The Piper's Call

Chapter 13

You guys are awesome for bothering to read this, just thought I should remind you. : D

Later!

Chapter 13- Unwelcome Evidence

Nina P.O.V.

 Seven seconds. It had taken roughly seven seconds for Helen to start breathing again. In ten seconds she had stumbled to her feet. In twenty seconds, she was grabbing any remaining money lying on the kitchen table. She tossed me her handbag and grabbed a gleaming steak knife from the kitchen drawers, wedging it into her belt. One minute.

"Nina, we have to leave. Right now." There was a distinct quaver in her voice. A pint of blood seemed to drain from her face. I couldn't understand this statement, I couldn't leave! Not at this stage of the investigation...

Three minutes. Thereabouts. "I can't, Helen. I'm so close to finding this Piper, I just need to-"

Helen dismissed the thought with a wild hand gesture. "No way! Let the police deal with it, we're going."

That felt like three thousand bee stings. "The police? Helen, that's insane! Not now, I know I can do this! Don't you understand? I can stop all of this!"

 She threw down the belongings she was sifting through and answered me in a hurried tone, "There are plenty of other people who can manage it, Nina." She walked out and called out from outside the door, "Nina, move."

"I..." I remembered all the times I had left with Dad. A new place, a new adventure. We were running to find something new, something bright and beautiful. But this was different. Helen's eyes twitched, she wrung her hands together. Signs of anxiety. Helen did not display other symptoms of a nervous personality. It could be seen as an natural animal reaction, a reaction triggered by fear. Helen was running away. But from what?

"MOVE!" The harsh tone spurred me forwards. My legs felt like lead pillars, this felt wrong. I had to stay here. After all of my hard work, there was more to this. Helen sighed and urged me along, placing a firm hand on the small of my back. It was shaking, extra proof of my earlier theory. 

That made eight minutes. Ignoring Angelo's small talk, Helen pushed the pair out of us outside. Sleet lashed down on the ground, thunder rumbled across the veil of dark clouds forming that stretched across the sky. A storm was coming. Fumbling with her car keys, she unlocked the car. I threw myself down on the car door, keeping it shut.

"No, Helen. Why are we leaving?"

"Nina, it doesn't matter. We just have to leave."

"Why?" I made an effort to keep the shake out of my voice. The sleet beat down heavily, it must be the reason why Helen was shaking so violently.

"Nina, I have never asked you for anything! I work all day at that school for you. Just for once, can't you be a normal kid?" Helen's voice was dangerously quiet, her fists clenched at her sides. Sign of anxiety? No. Anger? Seeing the smouldering glint in her eyes, it was a valid possibility.

"Why?" The hand came in so quickly, it was no more than a blur. The slap was forceful, but not accurate. A split second reaction, it hadn't been planned. That fact didn't make it sting any less. Using my surprise against me, she got a tight grip on my arm and wrenched the car door open, half throwing me inside. Twelve minutes.

She took the wheel and twisted the keys faster than I thought possible. Flooring the accelerator, we lurched out into the driveway. Fourteen minutes.

"I'm sorry, Nina. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Helen kept repeating the words in a choked voice. I wondered whether it was an effort to calm me or herself. Whichever it was, it didn't appear to be working very well. She was clearly in an unreasonable state, not fit to operate heavy machinery. The speedometer needle shot sideways, flickering between 90 and 100mph. Seventeen minutes.