Chapter 25

Hatred

Wooo…evil eye. Very evil! Lol! Anywhoo please read and review! I don't own Ichabod or Sleepy Hollow. Only Selena!

Ichabod sat at his desk late in the night only a small candle keeping the darkness from taking over his room. Looking through different papers and notes he had made he discussed them in his mind wondering how it all fit together.

Suddenly a noise was heard of a door opening and creaking on the stairs. Standing up quickly he shook Masbath awake who was asleep on a chair besides him. Taking a latern Ichabod quickly followed as Masbath somewhat sluggishly.

They saw a figure in a long black cape carrying a latern making their way out the front door of the residence. Ichabod and Masbath quickly followed the figure into the dark night as it moved quickly as if floating over the fog into the dark tree's.

Selena stood there looking out her window watching Ichabod and Masbath running through the tree's. "I wonder what they are up too?"

As quickly as she could she grabbed her shawl, ran down the stairs as quietly as she could and out into the dark night.

Ichabod and Masbath advanced towards a hill as Ichabod pistol in hand stopped Masbath but continued forward himself.

Peeking over, he found a semi naked man and a semi naked woman in a sexual position. Upon further looking he finds it to be the Lady Van Tassel, ripping the man's shirt from his body as she grabbed a small knife lifting it.

Ichabod was about to shout out, until she raising the knife and slices a line along her hand, as blood began to spill from her hand.

She began to rub her bleeding hand all over her partners back as he grunted in desperation. Her partner raised her hand and began sucking and licking her blood. Ichabod held in his disgust as on further inspection he found it to be Reverund Steenwych.

Ichabod's eyes widened as he backed away seeing more then enough.

Selena made her way through the dark forest seeing a small light. She followed it, creeping up behind the bushes. She stopped as her breath seemed to leave her body.

There lay Ichabod and her sister in a sexual position both half naked as Katrina began pulling Ichabod's shirt over his head as he moved forward taking Katrina's lips into a sweet passionate kiss.

Selena grabbed her chest trying to breath, as her image became blurry for tears already began to pour from her eyes. "No..no..its not possible. That can't be them…", she whispered her voice broken.

"But it is Selena..", a voice cooed in her ear. "Don't deny what you see. He does not love you. He used you, for his own pleasure. He knows of your feelings for him and used it for his own sick advantage".

Selena began backing up, all the while watching them as Ichabod's hands moved up Katrina thighs spreading them.

Turning around as quickly as she could she ran. She didn't care where she was running to but as long as she would not have to watch them. It was true. Ichabod did not care for her. He used her because of how naïve she was.

He cared for nothing but himself. She tried to run as fast as she could almost hopping that the images couldn't catch up with her but it was no luck. They stayed imbedded in her mind.

Selena fell to the floor in a heap sobbing in agony. "Why..? How? How could he do this to me?"

"Has my love mean nothing to him?", as her eyes grew dark and angry.

"But why am I not surprise? I knew he was sleeping with that little whore! How dare I think of her as a sister!", standing up as the leaves seem to disapeer beneath her.

She marched through the forest making her way through the arch of tree's reaching the cave of the Crow. Immediately her anger disapeered slowly as she noticed the dried blood that lay on the leaves and the figure that lay among them.

Her heart jumped to her throat as she rushed quickly to the figure. She held back a scream as her hand covered her mouth, turning away.

Her head had been removed. She was dead. They had killed the last person she could turn to. Sighing she fell to the ground and hugged her trembling form. Looking up she quietly stood up, walking into the cave. A fire had been here.

It had gone out pretty quicky so things were salvaged. Making her way through the debri she found a few books. She began pulling them off the shelves as they fell to the floor in a heap. Opening them one by one, skimming through the pages she looked for dark spells.

"Revenge Spell", she murmered looking at the different ingredients and magical sayings.

"Why are you doing this Selena?"

"It should be the question why I'm not doing this?"

"But you have never done Black magik. Mother always told you there can be no good in black magik. Rememeber. Magik is neither good nor bad, it's the way you use it that makes it good or evil".

"Well then I wish to make it evil!"

"No your don't…You are too good for it. What would mother say? Do you really think she would be happy? She worked so hard to teach and show you the beauty of magik and the good that can come from it".

Selena snorted at this.

"My conscience is trying to teach me how to be a better person. What sort of game is this? I do not care for what you say? He lied to me. His love for me was a façade, to get what he wanted. My sister went behind my back, because the man she loves has died she went for the man I loved more then life".

"I know your heart is breaking but what if it wasn't them. Maybe it was a trick of the mind".

"It was no trick!", as she grabbed her head screaming. "Just get out of my head! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"But you are alone Selena…", as she opened her eyes looking around the dark room. No one. (lol! I had to go Mort rainy there!)

Breathing deeply, shakely she stood up walking out of the cave dropping the book on the ground leaving it to be forgotten.

Ichabod returned to Masbath a look of surprise in his eyes. "What was there?"

"Something I wish I had not seen. A beast with two backs".

"A beast with ? What next in these bewitched woods?", he asked in awe as they returned to the Van Tassel Residence.

Returning up to his bedroom, he noticed the small drawer was slightly opened. Fearing the worst he opened the drawer to find the documents missing. She had taken them.

Selena sat there in front of the fire, poking it with a twige as the documents burned its yellow paper curling to a black.

Using the twige she drew small images of different symbols into the ash wondering when Ichabod would arrive to find her and the already burnt documents.

She heard it. The sounds of hoof beats. Standing up and turning around she found Ichabod standing there.

"You took the papers and burned them?"

"So you would not have them to accuse my father", not looking him in the eye for fear she would scream at him till her voice would go hoarse.

"I…I accuse no one. But if there is guilt I cannot alter it no matter how much it grieves me. And no spells of yours can alter it either".

"If you believe guilt of his then you should be looking at yourself also Constable Crane", her voice growing cold and hateful. Ichabod was taken aback. "Constable Crane? She had never used his name like that.

"I do not understand what you mean Selena"

Selena snorted, turning away.

"If you knew my father you would not have such harsh thoughts about him. With everything I have come to realise that you care nothing for me".

"Take that back! Take it back I say!", as Ichabod grew angry with her confession.

"Never! You have taken my heart and yet you stomp on it! With what you have done with my sister and with your thoughts of my father! You disgust me!", her voice breaking.

Ichabod sighed in dispair. "Selena. If your father is guilty there is nothing I can do. I am pinioned by a chain of reasoning! Why else would his four friends conspire to conceal..?"

"You are the constable. Not I. So find another chain of reasoning and let me be", as she pulled off a chain which held his mother's ring from around her neck. Sliping it off her neck she threw it at him.

"You have my heart no longer Ichabod Crane. You can take your whore, and your reasoning and go to hell! For I wipe my hands clean of you!"

Ichabod rushed forward grabbing her arm tightly, turning her around. "Why do you say such things? I am lost in a sea of confusion Selena. Something else plagues your mind. Not only my thoughts of your father but what else? Please I beg of you tell me!"

Wrenching her arm of his she glared at his hatefully. "Do not play coy with me Constable Crane. I know what you did. I saw it. I cannot believe I was foolish to believe that I would give everything to you. All of me. I was willing to be yours forever".

Ichabod was once again taken aback by this confession. She was willing to be his forever. To stay with him and be his wife. He grew heartsick. But still what was she talking about? What did he do?

Walking away, she pulled herself up on her horse as it reared. "Goodbye Ichabod Crane. I curse the day you came to Sleepy Hollow!", as she galloped away into the fields.

Ichabod fell to his knee's in anguish. The one thing that made him truly happy had confessed her hatred for him. It was too much for him. How much more of this could he take?

"She will not see you", as Lady Van Tassel having a bit of a problem lifting the small pot from the fire with her wounded hand.

"Did she say anything?"

"Only that she will not come down"

"I see. Thankyou", as he turned around his heart breaking even more.

"Constable", Lady Van Tassel whispered as Ichabod grew tense.

"You have not asked me how I hurt my hand since yesterday, which would have been polite. In fact, you have been careful not to look at it as not to mention it".

Carefully she stripped off the bandage sticking it in Ichabod face. Ichabod gulped.

"Yes, I'm sorry. How did you..?"

"I know you saw me", she whispered.

"What?"

"I know you followed me last night. You must promise not to tell my husband what you saw. Promise!", as Ichabod tried to pull away quickly but she grabbed on holding him tightly.

"Reverend Steenwych has power over me"

"P-p-power?"

"He knows something terrible against my dear husband. What you witnessed was a price of Steenwychs silence".

"What does Steenwych know?"

"Later, later…", as the front door was heard opening as Baltus Van Tassel ran in quickly.

"The town is in ferment! Horror piled on tragedy! Hardenbrook is dead. Strangled!", he said breathlessly.

Grabbing his flagon he began to take sips from it.

"Oh..! That harmless old man?", grabbing her chest in sadness.

"Hanged himself in the night!"

"Hanged himself?", Ichabod asked flabbergasted.

"Reverend Steenwych has called a meeting at the church tonight. Every man, woman, and child. He will speak against you. If you are wise you will be gone from here. Steenwychs congregation is already halfway to being a mob".

"I will go when I have done what I came to do and leave with the thing I love most", he murmured.

"And what is that Constable?", Lady Van Tassel asked.

"Something very important to my heart", as she only nodded in suspicion.

Lady Van Tassel walked towards her husband to calm him down. Baltus noticed the wound on her hand.

"What is this?"

"I was careless with a kitchen knife.."

"The wound looks angry".

"I'll bind it later with wild arrowroot flowers. I know where I'll find some. Will you ride with me?"

Ichabod silently slipped away walking up to his room all the while thinking of Selena.

yawn! Okie dokie! There's the next chapter! Oh yeah and I just wanted to say that I am going to be writing a sequel to this! Not exactly about what yet but I do want to write a sequel so please review!