Hell's Hollow (23 page)

“What did, sweets?” MK asked.

“Muddled thinking. Losing tack of my thoughts.
.. Hallucinations.” I flinched, knowing Mom would flip.

She
jumped up. “And you went ahead…”

“I’d
caused
his wounds to open, I couldn’t dessert him.” I sat down beside them. “It was terrifying, not knowing what was real and what wasn’t. I never
ever
want to feel that again. I want Gran to be okay. Can we please just go see if she’s okay?”

No one spoke as we went to the car and drove to Meadowland. Mom seemed to be seething, but she didn’t share it. I put my headphones on, turned the music up loud to drown out my worries. As we passed an abandoned car, I wondered if they’d all work now that The Hollow had no more tricks.

When we got to the Meadowland parking lot, MK opened her door, but didn’t get out. She hung her head. “I don’t think I can do it. I can’t go back in there.”

“We won’t let them keep you. You’re healthy now,” Mom said.

But MK shook her head. “I’m an awful person, aren’t I? Can’t even go in to see my own mother. It seems so unfair. I don’t mean to make you feel guilty, Sera. I just wish you could’ve saved us both.”

“I wish so too, Auntie.” I hugged her.

Then we left her in the car and went to see how Gran was doing. An overwhelming feeling of gratitude that I wouldn’t be locked inside those walls forever rushed over me.

I took a deep breath before opening Gran’s door. Mom put her hand on my shoulder. I still felt the tug of crazy people all around me, but now,
I wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it.

Gran’s room was a mess, the bed unmade, clothes strewn across the floor. MK’s bed had been removed. Gran turned from her spot by the window when we came in. “It’s about time!” she yelled. “She tells me she’s going the way of the Wyldes and then I hear nothing. Crazy-making, it is. You look taller. Have you grown? Tell me what happened. Did you fix your invisible friend? Are you here to stay
— because they took MK’s bed away no matter how hard I fought it.”

She seemed like she was making sense. But her eyes still looked wild.

“I’m okay,” I said. “The Hollow, it exploded, or imploded, or something, anyway, it’s dead. And I’m better. So I guess we just wondered how you’re doing.”

“Me? I’m fine.”

I grabbed Mom’s hand, hoping this was for real.

“It’s Johnny Rocket I worry about,” Gran said. “I think they’re getting to him.”

“Who is?” I asked, still uncertain if she was better.

“The doppelgangers.”

My stomach dropped.

“They’re the ones hosting the radio waves. They control the whole show and
I
figured it out.” She looked proud — and crazy.

Mom squeezed my hand. Tears jumped to my eyes.

“What’s wrong? Did I say something? Why’s she crying? It’s a
good
thing. Now that we know who’s sending them, we can actually start to
do
something about it. Have you seen my doppelganger out there? Because I have a tendency to believe that the one that looks like me is the most likely to underscore the whole thing. When you start to really get a thing and it makes sense to you, you share it with the people that matter and then it all comes unraveled, like a sweater, which it’s too hot for right now. That’s what Johnny Rocket keeps telling me. It’s not sweater season. I think maybe he’s got them bugged, especially now that they’ve taken my daughter. I think they might have her locked up somewhere. Somewhere over the rainbow. I wouldn’t know. Weave and sew the yarn.”

Mom went to her side, sat her down on her bed. “It’s okay,” she cooed. “Mary Kate isn’t locked away at all. She’s home at the house now. She’ll be by to visit soon.”

“She used to live here with me once,” Gran said. “Nice girl that one. Flaming red hair.”

I turned and bolted from the room.

I promised myself I’d visit her every day until school started back. It killed me that I couldn’t do anything for her, couldn’t take away the crazy thoughts. Now that I knew how scary it was not to know what was real and what wasn’t, it hurt so much more not to be able to help. I couldn’t figure out why The Hollow dying would’ve taken away my crazy, but not hers.

Mom and I were working the counter at the bakery, while MK experimented with some wild new creation that involved molten cupcakes, loads of whipped cream, and gobs of melted fudge.

George McGraw barged through the door. “What in the world is producing that intoxicating aroma?”

“That would be Mary Kate’s latest design,” Mom said.

“Wylde Creations,” MK said with a smile.

“Ring me up for two,” George said. “One just won’t be sufficient.”

I laughed, watching him eat the messy chocolate with a spoon, getting it all over his face like a kid.

When I heard the door chimes, I turned to see Zach standing in the doorway with a middle-aged man beside him. I ran to Zach and hugged him without thinking. Then I realized, there was no more tug inside of him. Instead, the weird energy I’d felt in him since the healing coursed into my body from his. I hadn’t felt that in MK after her healing. I wondered what it was.

“Hey, Sera Seraphina,” he said. His new green T-shirt showed off the muscles he’d been building with his dad’s weights. It shocked me somehow to see him in shorts and flip-flops, so much skin revealed. His thick black hair hung in his eyes.

“Hi,” I replied, hoping he could tell how much I’d missed him.

His dark eyes sparkled at me. “This is Clarence Jenkins. I guess I’m going to be staying with him for a while.”

Clarence Jenkins, who had to be well over six feet, shook my hand. His was warm and rough. “Pleased to meet you,” he said in a voice that reminded me of James Earl Jones’. “All we’ve heard about since he got to our house was about the girl who saved him. I figured we’d best bring him over or he’d be on the same topic as long as we had him.” He laughed in a rich, belly laugh kind of way, while I tried to get my cheeks to quit blushing. Zach looked equally embarrassed.

“Can he stay?” I asked, looking between Mr. Jenkins and Mom. “Please? We could drive him back home later.”

Mom came around the counter, wiping her hands on her apron. “I’m Clara Wylde, Seraphina’s mother. It would be fine with me for Zach to visit for the day if it’s all right with you. In fact, my sons are all coming over for dinner tonight. It wouldn’t be any trouble to include one more. We could bring him back to you in the evening. Have you heard any news about his grandmother?”

“Still critical. We went by the hospital last night. Terrible shame.” He shook his head. “I suppose it would be all right for him to spend the afternoon. Boy deserves a little fun.” He punched Zach lightly on the shoulder. “Not too much fun, mind you.” He raised his eyebrows with a smile, and then Zach was blushing.

“Can I get you some refreshment before you go?” Mom asked him.

“I wouldn’t mind trying some of whatever is making this place smell so good,” he said.

“Oh, you have to try it,” I said to Zach, as I went behind the counter to get two servings of MK’s creation.

I set them on a table and Zach and Mr. Jenkins dug in with equal enthusiasm. When they’re plates were licked clean, Mr. Jenkins said, “Now don’t go telling Terri I ate all that. I’m supposed to be cutting back.” Then he laughed deep and loud.

While Mom got directions to their house, I grabbed Zach’s tingling hand and led him out the door. Without having to talk about it, we both headed straight for the hollow.

“I was worried about you,” I said. “You didn’t call.”

“I know, sorry. There was so much going on. And then he said I shouldn’t call too late. And I guess I was worried it would be weird on the phone, not being able to see you or how you’re reacting. I guess I’m not used to the idea.”

I guessed that made sense. “How are you doing with everything?”

He shrugged. “It’s weird that she thought I wasn’t actually her grandson.”

“A lot of it’s weird,” I said. “Like what she did at the church.”

“The poison?” Zach asked.

I nodded.

“I thought she was trying to prove her innocence by showing that God wouldn’t let the poison harm her. But Clarence said he thinks she couldn’t handle the guilt of her wrongdoing, that she came to see the light of how she’d messed up my life. It was my dad’s fault, though. He’s the one that set the fire, the one that abandoned me.”

“He didn’t know you were in the house when he set the fire,” I said. “Maybe he felt too guilty to stick around.”

Zach shrugged. “The police said they’ll find him. He’ll go to trial for arson and murder. I guess I don’t have to feel responsible anymore. It’s so weird. Everything’s changing.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?” I asked as we took the trail down to the woods.

“I guess,” he said.

The hollow was cordoned off with police tape. Mounds of dirt circled the trench where they’d dug up Deborah’s grave. It felt as though the hollow had been defiled. I wondered what Tall Tree would have thought of all that had happened.

We sat by my sequoia. Zach stared gloomily at the wounded hollow.

“Once the police clear it and take the tape away, we can fix it up,” I said. “We’ll put the dirt back and make it seem the same as it was.”

“It won’t be, though,” he said.

“You found her,” I said. “And you’re free.”

“You, too,” he said, looking into my eyes. “No Hollow to be bound to anymore.” A swallow swept down into the clearing beside us then swooped back up into the sky. “Like him,” Zach said, “you can fly free.” He scooted closer to me. He touched my lips. They buzzed. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I’ve been wanting to do that for so long.”

“You have?” a squiggle of delight raced through me. I touched his face, the mottled pink scars smooth beneath my fingertips. A current passed between us.

“Sera,” he said in this way that made my insides light up. “Can I…? I mean, would it be okay if I…?”

I leaned toward
him, closed my eyes. His warm, soft lips touched mine. And it was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. It didn’t matter that we were both new at this, our mouths knew what to do. His tongue found mine and heat bloomed between us. I couldn’t get close enough. I wanted him to wrap me up in his arms and hold me forever. It felt electric, as if sparks were literally flying between us.

A chipmunk scrambled through the clearing and raced around, chasing an acorn until we couldn’t help but laugh. It broke the spell of the moment, but it had also broken the seriousness.

We talked about school starting back soon and the special program Clarence had told him about that would help him catch up to high school level work. We talked more about the police investigation, the hunt for this father, about what he would say to him if the day ever came when he saw his dad again. He told me about the therapist he’d seen that morning, who’d seemed surprised that he wasn’t more messed up emotionally, how he’d tried to explain the way I’d healed him, which made her question Clarence about the facts. We talked about what it was like for me now that the healing source was gone, about why or how The Hollow had healed me in the end. And we talked about Gran.

“I promised myself I’d visit her every day until school starts,” I said.

“I’ll come with you today,” he said.

“You don’t mind?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I’d like to meet her.”

And so we went back to the bakery to get the car keys from Mom.

“Oh, honey,” she said. “I don’t know about the two of you going by yourselves. Why not wait until tonight and we’ll all go together?”

“Beause the boys are coming for dinner tonight and I promised I’d go. Please? We’ll be fine.”

She looked over at MK, as if deciding whether it was safer to leave her alone in the bakery or Zach and me alone with Meadowland. MK was making a ginormous mess with the melted chocolate, laughing and drizzling it all over her Wylde Creations.  “What if Martha won’t let you in?”

I could feel her giving in. “It’ll be fine. If she gives us a hard time, I’ll have her call you.”

She wrinkled her forehead as if searching for a reason to say no. Apparently she couldn’t find one. “All right. But you drive carefully. Keep your hands on the wheel at all times.”

I smiled. “Mom. We’ll be fine. It’s not the first time I’ve driven the car.”

“Call me on your cell the minute you get there, and then again when you’re leaving to come back,” she replied.

“Okay,” I promised and grabbed the keys before she could change her mind.

There was something magical about being behind the wheel with Zach next to me. I didn’t drive all that often, didn’t have much reason to. But I knew I would now. I could drive over to visit him or pick him up from the foster home so we could go hang out in the hollow.

“Stop staring at me.” I giggled, trying to force my eyes to stay on the road.

“Why?” he asked, brushing my hair off my shoulder.