The Hollow (17 page)

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 right 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.

I think I forgot to breathe while I slowly unwound several layers of red cloth. It kept getting smaller and smaller, until the last fold revealed the treasure inside.

It was a necklace. He had given me a necklace.

Very gently I picked it up. It appeared to be made out of tiny square glass plates, and the edges were soldered together all the way around. A small ring had been attached to the top, and a black satin ribbon was threaded through it. But the best part was what was underneath the glass's surface.

On the front, with a background of midnight blue, was the name Astrid etched in deep red flowing cursive letters. I traced the graceful lines with my fingertip, and carefully turned it over, eager to see the other side.

The back had the same brilliant blue background, but it was dotted with tiny white stars, and each one hung like a perfect diamond, dazzling against the nighttime canvas. It was absolutely exquisite. The most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Tying the ribbon around my neck, I jumped up from the bed and ran over to the mirror. The pendant lay in the hollow of my throat, and the black ribbon hugged my neck in a graceful V.

I couldn't stop staring at it. This
had
to mean he felt something for me. There was no way you would give something so personal to someone you were "just friends" with.

That thought filled me with a strange joy, and I gleefully danced around the room, only stopping when I came perilously close to knocking over my nightstand. I went to go look in the mirror one more time, and suddenly remembered the bath I was supposed to be taking.

I made my way over to the bathroom, pulled the plug on the tub, and turned on the water, wiggling the knob until it reached the temperature I liked. Then I added a heaping scoopfiil of bath salts and shut the door behind me as I left the room to take the necklace off.

I slowly untied the ribbon and held the small pendant in my hand. The metal edges were rough and bumpy, a stark contrast to the smooth plated glass. I was amazed at the perfect detailing. Where had he gotten it from? It was truly a masterpiece. A tiny work of art certainly worth more to me than any piece by Monet or van Gogh could ever be.

The sound of running water reminded me of my forgotten bath again, and I put the necklace down on the bed and raced into the bathroom. I was about an inch away from having an overflowing tub, but I made it in time.

I turned the faucet off and stripped out of my clothes before dipping a bare toe in. I shivered at the contact. It was so hot, it actually gave me chills. Giving myself time to adjust to the temperature, I sank in bit by bit and exhaled a happy sigh when I was fully immersed.
This
was heaven in a tub.

Reaching for the orange burlap bag that held my bath salts, I added another spoonful to the bathwater. A yummy pumpkin pie scent immediately filled the bathroom, and I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. The rough edges of the salts brushed against my skin while they sank to the bottom, and I swirled my hands gently around me, creating tiny waves to help them dissolve faster. The water was warm and soothing, and I felt my body slowly start to relax.

My mind drifted, and I found myself thinking about the last couple of months. So much had happened-good and bad. While I had come to terms with Kristen's death, in some sort of way, I was still troubled by everything I had learned from the diaries. And what about the plans for my shop? Would Kristen really want me to go through with them?

Then I thought about Caspian, which immediately brought a smile to my face. I hadn't completely worked out when, or how, I was going to tell him what I felt, but I still had plenty of time to figure it out. The right moment would come. Eventually.

I stayed in the tub until my fingers were pruney and I had relived that library kiss over and over again. Begrudgingly I climbed out and dried off, then marched over to survey my closet for something nice to wear. I ended up choosing a pink shirtdress that mom had bought for me last year for school. I would wear the dress for her, and my black combat boots for me. That was a good compromise.

After I got dressed, I put the necklace from Caspian back on and tied a black scarf around my neck to cover it up. I really wasn't in the mood to explain to Mom and Dad where it had come from, but I certainly wasn't going to
not
wear it.

Dragging my feet, I headed downstairs, looking forward to what was surely going to be the most boring night of my life.

Mom had gone with my suggestion of meat loaf, and I gave Aunt Marjorie a polite smile when she arrived. Dinner was fairly normal, while Mom and Dad did most of the talking. Aunt Marjorie completely shocked me, though, as she was holding the peas, when she announced that she used to wear black combat boots too, and she really liked mine.

The look of surprise on Mom's face was priceless, and I decided right then and there that Aunt Marjorie was officially my new favorite great-aunt.

She spent the rest of the evening telling me stories about her rebellious younger years, and how she used to be a pilot. She still had her own plane and everything. I kept urging her to tell me story after story, until dinner had ended and several hours had passed without either of us realizing it. When she gathered up her coat, I was genuinely sorry to see her go, but I promised to visit soon. And she promised to take me up in her plane and teach me a thing or two about flying.

Then she was officially my new favorite relative of
all time.

I'd had no idea someone that cool was related to me.

I couldn't wait to go visit her.

It felt like I had only shut my eyes for a couple of seconds when nine o'clock came the next morning. It certainly did
not
feel like I had just spent the last seven and a half hours in a comfortable bed, surrounded by soft pillows.

But once I got in the shower, the hot water did wonders. I had a feeling that Caspian might be at the cemetery today, and I wanted to thank him for the beautiful necklace.

I peeked out the window to gauge the weather, and saw the wind whipping through the trees, stirring up brightly colored maple leaves on the ground and making each one dance. I grabbed a red belted trench coat on my way out the door. I wasn't going to get caught in the cold this time.

The air outside was crisp and clean, and I breathed deeply. Everything looked so shiny and new. It was like a whole different world out here. I felt light, and pretty, and completely happy. Nothing could ruin my good mood…

… except wandering through a cemetery all morning, searching for someone who wasn't there.

To make matters worse, I'd skipped breakfast again, so that meant I was beyond hungry. "Hungry" had been an hour and a half ago. Now it felt like I could eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner all piled on top of each other.

I trudged along the cemetery path one last time, toward the river, with my hands tightly fisted in my pockets.
One more sweep.
I would make just one more sweep down by the bridge, and then I was totally out of here. Several hot fresh pizza slices were calling my name from the pizzeria downtown, and I didn't want to deny them.

Disappointment weighed heavily on my mind as I scanned under the bridge, desperate for a glimpse of Caspian.
He isn t here.

I slowly made my way back up to the main cemetery path, but took a right when I normally would have taken a left. The path split, and I started walking toward the other half of the cemetery, telling myself that there was no
particular
reason why I was going this way. This path would lead me out of the cemetery and to the pizza… eventually. It wasn't like I was going to see if Caspian was over on this side. That was something I was definitely
not
doing.