Mother interjected, “He’s just worried you might hurt yourself. We don’t want anything to happen to you, honey.”
Snap. I stood up from the couch. “No, I think he said exactly what he meant. He is afraid I’ll hurt people, maybe our family.” Now my stomach started to toss and turn.
“Don’t be so dramatic. Of course, we want you here. We aren’t–”mother paused. She turned to my father, “Are we?”
“She cannot stay with us, in this house, without exercising self-control. I’ll have to talk to the Chieftain.” His words sounded so final.
“For what? You’re kicking me out? If you don’t want me here, I’ll figure it out on my own.” I spun on my heel and started down the hall to my bedroom. My anger bubbled over as my music writhed and coiled beneath the surface.
My father didn’t want me. He was ready to throw me out to the Chieftain. The same Chieftain who banished him from the clan for revealing the piper’s secret to mother, and then marrying her. Why would I want to go to him, to the clan?
“It’s for the best. If it’s not too late, they might be able to stop her from going—,” Father softly told my mother. I did not hear my mother’s response. I knew what he could not say. He thought I was bad.
What should I do? Should I let them ship me off to who knows where, or just leave? What would happen to me if the clan determined Father was right? I already had one strike against me.
My great-great-grandfather, the Pied Piper, became a legend when he played his pipe and lured a whole horde of rats into the river. He became a devil when he took the town’s children away.
I had some money set aside from odd jobs. I planned to use the money to buy some clothes, but that would have to wait. I could get by, for a while. I didn’t need the pipers and their medieval rules; I could do this.
That night, every time I closed my eyes, I saw Mark’s blank, almost automaton-like face staring back at me. The after-image haunted the darkness. I gave up any hope of finding peaceful oblivion when the sun’s pink rays peeked through my window.
Abby groaned as I pulled my foot out from under her stomach. My toes tingled with full circulation returning. I listened for her soft snore before I slid out of bed and tiptoed across the threadbare floor to our dresser.
Inching the drawer open, I cringed as it squeaked. Molly rolled over on her side and groaned. I would not miss this dresser, nor the growing stain on the wall. That went double for the cement flooring. But looking at my sleeping sisters bundled up in bed made my heart ache.
I shoved a few things into my backpack as noiselessly as I could and slipped out of the room. I’d take the bus to school and head out from there.
By the end of the day, I’d be free.
The occupants of the breakfast table held all the joy of a funeral procession. Molly, always the mother hen, elbowed Abby, who splattered milk meant for her mouth on the table. Abby glared at Molly, but the effect fell short with dripping milk running from her lips.
Kate, the youngest, didn’t even pretend to be awake. Her forehead rested on the table and her small shoulders slumped forward, lost to the events going on around her.
My heart constricted at the thought of leaving them again. I gripped my spoon tighter and looked away.
Both Kelly and McKennan sported tight lips and furrowed eyebrows. Mom kept glancing over at me when she thought I wasn’t looking, but didn’t try to say anything further with the little ones around. What could she truly say? Father was sending me off to the very people who hated her. She had taken one of their best from them and he had happily walked away. I was toast.
How could Father be scared of my power? I knew I bore fault in my carelessness in not calling it back, but I did not deserve this.
I patted Katie’s head as I took my empty bowl to the sink. A stack of dishes sat waiting. It had been Kelly’s turn to wash. Not going to happen, the way his shoulders sagged. He must have gone and finished his shift after everything that happened last night.
I flipped on the hot water. It would be a while before the steam rose. I thought of Kelly. He really needed to get some sleep. I scrubbed, rinsed, and placed the dishes in the drying rack, possibly for the last time. Then I snuck out the back door.
The bus wouldn’t be by for another half hour, but I wanted to be alone. I needed some time to think, to figure out how to fix something I didn’t know was broken.
The crisp morning air nipped at my skin and seemed to soothe my feverish worries. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I imagined the course chill scrubbing me clean of the stagnant air from the house.
I loved fall. It was my favorite season. Poised between summer and winter, it was always a mystery as to how many days we might enjoy it. Whether a few months or just days, it was always a welcomed season.
A blue jay cooed from a large old gnarled tree. Another answered. I pursed my lips to whistle back and paused, biting down hard. Is this how it would be for the rest of my life? What if someone were to hear? The ability to control animals ran in the family, thanks to that ever-so-great-grandfather, but I hadn’t bothered to follow up because none of my brothers and sisters seemed to have that particular skill. What if my tune caused the blue jay unnecessary pain?
I rocked back and forth on my heels and tried to decide whether to test my power out and possibly cause another round of havoc or bite my tongue and hold it in. I settled on waiting; no need to hasten my parents’ decision should something go wrong. I plunked down on a large rock off to the side of the road and pulled out the one book I packed to take with me.
I started the third chapter when the crunch of gravel interrupted my concentration. McKennan pulled the truck to the side of the road. He leaned over and pushed the passenger side door open.
“Get in.” His tone allowed no argument. I decided to take the ride as a gesture of goodwill and climbed up.
We drove in silence, listening to the sounds of old metal struts protesting against uneven potholes. The sad truck chugged along the dirt road like a broken golden retriever hunting fowl. It must have rained in the night because the wheels didn’t seem to kick up quite so much dirt.
“So, do you want to go?” he asked nonchalantly as if he were commenting about the weather instead of my father’s betrayal.
“No,” I replied. My eyes bore into the floor panel so as not to look into my brother’s eyes and find judgment there. My brick of a stomach was tense from all the activity the night before. I stared out my window and tried not to let my growing emotion overwhelm me again.
“Kelly and me have been talkin’. We think, well, it’s time we were out of the house too. We sort of stuck around to help with the little ones, and the bills and stuff. But now, we think we could maybe afford a small place on our own. Kelly knows someone who could give us a good deal. You won’t have to go if you didn’t want to. We could help,” he said.
I think my mouth fell open. These were the most words I had heard my brother say consecutively in my life. I peered at McKennan as if for the first time. His hands gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles, belying his casual tone. He stared straight ahead as if we were driving through a minefield.
“But they can’t afford the house without you guys,” I said. My voice broke as the brief moment of hope he had shared with me vanished. I wouldn’t make my family homeless, no matter what had gone down last night.
“They’re planning on moving anyway. They weren’t going to tell you until they’d settled the arrangements. They’ll be fine. We always have been. He has other options; he just chooses not to use them. Either way, Kelly and I are going to stay. It’s time to stop traveling.” He glanced over at me waiting for my reaction.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! It’s okay for me, but the little ones, they need something more than—” I yelled, my voice no longer tinged with sadness. The air filled with my discordant notes as anger and frustration boiled from within. Unable to hold my hypersensitive emotions back anymore, I slammed my hand down
on the dashboard causing a new crack to appear in the plastic.
“Than nothin’,” he grunted as he shook his head.
“Yeah,” I finished, looking out the window again. “And yes, I would like to live with you guys. But only if you really mean to stay. Not just because of me,” I added as if he’d ever admit it anyway.
“I said it—right. We’ll start working on it today. Just try to keep your head down for a bit longer. We haven’t exactly shared our plans with the folks, but we need you to still be around long enough for us to take you with us,” he said, before letting out a bark of laughter.
Man, this day kept getting weirder. I didn’t think McKennan could laugh. I’d never heard it.
“I’ll try,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I gave him a playful push as we sat in comfortable silence the rest of the drive to school.
McKennan pulled the truck over a good block from the parking lot. “Traffic,” he grunted when I raised an eyebrow. Yeah, right. Last time he’d dropped me off, one of the single moms hit on him. He hadn’t returned since.
I slid out of the truck. My back jean pocket caught on the cracked vinyl and took a chunk with me.
Ben stood by the entrance of the building, scanning each car that pulled up. He waved when he saw me and ambled in my direction.
“He okay?” McKennan asked as I turned to shut the door.
“Yeah,” I said, shrugging. I couldn’t exactly tell him that before yesterday, I’d never really talked to Ben.
“Well, just thought you should know after your little love song debacle last night, Father sort of forgot to wipe his memory. And Kelly and I might have forgot to remind him, too,” he added, winking. He grabbed the inner handle and shut the door before I could respond—or possibly jump back in the vehicle—and drove off.
CHAPTER FOUR
Grimm
MY EYES BURNED A HOLE INTO the departing truck as McKennan drove away. What was Father thinking not wiping Ben's memory? I thought protecting the family secret from outsiders was rule number one.
With a sigh, I began to gather my thoughts before Ben reached me. At least McKennan insisted on dropping me off on the other side of the parking lot. It gave me an extra moment or two by myself.
Then, for the second time, I turned around and slammed into Ben. I bit my tongue, trapping my snarky comment about how fast he got to me. It would have included something about his long legs.
I sort of liked that feature about him.
“Hey there," he said, picking me up off the ground. "Maybe you need to come with a warning sign. Objects are closer than they appear." He grinned.
What was that supposed to mean? Was he talking about last night or my general disability to keep from running into things, him included? What should I say to the guy who knew too much? I mean, he was there. He saw everything. What does it mean that he is here now? Is he okay with what happened? Or does he think it was all a bad dream? How do I begin to explain any of this?
“Maybe it’s you that needs to warn people you’re coming,” I said. My words bit out with ferocity. I retreated with a sheepish half-smile.
“So hey, um, Mark called this morning."
Oh no. Here we go, I thought.
He’s staying home sick. He says he’s sorry about yesterday and he doesn’t seem to remember last night at all,” Ben said. He reached over, took my tattered backpack off my shoulder and started toward the front doors.
Yea, but what do you remember from last night?
“Hey! Ever hear of asking?” I said as I hurried to catch up with him. I took two steps to match one of his. He slowed down when I caught him, panting.
Really? I am panting?
“If I’d asked, you’d have said no and took off. I was hoping to talk.” He stopped, looked around, and then leaned closer. His lips were close enough to kiss my ear. His breath tickled the hair on my neck. It smelled like mint. His soft approach sharply contrasted with Mark’s bluntness.
“I didn’t forget,” he added. He jerked back up to his full height letting the words fall down to my ears as if being seen whispering to me would be the death of him.
I pictured all of the high school students milling around us. For them, a guy leaning in and whispering something into a girl’s ear was not strange. But they did not know why Ben might be whispering in my ear. I couldn’t help it. Despite the last twenty-four hours, he looked like someone straight out of a bad spy movie. It was hilarious and I laughed.
“I'm harmless. It’s my father you need to worry about. Relax. Besides, I can’t say anything about what you saw last night.”
"Why not? I want to know."
I leaned in closer. I could feel my heart pick up, dancing to the soundless beat that trilled through my veins. “Sorry, sworn to secrecy. But how are you on fairy tales?”
“What, like Little Red Riding Hood?” he asked, eyeing me quizzically.
I grinned, “Think a little less Disney and a little more Grimm.” I felt the "m's" hum off my lips like I could seduce him with them. I must be losing it. He's already seen too much. I can't tell him anything to allay his concerns but I go and tell him where he can fill in the blanks? I stepped back, “Never mind, thanks for carrying my bag. Now, can I get it back?”
I felt the blush touch my cheeks and turned away to hide it from him. What was wrong with me? I can yank a guy into submission by singing to him but taking my backpack off Ben’s shoulder makes me nervous?
“What’s in here? It weighs nothing,” he said, swinging it forward and starting to unzip it.
“None of your business,” I growled. I lunged for it.
He held it high, just out of reach, and continued to unzip it, toying with me. Any other girl in school might find this extra attention—dare I say flirting—thrilling. I worried he’d unzip it too much and spill all my earthly possessions for everyone to see.
He did.
A couple of my favorite old t-shirts fell to the floor along with my holey jeans, my toothbrush and of course, my underwear.
He stopped. The sudden appearance of the items on the floor wiped the grin from his face. His eyes flashed with understanding. He handed the bag back to me. We dropped to our knees to collect the fallen items and our foreheads smacked. I would have laughed if I did not want to die right then and there. His large hands scooped up my belongings and stuffed them back into the bag.
“So what exactly happened last night? I mean to warrant all of this?”
“I made a big mistake and I got in a lot of trouble.”
“So what is all that for?” He gestured at my backpack.
“I…” The bell rang. “am going to be late for class,” I finished. I bolted down the hall as fast as I could without running. Right before entering the classroom, I glanced back. He shook his head, then walked away.
Thankfully, he wasn’t hanging around when I left my next few classes. My frayed nerves began to relax as the day continued.
My luck didn’t hold. A shadow fell across my desk during our next shared class.
Don’t look up, I thought as I continued doodling a profile that looked suspiciously like Ben. Should I flip the page and pretend it wasn’t what it looked like?
No, that will draw more attention, I told myself, hunching a little further forward. Ben tapped his finger on the edge of my notebook and grinned—busted. Why did his presence make my heart speed up? He was the last person I should be thinking about, romantically. If I didn’t stop this I’d be two for two.
“Nice drawing,” he said. I watched him head to the desk out the corner of my eye. Both Mark and Ben sat right next to a bank of large windows that cast a halo of light around them. I blame the halo for my fixation on Mark in the first place.
I turned my attention back to my notebook, flipped the page and started sketching something safer, the second thing on my mind, a pipe. The power still swirled around inside me, promising me everything I could ever want, a firecracker of sensation if I would just give it permiss
ion. I pushed away the memory of yesterday that hovered there. Not the bad part where Mark got fried, but the part that felt like Christmas, New Years, and my birthday all wrapped up into one and burst out of me making the world seem richer, more alive.
“Excuse me. Would you mind if I sit here today?” Ben asked behind me. I froze.
Barry, another guy from our class, shrugged good-naturedly and stood, moving over to the good seats, possibly for the first time in his life. Elena and Kim leaned their heads together. They whispered 'who knows what' while openly staring at us.
Then it hit me. Mark mauling me in the hallway changed my social status. Ben asking to sit by me amplified it. With so many revelations within twenty-four hours, I wasn’t sure what to think about this one.
Ben slouched forward when the teacher paused in her lesson. I could hear the sound of his slick jersey sliding against the back of his chair as he whispered, “So what, are you running away?” His voice carried and several students looked over at me.
I glared. “I am not running away," I said between clenched teeth. "I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
Ms. Holt shot us a warning look, complete with tight-lipped disapproval. If Ben didn't shut up I was headed down the same path other errant students had traveled. A phone call to my parents would be the opposite of the flying-under-the-radar plan. At best, she would make an example of us and make us move to the front row. With my luck, we were headed for detention.
Ben seemed to realize this too because he sat back. She continued. Anyone else would have been in so much trouble, but trust Ben to get us out of a jam because he was Ben.
“We’ll talk later,” he said.
I could not respond without being caught.
When class ended, he sauntered back to Elena and Kim. He even patted Barry on the back. I took a b-line for the door.
A Piper's Song: The Pied Piper Tales Page 3