Chapter Nine

Lunch with Lee's

The first thing Selene felt when she woke up was a calm daze, followed by irrational fear. Why was she so worried again? And why did it feel like she had no sleep at all?

She sat up in bed and stretched her arms out, then stopped in mid stretch. The night before came back and hit her like a ton of bricks. It took her a moment to remember and grasp it all.

"Oh yea…" she murmured to herself. Then she realized she looked like she was trying to imitate a bird and put her arms down.

She got up and looked outside. It appeared to be afternoon, she'd slept through nearly the entire day! She hurriedly changed out of her nightgown and into a worn dark blue dress before running out the door.

"Whoa ho! Where are you going in such a hurry?" asked Marie catching Selene as the younger woman ran into her.

"I have to go find Belle. She ran off and I have no idea where she might be."

"Exactly. So where do you plan on looking?"

"I-" She stopped. 'I have no idea. Wait, yes I do!'

"Anna. She knows all about horses, she'll help me find her."

"And what will you tell her when she asks how she ran off? You can't tell the truth, she'll think you're mad."

"I'll- I'll say she…" Selene stopped to think a moment, then a little light bulb went off in her head.

"I'll say on the way home we encountered Jaegar! I won't call him that of course. I'll say we were running through the forest, and we nearly collided with him. I got knocked from the saddle, and Belle saw him and ran. I hid in the underbrush and he ran off toward the loggers." Selene nodded, proud of herself for coming up with a good story.

"You might want to say 'north of Sleepy Hollow' rather than 'toward the loggers.' How were you suppose to know they were there if you hid and then came home?"

"Oh, I see your point. Alright then, thanks Marie," and she continued on her way around the cliff toward Anna's home.

"Be careful!" Marie shouted after her.

She had been walking for a few minutes when she heard it.

'How is your shoulder, Fraulein?'

Selene gasped and spun around even thought she wouldn't see him.

"What do you want?"

'What's wrong?' Jaegar's voice asked.

"'What's wrong?' You are asking me what's wrong? You try to kill me and then just expect to be on friendly terms with you?" She shouted to the forest.

'Calm yourself, Mien Fraulein. I never meant to harm you. You ran from me, so I went after you,' he said as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Why?" she demanded, her voice turned down a bit.

'Why? Now you aren't making any sense. Do you think, after looking for you for so long, I'd just let you go like that? When I practically had you in my grasp?' He sounded slightly irritated, but Selene didn't care.

"What do you want with me? Why am I so important?" Selene asked. She was calm now, but still a little on edge. Jaegar didn't answer right away.

'I tell you if you come to me tonight, and promise not to run away.'

Selene sighed and thought it over. She didn't want to, but if she said no, how was she to know he wouldn't come after her anyway? 'I'm trapped,' she thought.

"Alright, I'll meet you. Where?"

'At the center of the forest is a huge tree, the tree of the dead. Come to me there.'

"Ok. So what do you want me for?"

'Ah, but if I tell you now, what's to keep you coming to me?'

Selene glared, but that only made him laugh. Her stomach tingled at that laugh.

She continued walking to try and put his voice behind her.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to find my horse, thanks to you."

'What do you mean?'

"She doesn't like dead things."

'Ah… I apologize for that. I often forget what reaction my presence gets.'

Selene ignored him and kept walking. She knew she should feel at least uneasy around him, but she just couldn't.

When she reached the edge of the forest, Selene broke out into a run. She loved the feeling of running over grass barefooted. She remembered just the other day when she was riding Belle over this ground. 'Wow, just the other day I still had no idea who Jaegar was…'

'You called?'

"I wasn't talking to you." She snapped at him.

'It's not like I can help it, whenever you say or think my name I have to come.'

"Why?"

'All will be explained soon enough.'

"If you're not gonna tell me anything important, you can just shut up."

'So polite…'

Selene ignored him again and continued running. When she came upon the hill where she had met Anna last time, she stopped then began walking up the hill. Anna will know where to find Belle. She got to the top of the hill and looked over the green pastures.

They were empty. No horses. No Anna. No Belle.

"Dammit…" She muttered.

She stood there thinking. She couldn't even see the horses, as big a herd as they were. She spotted the small house in the distance and cringed. She could go knock on the door and ask for Anna. What if it wasn't her house?

'Of course it's her house,' thought Selene, 'she told me so last time, Right?'

"Only one way to find out…" She thought out loud.

She walked down the hill with purpose heading for the little farmhouse. As she got closer, she noticed that half the house wasn't a house at all. There was a barn built right into the house.

The closer she got, the more nervous she became. More 'what if's' slid into her mind.

'What if she's not there?'

She was close enough now to see and hear people moving around in the barn.

'What if they tell me to leave?'

She cringed when she heard someone shouting.

'What if they say I'm trespassing on their property?'

She heard some people inside laughing.

'What if she pretends not to know me so she can make fun of me?'

'No,' said a more confident voice in her head. 'She wouldn't do that, she called you her best friend! She'll help us.'

'But what if she's not home? Then what will we do?'

They were close enough to touch the back porch now. Suddenly Anna's laugh rang out above the other people's.

'I guess that answers that…'

Selene took a deep breath and walked resolutely up the wooden steps. She hesitated, then knocked three times on the door. Instantly the laughter stopped and she heard a woman ask, "Now who can that be?" from inside. Selene nearly turned and hid, but within seconds the door was opened.

Standing at the door was an older woman. She wore a faded yellow dress and white apron that contrasted with her dark skin. She was large, taller that Selene and wider too. She was wiping her callused hands on her apron and smiling down at Selene.

"Well hello there. What can I do for you?" She asked kindly.

"Um, I'm- I'm looking for Anna," said Selene in a timid murmur.

"Selene?" asked Anna's voice from behind the woman. The woman moved aside and Anna was there, taking Selene up in a big hug.

"What are you doing here?" Anna asked Selene when she let go of her.

Selene opened her mouth to tell when the large woman spoke up again.

"Anna, where are your manners?"

"Oh," she said, "pardon me. Selene, this is Joan," she gestured to the woman who nodded back, "my brother Carl," she motioned toward a short man seated at the table who waved back, "and you know my dad."

Mr. Lee smiled at Selene. "Good to see you again."

"Same here," replied Selene smiling back.

'I told you they wouldn't hate you,' said the confident voice in her head. For a moment she wondered if it was another ghost, but she immediately dismissed the thought. She knew it was just another part of her.

"Won't you please join us for lunch?" Offered Mr. Lee.

"I'd love to," she replied.

Anna sat down on one side of the table and Selene sat next to her.

"Careful," warned Carl. "That's Eddy's seat. He gets upset if he's not sitting by Anna."

Anna gasped and threw her napkin at Carl who only laughed and threw it back.

"That's enough of that," said Mr. Lee obstructing their napkin war.

"Hey Joan," called Carl. "When are we gonna eat?"

"When the boys get in from the barn." She responded.

At that moment, the screen door banged open making Selene jump and reach for the knife she always kept on her, hidden on her leg beneath her dress. She relaxed a little when four people walked in and sat around the table completely ignoring her. They were all talking loudly.

"So where do you think she came from?" asked a teen who looked like he was Joan's son.

"I dunno, maybe the town?" replied a young man who had fiery red hair and a handsome smile.

"Nah," said a third who looked even younger than Anna and had the same blonde hair. "I know all about everyone from Sleepy Hollow, and I've never seen that horse before.

"What's all this about?" Asked Mr. Lee.

"We found a new mare among the herd." Supplied the fourth man. He was bigger even than Mr. Lee, but it looked like he'd been working hard all his life. What caught her attention about him was that he was bald. She'd never seen a person with no hair before.

"We might not have found her, she looks like she's at the very least half andalusian. But she had a saddle and bridal on. Poor thing was covered in sweat, like it ran all night. I think she got the rest of the herd upset, they were all spooked."

"What color was she?" asked Selene surprising them all.

"She was all black," said the youngest boy who was now sitting across from Selene.

Selene stood up and Anna followed suit.

"What's wrong Selene?"

"Belle ran off the other night, that's why I came to ask for your help. I thought you could help me find her since you know a lot about horses, but now it seems like I won't have to."

"No need worrying about her now then," said Joan from behind the two girls, making Selene jump and spin around. "The horse will still be there after we eat. Now sit down, the both of you so I can serve."

"Here, here," cheered Carl.

Selene and Anna sat down and soup was ladled out into bowls in front of them.

"Who's your friend, Anna?" asked the young redhead on the other side of Anna.

"Oh! Selene, this is Eddy," the young redhead waved. "This is my younger brother Dean," She pointed to the blonde boy who also waved. "This is Henry," The big man smiled and nodded to her. "And this is George." The teen smiled at her and Selene smiled back. "This is Selene everyone."

They all looked up from their food at Selene. Eddy said, "I wondered when we'd get to meet Anna's wild friend who lived alone in the forest."

Selene grew pale, but then relaxed when none of them started treating her any different.

She looked down and began to eat her soup to avoid looking at the people watching her.

"Eat your soup and leave the girl alone," ordered Joan sitting down on Selene's other side with her own bowl of soup. "It's rude to stare."

Everyone ate and talked about everything. Eddy, Henry, George, and Carl talked about the horses, Dean was asking Mr. Lee about his job with Joan listening and Anna seemed to be looking back and forth between the two conversations, adding a comment here and there. It was so different than what Selene was used to!

"So, Selene," said Eddy getting her attention. "How do you do it? It must be hard living in the forest, let alone by your self."

"Oh it's not that bad," Selene replied after a moment. "Marie, my aunt, is home now, so it's easier. Not as much to do."

"But it must be dangerous!" added Dean. "I heard Brock saying he had fought off a dark spirit."

Selene gave an un-ladylike snort. "There's nothing in the forest like that. The worst things in the forest are wolves, but they only come around on lean winters.

When she stopped she realized the whole table was watching her and she blushed and looked away.

"Then why did Belle run off?" asked Anna.

Selene hesitated, looking around at the other people at the table. She really didn't want to lie to these people. They shared their meal with her.

'Just pretend you're only telling them a story,' said her voice of conviction.

"Well," she started, gaining new determination from the little voice. "I was riding through the woods to check up on everything. That's one of the jobs I've had since I was little."

"Have you ever found anything?" interrupted George, causing Joan to shush him.

"Um, the first thing I found was Belle, Marie and I found her wandering through the wood as a baby. There was a buggy that looked like it'd crashed a long time ago, a burnt down windmill (What that was doing in the forest I have no idea), and I once found a man who was lost."

"Really?" said George and Selene nodded.

"But if you've had her since she was a baby, I'd think Belle would be extremely loyal," added Mr. Lee trying to get back on topic.

"She is, we just- ran into a little trouble." Selene paused and took a drink from the water glass that had been placed at her spot on the table before she had arrived, using the moment to pull together details of her story.

"We were running along one of the paths we like to travel, when suddenly a rider shot out in front of us. All I saw of him was a big mass of black before Belle stood up neighing, throwing me from the saddle. I landed behind her, but when she spun around I clambered off the path to get out of the way. The rider who scared her off had stopped and was looking around, probably for me."

Selene paused and took another drink, thinking of what to say next. 'Best keep it short and sweet,' she thought.

"He was the most terrifying man I've ever seen. He was sitting astride the biggest horse I've ever seen; the beast's shoulder was about as tall as I am. The man was wearing some sort of old style of black and green armor. His face was deathly pale and he had mussed up black hair and eerie blue eyes. And his teeth… They weren't teeth at all, but fangs." She paused and added a well-placed shudder.

"His ghostly blue eyes fell on me and I couldn't breathe for fear. I thought I wouldn't ever see the sun rise again. But whether he saw me or not I don't know; he rode on."

A fearful silence fell over the table, ringing with Selene's words. Selene had to concentrate hard on her soup to keep from smiling. It worked! They believed her! She mentally gave herself a pat on the back.

"No way," said Dean breaking the silence.

A jolt of fear ran up Selene's spine. Maybe she didn't have them as fooled as she thought.

"Which way did he ride?" continued Dean excitedly.

Selene had to stifle her sigh of relief. 'This is a tricky business, lying. You never know when you'll be found out! I don't think I want anything more to do with it."

"North," she answered. "Just above Sleepy Hollow."

"That's amazing!" he cried. "Remember what I was telling you guys in the barn?" He asked looking at Eddy, Henry and George, "about all those people they found beheaded? The survivors gave a description about a guy like that! I think there was a woman too, but she ran off before the guy came. Wow Selene, that guy could have killed you!"

"Yea, I thought so." Selene's face paled at the memory of those loggers.

'Jaegar had taken them out so easily! What if he tries to do the same to me tonight?'

"Before she realized what she had done, she heard him again.

'Selene, I would never do that to you. I will never hurt you, Fräulein.'

She jumped slightly, but only Anna noticed. The rest of the table was engrosed in conversation about the killings last night.

"Are you okay?" Anna whispered to Selene.

"Yea," she whispered back.

'I hate it when you do that,' Selene thought to Jaegar.

'Es tut mir leid, dass. I apologize. But you were the one who called me.'

'Oh shut up.' She snapped back.

'Such manners,' he teased.

Selene began eating her soup and listening to the table's conversation, all the while aware of Jaegar's presence in the back of her mind.

"All kinds of rumors have been flying all over town," said Dean.

George cut in, "but you said you didn't believe any of them."

"Yea, well that was before I heard Selene's story. It fits in perfectly! How else would she know what he looked like?"

"Maybe…"

"But you know what rumor I've heard the most? The one that everyone's talking about?"

"What?" asked Joan, smiling as though she only asked to humor him.

He bent low over the table and whispered, "They're sayin' that the Headless Horseman has returned."

Selene choked on her soup and Joan patted her back roughly.

"Are you ok Selene?" the concerned older woman asked.

Selene swallowed and nodded, eyes streaming. She wiped them with her napkin and looked up at Dean again.

Taking this as his cue to continue the story, he told the whole rumor in hushed tones.

"They're saying now that he has his head back, he's just looking for people to kill. That maybe that crazy Archer woman was doing us all a favor by keeping him under control."

"Wow," murmured Anna, speaking quietly like Dean. "Selene, maybe you and your aunt should move out of the forest. It's not safe there anymore. You could come stay with us."

Selene felt Jaegar's presence rise up defiantly and foreboding and she felt his possessiveness and stubbornness about letting her go. Selene tried to shake him off, but he seemed to cling to her, making her panic a little.

Selene shook her head in answer to Anna's question. "I couldn't impose upon you like that, and besides, Marie, my aunt, was living in the forest before and during the first escapade of the Horseman. She has secrets of keeping us safe. We will be fine."

"Secrets? Like magic?" asked George seemingly very interested.

"You could say that."

Anna shuddered and Selene looked worriedly at her.

"Are you ok?" Selene asked her.

"Yea," Anna muttered skittishly.

"Poor Anna," murmured Eddy wrapping an arm around Anna's shoulders. "She's scared of magic," he said to Selene while still looking at Anna.

"Get off," said Anna lightheartedly and pulled Eddy's arm off her. "I'm not scared of magic, I just don't like it. And what have I told you about that?"

"Sorry princess," apologized Eddy playfully, obviously not meaning it.

Anna gave a ladylike snort and glared impishly at him.

Selene, who had been watching their display with some curiosity, looked back down to finish her soup and found it empty. She looked around the table and saw most of the others had finished too.

"Well boys," said Mr. Lee standing up. "Why don't you go show Selene the horse you found? I'm sure she's anxious to find her horse."

Gonna keep my ranting to a minimal now. Hope you liked! Now that you've read, please review.

Nox