Chapter 4 - Rachel Anderson

“Should we get on to the carriage and say ‘hello’ to August?” asked Leo.

“I don’t think so, ” murmured Jane.

“Then what should we do?” whispered Leo.

Jane froze. She didn’t know what to do. She climbed into the carriage through an opened window silently. Nobody on the carriage noticed her. She hid behind a small wooden board. 

“Are you sure?” whispered Leo.

“Come here!” murmured Jane.

Leo climbed into the carriage carefully and opened a large wooden empty box. It was brown and dusty.

“Hide here! They won’t find out where we are. ”

Jane quietly got into the box with Leo. They closed the lid gently. Jane suddenly felt the carriage moving and bumping over rocks. Dust fell from the lid of the box. It fell into Jane’s nose.

“Oops. A – a – a – achoo!” Jane sneezed. She shook her head. She heard some voices.

“There must be somebody – a stranger in the carriage!” said an old man.

“It might be a kid,” said a young man.

“Let’s check,” said the old man.

Jane’s heart pounded. She looked at Leo. Leo still looked emotionless with his pale face.

“There must be a stranger inside the empty store box! Check!” 

The box lid opened with a crunching noise. Outside the box, was an old man and August. The old man had a pointed face and yellow skin. His hair, his mustache, his eyebrows, and his beard, were all gray and bushy. He looked very stern. 

“Who are you? Get back to your homes!” he shouted angrily.

“Oh – eh – ” 

“I’m sorry, this is Mr. Summer,” explained August, “he is not very kind to kids. I hope you’ll understand it! ”

Jane stared at August. He was tall and he had dark green hair and shining dark green eyes. He was handsome. 

“Come here, please. Do you have time to do tasks for me?” asked August.

“Are you crazy?” shouted Mr. Summer to August.

“We do have time,” said Jane and Leo together. 

“OK,” said August.

“Maybe we will stay here forever,” whispered Jane to Leo.

Leo remained emotionless. 

Jane looked around. Inside the carriage, there were four girls. Two girls were holding glass bottles of some clear liquid. Other girls were lifting branches with green leaves on them. 

“What are those?” asked Jane to a girl holding a bottle, pointing at a branch that lifted by a tall girl. 

“Of course they’re undying branches,” yelled the girl in a high cold voice. 

“What branches?” 

“Undying branches! Do you know anything? ”

“Eh – ” Jane felt embarrassed.

“They are undying branches. They are a kind of oak tree branches, but they won’t die forever,” explained August friendly.

“Prince August, they're so ignorant!” shouted the girl coldly. 

“Be quiet, Rachel!” said August.

“Who are you?” asked Leo.

“I am Rachel Anderson!” said the girl proudly. “You two, fools!” she added coldly. And she raised her head. 

“Sorry, but Rachel is arrogant and aloof, ” explained August helplessly. 

Jane stared at Rachel. She was tall, very tall. She had got chocolate-colored wavy hair, steel blue round eyes, and little freckles under them. She had also got a tall nose and thin pinkish lips. She was wearing a green skirt that didn’t match her hair and her eyes at all. 

“Why are you wearing green skirt, Rachel?” asked Jane curiously. 

“Because I’m a bottle carrier,” said Rachel coldly. 

“Why do you want to be a bottle carrier?” asked Jane. 

“Don’t ask me any questions!” 

“She doesn’t want to be that,” explained August, “She was born in a poor family and her family didn’t want to take care of her, so they put her here. ” His voice went very low. 

Jane fell silent, she was thinking about what Rachel had been like before. 

“Oh. No wonder she’s so cold. ”