Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100859 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
“Good morning, Ms. Van Tassel,” Mathias, Mary’s brother, says as he comes out from the corner of the stable, pulling his horse along, a strawberry roan that matches his hair. He sticks a toothpick in his mouth and nods at me, like he’s pretending to be an adult for the day. Mathias is about twelve but still stuck in that phase between being a kid and a gangly-legged teenager.
“Good morning, Mathias,” I say to him with a jaunty tip of my head. “Are you ready to escort me through the dangerous woods of Sleepy Hollow?”
His brows go up at the mention of danger, his toothpick going slack in his mouth. “Do you think I should bring a gun?”
Mary rolls her eyes. “Go get on your horse, boy,” she says to him. “And when you stop by McClellan’s orchard, see if you can get me a few apples.”
He groans. “If McClellan sees me stealing again, he’s going to have my head.”
“Wimp,” Mary says, smacking the fence. “And here you are supposed to be Kat’s protector.”
He looks steadily at me, ruddiness on his cheeks. “I won’t let you down,” he says.
Now it’s my turn to roll my eyes. “Come on, I don’t want to be late.”
He gets on his horse, and we say goodbye to Mary and start on our way toward the school. The village of Sleepy Hollow is located north of Tarrytown and situated between the wide expanse of the Hudson River and low, wooded hills to the east. My house and Mary’s house are at the northern end of Sleepy Hollow, where the town streets and houses turn to farmland and forest.
“So what really goes on at that school?” Mathias asks me after we’ve ridden in silence for a bit, just enjoying the morning chirp of finches and sparrows, waving hello at farmers in the fields and a couple of carriages riding past. The hot breath from the horses rises in the cool air, but it’s growing warmer by the minute, and I wish I had gotten dressed in a more breathable gown instead of the one I’m wearing now. It’s yellow and ruffled, my favorite, and I obviously hoped to make a good impression on my first day.
“What do you mean?” I ask him.
“They’re so secretive,” he says, flicking the toothpick around in his mouth. “That’s what Mary says anyway. Maybe because she doesn’t know why they didn’t let her in.”
“I believe all schools are secretive. That’s what makes them so prestigious.”
He squints at me. “It’s your family that runs it. I’m sure it’s not so secretive to you.”
I shrug with one shoulder. Every year at this time, strangers filter into the town to go and attend the school, coming from all over America and sometimes even Europe. They go and live on campus, earning their degrees from botany and astronomy to liberal arts, philosophy, and ancient civilizations. They rarely come into town during that time, and when they do, they come in groups and keep to themselves. That alone creates an air of mystery about what really happens at Sleepy Hollow Institute and why the students are so strange.
Of course, by now, I know the truth about the school. My mother sat me down and explained it to me a few days after my father died. A lot of people in town also know the truth and accept it, while others put blinders on and refuse to believe the rumors. I always thought that was so ignorant, considering the magic that runs in Sleepy Hollow’s veins.
Brom believed it. His mother was a witch, after all, and he’d seen the few things I could do. But Mary and her family only moved to Sleepy Hollow a couple of years ago, and since they were the closest neighbors to us and Mary was only two years younger than me, we became good friends. She filled a void that Brom left behind, even if she came from a pragmatic family, focused on science and having zero interest in the occult. I assume any talk of witchcraft would go over Mathias’ head too. Besides, ever since my mother sat me down and told me the truth about the school, I’ve been sworn to keep it a secret.
Sometimes it feels like my life has amounted to little more than keeping one secret after another.
“I guess I’m about to find out,” I tell him. “I’ll be sharing a lot of my studies with your sister, so if you ever want to glean some knowledge from me, all you have to do is ask.”
Granted, I won’t be sharing everything, but that’s enough for Mathias to make a face.
“No, thank you. I learn enough at school. I’m just grateful my ma asked me to give you a ride to your classes so that I can miss the start of mine.”