Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

All I knew was my insides were crawling and I wanted to rip my skin off. Then you came into my room, Parker, so concerned and unsuspecting, my gut instinct told me to run. And I’m really glad I got out of there before anyone found out what was really happening.
    “As I ran out of the hospital parking lot, I realized I could run a hundred times faster with very little effort. But my body was burning from the inside out and all I wanted to do was die. So I ran to the cliffs and threw myself over, but I didn’t crash on the rocks below. Instead I found myself hovering above them.
    “I then took off in the air as fast and as hard as I possibly could—trying to douse the excruciating flames by flying through the waves. It was hell, let me tell you. But that was just the beginning. After it was over, I was so thirsty I couldn’t see straight and all I wanted was blood. It kind of freaked me out since I had no clue what was happening to me.
    “So, somewhere in Fresno is a pile of truckers I found at a rest stop. Hey, I was looking for some fast food, right?” He let out an obnoxious snort, but never took an eye off Nicholas.
    “Anyway, I ended up in L.A. completely out of control and frankly, I couldn’t help it. My new body had taken over. She was gone even before I could stop myself.”
    “Your girlfriend?” I said quietly, nauseous by his excitement and complete disregard for the lives he selfishly took.
    “Ex-girlfriend actually. I guess absence didn’t make her heart grow fonder. I found her with my best friend. They both deserved what they got,” he said with a smirk. “It was their fault I had to move to Scotts Valley anyway.”
    I turned away in disgust; Phil lied so smoothly in the cafeteria, I didn’t even detect it when he said his dad was transferred. No wonder my dad overreacted. Phil must have been in trouble with the law.
    “So I stayed in L.A. for a few days, making some wrongs right, and I had fun testing out my new super powers. But I was stopped by another group of them, knowing I was a new kid on the block. They tried to capture me, but I escaped and came back here. I decided it might be a good idea to figure out how the heck I ended up this way.
    “That’s when I found out my making —” he said while making air quotes, “—was a mistake and that my coven wasn’t too happy to hear about what I’d done in L.A. Since leaving bodies around is a big no-no, they had to teach me the ropes. Mistakes or not, vamps don’t kill vamps. Without you, Parker, I wouldn’t be here today. Of course I’m not the only oops . Have you read the papers lately?” He rolled his eyes. “People disappearing, bodies all over the place, it’s a total epidemic.
    “Anyway, apparently there are rules and a whole hierarchy in the vampiring world. But my unauthorized killing spree wasn’t the most important thing going on at the moment. There were bigger things at stake —” he snickered, “—get it? And that’s when I found out about you, Nick. It’s kind of impressive how big a legend you are and actually a pleasure to meet you. There’s a huge price on your head for whoever finds and captures you. I’ll be richly rewarded when I turn you in.”
    His lips curled up auspiciously, his insides bursting with excitement as he stared intently at Nicholas for a response. But Nicholas looked off to the side, watching from his peripheral vision, untouched by the statement.
    Annoyed, Phil decided to engage me, the air between us instantly becoming thick with desire. I blushed and hoped that Nicholas didn’t notice.
    “But you, Julia, I never expected how I would feel about you—” he drew closer to me, teasing me with his infectious stare. His sudden advance made Nicholas agitated and I felt his sudden rage. Phil arrogantly continued.
    “When I came to school, I noticed there were a lot of pretty girls, but you did something to me. You were different somehow and I knew after our talk on the beach, I would never be able to leave you alone.”
    “But after my change, my feelings became more intense and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Finding you became an obsession.”
    He paused for effect.
    My breath grew quick as his words were laced heavily with want. Nicholas stood stiff as a statue next to the pole, but I could feel his hatred increase. Phil was lucky Nicholas couldn’t retaliate.
    “Finding you wasn’t hard to do, it was getting you alone that was the challenge. And that’s