Royal Guard Book 1: The Servant

Chapter 15 - Ivy - I just wanna read

The carriage was squished. Six girls with about a hundred layers of fabric smooshed into a little car for a good hour until we got to the party. I was so glad I brought a book.

I was stuck between Rayna, who's goat skull's horns were digging into my hip, and Paige, who had spent the last forty minutes anxiously watching the countryside pass by the window.

"Okay, eh... what about un ..." Autumne smiled wickedly. " phoque ?"

"Woah! Wha t?"

Olivia laughed, "I don't want to know what that one is."

"It is a seal , the animal," Autumne reassured.

"I have one," Espie quietly raised her hand. " Apapachar. "

Rayna snickered at the pronunciation, "Something with a chair?"

Espie shook her head. "It's like to pamper or spoil someone you love."

"You all should get this one." Olivia stuck two fingers out on her one hand like a V, then slowly crawled her hand over her other arm.

"Snail!" Autumne guessed. "Oh, it is so cute!"

I flipped my page over as some light rain started to drizzle against the carriage window. "I hope it clears before sunset," Olivia wondered aloud.

"What is the sign for 'rain'?" Espie asked curiously.

"Oh that's easy." Olivia demonstrated my bringing both hands downward while dotting her fingers like raindrops.

"That's not the one you use for me anymore right?" Rayna asked, mimicking the sign.

"No, yours is 'ray' as in sunshine." She took one hand slightly above her head and spread open the fingers while pulling down, like adding a lot of spice to a dish. "In sign, sometimes I use nicknames, it's faster when referring to people," Olivia explained to the other two. "For instance, my dad uses O.L. for me," She spelled the two letters. "Since that was really simple when he first learned, and it stuck. Everyone else I know uses this though:" Olivia made two L's with her hands and moved them up in front of her chest. "It's a modified version of the word 'Live' since Olivia shortened is 'Liv.'"

I looked up from my book then. "Mine is just an I.V. But make sure you do the letters really fast and overlap them— ow ." Olivia kicked me in the shin.

"Paige's is 'pocket,'" Olivia went on. She tucked her thumb into her palm and moved it over her heart like she was going to put something in her pocket. "I haven't officially come up with names for you two yet, but I have ideas.

"I was thinking, Espie, yours would be something like 'artist.'" Olivia took her right pinky and scribbled across her open left palm. Espie gave a small smile and copied the sign. "And Autumne, you are definitely..." She crossed her wrists and clapped together the backs of her hands. " un phoque ."

Autumne squealed. "Ah! I love it!"

I snorted and went back to my book. The drizzle stopped and splotches of rich sunlight started peeking out from behind the clouds. I leaned past Paige's mask's long nose and watched the wet farmlands coast by. Paige was keeping her mask on the entire time in case the carriage driver recognized her. I took my bookmark and lopped it around the long hook nose of her mask. Paige snorted but didn't move it. I squished my shoulder into her's. "Have you even ever been outside of Pennbrooke?"

Paige's eyes flickered down. "Um, yeah. But I've never been to another castle."

"It's the Hinode summer home, it's not going to be a castle."