Liz sat a few feet away, perched upon a larger boulder. She had her elbows propped up on her knees as her chin rested on her palms. Liz was watching the captivating sunset being reflected on the water, giving her a whole new perspective on nightfall. She had gained a new perspective on a lot lately.

Adam had kept himself locked in the bathroom for hours the day before, almost until nighttime. Soon after he made a brief appearance to Liz, he stated he was tired and just crawled into bed. Liz didn’t want to push anything so she just spent some bonding time with the rusty, old television.

Today had gone by pretty fast though, both Adam and Liz continuing in their present routine of sleeping in and lazing around until sunset. He had kept quiet most of the day until he had said he wanted to show Liz this place where he, Ben and Owen had wasted a lot of time when they were kids. And it was beautiful, breathtaking. It was like a picture out of an art book, with a glossy layout of a pond mirroring nature’s charm. The peaceful serenity of their backdrop helped Adam open up to Liz, and reveal more of his past to her.

“So he was like your… Alex?” Adam paused momentarily, then smiling at the comparison.

Nodding, he said, “Yeah, sort of. Just a bit more shy. We always had a good time. And even though Ben won’t ever admit, whenever Sandy joined us, we were just… complete. Especially the last year before I left, we were all really tight. Including Sandy.” Adam sighed, throwing another rock.

“So how did Owen, uh… pass away?” Liz looked inquiringly at Adam with soft eyes.

“A fire at school in the chemistry lab. It was an accident, happened about six months ago. Ben told me that Owen was there after school finishing some lab report that was due and something went wrong. The whole lab went up in flames, and Owen didn’t make it out. He was the only one in the lab at the time.” Adam sighed, throwing a trio of rocks against the water, disrupting its calm.

“I’m so sorry, Adam. I know I’ve said it before but… I just can’t imagine losing Maria or Alex. I want you to know that I’m always here for you.” Liz smiled tenderly at Adam, hoping he could hear the sincerity in her voice and the gentleness in her smile. Adam glanced at Liz, and smiled back, sadly. Even if his life was turned upside down over and over again, like it had been in the past few days, only Liz could ease him. Liz’s kindheartedness calmed Adam continually.

“Thank you, Liz. I’m thankful I have friends like you, it makes me feel less alone.” He walked over to the boulder where Liz was resting, and sat next to it. “I just feel cheated, I guess. I missed out on growing up with my friends and my family. I couldn’t spend the last year and a half of Owen’s life with him. I couldn’t mourn with Ben and Sandy. Hell, I couldn’t even mourn my own parents death.”

“Adam… why did you leave? Why didn’t you just stay?”

“Because I had a duty. I still have a duty. Liz,” Adam said, shifting his head so he could look up at her. “My first concern is your safety, and always will be. Not because of some past life of mine, or royal duties. Because you’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had. You’re beautiful, inside and out.” Liz blushed against Adam’s softhearted compliments.

“Thank you, Adam,” Liz said quietly, still reddened. She shook her head instantly, berating herself for becoming flustered at a compliment. She wasn’t a ten year old being admired at. So instead she thought hard about their current situation.

“Adam, have you ever been to, you know, the cemetery? Well, no, you couldn’t have been. You and I have been together ever since we’ve gotten here. Have you wanted to see their- ahem, graves?” The wetness that pooled at the corner of Adam’s eyes made Liz want to kick herself, but she knew Adam needed to bring some sort of closure to this.

“I-I don’t know if I could handle it.” Liz slid down the rock and sat beside Adam. She wrapped one arm around Adam’s shoulder and pulled him into her side.