filing her nails behind the teller counter. I handed her the pouch. Mom had written out instructions for what kind of change she needed.
“I saw you at church this morning,” Melody said, as if I’d intended it to be a secret. She counted out the dollar bills. “Don’t think your innocent routine is fooling anybody. Bennett is much too old for you. And he’s a decent man.”
What? Did she think I was there to flirt with Bennett Taylor? Ew!
She placed the money in the pouch. “I’ve been working on him ever since he stepped foot in this hellhole, so don’t you think for one minute I’m going to step aside and let you interfere.”
I took the pouch from her without saying a word.
“I’ll be watching you,” she muttered. As her boss came out from the back room, she called after me, “Have a great day!”
Wow, that was creepy. I brought the change to Mom and headed toward the library. I had an errand of my own.
The next time the need woke me I was ready. My bag was packed with nearly a dozen books I’d picked up from the library, along with a flashlight, and three kinds of candy bars I’d bought at Norita Tucker’s quick mart: The Mars bar he’d liked so much, a Reece’s King Size, and a Snickers . I threw on a sweatshirt and flip-flops and slipped out the creaking front door. My heart pounded on the way down, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I was excited to see him or if it was because I was terrified of finding out who he’d killed and why.
He was lying on his back on The Hollow, looking up at the stars. Seeing Luke’s old hiking boots on his feet made me smile, like I was doing some small thing to help him. Something moved on his chest. I squinted to see better. A baby chipmunk snuggled against him.
“What are you doing?” I asked, horrified.
“It was cold,” he said.
“Let it go!” I blurted. “They carry diseases.”
His face changed, as if he was seeing me in a new way, one he maybe didn’t like so much. The chipmunk scurried away. He watched it run, looking as though I’d just stolen his best friend.
“I brought you some books,” I said, setting my bag down and opening it so he could see what was inside.
“I told you I can only take one,” he said.
“I know. But I thought this way you could at least choose. There’s chocolate in there too.” I was dying to ask him more about being locked up, about being the son of the devil, about what he’d meant when he’d said ‘murderer’, but I needed to bide my time. “What made you decide to start sneaking out?” I asked instead.
Zach looked up from the books he was sorting through by flashlight. He looked at me funny, squinting up the good side of his face, then he said one word. “Longing?”
“Longing?” I repeated, thinking that wasn’t a word people really used all that much. I wondered if he’d read it in one of the books he’d read over and over.
“I wanted … something . And this pull would wake me up, this ache . I followed it, and it led me to this spot. And even when I’m here it nags at me, and I don’t know why.”
I gasped, wondering if maybe somehow he was sensitive, too, if that was why he’d been holding the chipmunk, if that was why he could manage the power of The Hollow. I shivered in the cool night air.
“I figured I wouldn’t be a danger to anyone at night.” He sounded defensive. “Once I snuck out when she was at church and once during her bridge game in daylight. But I never came anywhere but here. I was always careful not to be seen. I didn’t think I could hurt anyone here.”
“W hat you’re describing — the tug — it’s what brings me here, too.”
“It is?” His face lit up.
I nodded, wondering.
“What does it mean?” he asked.
“Like I said, it’s where our power comes from. What that power turns into is different for each person.”
“So it’s the devil’s work you do.” An owl hooted in the distance.
“What? Zach, it’s not.” Why was he
“I saw you at church this morning,” Melody said, as if I’d intended it to be a secret. She counted out the dollar bills. “Don’t think your innocent routine is fooling anybody. Bennett is much too old for you. And he’s a decent man.”
What? Did she think I was there to flirt with Bennett Taylor? Ew!
She placed the money in the pouch. “I’ve been working on him ever since he stepped foot in this hellhole, so don’t you think for one minute I’m going to step aside and let you interfere.”
I took the pouch from her without saying a word.
“I’ll be watching you,” she muttered. As her boss came out from the back room, she called after me, “Have a great day!”
Wow, that was creepy. I brought the change to Mom and headed toward the library. I had an errand of my own.
The next time the need woke me I was ready. My bag was packed with nearly a dozen books I’d picked up from the library, along with a flashlight, and three kinds of candy bars I’d bought at Norita Tucker’s quick mart: The Mars bar he’d liked so much, a Reece’s King Size, and a Snickers . I threw on a sweatshirt and flip-flops and slipped out the creaking front door. My heart pounded on the way down, but I wasn’t sure if it was because I was excited to see him or if it was because I was terrified of finding out who he’d killed and why.
He was lying on his back on The Hollow, looking up at the stars. Seeing Luke’s old hiking boots on his feet made me smile, like I was doing some small thing to help him. Something moved on his chest. I squinted to see better. A baby chipmunk snuggled against him.
“What are you doing?” I asked, horrified.
“It was cold,” he said.
“Let it go!” I blurted. “They carry diseases.”
His face changed, as if he was seeing me in a new way, one he maybe didn’t like so much. The chipmunk scurried away. He watched it run, looking as though I’d just stolen his best friend.
“I brought you some books,” I said, setting my bag down and opening it so he could see what was inside.
“I told you I can only take one,” he said.
“I know. But I thought this way you could at least choose. There’s chocolate in there too.” I was dying to ask him more about being locked up, about being the son of the devil, about what he’d meant when he’d said ‘murderer’, but I needed to bide my time. “What made you decide to start sneaking out?” I asked instead.
Zach looked up from the books he was sorting through by flashlight. He looked at me funny, squinting up the good side of his face, then he said one word. “Longing?”
“Longing?” I repeated, thinking that wasn’t a word people really used all that much. I wondered if he’d read it in one of the books he’d read over and over.
“I wanted … something . And this pull would wake me up, this ache . I followed it, and it led me to this spot. And even when I’m here it nags at me, and I don’t know why.”
I gasped, wondering if maybe somehow he was sensitive, too, if that was why he’d been holding the chipmunk, if that was why he could manage the power of The Hollow. I shivered in the cool night air.
“I figured I wouldn’t be a danger to anyone at night.” He sounded defensive. “Once I snuck out when she was at church and once during her bridge game in daylight. But I never came anywhere but here. I was always careful not to be seen. I didn’t think I could hurt anyone here.”
“W hat you’re describing — the tug — it’s what brings me here, too.”
“It is?” His face lit up.
I nodded, wondering.
“What does it mean?” he asked.
“Like I said, it’s where our power comes from. What that power turns into is different for each person.”
“So it’s the devil’s work you do.” An owl hooted in the distance.
“What? Zach, it’s not.” Why was he
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