Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

my stomach tighten. What if Phil had eluded Nicholas and flew above me, just out of the reach of my powers? The thought made me scared and elated all at the same time.
    I parked closer to the front of the house than normal. Before shutting off my car, I looked up into the sky. All I saw were stars and a few wispy clouds. My laughter bubbled to the surface and I sat amazed for thinking somehow I was safe in this little tin can. The front door was my beacon of safety.
    I quickly grabbed my things and sprinted across the lawn. But just as I was about to reach the porch, my phone rang. The distraction caused my foot to snag on the wooden step and I sprawled forward with both hands, dropping everything on the ground. Ignoring the searing pain in my palms, I scrambled to collect my stuff, threw open the door and went inside. When I spun around to shut it, I glanced back at my car and thought I saw Phil crouched next to it. When I took a double take, no one was there. My phone rang again.
    “Is that you, Julia?” Dad called from his office.
    “Yes,” I said, trying to keep my tone from coming out in a high-pitched breathless frenzy.
    I glanced at the phone and flipped it open.
    “Hold on,” I whispered and held the phone at my side.
    “What’s all that racket?” he asked, his voice closer than a second ago.
    “Sorry,” I said and turned towards him, forcing a smile. I tried to act natural as he joined me in the hallway. “I tripped outside and fell. That’s all.”
    My dad furrowed his brow.
    “Are you feeling okay? Your head’s all sweaty.”
    “It is?” I reached up and smoothed my damp bangs away from my forehead. “I feel fine. But my ice cream is melting.” I moved towards the kitchen and tried not to limp.
    “Try to be more careful. You don’t want to re-injure your ankle,” he said behind me.
    I felt his hesitation, so I stuffed the soft ice cream in the freezer and headed for the stairs. Halfway up, I heard the wheels on his office chair squeak as they rolled against the floor.
    Whew.
    “Sorry about that,” I said into the phone and softly closed my door.
    “Everything okay?” Nicholas asked.
    “You called just as I was coming in the house. My dad wanted to talk to me first,” I said nonchalantly. “So what happened?”
    “He got away,” he said in a low and angry tone. “Why didn’t you drive when I texted you?”
    “I didn’t get it . . . until later. I didn’t have reception in the tunnel.”
    “You didn’t get it?” he asked dubiously, letting out a huff. “Well, we have bigger problems now,”
    “What do you mean?”
    “He saw me, so my cover’s blown. And, he knows you know what he is and that we’re working together. ”
    I sensed the danger in his voice, but I didn’t feel threatened. Vampire or not, Phil was still my friend. I knew he didn’t want to kill me.
    “What did he want anyway?”
    I fumbled for an answer. I didn’t want to tell him Phil wanted me and that he almost got me out of my car against my will.
    “Well . . .” I laughed nervously. “He’s curious how I know about vampires and he’s enamored with his new powers. But mostly, he just tried to get me out of the car.”
    Nicholas inhaled and exhaled sharply. I didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing. Then he chuckled.
    “Good thing you didn’t. He is an interesting one. When you said he was in an accident, what happened?”
    I explained everything that went down that night, from the shifty people in the crowd, to the change in Phil’s demeanor at the hospital.
    “Phil was never meant to be sired,” Nicholas said in revelation. “Maybe he is working alone.”
    “Is this good?”
    “I’m not sure yet. Vampires don’t let their new sires wander around unsupervised. It’s not smart. They cause problems . . ..”
    “But even still, he’s targeted you for some reason and if he goes and tells the others about us, we won’t be safe.”
    I gulped.
    “We need to talk privately,” he continued.
    “We do?”
    I gulped again.
    “Are you free tomorrow?”
    “Yes?” My heart fluttered in anticipation of what he was going to say.
    “Be ready at eight tomorrow morning and I’ll come pick you up. Don’t tell anyone you’ll be with me.”
    “Okay.”
    “And don’t leave your house tonight,” he said firmly. “I need to go. Have a good night and don’t worry. We’ll figure this out tomorrow.”
    He hung up.
    I closed my phone and swooned, holding it with both hands gently to my