A Musician’s Tale - Chapter 8

-Ingrid’s POV

It wasn’t hard to provoke Kyle. It never has been. When he was near me, he immediately used his trumpet to stop me.

As I knew that it was coming I already started a counter with my flute. “Such impatience,” I said after countering his attack.

“Tch, it’s just you, old lady,”. I sighed, he always throws comments like this, thinking as if everyone was as easily agitated as he is.

“… You haven’t changed a bit, you’re still a brat,” I say coldly. I still remember when he was small and cute. Nothing like he is now.

“What was that!?” He roared.

“Why you chose this life is a mystery to me. But I will give you a choice. If you back out now and come work for Jade. It’ll be better for you.” I started playing Mozart’s flute concerto no. 2 calmly on my flute.

He didn’t say anything for a while. Then, he looked at me with a smug look. “Nah, I’m good. It’s about time that you’ve been put in your place, old lady.” He said, playing a foul note on his trumpet.

While I played my flute, I was immune to every attack he threw. When he got irritated enough, he came closer little by little. As long as I stayed focused on my music, nothing could hurt me except physical attacks.

But, Kyle did something unexpected… And surprisingly smart. He tried to retreat. However, since barriers are my specialty he couldn’t escape. He tried using his trumpet to escape but it ended in failure.

So he tried the very last thing he knew was the least likely, and the only way he could get out. That was, trying to make me lose focus.

“Ugh, you’re just too stubborn.” He rushed towards me kicking from above. To which, I easily dodged by ducking.

He glanced behind him briefly, then tried to punch my stomach. I gracefully twirled to my right, and ducked as he tried to kick me again. After one uppercut, one ax kick, and an attempt to trip me, he became the one who lost focus.

His movement was getting a lot faster but his eyes began being blinded by bloodlust. There is one thing a protéctor must remember. To never lose focus.

He stopped checking his back anymore. Him, now positioned behind a tree branch. I played one wrong note on my flute and Kyle was blown back, impaled by the tree branch.

“Argh!” He started to relax. Then, he fainted on the spot. “May we never meet again.” I say. Every bone in his body was shattered. He wouldn’t die but he wouldn’t be able to live happily either.

-3rd Person POV-

Ingrid met Marie in a small clearing with three strategically placed trees. “Marie, I didn’t expect you to beat me here.” Ingrid said calmly as ever, leaning behind the tree on the lower left.

“No mercy. Right?” Marie said, cheerily smiling while hiding behind her tree on the lower right.

“How is Natalie?” Ingrid. asked “She won’t be able to hear us. Or use the piano but other than that, she looks like she’s fine after all these years. She has not been a very good girl though.” Said Marie.

“And Kyle? Is he still a stubborn donkey?” Marie laughed, and Ingrid hummed in response.

“Oh, dear here they come~” Said Marie excitedly hiding behind the tree.

Jade came running in first,  dragging along Melodious and Skyler. Jade shoves Skyler to Marie, and Melodious to Ingrid.

Jade runs over to the tree in the center and hides.

“Now, Skyler, when I say so, whistle Canon in D Major, yes?” Marie asks and Skyler nodded.

“When I say so, whistle Canon in D Major.” Ingrid says strictly to Melodious. Melodious nods and crouches down, silently observing. “Smart child,” Said Ingrid kindly.

-Catherine’s POV –

Kalis followed me silently as I ran through the hedge maze. Jade told me to run to a small clearing near the bed of bluebells.

I look over the bed of bluebells and see the shine of a mirror near the small clearing. I ran there, going straight for the tree in the center.

As I reached the tree, Jade pulled me behind the tree and went to take a peek of Kalis. Jade gave me her phone and opened her notepad app.

Notes: Say these on my cue.

“Stop right there”

“Who are you?”

“… I won’t say a word till you confess…”

“Stay back!”

“That you killed Cannon”

Attack.

My eyes widen as I read these lines, Jade glances towards me with a smirk on her face.

‘W-what is she thinking?’ I think to myself, but I hear Kalis approach. I look at Jade one more time, wondering about these lines and how she would predict the outcomes.

“… Cannon?” He approached and Jade made a gun gesture with her hand which I assumed was the cue.

“Stop right there,” I said firmly. Kalis stopped immediately at the sound of my voice.

Jade made the same gesture and I said my lines perfectly. “Who are you?” And he answered me immediately

“Cannon I– I’m Kalis Evestone. Cannon, please tell me what happened to you.” I felt anger well up from within me.

“… I-I won’t say a word till you confess…” I stutter in anger. But, Jade is still lip-syncing perfectly without fault.

“Confess what?” He probed.

“You know what! You dense idiot! You killed Cannon Reniel De Lorre! You killed her sister! And you killed her son! You murdered them all!” I was blinded with rage, not reading Jade’s screen anymore.

-Jade’s POV-

I glanced again at Cannon but she was too blinded to notice. ‘This wasn’t what I wrote, but oh well, this works too,’ I thought to myself. I stopped lip-syncing but Kalis doesn’t look away from me. My hairpiece hid my face nicely. Even the shine of the moon couldn’t lift the veil of the shadows.

“You cold-blooded snake! Cannon and her whole family are dead because of you! Now it’s your turn.” I sighed as Cannon started whistling on cue.

Ingrid and Marie had just cued Skyler and Melodious. Kalis looked around confused.

I accompanied the melody with my guitar, Ingrid with her flute, and Marie with her harp.

His eyes started to

slowly close. Then, he fell on his knees and completely passed out. However, the Cannon kept going.

“You can stop now, Catherine,” I say, facing her. But she didn’t stop. Her whistle started to hurt, even my ears.

“Oh, dear, sorry for this, Catherine,” I swung my guitar and bonked her hard on the head.

The kids ran out in panic. “Was there really a need to hit her so hard?!” Skyler yelled at me.

“First of all, young man, do not yell at me or I will hit you. Second of all, yes, yes it was necessary. You do not know what your mother is capable of. Ha… I was not expecting you to find out in such a grand way. But, I didn’t expect you two to find out at all.” I pointed my guitar at the two playfully.

“Welp, I guess I’ll be carrying her this time…” I sighed, picking up Catherine.

“Come on, guys, let’s get out of here before your dad wakes up,” Skyler and Melodious stop dead in their tracks and gave me a look like I had a horse for a head– No wait then they’d laugh, I guess I had a sheep for a head? Nah, they looked at me like I was crazy.

“I guess, Catherine has a lot of explaining to do.” I said, walking away, leaving the two boys who rushed to me when they finished processing everything.