Bella Spark Bang and Burn

"Don't," he said.

That was the last time anyone saw Bella Spark. But for weeks after, folks in the neighborhood would notice strange things. A blown fuse. A sudden flare in a trash can. A car alarm shrieking for no reason at 3 a.m.

She kissed him once. Hard. A goodbye made of teeth and heat.

On the last night, he found her standing on the fire escape, the city laid out below like a pile of spent matches.

"Buy you a fresh one?" he asked, nodding at her watery drink.