Burning in a Memory by Constance Sharper Page A

argument.”
    He let out a breathy laugh, though clearly he didn’t find anything funny.
    “No, it is really none of that. I’ve known for some time that my coven and I might be leaving soon. And when I met you I knew that was a distinct possibility. We can’t really be friends because I’m leaving here and not coming back.”
    This time her cool did escape her, and her nerves pin-prickled throughout her body. She seized the table for stability.
    “Obviously then , you aren’t just moving to another city.”
    Adam suddenly looked up.
    “Remember when you asked if we thought something was after us? There is and that’s the real reason Tony flipped out on you. We’re not safe in Denver anymore and we’re leaving because of it. We are going to a much more isolated place and nowhere near any humans.”
    Her chest seized up for a number of reasons, but she kept quiet and urged him on with a wave of her hand.
    “This is why I was afraid to tell you. You won’t see me again.”
    She racked her brain but she thought of very little to say. Adam started eating so she followed in suit, but every bite she took tasted like little more than rotten tomatoes. Her entire plan to go through Adam to find Leon threatened to fall into pieces, and she couldn’t think of a single thing to stop it. Panic started to get the best of her, and she trembled. By the time Adam stood up, she blurted the only thing she could.
    “Will you take me home? I got a ride here, but I have none back.”
    Adam agreed. She knew she’d prevented him from using a rehearsed goodbye, and the short car ride would give her another minute to save her plan. Another minute to find a way to make Adam never want to let go.
     

    Six
                  Without the rain the trip back to her house felt like it flew by. She watched the world blur by outside of the Jeep’s windows and struggled with what to say. She needed something profound to say, something mesmerizing and perfect. She should not have relied on Adam to say it.
                  “Do you have plans for the Fourth of July weekend?” he asked.
                  She did a double take.
                  “What?”
                  “The Fourth falls on this coming Monday. It is a long weekend,” he expanded.
                  “Oh,” she quipped. She never considered it. Her lack of answer caused him to look over.
                  “No, no plans,” she specified.
                  Adam returned his eyes to the road and gripped the wheel noticeably tighter.
                  “Look, this sucks. I wish I had gotten to know you better at a different time in my life,” he said.
                  He sounded genuine so she tried to as well.
                  “Is this place you are going really that far away? Does it not have phone service?” she asked. He turned onto her street so she sped up her words. “I can’t believe you will never come back.”
                  “Even if I came back, I don’t how far in the future that would be. It’s a really bad time, Adelaide. A really bad time,” he said quietly. While she shamelessly stared at him, he refused to meet her eyes. He cruised down the street to her house.
                  “Adam…” she whispered. A jumble of potential words lingered on her tongue, but she never got the chance to voice them. He braked hard and the car rocked forward. Seatbelt choking her, she hurried to unfasten it. The Jeep idled in front of her driveway now, but Adam never killed the motor. She opened her mouth to ask about his sudden paleness, but he beat her to speaking.
                  “What happened to that car?” he asked.
                  She unbuckled the belt and took a look. For all of her neighbor’s complaining, he never moved the bashed up Infiniti from the curb. She couldn’t see her neighbor