Burning in a Memory by Constance Sharper Read Free Book Online

She recognized it as Bradley’s incognito way of telling her that he’d caught the first trail and that she was in the right place. While it might have been good news, she was still waiting for Adam to call. It made sense now that he had only taken her phone number and never given out his.
                  She frowned until she found the strength to delete the text and toss the phone back on the jumbled sheets of her bed. Sitting cross-legged in the bedroom, she returned to watching the rain fall outside through the foggy window. Nothing really happened in suburbia and even less with the bad weather blowing through. The place didn’t have cable or internet and she was already sick of reading.
                  The house felt smaller with each day that passed and with each minute she felt more anxious than ever. She hated waiting. She’d made it a point throughout her life never to wait for a guy and she didn’t like it now. When she couldn’t sit still any longer, she paced the familiar confines of the house. She sized herself up in the bathroom mirror. Her outfits had becoming increasingly less thought out until she wore her last cotton dress and tights. Her makeup got thicker but she left her hair down and free. When she gave up on her appearance, she walked by the garage and checked on her car. It had collected dust since the last time she’d seen it. She sized up the tags and registration that would lead back to her old dorm mate. She left the garage and double locked the front door and windows. Then she heard the crash.
                  Looking for the source of the loud sound, she crept to the window. The rain blew sideways now and made the outside world nearly impossible to see. She scrubbed the glass panes with her sleeve and worked at the little condensation that she could. She squinted; lightning lit up the sky and the street. With the flash, she saw the bright red car on the curb. Its entire hood had been crushed but she couldn’t immediately identify the cause. Adelaide backed away from the window.
                  Instinctually, she knew immediately. It took another minute for her brain to piece it together. Senses becoming hyper aware, she walked around the house one last time. Adam sensed a bad vibe in this place. Mistel had caused a bad vibe in this place. She wondered immediately if any other shades had sensed the magic here and would come to investigate. It drew them like maggots to a bloodied wound.
                  The doors remained shut and windows intact, but when she returned to the front living room, she felt no better. The Hawthorns were powerful shades, but they were far from common. Most shades were weaker and more desperate. She wondered twice if they’d listen to her like Mistel did.
    She looked at the car again. It definitely appeared to be supernatural damage now but she saw no shades in the area. Adelaide knew by the location of the car that it had to belong to the neighbor to the east. He always parked the car between their houses. She was certain when she heard him screaming. Reluctantly approaching the window a second time, she peered out. The rain had lessened a bit and visibility improved. The neighbor from the east stood outside. He screamed and waved his hands erratically. His car was destroyed with no apparent culprit.
    Watching his behavior finally acted as the tipping point. Adelaide could wait no longer. She rushed into the bedroom for her phone, wallet, and shoes. She marched out of the front door, straight into the drizzling rain. Her eyes sized up the area and she saw no shade activity. Adelaide slammed the door behind her and the sound made the neighbor look up.
                  “Did you do this?” he suddenly accused when he spotted her.
                  “How would I do that? I heard the sound and came out,” she pointed out. He would have to buy that since she barely looked able to put a