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

deaf.  I couldn’t think
of anything to say so I just nodded my head and smiled.  Kelleigh signed
something to Bram, who in turn laughed.  Great, I thought, now
he’s laughing at me.
     “Bram lost his hearing when he was eleven
after having meningitis.  He’s actually lucky to be alive.  He was
very ill,” Kelleigh added, watching Quinn interpret for her.  “And this
one,” Kelleigh smacked her brother with a pillow, “he picked up sign language
faster than he learned to talk and he still hasn’t quite mastered that –
learning to talk, that is.”  The whole group broke out laughing with Quinn
doing a mock laugh in Kelleigh’s face.
    Seeing Bram sitting there with Quinn laughing and
talking, I had a hard time imagining him being sick.  He seemed now to be
the picture of health. He was tall and slender with broad shoulders.  He
wore a pair of sunglasses on the back of his head and kept running his fingers
through his brown hair, mussing it up more each time.  I couldn’t take my
eyes off him.  He had these intense brown eyes that narrowed while he was
reading Quinn but would then grow wide with delight once Quinn finished signing
his half of the conversation.  He caught my gaze one time and smiled. I
immediately turned away feeling like I’d been caught doing something I
shouldn’t have. Lord, Willow , you really need to relax.
    It seemed as though Quinn was Bram’s regular
interpreter. Watching him sign for Bram was amazing.  He would speak the
words while he signed them, sometimes with sound, sometimes silently mouthing
the word without actually saying it.   At times Bram seemed to be
correcting Quinn and laughing, like Quinn had completely signed the wrong word
or misspelled it or something. 
    After about half an hour or so I started feeling
restless, wondering if I would get a chance to speak to Quinn and Kelleigh
again about Grandma.  I was happy to be here with them all, but my
thoughts kept returning to the conversation at Uncle Eagan’s house.
    “Willow’s mum is a Native American,” Kelleigh
informed the group.
    “Really?” Melissa sat up. This seemed to pique her
interest.
    “Yeah, she’s Lakota,” I added, looking to see how
Quinn would interpret that word.  I couldn’t make out a single sign but a
series which led me to believe he had spelled out the word, Lakota.  I
remembered learning the alphabet in sign language when I was in first grade and
what Quinn had done looked similar.
    “Ah, so cool… so then you’re part Native American
too!” Melissa’s face lit up. She was really impressed with the fact that Mom
and I were Native.
    “Duh, Melissa, of course if her mom’s Native
American so is she,” teased Quinn.  Melissa hit him square on the head
with a pillow.  That started a huge pillow fight.  They were laughing
uncontrollably and pillows were flying everywhere so I backed out of the way.
    “Oh no you don’t,” cried Kelleigh as she pelted me
with a long rectangular pillow.
    My face stung but I didn’t care; I was happy to
blow off some steam.  I got Kelleigh back with an overstuffed red pillow
with a hard leather backing.  She jumped up reaching for a cushion from
the couch.  I stood, trying to get out of the way, when I backed up right
into Bram.  He grabbed my shoulders and leaned me to the left just in time
to avoid getting smacked in the face with the cushion.  I looked up at
him, “Thanks.”
    “You’re welcome,” he said smiling down at me, his
brown eyes holding my stare. Before we knew it pillows were flying this way and
that.  Bram dodged a few but one finally caught him off guard and sent him
tumbling to the floor.  He sat there laughing until Quinn’s voice broke
through the commotion, “Quiet down, I’ve got a call.”
    Everyone froze as if we had all just been hit by a
rush of arctic wind.  Quinn put his fingers to his lips motioning for us
to be quiet. “Sure Grandpa, Kelleigh and the gang are here right now. We can