The Girl Who Fell Out of the Sky

by Victoria Forester

  Dick Miller got to his feet. “Maybe Joe McCloud don’t know how to run his farm, but over here we do things different. You touch that phone, and you won’t like what’s coming your way.”

  Piper hesitated. The phone was so close; she was only a short reach away … If she could still fly, it would have been no effort at all.

  Ring. Ring. Ring.

  Dick Miller stood between Piper and the phone and took off his belt.

  “She ain’t our youngen,” Mrs. Miller warned her husband in a hushed voice.

  “She may not be our youngen, but she’s in our house,” Dick Miller growled. “Only way to teach ’em right is with the belt. You know that.”

  Ring. Ring.

  Piper burned with the need to answer the phone. If only she could fly—fly to the phone, fly to her mother, fly away from Dick Miller.

  “It’s high time you start following the rules same as everyone else,” Dick breathed. “You ain’t special, and for once you’ll get treated like all the rest.”

  Ring. Ring.

  Piper could stand it no longer. She threw herself forward, rushing past Mr. Miller and grabbing for the phone. In her haste her foot clumsily caught on Dick Miller’s large boot, and she was sent sprawling. Her legs tangled up, and her right shoulder hit the floor with a thud. She landed in a heap at Dick Miller’s feet. The phone, which she had only just managed to grab, was yanked free of her grasp as she fell.

  Dick Miller looked down at Piper and restrung his worn cowhide belt. “Saved me the trouble of using this,” he smirked.

  The phone was dangling back and forth above Piper’s head. She could hear the tinny voice of Betty McCloud from the receiver.

  “Piper? Piper, are you there?”

  Dick holstered the receiver into the cradle, disconnecting the call.

  “If they don’t come for her tonight, she sleeps in the cellar,” he said. “Don’t want the likes of her upstairs with the rest of us.”

  CHAPTER

  20

  The cellar beneath the Miller house was stocked with shelves heavy with jams and preserves, pickled cucumbers and deviled eggs. Strung from the ceiling were large bunches of rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, and other herbs. Large sacks of flour, sugar, and wheat rested against the lower shelves, as well as tubs of molasses and honey. A cot had been wedged into the middle of all of this. Sally Sue had scrounged a single blanket and laid it on top of Piper to provide her with warmth. So arranged, Piper had been left in the darkness to endure the night.

  Piper lay awake thinking about her new sister and what it had felt like to hold her. She was going to be a patient big sister, she decided. She was going to play with Jane and do things with her. She would tell her stories and make dolls with her, and they would always be close.

  She guessed the time to be near dawn when she heard the lock on the cellar door being slowly and carefully pulled back. It was followed by the sound of halting footsteps creeping down the steps.

  “Are you awake?” Jimmy Joe directed the beam of his flashlight into Piper’s face.

  Piper blinked, using her hand to shield her eyes. “Can you take that light out of my eye?”

  Jimmy Joe dropped the beam to the floor and considered the cellar and Piper’s place in it. “So … is it true? You really can’t fly no more?”

  Piper fixed Jimmy Joe with an “are you crazy” stare. “If I could fly, you think I’d be down here?”

  Jimmy Joe perched on the top of the barrel of molasses, thinking on this. “Shoot. That’s a kick in the head.”

  “You can say that again.” Piper found it surprising that Jimmy Joe wasn’t using her predicament as an opportunity to gloat, like his father had. Strangely, he looked genuinely sorry.

  “Did you really do all those things you said?”

  “What things?”

  “You know, going over the Grand Canyon. Seeing that fish that looked like a monster?”

  “Sure I did.” Wincing from the pain in her shoulder, Piper attempted to sit up. “That and so much more. SO much more.

  “There’s a lot going on in the world, and we—my friends and me—we’ve been everywhere and seen it all. When you’re up high looking down on things, it’s so quiet. It gives you perspective, I guess. It’s only when you’re stuck down on the ground that everything gets so loud and hectic.” It was too difficult to sit up, and so Piper contented herself with lying on her side. “One time, I was flying over this herd of elephants, and there was a baby elephant that got hurt. The mother elephant stopped to take care of it, but what she didn’t see were the four lions in the long grass stalking them. When the lions saw the baby with the mama off by themselves, they attacked. I remember hovering in the air, and I was so scared for that baby, but there wasn’t anything I could do. Well, the whole group of elephants came charging back to that mama and her baby, and they formed a circle around her. Then the biggest elephant started stomping its foot at the lions, squishing them. Didn’t take long for those lions to take off and leave them be. I flew home with a smile on my face. It just goes to show you that we got to look out for each other. That’s what I think. And I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t been flying.”

  “Is that so?” Jimmy Joe shook his head in wonder. “I wish I could have seen that.”

  “There’s a lot to see in this world. That’s for sure.”

  Jimmy Joe reached into his pocket and brought out a small piece of tightly folded paper. Carefully, he unfolded it bit by bit until it was all undone and he could smooth it out on his leg. He read it and then held it up for her to see. Even in the darkness, Piper recognized it.

  “That’s the sign I made for my flying lessons. How’d you get that?”

  “I ripped it down,” Jimmy Joe admitted.

  “Oh. I guess I now know why no one came looking for flying lessons.”

  Jimmy Joe fingered it in a way that led Piper to believe that he’d spent a lot of time looking it over. “I’ve been thinking about it.” Jimmy Joe got to his feet resolutely. “I want to fly and see and do all those things you did. I’m ready to start flying lessons.”

  “But I already told you I can’t fly anymore.”

  Jimmy Joe shrugged his shoulders. “Those who can’t do, teach.”

  Piper opened her mouth to point out other problems with this idea when faint noises from above caught Jimmy Joe’s attention. His head snapped up, watching the floorboards, panic on his face. It wouldn’t do for his father to find him in the cellar with Piper.

  “Meet me in the pine grove after morning chores,” he whispered, mounting the stairs gingerly to favor his hurt foot.

  Piper sat up. “Jimmy Joe?”

  Jimmy Joe paused, turning.

  “When you hurt your foot, were you trying to fly?”

  Jimmy Joe’s face flushed. “None of your beeswax,” he huffed, going up the stairs.

  CHAPTER

  21

  Piper waited at the cellar door until Millie Mae saw fit to unlock it. Only then did she inform Piper that Betty had called not a moment before. She’d just missed her, in fact, which was a real shame, because if Piper had been handy, Millie Mae would have put her on the phone. According to Millie Mae, Betty said she had to stay another day in the hospital because the doctors didn’t want to release her yet. Betty also wanted to make sure that Piper was staying put on the Miller farm.

  “Which means I’ve got you on my hands for another day. The Lord gives us only what we can handle, but I declare he’s testing me today.”

  “But the baby,” Piper breathed. “Is the baby alright? And my ma?”

  “We can only hope for the best.” Millie Mae shook her head in a way that suggested she was expecting the worst. “A woman your mother’s age has no business going around having babies. Phhhh.” Millie Mae puffed air from her lungs. “Having babies can be a tricky business. I’ve seen new mothers look just fine, and then the next moment we’re planning their funerals. There’s just no telling with these things.”

>   After those happy words, Millie Mae set about ordering Piper around and telling her in no small measure how poor her efforts were. Her mending was pathetic and her cleaning skills deplorable, and Millie Mae declared that a dirty windstorm did a better job of folding laundry. Even Sally Sue sent sympathetic looks Piper’s way. It was a great relief to Piper to escape to the grove of pines after chores, where she found Jimmy Joe jumping off a large rock.

  When she had first come up with the idea of starting a flying school, Piper hadn’t actually gotten to the point of figuring out a lesson plan or any other practical ways she would get ordinary people to do extraordinary things. As she set about teaching Jimmy Joe to fly, she saw that it was no easy task.

  “Stop jumping off things—you’ll only get yourself banged up,” Piper warned. “You’ve got to get real still and focus. Think about the sky.”

  Jimmy Joe attempted this for the better part of three seconds and then wanted to jump off something again. They compromised on having him dangle from a tree branch that hung six feet off the ground. As he dangled, Jimmy Joe swung back and forth like a monkey.

  “Close your eyes,” Piper said. “Think about the sky. If you can think about it long enough, your body’ll start to tingle, and then you’ll get real light and floaty.”

  Jimmy Joe squinched his face up like the effort was causing him great pain. “How long ’fore the tingling starts?”

  “Don’t tense up like that. You gotta relax into it.”

  “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

  Piper was not sure at all. “Just keep at it.”

  Jimmy Joe hung from the branch, waiting for the tingling. Piper watched and waited along with him. Right off the bat, Piper could tell that Jimmy Joe was not going to be a natural. She was thinking about other ways to get him flying when suddenly a sharp wind whipped past her, blowing her hair about. When Piper pushed back her tousled locks, Myrtle was standing in front of her.

  “Myrtle!” Piper jumped to her feet, electrified by the sight of her friend. “What’s happening? Where is everyone? Are they back at the farm? Boy, do I have a lot to tell you.”

  Myrtle held up her hand to stop Piper’s questions. “Piper, I’ve got to get back.”

  “But you just got here!”

  Jimmy Joe’s eyes snapped open, and the sight of Myrtle caused him to release his hold. He dropped out of the tree and fell to the ground with a thud, landing on his wounded toe. “Ouch!”

  Myrtle registered Jimmy Joe’s existence. “Who’s that?”

  “Jimmy Joe,” Piper explained. Myrtle looked confused. “He’s our closest neighbor, Myrtle. Don’t you remember?” Piper sighed. “The Millers have the farm next to ours.”

  “Oh, right. The local.” Myrtle did not use the word “local” in an affectionate way. More like she’d say “racist” or “ignoramus.” “Why are you hanging out with him?”

  “I’m trying to teach him to fly.”

  “Good luck with that,” Myrtle said, then snorted and turned her back on him entirely. “Conrad sent me.”

  “Where is he? What’s happening?”

  “We got to Xanthia, and the first thing Conrad did was request an audience with Elder Equilla.”

  “Elder Equilla agreed to meet?” Piper was amazed. Elder Equilla was over 150 years old and, as the oldest Chosen One, was the head of the council of elders. She rarely granted audiences, and especially not to Outsiders.

  “Elder Equilla made them wait, but Conrad insisted. When Elder Equilla finally met with us, Conrad explained to her about the bugs. He told her that without the help of the Chosen Ones, all Outsiders would be thrown into chaos.”

  Jimmy Joe hobbled over, listening closely.

  “And?” Piper prompted.

  “He pleaded for their help, but it’s not looking good,” Myrtle said. “Elder Equilla said that nothing could be done until the council of elders deliberated on it. They have promised to give us a decision by sundown, but we’ve learned that they are building a wall right now.”

  “What kind of wall?”

  “They’re sealing off Xanthia so that no one can ever leave it again. Or enter it, either. Conrad thinks that Elder Equilla is stalling until the wall is done. If you ask me, it’s hopeless.”

  Unlike Myrtle, Piper had optimism. But she had also spent enough time in Xanthia to make a friend there: AnnA. AnnA had explained to Piper how the Chosen Ones were a peace-loving people of surpassing gentleness. They abhorred Outsiders, which is what they called anyone who didn’t live in Xanthia, precisely because they considered them violent. AnnA was so kind, though, and Piper knew the Chosen Ones were just like her.

  “The Chosen Ones are good people,” Piper pointed out. “Now that Conrad has explained everything to them and they know how much we need their help, they’ll come to our aid. I know it.”

  Myrtle looked at Piper skeptically, but then again, Myrtle had been born into extreme poverty and had known hunger. In her early years she had seen many things, some of them violent. It wasn’t that Piper hadn’t had her share of troubles, but somehow she had maintained a sunny disposition, which was something Myrtle had never had. The first time Piper flew, it was for the joy of it; the first time Myrtle ran, it was to escape danger and harm; that distinction made all the difference in their dispositions.

  “What can I do to help?” Piper leaned in eagerly.

  “You can’t do anything. Listen, Piper, I have to get back, but Conrad sent me to warn you. He said…” Myrtle put her hand on her throat and cleared it. “‘Piper, my experiment came back, and the venom is still working on you at a cellular level. It’s still changing you, reprogramming your DNA.’”

  “What does that mean?”

  Myrtle held up a finger. “‘I know you’re going to wonder what that means. It means you could be in danger. It means that if the bugs aren’t stopped and they blast, it could set off something inside of you. You must take great care.’”

  Piper’s mouth formed an O.

  Jimmy Joe looked from Piper to Myrtle. “Uh. What in the heck are you two talking about?”

  “That if the bugs blast, they could blow Piper up, idiot,” Myrtle said, not bothering to look at Jimmy Joe.

  “Hey, don’t call me an idiot!”

  “Then stop eavesdropping on conversations that don’t concern you.” Myrtle crossed her arms over her chest and once again placed her back to Jimmy Joe. “Conrad didn’t want to alarm you, but until he comes back, he wanted you to be … careful.”

  Piper expelled the air in her lungs slowly, suddenly very aware of every movement she made. “Careful how?”

  “Just careful.” Myrtle looked at her watch. “I’ve got to go.”

  “Let me go with you. Please! I want to help.” Piper grabbed Myrtle’s hand. “I don’t belong here, Myrtle. I don’t fit in.”

  Myrtle gently pried Piper’s hand away. “You can’t come with us, Piper. Conrad says you need to get used to the way you are now.” She turned to go. “Oh yes, I almost forgot. Do you remember that girl AnnA?”

  “Yes!” Piper brightened up at the thought of gentle, shy AnnA.

  “She says Asanti.” Myrtle bowed as she said the word. This was a typical greeting of the Chosen Ones, and out of habit, Piper returned the bow. “She wanted me to let you know that she blossomed.”

  “That’s great news!”

  “What’s blossoming?” Jimmy Joe’s brow screwed up over the word.

  “In Xanthia, when a Chosen One’s extraordinary ability is revealed, it is called blossoming,” Piper explained. “AnnA was a late bloomer, and she was worried she might not have a gift.”

  “Oh.” Jimmy Joe chewed on that information for a moment before asking, “So? What’s her gift?”

  Piper turned to Myrtle expectantly. “Yeah, what’s her gift?”

  “She’s a jumper.” Myrtle’s eyebrow shot up significantly. “Gotta go.” With that, she threw off a salute and left nothing but a gust of wind that picked up dry and
dirty leaves and scattered them in Jimmy Joe’s face.

  Jimmy Joe coughed and waved them away. It seemed more than a coincidence at this point that whenever Myrtle came and went, he was the only recipient of her dirty exhaust.

  “What in the heck was that all about? What’s a jumper?” Jimmy Joe said through a cough.

  “Beats me! Maybe she can jump really high, like a grasshopper.”

  “Why would anyone want to do that?”

  “It’s not like we get to decide our ability,” Piper pointed out. “It just happens.”

  Jimmy Joe dug his toe into the dirt. “So then I can’t decide to be a flier? No matter how hard I try?”

  Seeing the knit of concern on Jimmy Joe’s brow, Piper thought about it. “I don’t know. My ma says I just started floating when I was a tiny baby. Of course I remember deciding I wanted to turn my floating into flying, but I don’t actually remember how I came to float.”

  “Huh.” Jimmy Joe started back to the farm, and Piper joined him. They walked in silence, side by side. When the barn came into view, Piper stopped.

  “How come you want to fly all of a sudden?”

  “Dunno.” Jimmy Joe rubbed the back of his hand against his nose and sniffed loudly. “I just wanna be good at something. Rory Ray and my bothers are always picking on me, putting me down. I’m sick of it. If I could fly, then I’d show ’em, and they’d have to give me respect. Are you sure there isn’t something I can do to fly? How’d you do it?”

  “I wish I knew.” Piper sighed, letting out a long stream of air through her nostrils. “Before, it felt easier than falling off a log. Now I can’t wrap my mind around how I ever got up there.” Piper’s hand went to her shoulder, where she’d fallen on it the night before. She moved it around painfully, stretching out the muscle. “But I also used to feel different, too. I felt like I was … buoyant. Like I was filled up with hope and life.”

  “You don’t feel like that now?”

  “Not so much. Not like I did before.” Piper winced and held the place on her shoulder that hurt.