Talisman

by S. E. Akers

  “You mean I have to stick my hands in his mouth?” I blurted.

  Beatrix threw me a frank look. “You can put whatever you want to in there, dear…I won’t tell,” she added with a wink of her “third-eye” as she exited the room, donning a sly grin.

  The door closed. The sound of the heavy metal bolt locking rang through the room like a shot out of a starter’s pistol and I jumped. I couldn’t have been more nervous if Beatrix had stayed in the room to call out, “Ready, Set, Go!” I was about to kiss Tyler Smith. I’d fantasized about this moment a thousand times over the years, and I’d had several opportunities to do it “the right way” over the past week — even today. But now, this “first kiss” meant a whole lot more than just a significant milestone or a lasting memory in my life. It meant his mortality.

  I pulled the plastic tubing out of his mouth. Gently, I stroked the side of his ashy face and let my fingers brush across his peaked lips. Slowly, I leaned in and hovered over him for a moment. My eyelids drifted to a close as I pressed my lips against his, softly. While I could feel the lapis lazuli and diamond’s energy guiding me, my mind only lingered with thoughts of us dancing that night. The longer I dwelled on that memory, the more my restrained healing touch turned into an arousing, passionate kiss.

  Almost uncontrollably, I found myself now on top of him, for the most part, my hands flowing freely through his silky tousled locks and around the curves of his tender face. Suddenly I felt his pulse quicken, and his lips started to warm. Finding it hard to stop, I finally drew back from him, only to see if what I’d felt was genuine.

  Amazed, I watched as the color began to return to his face and then to his entire body. I placed my fingers up to his mouth and could feel the moist, warm air from his breaths. They were becoming more frequent and steady. I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched his muscles starting to contract while he lay there. I glanced at the lapis lazuli ring. The sight of it still made me sick. Even though it was necessary to save his life, it was ultimately responsible for trying to take it.

  Ty’s going to be fine and that’s all that matters, I rationalized.

  I slipped outside of his room. Tanner was still charming the nurses, who were cluesless to the fact that Ty’s monitors had been “beeping” non-stop, and Beatrix was coming up the hall with Ty’s parents, Dennis and Olivia Smith, playing her blind act to a T. I gave Beatrix a subtle wink and a slight nod, assuring her that my “intervention” had worked. She was beaming, as was I.

  It wasn’t hard to see where Ty got his good looks. He was the spitting image of his father, right down to the small cleft in his chin. His mother, Olivia, was no stranger in that department either. Her hair was dark-blonde, similar to mine. I’d never noticed that before. She was wearing her navy framed glasses, as always. I never could tell though if her eyes were more blue or green. They seemed to change colors like a chameleon. Right now, the only color they appeared to be was red.

  Within a few minutes, the door to Ty’s room opened. He stepped out into the hallway, still somewhat weak. Immediately, his parents rushed over to his side and began hugging and kissing all over him. I couldn’t stop staring at the emotional scene. It mirrored how I felt inside, but out of respect for his family, I shied away from displaying any feelings at that moment.

  Tanner abandoned his harem to join us. Several of the nurses hurried over to check on Ty and insisted he get back into bed. I listened as Ty assured them that, “He felt fine.”

  “How did I get here?” Ty asked groggily as he rubbed his head.

  “The doctor said they think it was some sort of food poisoning,” his dad replied. “We’ve been so worried about you. They told us that nothing they’d given you had worked. Not even pumpin’ your stomach. The doctors had never seen anything like it. They weren’t sure if you would make it, but you proved ’em wrong. That’s my boy!” Ty’s dad gave him a firm hug and several pats on his back.

  You could tell by the look on Ty’s face that the news about his condition being “touch and go” was quite alarming. His mother wrapped her arms around his neck, practically choking him.

  “Oh, sweetheart…We weren’t the only one’s worried about you. Ms. Sutherland came in with you and stayed here most of the evening. But someone else is here, too…Someone dear to you, that I know you’ll want to see,” Olivia Smith announced as she motioned back our way.

  Upon hearing that endearing declaration from Ty’s mother, I looked over at Bea and smiled. Strangely, her eyes stayed fixed on Ty. I took a deep breath and slowly started to walk towards them, only to be shoved out of the way by Kara Leighton zooming past me. Stunned by her brazen move, I stood back and watched wide-eyed as she wrapped her arms around Ty and gave him a long kiss.

  But what had me absolutely floored though, was that “he” kissed back!

  I felt Beatrix’s hand squeezing my arm tightly as I stood there, trying to make some kind of sense of Kara and Ty’s actions.

  What the…

  His mother interrupted my thought with a casual, “Oh, and another one of your friends from school is here…Shiloh Wallace.” Olivia Smith barely nodded her head in my direction, clearly too focused on her son and the affectionate spectacle transpiring in the middle of the hospital hallway.

  Ty’s blue eyes fell upon me, but something about their gaze didn’t feel quite right. The sparkle I’d seen in them over the past week was gone.

  “Who? Um…Who is that?” I heard him whisper to Kara and his mother as he shifted around, scratching his head.

  Instantly, my whole body went numb. My ears were unresponsive to any other sounds around me because they were too busy bouncing the words, “Who is that” — back and forth — between my head and my heart like a vicious tennis match. I actually felt my heart stop beating for a moment and questioned whether or not it was still inside my chest. It sure as shit felt like someone had just ripped it out of there. My vision seemed to be the only one of my senses still functioning. My eyes tracked every subtle movement Ty made — every shift of his body, every blink of his eye — and regrettably, they alerted my heart to every second he held Kara is his arms. I, the Talisman who had the invincibility of the Wand of Adamas, stood there basically paralyzed in the middle of the hall, feeling emotionally naked and wretchedly vulnerable.

  Kara was rightfully stunned as well, but she quickly used his newfound amnesia to her advantage.

  “Oh, you know, Shiloh. She works at the Drive-In with me, but she’s more of a classmate, than a friend. You really don’t remember her…sweetie?” Kara probed eagerly (and I could tell, full of hope).

  Ty seemed embarrassed. “Um…No. No, I don’t.” He looked at me directly. “I’m real sorry, but I don’t. Maybe it’s the medication? But thanks for stoppin’ by.”

  Ty smiled graciously and then headed back to his room. Kara managed to flash me a victorious, shitty grin before she hurried to catch up with him. I was honestly surprised the conniving, pom-pom waving bitch didn’t cartwheel down the hall.

  Beatrix was still standing beside me. She tightened her grip and slowly turned me around. The next thing I knew, Beatrix and Tanner were guiding my dazed body towards the elevators. They had to — I was practically a freakin’ catatonic zombie!

  I finally recovered my ability to speak while we stood there waiting for the elevator to arrive. “What in the Hell was THAT?”

  Neither one of them answered me or even cast the slightest glance my way. I looked back and forth at them.

  “You knew this would happen,” Tanner replied casually.

  I whipped my head around and probed, “What was that you said?”

  Tanner turned and looked me dead in the eyes. “I said, ‘YOU KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN’,” he repeated somewhat harshly. Tanner placed his arms on my shoulders as I stared at him cluelessly. “The memory loss? From healing anyone other than a supernatural? Remember the man outside the café the other day?”

  Blindsided, I jerked away from his grasp. The color began to
drain from my face as I recalled the incident, now in perfect detail. I’d completely forgotten about the little defense mechanism to guard against a Talisman’s identity after healing a human.

  “You’ve gotta be kiddin’!” I huffed under my breath as I fell back against the wall. Hastily, I turned to Beatrix. “Bea…you mean he won’t rem—”

  Gently, Beatrix interrupted my question with a swift hug. “Not a thing, dear. I’m so sorry. Like I said, the healing is the easy part.”

  Still locked in her compassionate embrace, my eyes drifted over to Tanner.

  “Shiloh, it’s for the best…really. The fewer people who know about us the better. You should understand that,” the Amethyst Talisman declared rather boldly.

  My blood began to boil after hearing his words, which were so brazenly cavalier. Eyes flaring, I pulled away from Beatrix.

  “Yes, Tanner! I understand it, but that doesn’t mean I have to LIKE IT!” I yelled as I turned and stomped off down the hall.

  I couldn’t stand to look at him — NOT RIGHT NOW — not when I was still reeling from the harsh sting of Ty’s unforeseen memory loss. I stormed around the corner thinking, I bet he’s tickled that he doesn’t have to worry about Ty knowing what I am anymore. I’m surprised his damn eyes didn’t shift from purple to pink!

  When I’d finally stopped raging, I found myself close to Samuel’s room. I walked over to his door and knocked, but there was no answer. I quietly opened the heavy door and stepped inside. There he was, sleeping like a baby and resting comfortably. I heard the door “creak” and spun around to see Beverly Rhodes entering.

  “He’s been out all evening, Shiloh. But he’s not in a bit of pain,” Beverly vowed. “They’ve got him so loaded up with meds, honey, I wouldn’t be surprised if he slept all night, and right through the doctor resetting his bones in the morning. I’m sorry he’s not awake.”

  “Oh, that’s okay. I just wanted to peek in on him. I’ll come back by tomorrow afternoon to visit with him,” I replied. “Do you mind if I just stay here for a second? I won’t be long.”

  Beverly flashed me a sympathetic smile. “Take all the time you need. He’s not going anywhere,” she joked and then closed the door.

  I walked over to Samuel’s bedside and sat down in the same chair from earlier. It was still right where I’d left it. Strangely, as I looked around at all the monitors and medical paraphernalia, I found myself feeling thankful. Uriah finding me down in the mine had prevented me from healing him.

  How awful would that have been? To heal Samuel, only for him to forget all about me? I could barely stomach the thought. And there I was feeling guilty about not being able to do it. That was a blessing in disguise.

  As I rose from the chair, I gently eased open the drawer of the bedside table where I’d placed the magical rough diamond. Still there. I closed the drawer, gave Samuel a soft peck on his forehead, and headed out the door.

  The harsh fluorescent lights hit my eyes as soon as I stepped out into the hallway. I reached into the pocket of my jacket for Daddy’s pendant, the one I’d retrieved from Karl, but it wasn’t there! Frantically, I untied the arms and turned it inside-out searching for my treasured keepsake.

  IT’S GONE! Who knows where it fell out? The cave? The woods? The railroad tracks? I knew I would probably never see it again. I stomped my foot on the floor and thought, Can this day get ANY shittier?

  Listlessly, I wandered back to the elevators to find Beatrix and Tanner exactly where I’d left them. I arrived just as the stainless-steel doors were opening. My luck sure is on the crappy side, but at least my timing’s improving.

  Without saying a word, Beatrix extended her hand and led me into the elevator. That’s exactly what I needed — silence. I felt Tanner staring at me the entire ride down.

  As soon as the doors opened, I stepped out and spun around on my heels.

  “WHAT?” I snapped at him.

  Tanner never said a word.

  No sooner than I’d turned back around, I caught the backsides of two people directly in front of me, hugged up and about to exit through the main doors. The tall, brunette woman who towered over her gray-headed partner looked strangely familiar to me.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Stowell?” I called out.

  Sure enough, Ron and Julia Stowell turned around, both looking disoriented and misty-eyed. Slowly, they approached me. An unsettling feeling came over me when I noticed a listless and shaky teeter to their gait. Julia Stowell said nothing. I’d never seen her like this before. She was always chatty, just like Katie, and the epitome of perky. But tonight, she just stared at me through a set of weary eyes stained with the streaked remnants of harsh mascara-tinted tears. She quickly extended her arms and yanked me into a serious embrace. Mrs. Stowell squeezed me tightly. Even though I knew my bones couldn’t break, I wasn’t willing to make any bets on it at that moment.

  Before either of them could say a word, erratic waves of sadness and twinges of heartache engulfed me. She was in so much pain, she wasn’t thinking straight. I couldn’t get a clear image to connect with her emotions.

  “Mrs. Stowell? What’s WRONG?” I asked as I pulled back from her.

  Julia Stowell covered her mouth and stepped away wailing. Ron Stowell walked over and started to wrap his arm around me. No sooner than his hand had landed on my back, a tear shot out of my eye and coursed down my cheek. His feelings were evident as well, however unlike his wife, his images were crystal clear.

  Katie…

  Frantically, I hurried over to Mrs. Stowell.

  “WHAT HAPPENED? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!?” I waited for her response, but all I got was more tears. Every time she opened her mouth, the only thing that came out were streams of steady wails fueled by pain and sorrow. I turned to Ron Stowell.

  “NO! I don’t understand! HOW?” I demanded hysterically. My brain repeated, This CAN’T be true! IT ISN’T TRUE, over and over.

  This time, it was Ron Stowell’s turn to lose control. He rushed over and wrapped his arms around us, but he couldn’t speak either. Julia Stowell mustered some strength and spoke first.

  “We found her when we…got home.” The soft-spoken mother of my best friend got choked up again and struggled to continue. “She’d had an accident,” Julia Stowell moaned, her voice broken-hearted and reeling with sheer disbelief.

  My brow furrowed. “What kind of…accident?”

  Julia Stowell couldn’t continue, so her husband interjected. “Shiloh,” Ron Stowell began, “she must have tripped and fell. She hit her head on the corner of…my desk…down at the store. The doctors said she had an acute subdural hematoma. They said it was pretty massive…There was too much blood that had pooled. The doctor pro—pronounced her…as soon as she arrived in the ER.” Ron Stowell’s efforts to reveal the horrific details were just as shaky as his wife’s.

  “A freak accident took MY BABY! My only child! We should have been there!” Julia Stowell cried out angrily and slid down to the floor.

  I knelt beside her. The more I rocked her in my arms, the more unsettling the “nature” of Katie’s accident felt, especially knowing who’d been knocking on the door when I’d left her. Those words echoed in my head.

  When “I” had left “HER”…

  I looked over at Tanner. Even he had an apprehensive look about him.

  “Where is she?” I begged. “I have to see her, Mrs. Stowell.”

  Julia Stowell couldn’t answer. She tried to catch her breath as she wiped her tear-stained amber eyes. I couldn’t help but think sadly as I looked into them, Katie’s eyes.

  “They have her in a room near the ER,” Ron Stowell replied. “They put her in there for us to say our…our good-byes. I’ll take you back there, if you want.”

  I sprang up from the floor. “Yes,” I announced as I looked over at Beatrix and Tanner, who both had a look of “no” in their eyes.

  Julia Stowell stood up and grabbed my arm. “Ron, you take her back. I just can’t do it.” He nodded to
his wife. Julia reached for my hand and placed a small velvet pouch in it. “Shiloh…Katie would have wanted you to have this. She knew you were fond of it…and always wanted one of your own. Please take it, for Katie…and for me.”

  I knew what it was before I opened the pouch. I peeked inside and quickly closed it. Her diamond pendant.

  I hugged Julia. “I CAN’T…I just can’t,” I objected.

  “Please,” she pleaded, “for Katie…You were like a sister to her, Shiloh. Please, do it for her.”

  Reluctantly, I took the gift and gave her a firm kiss on the cheek. Ron Stowell took my arm and led me down to the room where Katie’s body lay. Tanner and Beatrix followed behind us. Once Mr. Stowell had cleared our visit with the nurses, he gave me a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek (just like I’d seen him give Katie a million times) and then left to comfort his wife.

  As soon as he was out of sight, I turned to face the door and grabbed a hold of its cold metal lever. A fleeting memory of Katie sleeping peacefully in her bed during one of our countless sleepovers throughout the years shot through my mind. I was really praying that “THAT” was what I would find once I’d opened the door. With my muscles firmly locked, I took a deep breath as I pressed down on the handle and flew inside.

  There lay Katie — lifeless. The sight was so alarming and surreal that every muscle in my body went instantly limp. Nothing could have prepared me for this frigid scene. She looked freakishly pale — almost as white as the sheets wrapped around her body. Her mouth had hardened into unnatural gaping pose and her head was cocked to the side. Though her eyes were closed, I could feel the hollowness that had set in them. Just like Daddy’s, there was another set of eyes I would never gaze upon again, never see their sparkle or feel them warm my soul. As I approached her, all I could think was, A best friend isn’t supposed to leave you…Not like this…Not this young…Not this way…

  Tanner and Beatrix entered and shut the door. I laid the small pouch bedside her hand and went to frantically searching all over her body.