The Universe Of Tomorrow

The Legacy of the Talisman pt.2

Sorry about the abrupt end last time. Things got...complicated, to say the least. So, let's pick up where we left off.

Emily was fascinated by Lila, to put it mildly. "She has a tail, Jason! Is your girlfriend a unicorn?" Emily's innocent remark lightened the tense atmosphere, at least for a moment.

Lila chuckled awkwardly, her cheeks still flushed from the previous awkward situations. "I'm no unicorn, little one, but thank you for the compliment."

"So, what's your name?" Emily asked the colorful stranger.

"Oh, I didn't introduce myself, did I? I'm Lila," she replied, still somewhat awkward around us.

Emily seemed satisfied with the name and scampered off to the living room to continue watching her cartoons. Lila and I found a quieter spot in the kitchen to talk. I showed her the glowing talisman.

"I found this in the attic," I began, "It started glowing this morning."

Lila's eyes widened slightly. "That thing was in the attic? I tried to take it earlier when I woke up in your room, but it burned me on contact. Also, when I tried to leave, I was suddenly back in your room, near that talisman. It's like it teleported me there."

Confused, I asked, "So you don't know why you're here?"

"I woke up in the woods and was drawn to this house. It was like some pressure at the back of my head guiding me here. I don't remember much before that."

Before I could ask another question, Lila's stomach growled loudly. She glanced at Emily's half-eaten plate of food and went for it, shoveling the contents into her mouth. With a satisfied sigh, she rubbed her stomach and remarked, "A hundred or so years does make you hungry."

I raised an eyebrow. "A hundred years? What are you?"

Lila shrugged. "I told you, I don't know much. All I know is, I can't leave because of that talisman. It drew me here, and now it's keeping me here. And something... something is coming. I can feel it."

Just then, a knock sounded at the front door. I opened it to find Sarah, our babysitter. "Hey, I left my phone here. Can I come in and get it?"

I let her in, but couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. As Sarah stepped inside, the talisman in my pocket seemed to glow even brighter. I looked at Lila, who looked as uneasy as I felt.

"We're far from done talking," I whispered to her as I led Sarah to retrieve her phone, fully aware that the mysteries were piling up and things were about to get even more complicated.

After Sarah left, flashing a coy smile on her way out, I closed the door and wondered where Lila had gone. I found my answer in the living room: Lila sat on the floor, next to Emily, their eyes glued to the television.

"Emily, you're showing Lila your cartoons?" I asked, surprised but amused.

Emily looked up and grinned. "Yep! Lila loves cartoons, and I'm showing her 'SpongeBob SquarePants'."

Lila seemed genuinely captivated. "This is incredible! What did you say it's called?"

"SpongeBob!" Emily giggled, happy to share her favorite show.

As they laughed together, a thought occurred to me: just this morning, the demon girl had been a mystery, a potential threat. Now, she was sitting on my living room floor, bonding with my sister over cartoons. Life was strange indeed.

"Lunch is ready!" I called, setting the table. Emily and Lila pranced into the kitchen.

"Lila, you're gonna stay forever, right? You can be my magical unicorn friend," Emily chirped, still convinced of Lila's mythical nature.