Burntout

"Blood and Stars"

"Theodore, where are you from? I haven't been outside of Delaware in the last 4 years and I don't remember where I lived before this or... who my parents are."

Theodore, my mind using his actual name instead of the nickname because something still felt off, smiled lightly, "We're in New Castle, Delaware are we not? I've never been here before."

I automatically decided something was off, not to mention he also seemed to know perfectly where I was without ever meeting me first or even being in New Castle before.

"How did you know where to find me, 'Theo'? You haven't been to this city before and I don't remember having met you so you may just owe me an explanation." I kept my voice formal but it was taking all my strength not to demand some answers from him. After all, for all I knew, he was some creepy-but handsome- stalker.

Theodore blanched, his cool expression falling from his face, "I er, knew you from college? Don't you remember asking me out last week for a coffee to ah, catch up?"

"I'm still in college and I don't even know a place I would have met you considering that I work at a WholeFoods down the street." I smiled fakely sweet at him, attempting to put on a dumb blonde act even though I was a brunette.

He struggled to find an answer as I also added, "Why don't you tell me where we may have actually met because I don't quite know if I believe you."

The maybe stranger cursed under his breath, "You really don't remember do you? 4 years of having all your memories wiped."

"Remember what? I'm only 24 and it feels like my whole childhood has been ripped from my mind with only the last two years of being in college intact. I don't even remember the first year of college!" All of this was true, no remembrance of what I had learned in my first year yet still top of my class. The police hadn't helped much since I had money in the bank and a nice dorm in the college complex so they hadn't bothered to help me. No family to go home to during the holidays, I usually rented a small lake house that didn't stretch out my budget too much.

Theodore ran his hand through his hair nervously, frown lines creasing his forehead, making him look older than he seemed to be. Maybe in his late 20's seeming a little older than me but not by much. I felt myself smile at the action because it reminded me strangely of what Theo in the book did whenever he was anxious.

He looked like he was having an internal battle with himself and I figured one side won when he said seriously, "What if I told you we met in another universe? Would you believe me?"

"No! We clearly have never met and you seem to also have some... mental issues to put it best." I started reaching into my leather satchel to pull out my phone to call the police. He grabbed my hand, squeezing it as I tried to pull it out of his grasp.

"Please Andromeda, please believe me." I froze, my breath hitching in my throat. He called me Andromeda. That couldn't be a coincidence because I hadn't told him my name and Andromeda was a rare name so it couldn't possibly be a random guess.

I stopped trying to break free from his grasp as I put the puzzle pieces together. Theodore and Andromeda, the names of the two main characters in Burntout. Burntout was set in another universe, he said we met in another universe. He looked exactly the way Theodore in the book was described and I realized that his last name was also exactly the same- Laurier. He acted as if he met me before like we were possibly friends in that other world. I had those missing memories but something about him was so familiar.

"Do you believe me now?" Theodore asked, concern laced in his voice.

I still felt like something was not there, still lost in the abyss of time. I looked into his eyes and I had the sense that I had done that action many times before. Something in my brain seemed to click and I pulled away, pressing my fingers to my temple. I closed my eyes and felt everything rushing back, a tidal wave of emotions. Every adventure and every laugh, and every emotion of love and hate wrapped around me. I remembered. I nearly cried as I pictured my childhood, the smell of my mother's perfume floating in the air as she kissed my father in the courtyard in front of the castle. I remembered the day I met Theodore when I had just been the daughter of the queen's lady-in-waiting. Laurier was the surname of the royal family making Theodore in front of me, royalty.