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my emotions dance. The air was so sweet, at times Grams left my window open and didn't have it nailed shut. And the birds—the beautiful birds. Not a single pigeon. There were no alleys to run through. No fences to climb on and rip my pants. It was so open it was spooky. There were places I could walk where I heard no voices, no baby's cry, no people yelling or fighting or living.
    "After a while my old life was like a dream. A dream that slowly slips away. I never told anyone about you being there that night. It wasn't Grams' fault. She just kept saying over and over an angel watched out for me, until I was positive. When I said yes, one did, they thought I was repeating what she said. I couldn't make the words to elaborate. I didn't even remember your name; your face was a blur. All I could see of you that horrible night was lightning that lit up your features for mere seconds. Then your back as you ran away."
    Her jaw quivered when she gazed up into his dark eyes. "I'm so sorry, Jaron. I'm so sorry I blocked everything out. At night I heard a voice calling me. A panic-filled howl of such fear. Calling until I put a pillow over my ears."
    "I yelled for you when the cops took me away in the rain. You never answered."
    "Every time it storms I look for you, I know that now," Rain muttered. "Every night you haunt me. But when the thunder booms I hear the screams instead, the sounds of gunshots. When lightning flashes I see the fire and I need to run, to escape. I need to find…you. My God, all this time I've been looking for you in the shadows."
    Rain felt him turn her toward the apartment building. She went willingly. Patches of memory like a fast-fleeing dream slipped around her brain, only this time they settled and didn't disappear. Jaron had bought her ice cream when they were little. They would sit on the front stoop. When a car would drive by he would tell her the color and spell the word, making her repeat it.
    When they entered the apartment Jaron locked the door. Rain drifted to the couch. She felt dazed and weak. She was grateful for the towel he tossed at her and even more grateful for the glass of water he handed her. She was so parched she felt dehydrated. When she gazed up at him it was in awe. She had no fear of him. Jaron had taken care of her when her parents worked and Grams and Papa were busy. Jaron had made beans when they were young that he had opened and cooked in the can on the stove in a pot of water. Jaron had taken care of her. No wonder he hated her. He felt Rain had betrayed him, but she hadn't. It was just such a tragedy, and she had been so young.
    Rain looked over at him when he sat beside her. She felt awful and for a second wanted to run from the rage she was certain to see in his eyes, but she was no coward. When she tilted her head to meet his gaze she saw small drops of rain dribble from his dark hair. Richly dark eyes were centered on her. It wasn't hate she saw. She had hurt him.
    "I loved you," she whispered.
    Why had she blocked his memory? Because he left me alone; he abandoned me. One moment she was safe in his familiar arms, the next he was gone, leaving her alone in that frightening, dark place. She had suffered through the loss of both parents; she just couldn't deal with another loss.
    When the storms came she searched for him, always waiting for him to step out of the shadows. Jaron had always been in her subconscious thought. No wonder Telor hadn't been able to give her what she needed. Poor Telor—his rival was a ghost of a memory.
    "Jaron," Rain said, her voice quiet, "I can't change the past, but I can tell them, the authorities, what really happened that night. I don't know what good it will do now. But I need to know if Papa made it out of the fire alive…and my…friend could have been killed."
    Jaron seemed to think it over. He pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. After dialing and placing the phone to his ear, Rain heard him ask a simple question. He snapped