Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

memory bank.
    - Goodnight and don’t worry. I’ll stay close by tonight.
    I blinked in astonishment and instantly felt better. I sent a message back.
    - Thank you. Goodnight to you, too.
    I wanted to look out the window but didn’t want Nicholas to see me. If anything was ever to happen between us, I didn’t want to appear too eager.
    Happy with the new tidbit of information, I snuggled up in my covers, reenacting his arms wrapped tenderly around me, and to my surprise, quickly drifted off to sleep.

13 - YEARNING
    I woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning and found I’d slept soundly the whole night through. The sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifted under my door and I heard pots clanging in the kitchen.
    The light of the bathroom hurt my eyes as I examined the puffy marshmallows that were my eyelids. I slathered them with special cream and hoped Dad wouldn’t notice.
    I threw on my favorite tattered robe and bunny slippers and scuffed down the stairs to the kitchen.
    “Good morning sleepyhead,” Dad said with a quick glance over his shoulder. “Want some coffee?”
    “Yes,” I mumbled, and made my way to the pot.
    With my mug in hand, I slid onto a seat at the kitchen table and put my lips to the rim to take a long slow swig. I felt the warm liquid go the length of my throat, all the way to my stomach, and let out a sigh.
    “That good?” Dad asked as he continued dicing zucchini, onions and broccoli into slivers.
    Within seconds, the veggies hit the pan with a sizzle and filled the room with a mouthwatering garlic aroma. I waited for a lecture about coming in late the night before, but he said nothing about it.
    “Things going better with you?” he finally asked.
    “Yeah, I guess so.”
    I wanted to share what I remembered about Mom, but knew this wasn’t the right time. He seemed happy today, like everything between us was patched up. Why would I want to ruin it?
    “Has Phil come back yet?”
    “No,” I said quietly. “Not yet.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said with a twinge of worry. I guessed it wasn’t for Phil’s welfare, but my own.
    “They cancelled the homecoming game because of it.”
    “Really? That’s a shame,” he said sounding surprised, but I knew he wasn’t. Probably something else Mr. Brewster revealed after I left the meeting.
    “Yeah, I wasn’t planning to go anyway.”
    “And you are still grounded,” he said in a fatherly tone.
    I sulked down in my seat, hoping he’d forgotten.
    Before I could pout, he slid a steaming hot gourmet plate of scrambled eggs with sautéed vegetables and seasoned potatoes to die for in front of me.
    “Looks really good, Dad,” I said.
    The skin around his eyes crinkled up when he grinned. He was unsure about his parenting skills, except when it came to cooking. It was one area he could be successful at every time.
    “What’s cooking?” Luke said as he sauntered into the kitchen.
    “Sorry, it’s all gone,” I said with a mouthful of food.
    Luke made a face at me before dishing himself up a plate.
    We sat and enjoyed our breakfast quietly. It had been a while since we’d all been together for a meal and I treasured the moment.
    “So what are your plans for today, Jules?” Dad finally said, after taking his last few mouthfuls.
    “The homecoming dance is tonight and I’m going to help Sam get ready, if that’s okay with you, Dad.”
    “Aren’t you going?” Luke asked innocently.
    “No,” I said with a tiny hint of disdain. “I’m grounded, remember?”
    “Oh, yeah,” Luke said, hiding his smirk while keeping his eyes on his plate.
    “Did you want to go?” Dad asked.
    I sensed the dance, unlike the game, might have been something negotiable if I really wanted to go, but I didn’t, at least not with anyone from my school. And Nicholas was a little busy hunting down the vampires of the world.
    “I don’t have a date.” That’s entirely human, half-vampire actually, but he doesn’t drink blood or anything gross like that.
    “You don’t seem too upset about it,” Dad said catching my mysterious smile.
    “I hate dances, Dad. You know that.”
    “Ah, hey that reminds me. Whatever happened to that boy that helped you home last week?” Dad asked while picking up the newspaper off the table.
    I froze. Had he seen us together last night?
    “Yeah, what was his name? Nicholas?” Luke asked.
    I shot Luke a look and shook my head back and forth, wide-eyed to plead for him to shut up.
    “I think