Burning in a Memory

by Constance Sharper

  Leon stood abruptly.

  “There are shades outside?” he asked.

  Adam hurried to put both hands on his brother’s shoulders, but Leon broke the contact.

  “It’s no big, I’ll deal with it,” Leon said.

  Adam hollered and protested, but his words went ignored. Leon already made his way to the door, and, once he opened it, the scent of smoke exploded into the room. Leon marched out unaffected, leaving the other two men chasing him.

  Adelaide followed at a slower pace. Fear of the unknown hit her hard, but curiosity overwhelmed it. She opened the door and stopped when she spotted them. Tony and Adam stood just off of the porch. Beyond them, she could just make out the hint of a figure—or multiple figures. It took a minute for the shades to come into detail and she gasped. At least two dozen of them stood less than half a mile away.

  The sheer sensation of their combined auras left her ready to run but Leon marched toward the group and Adelaide watched him go. Tony cursed violently on the porch, voicing the thought they must have all had. This many shades were dangerous. It was almost impossible to fight a massive group and it only took one shade to kill.

  “Leon!” Adam called out pointlessly. If his brother heard him, he did not turn around.

  She danced in nervousness but edged back to the door. Her fingernails bit into the wooden frame as she anchored herself there. Outside the shades stood and waited. One finally broke from the group. That’s when Leon’s aura flailed. His magic erupted and then all the shades were dead.

  Fifteen

  “Son of a bitch,” Adam swore. He was a blur as he raced to his brother’s side and disappeared in the subsequent dust storm. Adelaide backpedaled into the house, and struggled to catch a breath of fresh air. Her toes clipped the carpet and she felt the brick wall behind her before her knees gave out from under her. She met the hard wooden floor and rooted her back against the wall, but still felt as if she floated.

  The time that passed felt surreal, but Tony’s arrival helped snap her from the daze. He came inside with dust and smoke trailing him before he slammed the door shut. Tony stopped in front of her for a minute before he offered his hand.

  “Come on, get up,” he ordered but the gesture was still a helpful one. She accepted his hand and he hauled her to her feet. Together they staggered into the living room and Adelaide broke away in time to collapse on one of the sofas.

  “Were you hurt?” Tony asked while watching her carefully.

  “No, I wasn’t hurt.”

  She didn’t have a word for what she felt.

  “Did Leon just…” she began to ask but found her words lacking. Did he just kill all of those shades, she wanted to ask. Did he do it so easily and so quickly? Adelaide had never seen anything like that in her lifetime. She’d never heard anything like that from books or movies or other mages.

  “He did. Welcome to mage life, girl.” Tony laughed bitterly but his heart clearly wasn’t in it. She looked up to meet his gaze and saw his face flash with an emotion that she couldn’t place.

  The door opened again, distracting them both. A stampede of footsteps followed and the mages pooled into the room. The twins came in first, both dusty and bloody. Their auras flailed but they looked equally exhausted. Angie and Adam came next. They carried Leon between them but barely kept him off the ground. Every second step, his knee hit the ground. Adam grunted and pulled harder. Muscles visibly straining against the exertion, he stopped them both at the opposite couch. Angie finally let go and Leon collapsed, his face sinking into the cushions.

  Everyone in the coven seemed frantic to catch their breath as the dust storm settled. Angie was the first to speak.

  “What now, everyone? I don’t think Leon should be pitching the next great idea.”

  Adam rubbed the side of his head frantically as if he could stir up ideas.

  “Look, even if more shades come eventually, we bought some time. It’s tough to assemble when they think they’re walking into a certain death,” Adam said.

  “Will Leon be able to do that twice?” Angie asked.

  “He’ll have to. They’re coming here because of him. They nearly took my head off a minute ago. And look at my sister!” Preeti snapped.

  Priya had settled on the edge of the stairs with her forehead buried in her knees. Tony hurried to her side.

  “Take her upstairs, Preeti, and rest. We can take care of things down here.”

  Priya grunted in protest but Tony laid his hands on her shoulders. He whispered to her then. “You’ve done well. Please go upstairs now.”

  Preeti maneuvered by his side, helped her sister to her feet, and then walked them both upstairs. When they were gone, Tony growled.

  “We can’t let Leon keep doing that. Using that much magic will probably keep bringing shades here,” Tony said.

  Adam nodded methodically. The blast of Leon’s magic a few minutes ago made everything else dull in comparison, but Adelaide could imagine shades would sniff that out. It also meant more shades were certainly coming.

  “I’ll check outside. I’ll sound the alarm if I see any more,” Angie offered. Tony gave her a grateful look and the woman let herself out the front door.

  Adam moved, leaned over, and shook his brother’s shoulder. Leon moaned into the cushion and Adam shook harder. Leon finally stirred and flipped onto his back, blinking madly.

  “Leon, go to bed. I can’t carry you there,” Adam said.

  Leon looked at his brother but his expression was distant.

  “Leon, bed,” Adam said again while gesturing upstairs.

  “No, I need to talk to Kathy. Where’s Kathy?” he asked. Leon stood awkwardly, as if his massive legs wouldn’t support his body.

  “Where’s Kathy? I was going to get dinner with Kathy,” he said. His tone was higher pitched than usual and his eyes darted wildly around the room. They landed on Adelaide and stayed for a brief second.

  Adam suddenly sprung to his brother’s side.

  “I’m not going to ask again. Go to bed,” Adam said. Leon stood up straighter but looked lost, as if the living room had too many exits.

  “It makes you sicker,” Adelaide said suddenly, unsure of what possessed her, but feeling enlightened. “You shouldn’t use your magic anymore, it makes you sicker.”

  “Did Kathy send you?” he asked in a broken voice.

  “No, but she told me she wanted you to go to bed,” Adelaide said. She felt like she was speaking to a child and Leon reacted like one. He nodded furiously and made for the stairs. She stood to follow, but Tony’s hand smacked her chest so hard, she fell back onto the cushion. Air stolen from her, she struggled to right herself. Leon was already gone.

  “Don’t touch Adelaide,” Adam snarled before lowering his voice. ”Tony, he’s fine for now. He’ll sleep it off. It worked.”

  “What worked about it? Everyone assumes that Leon’s our only hope, but meanwhile he’s going bat-shit crazy every time he uses a bit of magic. Even the human figured that out!”

  Adam lacked a response for that. Tony took to pacing a circular pattern in the floorboards.

  “Look, we need to plan now. We need to get rid of that shade in the basement so none of his little buddies try to come save him. We also need to figure out why Leon brought him here,” Tony said.

  “I’m sure he thinks the shade knows something about the attack in Denver,” Adam said. Tony gave him a dark look but Adam waved him off. “No point in keeping it a secret now,” Adam added.

  “I guess there’s no point to keep secrets because Adelaide can’t leave. My mother can’t come here and pick her up if there will be unexpected shade attacks. It was already dangerous enough for her or her coven to move. They won’t even make it back to the city alive!”

  Adam suddenly cursed, revealing that he never considered that option. Tony kept talking.

  “But at least that’s nothing we have to deal with right now. Go check on your brother, Adam. It wouldn’t surprise me if he can
’t even find his bedroom.”

  Adam hesitated, glancing between Adelaide and Tony before heading for the stairs. When he was gone, Tony and Adelaide stood alone with one another. Eager to change that, she walked straight for the kitchen.

  Her stomach wound into knots and she wasn’t hungry. Desperate for something to busy her hands, she spotted the Keurig in the corner. Punching the buttons madly, she turned the machine on and let it warm up. Ceramic mugs were in the counter above it. She pulled one down when she heard footsteps follow her into the kitchen. Tony leaned against the wall and watched her again.

  “Would you like some coffee?” she asked, postponing the inevitable. She brought another mug down from the cabinet regardless. Putting the first cup under the spout, she pounded the activation switch. The Keurig churned and exploded with the scent of hazelnut.

  “I’ll make you coffee,” she said when he failed to answer. The first cup done, she slid it across the counter. The second cup she took herself. She sipped the bitter concoction until it burned down her throat. Tony stood too close to the fridge, blocking her access to cream so she decided that she could go without. Adelaide swallowed another strong sip.

  “I don’t know what to do with you,” he suddenly admitted.

  “What do you mean?” she cued.

  “Well, you heard that my mother can’t come here to pick you up because of the shades. Because of the shades, you can’t even leave on your own unless you have a death wish. So you’re stuck here. Which I’m sure makes you happy. It’s more time for you to crush on Adam.”

  She nearly choked on the coffee. Fighting off a coughing fit, her face lit up red when she looked back to him. Tony didn’t seem interested enough to linger on that part.

  “We need to deal with your family. If you go missing, they’ll come looking for you. How far do they live away? Seven hours? That’s a day trip to your house to conduct a welfare check…”

  “What?” she whispered. Putting her coffee down, she watched him carefully now.

  “I’m saying they might show up at your house. You’re nineteen, Adelaide, hardly the age that your parents won’t worry about where you are. If you go missing for a while or don’t answer their phone calls, they might show up at your house. Or worse, they might even report you missing to the authorities.”

  She let out a breathy laugh.

  “I don’t think that’s an issue. They won’t,” she said. If her family ever had those intentions, she’d broken them of it over time. Even Bradley had learned when not to call her. She shook her head again. It was a nonissue.

  Tony frowned.

  “They will. They obviously care about you a lot,” he insisted.

  She made a face.

  “Tony, you don’t know my family,” she said. She paused and replayed the last minute of conversation in her head. “Why did you say seven hours?” she asked. Seven hours away for a welfare check.

  “I just guessed how long it would take them to drive.”

  It slipped by her before, but now Adelaide paid attention.

  “How do you know where they live?”

  It was impossible, she thought. Adelaide hid all of her connections to them and never let her phone out of her sight. But seven hours was a pretty good estimate. She let out a breath and then pinched the bridge of her nose. Keeping her composure grew more difficult by the second.

  “How do you know where they live?” she asked again.

  “Where your family lives? Come on, I looked them up when I looked you up. You don’t give me enough credit apparently. I would never have anyone near the coven unless I was certain I knew exactly who they were and Adam wouldn’t have been able to convince me otherwise.”

  “You looked me up?” she said but her words sounded hollow.

  “I’m not going to lie, finding out anything about you was very difficult. But I found your brother first—I guess you talk to him somewhat often. Then I found your parents. I tracked back to your birth certificate and your schools. I saw your damn graduation photo from Mayweather Academy and your awful GPA.

  “You were lying to Adam about being a college student—but I don’t care about that. All I cared about was to make sure you were human and that you didn’t pose any danger to us.”

  She couldn’t hide her surprise.

  “How did you find that?”

  It was impossible, she thought. But here they stood and impossible didn’t have the same meaning in this house. Tony had been right about everything thus far, minus a few details.

  “I’m good with computers.”

  Adelaide realized now that she had underestimated him. Horror consumed her but she kept her face straight.

  “I’m surprised, I guess. I didn’t want my family involved in this. I’ve seen bad things in your world and I don’t want my family hurt.”

  Tony actually laughed.

  “Well, that we have in common, huh? Don’t worry, I have no intention to harm your family—I have no grudge against you. And, between you and me, if you break Adam’s heart then I’ll just like you all the more.”

  She didn’t have to feign her glare. Their voices echoed in the small kitchen, and could reach upstairs to a good listener. The initial shock already gone, she held out a hand to regain control of the conversation.

  “I think you’re overestimating the Adam and me thing,” she interjected, but her words didn’t have much force.

  “Whatever the case, I do have some ground rules. And believe me about these—I don’t want to hurt you or your family, but I can’t have my coven in trouble. You need to listen now,” he said and with his smile completely gone, he strode forward to stand much closer to Adelaide. His aura flailed for effect and made the kitchen feel painfully small.

  “You need to stay away from Leon. I mean as far away as this house allows. I do not want to catch you even looking at him. Do you understand?”

  There was no room to argue so she quietly agreed. Tony took a small step back. He wore an odd expression now, the same she had seen earlier. But this time, she could place it. The underlying emotion Tony showed was more than discomfort. It was fear, she realized. Tony was afraid of Leon too.

  “Of course,” she vocalized softly.

  Tony backed off again and stood at the edge of the kitchen, suddenly looking out of place.

  “I’m going to check on Priya,” he finally decided aloud. Before he left, he gave Adelaide an awkward smile. “Until we figure out what’s going on, I suggest you try to feel at home,” he said.

  Adelaide watched him go and found herself alone on the bottom floor. In the basement was a shade. On the third floor was a madman. She shook her head when thinking about Tony’s last line of advice. It was always easier said than done.

  Sixteen

  The floor had obviously been replaced many times as the planks differed in color and design from spot to spot. The edge of the walkway carried singe marks of ancient burns and the smell hinted of water damage. A rectangular rug hid most of it, but it peeked out from beneath the grandfather clock that ticked away. She stared at the floor while her mind raced through the same few thoughts. Tony knew where her family was and could potentially hurt them.

  She barely heard the catcall of her name. It sounded like a whisper in comparison to her thoughts. She thought of her family and her home. She thought of how quickly Tony could find them if he needed to and how they would have no way of defending themselves. Tony never struck her as evil, but he might well be vengeful.

  Adelaide curled her nails into her palms until the stinging took some of the mental pain away. She heard her name again. This time, she shook her mind clear and looked up. The grandfather clock in the corner showed how many hours had passed since the incident this morning. All of that time and she only made it out of the kitchen and into the living room. A couch next to the corner put her back to the wall and her line of sight at the stairs. A cold cup of coffee waited on the table beside the couch.

  No one had bothered her in all of
that time. She suspected most of the coven was too busy saving up their energy.

  “Hey,” Adam called out.

  Adelaide glanced up to find him crossing the room. She blinked her burning eyes and forced her body to animate.

  “S-sorry, I didn’t hear you calling.”

  She didn’t know how long she had ignored him either. Focusing on the here and now proved difficult, but the sight of Adam helped that. He had washed the dirt off his face since earlier but still wore the muddy clothing. His wet hair was almost spiky, but fell flat when he pushed a hand through it.

  “I wasn’t calling,” he said. He watched her in return.

  Feeling immediately self-conscious, she wiped down her own hair and her face. The last time she’d seen a mirror had to be yesterday night so she feared her appearance now.

  “Are you okay?” Adam asked.

  “I’m fine. I was just thinking,” she answered too quietly.

  “About what?”

  Her family, she wanted to answer. She quickly averted her face before more tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Just stress. Tony doesn’t want me upstairs anymore because he wants me to stay away from Leon. Is there a different room I can have?” If she was going to continue melting down, she wanted to do it privately. Adam offered her his hand.

  “Take my room, please,” he said. She glanced at his hand but avoided taking it. Instead, she stood on her own and walked over to his room. The door was open and the room inside just like they had left it this morning.

  It was smaller than the one she’d been staying in, but much nicer. On the right was the door to the bathroom and over his bed was a massive window with a view. His blue sheets looked more inviting by the second. And, just like she remembered, it smelled like him.

  “I’ll change the sheets and all that. You can feel free to stay here,” he said as she looked around.

  “Thank you,” she said shortly.