The Medallion

Allison: Attempting to Talk Sense

Why does everyone love the beach? While I appreciate the gentle waves and warm sun, it gets so crowded. Naturally, that's where we went after lunch. Steven met us there. Halo had on some yellow bikini with a white flower pattern on it flashing her smile at everyone who gave her half a glance. Nilla put on her purple one-piece. Steven had blue swim trunks and took great joy in flexing his muscles. Jace stayed in his regular clothes, most likely to hide his secrets.

I pulled Nilla aside and she knew exactly what was coming before I opened my mouth. Whenever someone makes plans, they don't want anyone to come along to ruin them, and who would want their friend to bad mouth someone they made a millions plans for?

"Alright, Ali, let me have it. You've been holding it back all day."

"If you know what I'm going to say then why do you still want to be with him?"

"He told me his secret and I believe him. I have no reason to mistrust him anymore."

I scoffed. "He didn't tell you his secret, Nilla. He told you something to appease you."

Nilla shook her head. "The story he told me was definitely not made up and I refuse to believe I'm that gullible."

"You're in love with him and God only knows why. It makes no sense. You're smarter than this!"

Nilla became defensive. "What's so terrible about him that you hate so much?"

"He's hiding something big. I can feel it and it's not good. There's a dark energy surrounding him. He's just a bad guy."

"I trust him, Ali! He told me his big secret, so don't even worry about it. You're just jealous because I have such a great guy and you have no one but your brother."

I tried not to take offense to all the shouting. In truth, it hurt to hear someone I cared about treating me so cold, I just hoped none of it showed on my face. I wanted to tell her everything I knew to be true, but that just wasn't possible yet.

"If you want to fall for that guy, you go right ahead. Just remember when this all hits the fan that I tried to warn you." I kept my voice calm.

"What, with your little tarot cards?"

"No. And I don't need the cards to tell me what I felt in my soul. That guy is after something you won't want to give him. You won't be happy if you do, and he'll take it from you by force if he has to."

"What's this 'something' you're so worried about, huh?"

I looked away. "I don't know."

"I thought you were some kind of psychic, Ali," she mocked. "I thought you knew all. Can't you see the future, psychic! Can't you see everything that's about to happen?"

I scoffed. She could be so ridiculously stubborn. "I can see that you've already been sucked into his web of lies so deep that you can't see the forest for the trees. He's got you hooked on his drug and now he's going to start charging you a price you can't afford."

Nilla rolled her eyes. "What's with all the clichés?"

"Just trying to make a point in simple terms that you might understand." I had to stop for a breath. Everything was coming out harsher than I had intended. "Just tell me you'll keep your guard up around him, okay? He is extremely dangerous."

I knew how angry she was, but what else could I do? Staying quiet was not an option.

Nilla turned away.

"I understand if this puts a damper on our friendship," I said. "But I care about you and I can't, in good conscience, let you walk headfirst into some kind of deadly trap. Just remember what I always say to you. 'A friend's voice can be heard from behind, propelling you forward to your goals, while an enemy's voice is heard from the front, always pushing you back.'"

Nilla glanced over her shoulder. "How does that apply in this situation?"

"You've turned your back to me and I'm still talking to you." I feigned a smile. "If you don't believe me, at least listen to your dreams. Your subconscious mind is always working on problems and will warn you when danger approaches."

"Well, the only dreams I've had about him are great ones," Nilla bragged.

"You just haven't picked up on the danger yet. Now that I've put it out there, maybe you will. Please, just keep your wits about you when you're around him. Try to be more aware and really listen to what he's saying to you." I left her there.

It's interesting how much I wanted her away from him. We kept going around in circles with the same argument. I suppose I could've just gave in and let her have him the way she wanted, but there was too much at stake. Besides, no matter how it ended, I could already tell that she and I would end up as enemies.