The Forest of Aisling: Dream of the Shapeshifter (The Willow Series Book 1) by D.S. Elstad Read Free Book Online Page A

down the
corridor doing handstands.  Kelleigh took my arm in hers and pulled me
close. “Your dad is a worrier, isn’t he?”
    I wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so I
didn’t. 
    As I walked with Kelleigh I started feeling a
little uncomfortable.  After all, I was in another country and what did I
know about these two other than that we were second cousins?  Plus the
conversation at Uncle Eagan’s had taken such a bizarre turn. I hadn’t even had
any time to absorb their theory about my grandmother dying under suspicious
circumstances.  I decided to take advantage of my time with these two and
try and get some questions answered.
     
    Kelleigh was right; her friend’s house was very
close.  We pulled into the driveway just as three people came charging out
of the house.  “It’s about time, you!” yelled a tall girl with pink
streaks in her blonde hair. 
    Following close behind her was another girl with
short red hair and a boy who was easily over six feet tall.  They ran to
the car and opened the doors.  Kelleigh laughed and hugged the girls and
then the boy.  “Missed me that much, have you?  Time for some
introductions; Willow these are my BFF’s Melissa and Sinead, and the giant over
there is Bram.” 
    The blonde girl came over and put her hands on my
shoulders, “Hello, Willow, so nice to meet you, I’m Melissa and this is
Sinead,” she said, reaching back to the red haired girl, “and I’m sure you can
figure out who Bram is.”  The tall boy just smiled and did a kind of
salute.
    “Nice to meet you all,” I said with a soft
voice.  I felt a little intimidated, but Kelleigh’s friends were so
welcoming that those feelings quickly wore off.
    Kelleigh whispered in my ear, “Bram is deaf,
Willow.  He does a good job at communicating with us and we’re all learning
sign language.  He talks and sometimes he can figure out what we’re saying
just by watching us.”
    “Oh,” I remarked as I looked over at Bram. 
Obviously aware of what Kelleigh had just told me he smiled and waved again and
signed a few words.  I had to remind myself to stop staring…not because
I’d just found out that he was deaf, but because he was so good looking. 
And it wasn’t even just good looking; something more…something almost familiar
about him. 
    “He says, ‘Nice to meet you,’” Kelleigh interpreted.
    I smiled and waved and bowed my head. Why? I had
no idea.  Like bowing my head meant something.  I felt a warm rush
come over my face and watched Bram smirk and shrug.
    “Let’s go out back,” said Melissa as she grabbed
Kelleigh and led us around the house to a covered patio area.  We went
inside where it was warm.  A small fire was burning in a chimera and
pillows were lying all over on the floor.  A couch and table sat on the
opposite side of the room.  This seemed to be their hang-out.  They
each grabbed a seat either on the floor or couch and stretched out, making
themselves comfortable.
    “Come sit,” motioned Kelleigh patting the pillow
on the floor next to her.  I sat down, unsure of what to expect
next.  These kids were at least one or two years older than me, except for
Quinn, who told me himself he had just turned fifteen.
    “Kelleigh tells us you’re from the US, Willow,”
spoke Sinead in a soft melodic voice.
    “Yeah, I’m from New Mexico,” I stuttered, suddenly
feeling like I was in the spotlight. While we spoke I became aware of Quinn
using sign language with Bram.  Bram’s eyes focused on Quinn; then he
glanced my way and signed something to Quinn.
    “New Mexico, eh? Is that near Mexico, the
country?” Quinn asked, obviously interpreting for Bram.
    “Yes, we’re on the border of Mexico.” I found
myself speaking louder, like Bram would somehow be able to hear me. Duh.
    “Interesting,” Bram said, “we studied a bit about
Mexico and the war between Mexico and the US.”  His voice was warm and
strong and gave no indication of a person who was