The Hollow

by Jessica Verday

  Four sheets of cookies and thirteen kick-ass songs later, it was time for me to get ready to go see Caspian. Exactly one hour after that, I was dressed in jeans and a red sweater, and back downstairs putting some of the cookies into a paper bag.

  Since neither of the parental units had yelled at me to turn down the music earlier, I figured they were both probably out of the house already and at one of their endless meetings. I left a few cookies on a plate next to the coffeepot for them to find. That should earn me a couple of "good daughter" bonus points. Then I double-checked the oven to make sure I had turned it off, grabbed the bag for Caspian, and shut the door behind me on my way out.

  I didn't feel the cold at first as I briskly stepped into the wind. But it didn't take long before I started wishing that I had grabbed a heavier coat and some gloves to go with it. The wind blew hard, and I felt its cold breath whipping against me. I shuddered and bent my head slightly, trying to ignore it as I walked to the cemetery.

  Making my way through the gates and toward the path that lead to the river, I found Caspian at the Irving family plot. His back was turned, and he was dressed all in black, but I would have recognized that hair anywhere. I slowed down, moving carefully and silently until I was directly behind him.

  "Caspian," I whispered. If he heard me, he didn't let on. He held perfectly still. I took another step, and was now right next to him. He was staring at Washington living's grave. I reached out to touch his arm.

  "Coins. Why do you think they leave coins?" His quiet voice sent a chill through me, and for some reason I pulled my hand back. He turned his head to look at me, and his eyes were slightly unfocused. "Do you think it means anything? To him, I mean?" He looked genuinely perplexed at the question.

  I wasn't sure if I should answer or not.

  Then he blinked and his expression changed. A smile lit up his face. "Astrid. I'm glad you came."

  My head spun. Did he know how much his smile made my heart melt? Or the way his voice sent tingles up and down my arms, and butterflies fluttering wildly inside my stomach? Someday I'll be able to tell him how he makes me feel. But not today.

  I smiled back. "Hi, Caspian."

  Did my smile make him melt? Did my voice make him feel funny, or send chills racing through his body? I vowed to ask him those things someday. But not today.

  "I hope you're not still mad at me." I peeked shyly at him.

  "Mad at you?" he asked. "Why would I be mad at you?"

  "Because I didn't meet you here last week. I thought you were pissed about that."

  He shook his head. "I wasn't mad at you. How were you supposed to know that I'd be here?"

  "I don't know. I guess I just thought…" I shrugged. "I don't know."

  "I wasn't mad, Abbey," he reassured me. "Believe me?" He had that serious little-boy look on his face again. Yeah, like I could resist that.

  "Okay," I sighed dramatically. "I believe you." I grinned to let him know I was teasing and was rewarded with a smile in return. Remembering the cookies, I held the bag out and gestured to them. "I made you some cookies so you wouldn't be mad at me. But since you weren't ever mad, I guess I'll just have to keep them."

  He tugged the bag playfully out of my hand. "On second thought, if they're snickerdoodle cookies, then I think I do need them to help me get over my anger." He gave me a mock scowl.

  I laughed at his act. "Of course they're snickerdoodle. I wouldn't make you any other kind. Do you want to go sit under the bridge to eat them? It should be warmer there." I shivered and rubbed my hands together. It was really cold out here.

  He immediately looked contrite. "You're cold? Why didn't you wear a heavier jacket?"

  "Like you're one to talk? You don't even have one on."

  He looked down and seemed surprised. Then he laughed. "I never wear one. I guess I'm warm-blooded. But you're right about the bridge; we'll go there."

  We turned away from the gravestone and started to walk down the hill. We didn't talk, but it wasn't an awkward silence. It was comfortable. Tiny pebbles crunched under our feet as we followed the path to the riverbank. It was colder by the water, until we stepped underneath the cover of the bridge. I felt warmer already just being with him.

  Another moment of silence passed by. I stared at a jagged crack in the concrete wall that made up part of the support pillar for the bridge.

  "So I went to see Kristen's mom last week, and I found something hidden under Kristen's bed. She was keeping two diaries." Focusing on that crack, I tried to give my mind something else to dwell on. "One was written like the Kristen I knew, but the other one… It was filled with some stuff I wasn't expecting to find."

  I could hear the quiet rush of the river next to me, and I looked over at the water. "Did you ever think you knew someone, and then find out it was all bullshit?" The words exploded out of my mouth. The thoughts were tumbling out of me, and I was helpless to stop any of it. The dam had been breached. I shoved my hands into my pockets out of sheer frustration. "I thought I knew Kristen. She was supposed to be my best friend, and I told her everything. Everything!

  "She was lying to me the whole time, and I never even knew it. I'm such an idiot! I mean, how can you do that to someone? How can you pretend to be someone else, and hide who you really are? How can anyone do that?" I scuffed my shoe in the dirt.

  "Maybe she didn't have a choice," Caspian said softly. "Some people don't have choices about the secrets they keep."

  I dismissed his logic. "Kristen had a choice. No one forced her to keep a secret boyfriend from me. She could have told me about him anytime. Besides, it's practically one of the requirements of being a best friend. You don't keep secrets from people you care about, and you definitely don't keep secrets like that." My voice shook, and I felt dangerously close to that tear threshold. I blinked quickly and took a deep breath. I was not going to embarrass myself by blubbering like a baby.

  "So Kristen had a secret boyfriend, then, I take it?" Caspian asked. "Do you think she was meeting him here that night?"

  "I don't know. But I think they were… really involved."

  Caspian glanced over at me, but I couldn't look him in the eye. Ann, embarrassment. Always a friend of mine.

  "Did she mention a name anywhere?"

  I shook my head. "Only the initial D. There was definitely something up, though. Her whole writing style changed, like she was getting depressed. I never noticed it in person," I said sadly. "I don't know how she managed to keep it from me. It must have been a difficult thing to do."

  "I'm sure she had her reasons," Caspian said. "She must have. I don't think she would have kept something like that from you without having a very good reason. Trust her, Abbey."

  "Trust her? After she lied to me for months?"

  He didn't reply. But it didn't bother me. I just needed someone to vent to, someone to listen to my frustrations. I obviously didn't have a best friend to fill that role anymore. We were both quiet for a long time, so I leaned against the wall and slid to the ground.

  Okay, so maybe I was looking for someone to talk back, to tell me that I wasn't crazy and had every right to feel the way I did.

  But we didn't talk about anything else, and a moment later he slid down beside me. We were both caught up in our own little worlds.

  My world was interrupted when my cell phone buzzed. Voice mail message. I flipped it open and saw that I was in an area that didn't have any reception. I checked my missed calls folder, and Mom's number was listed there.

  "So are you going to eat any of your cookies, or wait until you get home again?" I asked Caspian, trying to lighten the mood before our day ended badly.

  He looked over at me like he had been startled from a deep thought. "What?" Then he looked at the bag between us. "Oh, yeah." He laughed. "Are you kidding? I can't wait to dig in." He carefully opened the bag and took out a cookie that was broken in half. As he took a bite, I glanced at my phone again.

  "I'm going to go check my voice mail. I'll be righ
t back."

  He nodded, and continued chewing. I stood up and walked out from under the bridge to an area farther away where I would get better reception. Mom's voice came in loud and clear through the voice mail. I sighed heavily, not even bothering to listen to what she had to say, and quickly punched the save button as I walked back toward the bridge.

  "You know," I said, closing my phone once I got closer to Caspian, "if you gave me a cell number, it would make finding you a whole lot easier."

  There was a sheepish look on his face as he stood up. "I know this is going to sound very twentieth century, but… I don't have one."

  My jaw dropped.

  "You don't have a cell phone?"

  "Nope."

  I couldn't believe what he was saying.

  "Okay, then what about your home phone number?"

  He shook his head again. "That one's not really any good either. My dad keeps it off the hook. He sleeps strange hours."

  "Screen name, e-mail address… So I can text you?" I could see the answer coming before he even got it out. I was in a state of shock.

  "Look, Abbey," he said. "I'm not trying to be weird here or anything. It's just that I don't spend very much time at home. And I don't hang around the computer when I am there. Don't worry so much about it. We'll find each other."

  Caspian held the rest of his cookie half out to me. "Cookie? They're some of the best I've ever tasted."

  I took the peace offering and smiled. Putting it into my mouth, I felt a secret thrill that his lips had just touched this cookie. So that almost translated into him kissing me again. I munched away happily, being careful to swallow very thoroughly, and then ran my tongue over my teeth to get rid of any stray crumbs.

  "I'm going to be kind of busy over the next couple of weeks," he said, "but we'll work something out."

  I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off.

  "I already told you not to worry so much, Abbey. Relax." He was smiling at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. I think he was starting to figure out that I would agree to pretty much anything for that smile.

  "Okay, okay," I replied. "Enjoy the rest of your cookies, and I'll see you around."

  "See?" he said with a wide grin. "That's not so hard, is it, Astrid? No worries." He bowed his head slightly. "Thank you very much for the cookies. I'm pretty sure they'll be gone before I get home. Now before you leave, close your eyes and hold out your hand."

  I stared at him.

  He waited.

  I sighed dramatically and stuck out my hand while I closed my eyes. Nothing happened.

  "Are you sure you have your eyes closed?" he asked.

  "Very sure."

  "Do you promise to open this at home?"

  That was a tough promise to make. He has something to give me? It was a very, very long walk home.

  "Abigail Astrid?" he prompted.

  I laughed. "Yes, yes, I promise. Even though I will be dying of curiosity, I promise not to open whatever you give me until I get home."

  Something small and soft dropped into my open hand. It felt like a piece of cloth, and before I opened my eyes, I put it right into my pocket. The temptation might be too great if I saw it.

  "Bye, Abbey," I heard Caspian call out. "Remember your promise."

  My eyes flew open, but he was already walking away from me in the opposite direction. I smiled when I felt the small thing in my pocket. Maybe I should try running home, I thought.

  "Bye, Caspian," I called out, turning to go the other way. But my mind went back to the cell phone conversation, and something he had said bugged me. "Wait, Caspian!" I spun back around.

  He was far away, but he heard me and turned back. "You know, I don't even know your last name!" I shouted. Even from a distance I could see the gleam in his eye.

  "Crane!" he shouted back. "It's Caspian Crane."

  Chapter Fourteen

  New Friends

  Several of the Sleepy Hollow people were present at Van Tassel's, and, as usual, were doling out their wild and wonderful leaends.

  "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"

  I barely made it home. The suspense was absolutely killing me. I alternated between a half run and a half walk that quickly left me gasping for air. I was so not in shape for this. Several times I was tempted to look at what was in my pocket, but then I would hear Caspian's words, and my promise to him, and the guilt stopped me.

  When the front door finally came into view, I was extremely relieved. I ran up the steps to the porch, panting heavily, and anxiously searched my pants for the key. After fishing it out of my back pocket, I stuck it into the keyhole. Then the knob turned on its own and the door opened. Startled, I looked up into Mom's face.

  "Oh good, you're ho- What's wrong with you?" she asked. "Were you running?"

  My eyes immediately dropped to the ground. I couldn't exactly tell her I was meeting a boy in a graveyard. I took several gulps of air, trying to calm my breathing back down, but it wasn't helping.

  "What happened?" Mom's voice was rising, and I put up a hand to try to stop her worry.

  "Nothing's wrong," I gasped. "I just walked home… a little too quickly. I remembered… some homework… I have to finish."

  "But it's Saturday."

  My breathing started slowing to a somewhat normal level. "Mom… nobody wants to do homework on Sunday." I headed to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water before I flopped down onto a bar stool next to the table. I chussed the water as fast as I could.

  "Careful," she warned. "You'll get sick if you drink that too fast."

  I sat the now empty bottle down on the table and smiled wryly at her. She was soooo helpful. Feeling around in my pocket for the millionth time, I wondered again what the surprise could be as I ran my fingers over the soft edges. I glanced at the clock on the wall, and judged how quickly I could make an escape to my room. The curiosity really was going to kill me any second now.

  "I'm glad you got my message about tonight, Abbey." Mom's voice interrupted my plans.

  Message? Right Mom had left me a voice mail message at the bridge. I squirmed in my chair. I hadn't exactly listened to what she'd said.

  I bluffed. "Yeah, I got your voice mail, but I had terrible reception at the bridge." I left it at that, hoping she would assume I hadn't heard the entire message because of the bad reception.

  "You've been spending a lot of time at the bridge by yourself." She frowned. "I know it was your favorite spot to go with Kristen, but it's not healthy for you to be alone there all the time. Maybe you should see if any of your friends from school want to get together. We could plan something fun, like a girls' night out type of thing."

  If only she knew how not alone I am when I'm at the bridge

  … But that wasn't something I was going to share with my mother. I deferred. "Yeah, maybe I'll ask them."

  Maybe in another lifetime.

  But it put a happy look on Mom's face, and she started chattering away again. "Okay, so for dinner tonight with Aunt Marjorie, I was thinking about roast beef, but then I realized I don't even know if she likes beef. What if she prefers chicken, or lamb?"

  I tuned out the rest of the conversation. Dinner… Tonight… Aunt Marjorie… I smiled weakly and tried to nod at all the appropriate moments as Mom babbled on, while I also fidgeted in my chair, anxious to get to the privacy of my own room.

  Mom beamed. "It's really nice that you're looking forward to this, honey. Aunt Marjorie will like that."

  I could be opening Caspian's gift right now… At this very second, holding it in my greedy little hands… My leg started twitching on its own, ready to race upstairs at a moment's notice.

  "You're awfully restless." Mom scowled. "Why don't you go take a nice hot bath to calm your nerves? I know we haven't seen Aunt Marjorie for several years, but there's no reason to be anxious about it."

  I hopped up from the stool, glad to have an excuse. "Sounds like a good idea, Mom. I'm all sweaty and gross from running too." I don't
know if she heard me or not. She was already moving on to something else, probably checking the fridge for ingredients for dinner, or whatever. "What time are we eating?" I asked as I tossed the empty water bottle into the recycling bin.

  "Six o'clock," was her distracted reply. "And try to wear something nice for Aunt Marjorie."

  I made a face at her as I walked out of the kitchen. "Wear something nice." What am I, ten? I let that thought go, though, as soon as I realized where I was going and what that meant.

  Present. From Caspian. Opened soon.

  Sprinting up the stairs, I told myself the whole way that I was almost there. It was almost time to find out what his surprise for me was. My heart skipped a beat when I finally made it to my room, and I locked the door behind me. Carefully taking the small item out of my pocket, I laid it reverently on the bed. It was wrapped in a piece of red fabric.

  I kicked off my shoes and sat down cross-legged, readjusting myself until I was in a comfortable position. Then I picked the piece of cloth up. A sudden knock on the door interrupted me, and I almost jumped off the bed. "What?" I called out, shoving the present under my pillow.

  Mom's muffled voice came echoing through the door. "Abbey, I need your opinion on something. I just called the store to order the roast beef, and they're all out. Do you think I should get chicken, or lamb? Or what about fish? Do you think Aunt Marjorie would like a nice baked-"

  "Mom!" I exploded, cutting her off midsentence. "I don't care! Get whatever you want. I'm pretty sure Aunt Marjorie will eat anything you put in front of her. Or, why don't you make like… meat loaf… or something."

  "That's a good idea," she said. "Do you think she'll like that?"

  "Yes, Mother, I do. Now go start making it. I'm getting in the bathtub, remember?"

  "Okay." She laughed. "Thanks, Abbey. Enjoy your bath."

  I held my breath until I heard her footsteps fade away. Reaching for my pillow, I pulled out the present and cradled it in my lap, exhaling deeply. I stared at the door for a couple of minutes, waiting to see if there were going to be any more interruptions, but it looked like everything was clear.