Undead Love

Summary: After a tragic event that left Shell quiet, the 19-year old moves with her family to Sleepy Hollow, New York. There, she learns of the legend of the Headless Horseman. But when she starts hearing ghostly hoof beats at night and being followed in the Western Woods, is it a hoax or has the legend of the Hessian Horseman always been alive? HessianxOC

Chapter 1

It was a cold, but not severely cold day in January of the new year. There was still snow on the ground, having snowed at least twice a week, if not more.

My family and I were currently sitting in the van while my dad drove down the almost abandoned road that lead to our new home, Sleepy Hollow. Why are we driving to a small town in New York when we formerly lived in Indiana?

Well….I don't wanna say much, but let's just say I got in some trouble that put someone in prison and required us to move.

It was my fault also. I blamed everything on myself.

My parents kept saying it wasn't my fault while my sister blamed everything on me….us moving, Mia losing all of her friends. I felt tears prick the corners of my eyes and I sniffled quietly, wiping them away roughly. It was a good thing I sat in the very back of the van so Mia wouldn't yell at me for crying…

I glanced down at my MP3 player and pressed the down button for a new song and I choose Jillian by Within Temptation. Very good song.

I ended up falling asleep on the way there for a couple hours and then was rudely woken up when Mia threw her book at my face. "Hey loser, we're here."

I glared at her and threw her book back at her, which she easily dodged and it hit the back of the driver's seat. She muttered underneath her breath and fixed her ponytail before grabbing her things and getting out of the van.

I sighed softly and rubbed my face where the book had hit me. I grabbed what I had in the van and then stepped out, the cold breeze blowing through my long bright red hair. I winced a bit when the cold wind bit into the bare skin of my face, blinking a bit as my long bangs fell back into place.

"Oh, this place is beautiful!" Mom exclaimed as she and dad looked up at the house. I glanced up also. It looked old, yet beautiful. A two story wooden house with a balcony in one room. I wanted that room.

I was in the house before anyone could say anything and was in there before Mia could get there. I set my bag down and looked around. It was a semi-big room with glass doors that led out to a small balcony.

"Hey, I eyed this bedroom first!" Mia growled when she walked into the room.

"Too bad." I muttered and to my total shock, I got a back-handed slap to the face. It was so strong it sent me flying to the ground and I felt my eyes blur with tears as I held a hand to my throbbing face. My sister….my YOUNGER sister…could beat the crap out of me. We were apart only by a year and a half…

And yet I didn't understand why she hated me so much. I knew she was pissed at me from the whole ordeal, but we never got along, even as kids. We were polar opposites; she was outgoing and more popular, while I was the outcast and dark one. I liked dark things…horror…the supernatural, anything dark.

I looked up at Mia with slight shock and she just glared at me like I was a piece of trash. "Stupid bitch….." she muttered and then left the room.

I sniffled loudly and picked myself up from the floor, walking into the bathroom that was connected to my bedroom. I switched the light on and looked at my reflection in the mirror. There was a red mark where Mia had back-handed me on my pale skin. I wasn't surprised that everyone called me a freak….

What normal girl had bright red hair and deep, dark red eyes? I was born like this. My parents didn't know, the doctors didn't know. I had been teased constantly through life until high school got over with. Even at 19, I still looked far too younger than that…

I wasn't teased as much for my hair as I was for my eyes. There were lots of red-heads, but a red-head also having dark red eyes is INCREDIBLY unnatural, supernatural even.

I hated them.

I hated being born like this.

Why couldn't I have been normal….?

I sighed softly to myself and decided to go explore the town. It was a small town, with flocks of sheep, ducks and chickens, farm like. I heard snorting and neighing and came across a very large stable with many horses.

"You with the new family?" a male voice asked and I turned around to see a teenager around 17-18 years old. He was a little taller than me and had golden brown hair that was swept over one eye and eyes of the same color. He looked friendly.

"Yeah…I'm the oldest daughter." I replied. "19, I'll be 20 in August."

"You look younger than 19, no offense." The teenager grinned a bit and I just shrugged. "Anyway, I'm Rufus Davis." He held out a hand to me.

"Shell Hartford." I took his hand and we shook. After parting, he explained to me that nearly everyone in Sleepy Hollow had a horse and there weren't that many people.

"I have just the right horse for you." Rufus grinned and he went to the left of the stable and opened one of the stalls, bringing out a pure black horse and leading him over to me. "His name's Adrian, four years old and quite a friendly one."

I cautiously laid my hand on Adrian's snout and he whinnied softly, nudging his nose against my hand. I smiled a little. "He's beautiful and perfect."

"I'd thought you'd like him. You wanna take him for a little ride?" Rufus asked me.

I nodded and Rufus saddled Adrian up and I was able to get on with slight difficulty. I haven't been on a horse in a long time. "Ride him around town, get a feel for it and come back once you're done."

I nodded and with a cluck of my tongue, Adrian began walking. The town was depressing….so depressing it made me feel depressed. I sighed and took a turn into the woods along a small path. Even the woods were depressing….

I could see my breath as I exhaled in the air. New York always had very cold winters. I zipped up my trench coat more up to my chin and fixed my beanie on my head. I held the reins in my gloved hands and that's when Adrian nickered.

"Hmm? What's that boy?" I leaned over and rubbed his neck affectionately. He nickered again and turned his head a bit, his eyes soft and gentle. I smiled a bit and kissed his neck. "Yeah, you're a good boy."

We continued on a bit more and realized we were a bit too far from the town. Adrian's ears were suddenly pricked forwards and stiff, like he had sensed or seen something. "Whatdya see boy?"

All of a sudden, a girl on a horse came out of the woods startling both Adrian and I. "Oh! Didn't mean to startle you!" the girl laughed, calming her horse down. She looked around the same age as Rufus and had short brown hair and light green eyes and was pretty for a teenager.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "It's alright."

"I'm Amanda Brown."

We introduced ourselves and took a slow trot back into town. "So you're all the way from Indiana? Jeez, that's a long way."

"Yeah." I nodded.

"What did you guys move for?"

"Business." I lied.

"Wow, that sucks. I've lived in Sleepy Hollow my whole life. Nice town, friendly people." Amanda spoke. "And the home of a very famous legend."

That perked my interest. "Legend? In a small town like this?"

Amanda smirked. "Have you ever heard of the Headless Horseman?"

Headless Horseman….Hessian Horseman..? "Was he also called the Hessian Horseman?" she nodded. "I've heard about him a little."

Amanda went on to tell me about the infamous Hessian Horseman, who had a love for carnage and came to America, chopping off heads as he went. They said that in the winter of 1779, the Hessian was caught and had his head chopped off by his own sword and buried near a large tree in the Western Woods.

And its 2013….so…it's been over 200 years since then.

"And then," Amanda continued. "In 1799, there were murders and a man named Ichabod Crane came to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the murders, to find out that the Hessian came back from the grave, chopping off heads. But Ichabod learned that a woman named Lady Van Tassel had the Hessian's skull and was controlling him, using him to get her revenge on the townsfolk of Sleepy Hollow. So Ichabod managed to get the Hessian's skull and gave it back to him, not headless anymore and then he went back into the Tree of the Dead."

"And that's it? He hasn't been seen since then?"

"Nope!" Amanda grinned. "But everyone says it's just a legend. Pfft!" she scoffed. "I've always believed it was real."

I glanced over to the side as we came out of the Western Woods. We put our horses back in the stalls and then I headed on to my house.

"Where have you been?" my mother questioned me as I walked into the house, shutting the door behind me.

"Exploring." I replied plainly.

"Next time make sure we know."

"Yes mom." I replied quietly and then went upstairs to my room.

The story of the Hessian Horseman was still fresh in my mind when I went to bed.