Page 13 of Bewitched By the Headless Horseman
Chapter Six
“What in the Hollow?” Stevie groaned as Roxy pawed at the kitchen window. She stared at the line of ants snacking at the salt she’d sprinkled around the sill, courtesy of Lucia bringing over aKeep Out Spiritremedy to try.
Stevie looked up on her phone if ants usually ate salt, and apparently, some were more attracted to it than sugar. She cleared out the salt with a wet rag and the ants scattered before slipping back into a small hairline crack at the bottom of the backsplash. Later she would ask Lucia about a stronger remedy when she stopped by the apothecary.
The day before trickled into her skull like a pesky gnat swarming about. The Headless Horseman in her house, the crucifix not burning him to a crisp, and then him vowing he would be back with a request—a request she could deny. He wasn’t her puppeteer and didn’t seem to have dark magic that could control her into doing his bidding.
Stevie headed next door to Lucia’s basement to collect a few additional items that had been ordered. Most vials and jars were already ready to go and spelled except for Stevie needing to add a drop of her blood to enhance the properties. Twelve empty canisters sat on a table beside the cauldron, ready for the next batch. She sprinkled a few powders into the liquid and stirred it before pouring some into each jar for Lucia to spell when she returned.
Once she opened the jars and vials that needed her blood, Stevie took a needle and pricked her finger, pinching a bead of scarlet into each jar. One was to keep a bouquet of flowers alive for two months, another was special delicacies for pet plants, followed by hair grower, a brew to help with vision, and several room sprays that would last longer than the standard airfreshener. After grabbing a couple more items from the shelves, she located the last thing on the list. A sack of healing crystals. The new owner—her mom.
Stevie boxed everything up and brought the packages to her car instead of the moped since gray streaked the sky. It was times like these when she was glad she’d kept her much older high school car.
Kit’s cape was no longer near the tree where Roxy had thrown it out the previous night.Maybe he wouldn’t come back then. She shrugged, then checked a few emails on her phone from her brother about a list of comic books he wanted to find for the store before leaving.
As she passed the abandoned house, she pretended it didn’t exist. A few droplets pelted the window shield, then a couple of seconds later switched to full-blown rain and she turned the wipers up.
On the porch of a large two-story house, an old ghost woman, with long braids, shifted back and forth in a rocking chair while a small living boy played beside her on the ground, watching it rain.
Stevie caught wind of a headless form in the distance, and her heart accelerated. But as she drew closer … it was only one of the Horseman’s victims. “Can’t get rid of him even when he’s not here,” she said to herself while curving down her parents’ street.
“Can’t get rid of who?” a deep, familiar voice silkily asked from behind her.
Stevie inhaled sharply and slammed on the brakes, throwing the car into park. She whirled around in her seat, coming face to no face with the Headless Horseman.
“What are you doing here?” she shrieked, her voice a higher octave than she’d ever heard it. “And when did you sneak into my car, you stalker?”
Kit relaxed back, stretching his arm along the top of the seat. “Just after you got inside. It’s not my fault you didn’t notice I was behind you. Seems a bitdangerousthat you don’t pay attention to your surroundings.”
Stevie cursed herself for being distracted by her phone, and then him for not being in the line of sight of her rearview mirror. Which was also due to the fact that he hadnohead.
“When you acted like you’d come back at some point, I didn’t think you meant you would spontaneously show up two seconds later.” She waved her hand frantically in the air.
“Your judgment of time is lacking,” he said, unenthused.
She rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Whatever. Less than twenty-four hours, then.”
“So, where are you taking us, Pumpkin?” Kit adjusted the collar of his shirt like he was getting ready to meet a hot date.
“Nowhere with you. Bye.” She unlocked the doors, signaling him to leave even though he could just walk through whatever he wanted.
“Tonight you will not turn me away. We have much to discuss.” Before she could tell him to go suck a bloody bat wing, he stepped through the car.
Stevie eyed him in the rearview mirror, the way he sauntered away, adjusting the cape in his grasp. He must’ve gotten it just before he’d slinked into her car. Her gaze dipped downward to the way his pants hugged his backside, and she couldn’t pull her eyes away from it. As he brought the cape over his shoulders, she flicked her gaze up, pretending like she hadn’t been ogling that part of him. What was wrong with her? She continued watching hisupper bodyuntil he vanished from her sight. She searched the backseat one more time to make sure he hadn’t somehow snuck inside again. But he was officially gone.
“And no, I have other plans tonight, Your Headlessness,” Stevie muttered to herself, resuming driving.
She parked in front of her parents’ garage, and their cars were inside of it like always. The rain had let up, the sun peeking out from the clouds.
Stevie grabbed the small sack of crystals for her mom, then rang the doorbell. A moment later the door opened wide, her mom wearing a bright smile and a flowing black dress decorated in ruby red cherries. Her silver hair was in pin curls, and deep red heels covered her feet.
“Well, aren’t you dolled up.” Stevie grinned.
“Your dad’s taking me out for an early anniversary dinner,” she said, brushing her hands down the skirt of her dress. The edges of her red lipstick-stained lips pulled into a frown when Stevie glanced over her shoulder to make sure Kit hadn’t wandered back to eavesdrop. “Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost? Pun intended.”
Stevie’s fingers tightened around the sack. “It’s nothing. Just this ghost I came across after I left your place yesterday. He’s shown up a couple of times, but he’s gone now.”
Her mom furrowed her brow, her expression becoming serious. “Is this some sort of pervert ghost? I swear on all of Sleepy Hollow if this man thinks because you two can see each other, he can—”
