Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman

arms and felt his heart beat, steady in his chest, as his hand gently caressed my hair, his mood content and peaceful.
    “How did you know?” he asked gently.
    “What?”
    “To come here?”
    “Oh—I realized my cell phone was missing so I checked my calls online. That’s when I saw the text message Phil sent you. I knew you’d come to the address thinking it was from me.”
    My cell phone.
    I tried to get up, but he restrained me.
    “Where do you think you’re going?”
    “To get my phone . . .”
    His strong arms encircled me tighter making it hard to go on my quest to find it in Phil’s ashes.
    “It’s probably gone.”
    “What?”
    “I’m sure it burned up when I—you know.”
    I grimaced. Our kiss had temporarily caused me to forget all about the casualties. I snuggled back and stopped fighting his arms.
    “I’ll get you another one,” he said.
    The cell phone didn’t seem as important any longer. The burden of my classmates’ lives hung heavily in the air.
    “I’m sorry about everything,” Nicholas said, as if he felt my grief.
    “I figured you’d be really upset about how Phil behaved. What he did.” I squirmed. “What I did.”
    “You don’t seem to remember I know these filthy beasts inside and out. Of course he’d seduce you. I can see why,” he said with warmth.
    I looked sheepishly into his eyes. They glimmered back with kind understanding.
    “So now what do we do? I don’t think I can hold in the secret, with their families thinking they’re still alive,” I said grimly. “I know firsthand the torture they’re experiencing. They need to know the truth.”
    “Well, I had intended to burn down the building. We can plant the teeth inside if you want.”
    “Teeth?” I said in shock.
    My eyes drifted over to a nearby pile of ash. Hidden inside were white rocks glimmering even when the clouds covered the moonlight.
    “I usually take the teeth, to cover up the evidence,” he offered.
    The weight lifted. This solution solved the nagging problem that pressed on my conscience. A single tear fell down my cheek as my thoughts drifted to my own mother. I finally understood the guilt Nicholas carried this whole time. He’d been there, he’d watched her die. He knew that I’d be motherless like he was; raised by a heartbroken father.
    “Nicholas?” I asked, scared to even mention the subject for fear of how both of us would involuntarily act.
    “Before you ask me any more questions, I want to get you someplace warm. You’re shivering,”
    He stood me up and removed his coat. I was so absorbed in both our feelings, I didn’t realize my teeth were chattering. When he wrapped his coat around my shoulders, the warmth infused me, though I thought my legs would buckle under the weight.
    “What are you carrying in here, rocks?” I said, smiling up at him.
    “Just about,” he said as he ushered me to his car.
    We both sat silently in the car for a minute. I held my hands in front of the heater, unsure if it was a good time to talk about what happened with my mother.
    “You were asking?” he said, after a few uncomfortable seconds.
    I looked down at the floorboard and bit the side of my lip.
    “My mom . . .” I started, but my eyes filled up with tears.
    I glanced up into his lush verdigris eyes. The lump in my throat prevented me from speaking further. Nicholas reached over and grabbed my hand.
    “Are you ready for me to tell you what happened?” he asked quietly, with compassion in his voice.
    My lip quivered and I nodded my head. He looked at me with empathy.
    “Julia . . .” he said slowly. “The day I met your mother will always be one of the best days of my life.
    “It was another meaningless weekday. For some reason, I decided to stop by the park to get away and think. But while I sat there, I couldn’t help but notice the kids and their mothers playing together. It made me imagine what my life would have been like if I’d been normal and my mother was alive. Your mom noticed and just started talking to me.
    “For some strange reason, I felt safe opening up to her. So, I came back the next day hoping she’d be there. She was. She invited me to come any day I wanted and visit with her on her lunch break.”
    He looked out the windshield thoughtfully, reminiscing. I knew the park. I’d been there a lot with my mom before the accident. I saw them talking in my mind’s eye.
    “I was brave and followed her home after work one day. I wanted to see what