Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

chest and shot up into the sky like a bullet.
    I screamed and forced my eyes shut. The chilly night air rushed sharply against my face as I clung to his torso, the thrill of his feelings intermixing with my own. My ears popped as we ascended higher, but I didn’t dare look down. My body responded and hardened in fear, petrified he’d accidentally drop me at any second.
    “Look, Julia,” he sang in my ear.
    Unable to open my eyes, I shook my head and pressed my face into his shoulder. He tilted me haphazardly over so I lay stomach down, my back against his chest with just his arm around my waist. The sudden movement unnerved my stomach, making me feel sick. I screamed and fought to turn back over, but his arm clutched me tighter.
    “LOOK!” he demanded.
    I opened one eye for a second to see the miniature world move beneath us. Then flinched and closed them again, turning my head into my shoulder.
    “Please,” I whimpered. “Take me back down.” Hot tears poured out and flew off the sides of my temples.
    “Isn’t this awesome? We have the world at our fingertips, Julia. Anywhere we want to go!”
    “I want to go home!” I cried out, as I started to shake uncontrollably, choking back bile in my throat while my stomach pitched.
    “You aren’t enjoying this?” he asked, in complete shock, then disappointment.
    “No!” I yelled as hard as I could. “Take me down, now!”
    He grew discouraged, then annoyed. I feared he’d become disenchanted and felt the need to be more delicate in my approach, or it would be all over. I formulated a new plan.
    “Please, Phil. I’m very frightened,” I said quieter. “Can you take me down? I think I’m going to get sick.”
    He let out an exasperated sigh.
    “Fine,” he snapped and aimed us towards the ground swooping down in front of an abandoned warehouse in the industrial part of the city. I stumbled forward as he let me go, kneeling down to stop my fall. I wanted to kiss the asphalt in thankfulness.
    “You didn’t like that?” he asked, in confusion.
    “No,” I said plainly, withholding the barrage of insults I wanted to say, knowing I was still at his mercy. I scanned the area for a familiar landmark. “Where are we?”
    “I have some business to take care of,” he said, still irritated. I got the feeling the business involved me.
    “Why aren’t you being entirely upfront with me? What are you planning to do with me?”
    He looked at me with an expression from his former self, one of compassion and I felt a glimmer of hope. I knew he was in there somewhere and seeing it for a split second inspired me to keep trying to get through to him.
    “I just wanted to show you what I can do. I’m not going to hurt you, honest,” he said tenderly, without the seduction. I softened.
    “I understand you’ve changed and have this new power. But you are frightening me. Please, I just want to go home,” I said using the same scared tone he tried to use on me at the grocery store.
    “But you hate to fly,” he said with a cocky grin.
    The reality sank in. That was the only mode of transportation, and unless we walked, the quickest way to take me home. At that moment, I wished for Nicholas. I wanted him to come save me from Phil and his bi-polar behavior. At least with Nicholas, I knew what to expect. I felt in my pocket again for my phone forgetting I’d lost it somewhere.
    “Do you have a phone?”
    He thought for a second, a flicker of recognition in his eye, and then smiled. Before I knew it, he’d grabbed my hand.
    “Come on,” he said as he pulled me into the warehouse, his grip tightening down like a vice.
    The interior was pitch black inside, and the rusty hinges of the door seemed to creak extra loud when we entered, echoing around the interior. When the door clanged shut, taking away all the light, I clung closer to Phil’s side. The possibility of a working phone in the place seemed unrealistic.
    “Where are we going?” I asked, feeling uneasy, trying to stop him from pulling me so roughly.
    He didn’t answer as he continued to drag me behind him like a rag doll through the wide open space, acting as if it was lit up, dodging unseen objects. I squinted and tried to get my eyes to adjust to the darkness as I stumbled, unable to avoid the items littering the floor. But no matter how hard I tugged back, he wouldn’t let go, and continued until we reached the other side. Suddenly, I saw a faint glow around a closed door. I felt the feelings on