Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

“It’s okay.” Before I could object, he walked away from me confidently towards the crowd.
    I stood and trembled in the distance.
    “Hey, let’s not cause any trouble,” Phil said in a commanding voice. “You guys can settle this on the field on Friday.” I felt the calming magic of his tone temporarily soothe the crowd a bit, until a red and blue flash came from the top of the hill.
    Police.
    Someone yelled “cops” and the rivals scattered. Two officers came down the hillside to the beach and I watched Phil walk over to meet them.
    Sam ran over to me, grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the group. I had a hard time remaining calm with overwhelming sea of testosterone filled anger washing over me. I overheard someone say they called 911 to report the potential fight and that the cops happened to be patrolling in the area.
    “That was lucky,” Sam said, relieved.
    “Yeah,” I forced out, feeling suffocated by the hysteria.
    I spotted Katie and she ran over to greet us.
    “Hey,” Katie said out of breath, completely elated. “Fun night, huh?”
    I shook my head. Only Katie would find danger exciting.
    “Time for everyone to go home. There’s a curfew in effect.” A masculine voice boomed out of a loudspeaker from the top of the cliff followed by a large spotlight that flashed right into the crowd of kids. I squinted and held my hand up to block the glare.
    “Curfew?” I asked. “Since when?”
    “Since the serial murders’,” Todd said in a condescending tone. “Where have you been?”
    My cheeks flushed and I looked away. I must have been too absorbed in my own world to notice. What was happening to our safe town?
    I scanned the disbursing crowd to see where Phil went, hoping he’d come back and join me, but he was nowhere to be seen.
    “I came back and looked for you earlier. Where did you go?” Sam asked, drawing me back into the conversation.
    “I was watching the waves,” I said, pointing to the surf’s edge, hoping to see Phil’s sandy blond head.
    “Alone? I didn’t see you.”
    “No, Phil was with me. Have you seen him by chance?”
    Sam’s eyes grew big and I knew she suspected something more than what really happened, but now wasn’t the time to go into details. I hadn’t been able to shake the foreboding feeling that set in earlier and I just wanted all my friends to go home where it was safe, especially Phil. Where did he go? I couldn’t believe he’d leave without saying goodbye. I thought our talk meant more than that.
    “I didn’t even know he was here,” Sam said with a sing-song in her voice.
    The cops started combing the beach and forcing people to leave. I didn’t want them to come over and hassle us, but then I didn’t want to walk back alone either.
    “Can you guys walk me to my car?” I asked Sam and Todd, frustrated Phil had disappeared on me.
    I gathered my things and we trudged up the hill to my car. I weakly smiled to the officer directing the kids off the beach. He didn’t seem amused, so I kept my head down and we silently paraded past until we reached my car, which was parked further down the road, close to a small thicket by the lagoon.
    “I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” I said as I gave Sam a hug.
    Behind her, Todd began to grow impatient.
    “Yeah,” she said super softly. “Thanks for staying around.”
    “No problem.”
    I slid into the driver’s seat and watched them walk away holding hands and sighed, trying not to be jealous. Was it really too much to want an uncomplicated relationship with someone I could trust, too? Why was that such an impossible thing? I turned the key in the ignition and my car roared to life. I was about to pull out onto the highway when I felt a sensation of pain coming from nearby.
    I looked out the car windows, but I didn’t see anyone. The pain intensified, so I opened my door and got out. I waited a second to see what direction the feelings were coming from, when I heard a moan behind the bushes.
    My knees almost buckled when I discovered the identity of the bruised and disheveled body hidden behind the shrubs.
    “Phil,” I whispered as I knelt down and gently nudged him. His skin was cold and gray and his clothing torn. He had scratches, cuts and rows of crescent-shaped puncture marks on his neck and shoulder. And no matter how much I tried to wake him, he didn’t respond.
    Oh Phil, please be okay.
    For a second, I didn’t know what to do. I looked around for help, but no one was around.