Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

iridescently off of her skin. I wanted so badly to think so too, but there was no way to explain the change right before he vanished from the hospital. Phil’s terror and anger frightened me and deep down, I wasn’t sure if I actually trusted him anymore.
    “I hope so,” I said knowing it was an empty wish.
    We hugged and Sam’s compassion flooded over me, putting a temporary Band-Aid over my tattered spirit. For a brief second I wondered if I should just have her come home with me, but I knew I was in deep trouble with my dad and needed to smooth over that situation first. Begrudgingly, I got back in my car.
    “I’ll call you if I hear anything,” I said as I shut the car door.
    And as I suspected, as soon as I drove away, Sam’s buffer vanished and all my grief flooded back in.
    When I got home, I threw my things on the floor, rushed into my Dad’s office and slammed the paper I printed out in the library on his desk.
    “I know what’s wrong with Phil,” I said.
    My Dad looked up from his computer screen and glowered over his glasses. I internally pushed past the annoyance I felt from him and answered his glare with determination. I had to get him to understand the truth.
    “Rabies. That’s got to be it, he’s got rabies,” I blurted out. “Look at the list.”
    His eyes glanced down at the paper and then back up to me.
    “I could also say you’ve got a few things on this list as well.”
    My mouth dropped open.
    “What?”
    “Let’s see.” He drug his finger down the list. “Irritability, yes . . . confusion, yes . . . irrational behavior, yes.”
    I slumped down in the chair in front of his desk. “I’m serious Dad,” I said, watching my credibility crash down in flames.
    “I’m serious too, Julia. Your behavior as of late has been very disappointing.”
    “I can explain everything.”
    “You’ve had enough time to explain; now you’ll listen. You didn’t go back to class like you were instructed today. You also went to a bonfire on a school night that you didn’t ask permission to attend. You didn’t even let your brother know you were going.”
    “But—”
    “No buts. I cannot trust you, or your judgment. First, you decided to take a shortcut in the woods and got seriously hurt. And now you’re narrowly missing gang fights. Do you not understand there’s a serious gang problem right now?”
    “But—”
    I stopped when Dad gave me the infamous ‘sleeper wave’ scowl—when he knit his brow together to form one ominous fold of skin that juts out over his eyes. His uni-brow resembled the scary silent wave the beach signs warned about. If it snuck up on you unaware, it would pull you out to sea. I was a goner.
    “You’re grounded.”
    My chest constricted, but I kept silent and waited, knowing from past experience if I didn’t let him finish, the punishment would get worse.
    “No extra-curricular activities, no going out after dark without permission from me. I forbid you any contact with Phil. Period. And, if anything happens that’s remotely out of the ordinary, you will call and tell me. Understood?”
    “Yes,” I said with my head hung low. This was much worse than I expected.
    “Okay, then. You’re free to go.”
    I stood up and walked towards the door. I felt his anger dissipate just a bit. I sensed he knew he’d gotten through to me, so his love and concern could flow out instead.
    “Sorry, Dad,” I said with a quiver in my throat.
    “Come here, Julia,” he said with arms stretched wide. I ran into his chest and sobbed. “It’s going to be okay, honey.”
    This was a typical response for him. Lots of yelling and threats and after he felt his point was made all became forgiven, though the punishment stayed intact.
    “Dad, I’m so sorry . . . I didn’t know what to do . . . I had to take him to the hospital . . . I didn’t help him run away, I promise,” I said through tearful rasps. “I really think he has rabies.”
    Dad gently let go and gave me a tissue to wipe my snotty nose.
    “The bites were human,” he said gravely. “It’s a sick gang initiation and Phil is somehow involved.”
    Human bites?
    “Oh.”
    “And if it doesn’t stop, I’m thinking of moving. I initially wanted to come here to get you away from madness like this in L.A. Now it’s infecting this city as well. I was looking to move to Oklahoma.”
    “What?” I gasped. “No, not Oklahoma.”
    The thought that I’d never see Nicholas again gripped my heart from