Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One—Awaken
Chapter Two—Confession
Chapter Three—Kicked Out
Chapter Four—Grimm
Chapter Five—Hope
Chapter Six—Kelly's Secret
Chapter Seven—Control
Chapter Eight—The Law
Chapter Nine—The Test
Chapter Ten—The Call
Chapter Eleven—Master Piper
Chapter Twelve—Never Trust A Piper
Chapter Thirteen—The Creature Inside
Chapter Fourteen—The Pipe
Chapter Fifteen—Piper Pest Control
Chapter Sixteen—Christmas
Chapter Seventeen—First Date
Chapter Eighteen—Piper's Origin
Chapter Nineteen—Reckoning
Chapter Twenty—Running
Chapter Twenty-One—Malcolm's Clam
Chapter Twenty-Two—Dog
Chapter Twenty-Three—The In-Laws
Chapter Twenty-Four—The Fields
Chapter Twenty-Five—The Field of Sleep
Chapter Twenty-Six—The Field of Sorrow
Chapter Twenty-Seven—Attack in the Night
Chapter Twenty-Eight—The Field of Contention
Chapter Twenty-Nine—Master Piper Field
Chapter Thirty—The Boon
Chapter Thirty-One—Returning Home
The First Piper Song
About the Author
THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION. All the characters and events portrayed in this novel are either fictitious or used fictitiously.
Text copyright © 2014 C.K. Johnson
Cover copyright © 2014 Weeping Willow Press Interior design by Gaeta Type Design.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission of the publisher.
ISBN: 0986200115
ISBN-13: 978-0-9862001-1-3
A Piper’s Song / By C.K. Johnson
Published 2015 by Weeping Willow Press. All rights reserved.
TO MAMAW, A LOVING GRANDMOTHER AND great-grandmother who taught me to love old German fairy tales.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
TO MY AMAZING WRITERS GROUP who helped me bring my characters to life. To my loving family and Papaw for listening to my ideas and believing one day they would be shared. To Candice, Lorraine and all my other readers who saw the rough draft and kept reading. To Lauren who found my plot holes and helped me fill them in. Lastly, my wonderful editors, Susan and Mike, who cheered me to the finish line.
CHAPTER ONE
Awaken
I DIDN’T pay attention to the song that lay beneath my consciousness, endlessly coiling in preparation to strike. It is simple to ignore when it is forbidden.
I did my best to keep my back flat against the bland, tan metal lockers that looked no different from those in the other three high schools I had attended in the last two years. My back ached where the combination lock jabbed into my shoulder, but the view of Mark—my ongoing crush—made it worth it.
Mark looked as if he had stepped right out of a Jane Austen novel. His black, thick, wavy hair fell just right and his bright blue eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. He was Mr. Darcy to my Elizabeth Bennett. I was born to play her, next to him. Their story had turned out all right, hadn’t it?
In order to maintain my low-key surveillance, I occasionally glanced down the hallway—pretending to wait for some phantom friend—while really admiring Mark’s biceps. If anyone bothered to pay attention to me, my weak ruse would crumble. But no one did.
Just say something to him, I told myself. It’s now or never.
I swallowed and stepped forward through the crowd, but the words, “Good game,” died from my lips as I hastily shuffled back to avoid being trampled by Elena and her entourage.
Elena came to a stop before Mark in her perfectly fitted red blouse—one button undone just a little too low. Her designer jeans accentuated her I-only-eat-salad-for-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner figure. With an outfit like hers, even I would look good.
I attempted to smooth my wavy brown hair, as I watched her command his attention with a flip of her blonde tresses off her shoulder.
She’s a matador, I thought. Her hair whipped around like a red flag, her bull—Mark.
He raised an eyebrow at his football buddies. Challenge accepted. A smile slowly spread across his face.
Why couldn’t he smile at me that way? The answer was obvious. Because he’d have to know that I existed first.
Elena paused, waiting for him to make his move. When he didn’t, she sauntered off, her bottom lip slightly protruding in her version of a pout.
I am sure he admired the sway of her hips as she walked away, who wouldn’t?
With her departure, I had a second chance. A song rose up in my mind, like a twangy country tune I’d once heard on the radio. Without thinking, I hummed a few notes.
The music was wordless, but it wrapped itself around my emotions and rode them toward my desired target.
Mark went from lounging against his locker on the other side of the hall to standing bolt upright. He stepped forward, shoving the stream of passing students out of his way until he stood before me, grinning his intoxicating smile, at me.
“Hi Kyra,” He rested one arm against the locker and leaned close.
Wait, you know my name?
He gazed into my eyes, entranced, his lips slightly parted. His focus darted from my eyes to my lips and back again.
My heart stopped. Dead. I was afraid that he would turn away, that this would not last.
Please don’t let this be some cruel joke.
My sharp inhale did not distract him from his purpose—this was really happening.
Say something! I told myself, but other than my jaw dropping, no sound came out.
I sunk deeply, unabashedly, into his azure eyes.
He licked his lips moistening them. They began quivering into a puckered shape as he moved closer still.
I hope I don’t have something like a piece of salad in my teeth. My cheeks burned bright red, as I brushed a finger across my lips.
“So,” I said, relieved my voice worked. My blush deepened when nothing else came out. The game. I could talk about the game. “Good—” I started. My breath caught as he leaned forward and closed his eyes. My stomach exploded with a flurry of butterflies. My words caught on the tip of my tongue as I met his steady gaze.
Concentrating on his lips as I was, I did not notice until he rested his hands on my shoulders. A shock ignited between us. I inhaled softly as he pulled me the rest of the distance to him. I did what felt natural and closed my eyes just as he crushed his warm lips against mine. He acted with ferocity but executed with gentleness as our lips connected.
We acted like a live circuit, sizzling and sparking at the air around us.
Wow! My heart pounded in my chest, and I swayed as the giddy feeling swept over me.
Could this really be happening? His kiss immobilized me. But for his sturdy hold on my body, I would fall to the floor. The pressure, the hitched breath, the tingling sensation of skin on skin was just as I always imagined my first kiss would be—down to the peppermint on his breath.
Part of me questioned how he could satisfy my every whim so perfectly, but I pushed the question away. Did it really matter?
Just keep kissing him!
Mark Barns, the captain of the football team, was kissing me.
This sort of thing
doesn’t happen to people outside the movies. More specifically, things like this don’t happen to me.
The fluttering butterflies in my stomach shriveled. Mark hadn’t suddenly realized that his one true love stood before him. He heard a piper calling, and what a piper wants, a piper gets.
I groaned, not wanting to accept this new reality or the responsibility of my actions. Would anyone really know that Mark didn’t have a choice in this kiss? It was possible that without my command, he’d want me for who I was… Nah, fat chance.
As he continued to connect with me on levels I never dreamed possible, I decided that I couldn’t allow this fairy tale to continue. My conscience would not let me. Messing with someone’s deepest desires is never good. I had to break it off, and I had to do it now. Well maybe a few more seconds won’t hurt, I thought.
From the corner of my eye, I spied Mark’s friends watching us. Some hesitantly leaned forward, as if debating whether to stop this debacle. A few snorted with barely contained laughter. He might be the ladies’ man, but he usually didn’t make out with girls in the hallway, much less with a loner like me.
I rested my hands on his chest, appreciating its firmness, and attempted to push him away, gently.
Not only did he resist, but he pulled me closer, if that were even possible. He slid his hand down my side, wrapping it possessively around my waist, and clutched me tighter.
Our connection intensified. In that moment, I could feel his thoughts, his emotions. I was the most important person in his world. I was his universe. The realization melted me to the core.
My seemingly insignificant song had done its work, driving into the neurons of his brain, crossing barriers that only music can, and hijacked his limbic system. It’s a real buzzkill to think of it in those terms, but it was the truth. My music told him I was as important as food, water, and breathing, if not more.
His eyes fluttered open and I cringed to see that his dilated pupils were already over-bright, almost feverish.
“Um, Mark,” I said, muffled between kisses, “I think this might be a bad idea. We don’t really know each other.” The words came out all mushy and unintelligible. Jane Austen never covered how to have a serious discussion while kissing.
The idea of having to hurt Mark made me sick to my stomach, but I had to stop this before it got any worse.
Most of the people around us seemed amused by Mark’s slightly out-of-character make-out session. I doubt they would be so amused if I let this continue to the jealous phase that my father had warned me about.
I grabbed his ear and gave a sharp tug. It had to be enough to cause him pain. That is the only way.
Abruptly, he released his hold on my waist.
“Ow! What’d you do that for?” he asked, rubbing his ear.
The fear that started to grow inside me the instant I realized I had broken our family’s first rule was eclipsed by my complete and utter embarrassment of having to maim the object of my desire in front of all my peers.
My cheeks burned hot, and I imagined that they’d turned from red to a vivid scarlet—I knew I looked as stupid as I felt.
“I’ve got to go,” I whispered, sounding reluctant. I held myself tightly and bolted.
I barely paid attention to my surroundings in my retreat, still replaying that awful moment when his eyes registered the pain I inflicted.
Distracted, I ran smack into Ben Kingston, a linebacker, built like a brick wall. Ben: one, me: less than zero. So things could get worse.
My arms flailed as I reached for something—anything—to stop my fall. Ben came to my rescue, catching me as easily as he did the damsels in distress in the school plays. Too bad I wasn’t a damsel. No, today I was the villain.
In a moment, I went from certain bruising of both my ego and tailbone to standing upright, two feet safely on the ground, as if nothing had happened.
A wide smile spread across Ben’s face, accenting his dimples. Signal the butterflies. He held on a moment longer than needed, his amber eyes trying to make contact with my dark brown ones.
I couldn’t meet his gaze, sure that he would see the conscience-stricken look in my eyes, which would lead either to questions or to me possibly making yet another stupid error.
“You all right there, Kyra?” his voice was touched with concern. I squirmed in his arms and he let me go.
“Fine, thanks. Sorry about that. See ya later,” I blurted, as I sidestepped around his sculpted frame and hurried away. This time, I carefully scanned the hallway to prevent anyone else from derailing my escape. I needed to get home—fast.
CHAPTER TWO
Confession
MY GUT CHURNED AS I APPROACHED our front door. I was in so much trouble. At least the truck isn’t here, I thought as I turned the handle. I’d have some time to get my story straight before I faced father.
Inside, my older brother Kelly dozed on our sagging blue sofa. His lanky legs extended over the side of the ancient couch and touched the floor. He yawned, half-opened one eye, then lifted an eyebrow in inquiry to my presence.
I looked away, not ready to confess my blunder, in spite of the fact that he was my favorite brother. Kelly rubbed at the dark circles beneath his eyes. He looked tired all the time these days. The graveyard shift was slowly draining the life out of him. He had gone from an invincible giant to a ghost of a man, haunting small bits of my waking hours. I pressed my lips together harder fighting my desire to confide in him.
Why couldn’t Father admit that we had the answer to our money problems? All he had to do was let us use it. I hated watching my brothers disappearing. Even if they were technically old enough to work, they shouldn’t have to scrounge like this.
“Middle of the day—something up?” he asked. He ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair and flashed me a grin.
“I’m a piper now,” I said. I huffed with exasperation at my broken resolve not to talk about it and my stomach flip-flopped at the words. Waking up in my room with my little sister’s foot in my face would be a welcomed relief if it meant this day was over.
“Want to talk about it?” he asked. I shook my head.
Kelly is good that way, allowing me to talk or not talk as needed. I missed having him around. I sat down, folded my arms and stared at a hole in the threadbare carpet.
He waited.
We were still waiting when my younger brothers and sisters raced into the house through the front door followed by mom.
My little sister, Molly, reached me first followed closely by Abby. I wrapped them up in a hug and closed my eyes to stop the tears that prickled there. My stupid decision hadn’t just hurt Mark. It would hurt them too.
“Best stay in your room for a bit. Father’s not going to be happy,” I whispered in Molly’s ear. She hugged me tighter, then stepped back and hurried my other siblings to their rooms. Mom watched the kids take off and headed for us.
“Piper stuff,” Kelly murmured.
She paused. Her hand hovered in the air above my shoulder. She swallowed hard, and then rested it on top of my head.
“Well, that’s good, right? We were beginning to think maybe it wouldn’t happen,” she said. The tremor in her voice belied her attempt at being positive.
Kelly shrugged.
“I’ll just leave you two alone then,” she whispered. “But it’s going to be okay.”
She patted my head and walked away. My chest tightened. How could she know that? Hadn’t she seen father break a little more each time one of his children broke the rules? Maybe she did and chose to believe he was still the sweet man she married. Either way, the cracks were growing deeper and I didn’t know how much longer until he broke.
Afternoon faded to evening. We sat in silence as the tension grew.
Every time I watched one of us kids slip up, I would think, How could they do that? How could they just let something like that out? When I’m a piper, I won’t make the same mistake. But I did.
My experience had been surreal and brea
thtaking. I felt the allure of the power. Yet it disturbed me to strip a person of their very essence. What frightened me the most was that I didn’t even realize I had done it until it was too late.
I finally burst. “Father’s going to kill me. We’re going to have to move and the kids were just getting settled.” Hearing the words confirmed my stupidity.
“Did I ever tell you about when I let loose my first tune?” Kelly asked softly. I moved closer to him and rested my head against his shoulder. His mellow voice held no judgment. His sympathy was the complete opposite of what awaited me when father got home. He rested a lanky arm on my shoulder.
“There was this girl—the tiniest thing I’d ever seen. I was certain if she knew how much I liked her, she would like me, too. I wanted to take her off to somewhere perfect. More than…” He paused and swept his hand.
My gaze followed the broad motion and rested on the peeling wallpaper next to the cracked windowpane.
I nodded. It wasn’t perfect but it was home. Now it was just another spot to sleep between here and where we’d move next.
“I only wanted him to like me,” I said. “Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the kiss, but I would have settled for being friends if it meant it was real.”
Kelly raised an eyebrow and shook his head again. “I know how you feel. I remember thinking Father must be wrong. My song would only give her a small nudge. I can still remember watching her face as she heard it. She stopped being the girl I loved and became someone else, something else. That delicate side I found so appealing melted away and she became willing to do anything and everything to have me. After the song, they don’t really see us anymore; they just hear the piper.”
He rubbed his hands together. “Near broke my heart to see what I’d done to her. Before we left, Father told me I had to cast a memory song so she’d forget me. I guess in the end, it’s best for them.”
He tilted his head as if to hear better, before giving me a quick squeeze. “Brace yourself. He’s coming.”
I cringed and scooted closer to Kelly. I normally listened to father’s voice to gauge his mood but no one was talking. This was a real lose-lose situation. If he came home happy, he’d be mad that I had wrecked his good mood, and if he came home angry, well, that wouldn’t be good either.
A Piper's Song: The Pied Piper Tales Page 1
