______________________________________________________
Amy smiled warmly at the man seated across from her. It had been a most unexpected surprise when he had shown up at her place of work, offering to take her out to lunch.
They had gone to a Japanese restaurant close to the mountains. The place was little known to people in town but highly successful. She was quite pleased to dine there, as Japanese was her absolute favorite. Knowing that Copeland was psychic, at least to an extent, she sensed he'd known that all along.
"So," he said, templing his hands under his chisled chin, "tell me more about yourself... Things you left out the other day."
The redhead looked up from her cup of green tea, swallowing.
"Well, what more can I say? I'm originally from Fort Lauderdale. Parents are divorced, and I've got a younger brother I haven't seen in about seven years."
"Are you serious?" the blond man questioned.
Amy nodded.
"Yeah. I haven't seen Billy in that long." She shook her head. "We've never gotten along, not even when we were kids," she explained.
Adam felt a bit of pain for upon hearing that. He was an only child himself, but he knew it had to hurt to be estranged from a sibling.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, reaching over to touch her hand.
The redhead raised her gaze, then lowered it to take in the sight of his hand on hers. She couldn't deny the jolt of electricity she felt at him touching her. It was unmistakable. She could only wonder if he felt it, too.
"Yeah, well," she finally said, and now she felt a bit awkward, though it was because of the conversation, not the physical contact. "What are you going to do?" She shrugged, dismissing the subject of her brother.
The blond man stared at her in silence for a beat. It was clear she didn't want to talk about this anymore. He decided to hastily change the subject.
"How did you get into your career?"
Her face brightened considerably, along with her mood.
"Well, I minored in photography in college, and I always loved writing," she answered. "Somehow, I was lucky enough to get a job in Journalism." She shrugged, adding, "See, I majored in Business Administration and only took a couple of Journalism courses for fun."
He nodded with surprise.
"Interesting," he said.
"I used to work for a dinky, little known magazine, but this job just sorta fell into my lap," she continued. She smiled easily. "I really love it... Especially when I get to go on assignment." She turned to her sushi set before her and picked up a piece of tuna, putting it into her mouth and savoring it.
And that was when it happened.
The vision suddenly struck Adam, and he pulled back almost violently. His hands flew up to his temples as he tried with all his might to stay in his chair and not fall over. Somehow, he succeeded, and somehow, he managed not to knock anything off the table as well.
Amy remained calm, although he had actually frightened her initially - but she knew what was happening. Dropping her chopsticks, she reached out and held fast to him as it continued, acting in the same manner she would if he were having an epileptic seizure.
In minutes, it was blessedly over. The blond man's eyes snapped wide open, and he seemed momentarily disoriented. His breathing was fast and somewhat ragged as he fixed his gaze on her. He shook his head, trying to cing to the last remnants of the vision.
People dining nearby were staring at them. He ignored them, knowing full well they had no clue what had just occurred. They probably all thought he was sick and had some kind of disorder or condition that caused seizures. It didn't matter, and he'd never been one to offer explanations unless a person questioned him directly.
He could still feel it... He actually felt the burning heat, just make out the traces of the flames in his mind's eye.
Amy peered up at him, her lovely face filled with vast concern. He suddenly realized she was beside him, holding onto his arm. She must have come over to calm him in the throes of the vision.
"Are you all right?" she asked in a loud whisper.
He started to shake his head, his tongue licking his lips in nervousness. Something sinister was going to happen, and this time, he hadn't forseen himself able to stop it.
"You can't go back to work after lunch."
She stared at him with confusion in her hazel eyes.
"What?"
He stared at her with such anguish in his green orbs. He could barely speak as he grabbed hold of her shoulder, facing her directly to explain.
"You just can't..." His face was mere inches from hers. He felt sick as he went on. "... Amy, just trust me on this. Something... horrible is gonna happen."
The redhead absorbed everything he was saying, her heart nearly skipping a beat at his tone and the fear in his eyes. She knew him well enough now that she knew he wasn't bullshitting her. And she knew that, for the third time, her life was in danger - or at least it would be if she returned to the office.
"What did you see? Tell me!" she demanded.
The blond man's handsome face still looked haunted as he stared at her. He knew she had a right to know what he'd seen, as it directly involved her - but he hated having to let her know what horror he'd seen befalling her. Swallowing hard, he spoke.
"A fire... A huge fire. Your office building," he croaked out. "Everyone dead except for one man... a very tall red-haired man?" He lowered his gaze for a beat, then, "He suffers severe burns but escapes."
Amy gaped at him with horror.