found her new spot next to two still bodies in the corner—Adam and Angie. They’d survived. Adelaide could have cried. The look was fleeting so Adelaide never got to see how injured the two were.

  Jane grabbed the chain around Leon’s neck and tugged on it. His hand snatched her forearm and squeezed. His aura pulsated with magic that she could feel in her very bones. Adelaide gasped, feeling the distinctive pain. The fuzziness left her for a second.

  “Jane, Jane!” Margo kept shouting. Their leader finally paced back, closer, and was clearly aggravated with Jane’s lack of an answer.

  Adelaide knew why. She mentally willed herself to twitch her fingers. Her body obeyed. The recognition was glorious but a pain in her head grew.

  “Jane!” Margo shouted. She marched right up to both of them. Leon released her and Adelaide ignored him. She looked straight ahead at Margo. Crippling pain grew in the center of her head, but the sensation was enthralling and empowering. She opened her mouth and took a clean breath.

  “Jane!”

  “My name…is Adelaide.”

  Margo backpedaled but not in time. Adelaide tapped the massive aura and felt the raw power respond. She threw Margo right off her feet. The room exploded in noise. She sounded it out, focusing only on the shade in front of her.

  “You killed my cousin!” she heard herself screaming. She felt nothing but the surge of power rip through her. Margo moved but wasn’t quick enough. Adelaide cornered her. She’d never killed anyone, but suddenly it didn’t seem that hard.

  Margo struck back, this time making contact. Adelaide lost her footing and hit the marble floor. The ceiling spun above her head, but she sat up in a hurry. Then she saw the other mages—the ones that had gotten away. Priya and Tony had returned. But one glance at Tony and Tony was after her. She dodged his attack while Priya raced to Adam and Angie.

  While Adelaide was distracted, Margo charged. The dynamic of the fight shifted immediately and Adelaide found herself on the defensive. The magic felt wild within her veins, but she suddenly had trouble taming it. She struck back but the magic wasn’t concentrated. The walls trembled and the shaking threatened to knock her off her feet.

  Someone snatched her from behind and whirled her around. Adelaide’s aura flailed and she tore back. The grip tightened.

  “Adelaide!” Leon shouted in her face.

  She lashed out and made contact. Her head spun. She searched for Margo. She couldn’t waste her magic on him. Leon recovered quickly and grabbed her face again, controlling her head between his hands.

  “Adelaide! Do it now!”

  His words pierced the daze in her mind this time, but she had no idea what they meant. The pain in her head was excruciating.

  “Now!”

  She closed her eyes. His screaming made her head hurt more. The noise in the room sounded louder than she thought possible. The magical auras slamming against each other made her feel sick. She pushed Leon hard. The throbbing in her head grew worse until it was unbearable. She clutched her own skull until the room faded from view. A knot pulled at her chest and released. The agonizing pain seized her and she screamed. Somewhere after, she hit the floor and clawed madly at the ground until her fingernails bled and the world stopped spinning. She felt lighter and different, but agonizing pain stopped her from thinking about it.

  “Adelaide,” Leon’s voice reached out to her. He was yelling from somewhere close by, but her ears felt like they were too stuffed with cotton to identify the location. Her muscles answered her and she crawled to her knees. In the wake of an explosion of dust and
smoke, she could make out more figures. Tony and Priya had reunited in the corner. They stood oddly still. It took her a minute to realize they studied her like prey.

  She saw no shades around them. Only the Colton coven stood in the room. The idea of the missing Hawthorns didn’t evade her but she didn’t think about it then. Between the lingering agony and the hyperawareness of being watched, she stood on shaky knees.

  “Adelaide, run! Run!” Leon screamed at her. She didn’t see him, but to her left, she could see the hint of the outside world. Fresh air with faint orange sun in the distance beckoned. She forced her feet to move and then ran blindly for the exit. Just as the bottom of her foot hit the grass outside, she collided with something large enough that she bounced to the floor. Her head snapped up but her aura refused respond. Zachary towered above her.

  Their eyes met for a lingering moment and then Zachary recoiled. He twitched before he took off in a full run in the opposite direction. She stood again against the protest of her bones. To the right of her were the remains of the Hawthorns’ manor nearly on verge of collapse. Inside it was at least five mages and perhaps more shades. To her left began the woods and the hills they’d traveled to get here. And where she stood was in the open grassy lawn.

  She staggered for the woods, grasping at the singed branches to propel herself forward.

  “Adelaide!”

  She heard the calls behind her but refused to stop. The sense of her body fully becoming hers again, she managed to dash forward until her toe clipped a root. She staggered and spun into a tree. Her fingers grasped the bark to still herself. She’d lost all sense of direction. Before she could place herself, footsteps thundered in her direction.

  She squinted to see the new arrival in the darkness.