The Piper's Call

Chapter 8

Hello again! So, I really, really, really just want to thank anyone who is sticking with this book. You have no idea how your votes and comments bring so much happiness into my life. To my readers, you are amazing. There, I said it. And you lot better believe it.

Let me know what you think of it so far! I rely on your trustworthy opinions!

Later! : D

Chapter 8- Uncharted Territory

Helen P.O.V.

I ran my fingers along the phone edge, taking in the curves and the dents. How could one little object communicate so much hurt? I contemplated dumping it, burning it, burying it- anything to get it's messages out of my life. But it wouldn't do any good. She always found me eventually, at best it would cause a slight delay in her plan. Whatever the hell that was. But she had one, she always has one. And that's what worried me.

I scrolled through the texts of the last few hours, during the investigation.

Miss me, Helen?

I warned you- this is your fault. A man is lying dead because you got greedy. Hand it over and this can all stop. You have the game-changer, use it.

Fine, if you want to play, I'll play. My way. No rules. No mercy. One winner. But it wouldn't get off to a very good start if I didn't give you a clue. Look at Cinderella's shoes. ; )

There was no point in asking why she was doing this. I knew. If she wanted something, we got it for her. We never had a choice. It had been more than employment, it was slavery. If it was just me... I frowned, rubbing my head. There was more than me in this. There was the school, those kids and Nina.  A wealth of emotions rose up thinking about her. Guilt, admiration, a desire to protect- she had seemed so fragile today. Like a porcelain doll you're never quite sure when it will crack. If there's ever a time I'm wasn't going to screw up, I prayed that this was it. 

I checked the time on the cursed phone. It read, 01:30. Sleep clearly wasn't coming so I made some hot chocolate and went to check in on Nina. I could hear frantic murmuring from behind the door and opened it gently.

"What?" Nina didn't look up, staring intently at her bedroom walls, which were covered in marker scrawls and doodles, still muttering incomprehensible babble under her breath.

"What's this?" I stood beside her, surveying the scribbles. Arrows connected names to each other, and question marks littered the space beside the statements with no link. I caught only a few words from it- Reynolds, Piper? , Shoe, Murder, Blow to the head. In a separate section, in capitals and surrounded by question marks was perhaps the most surprising; HELEN???

"Is that my name?" I indicated the location.

Nina looked at it, vaguely. Her mind was on other things. "Might be. Not as if you're easy to read. The method has...loopholes. You're a loophole." She looked ashamed to admit that her method didn't solve everything.

I changed the subject quickly, handing her a mug. "Made you hot chocolate. You had a hard day today, I wanted to check up on you."

She took it, trying to hide a smile. "This is becoming a bit of a habit. Five little marshmallows?"

"Uh, six. One for luck!"

"Is that the kind of maths you do to qualify you to be a cleaner?"

I stop myself from shooting a biting reply. Your temper always goes down with hot chocolate, I find.