Dead if you do, Dead if you don't

Chapter 1 Thanksgiving Time!

"Hey Thena!" Nora, my guard friend, came rushing up to me.

"Hey Nora!" I reply.

"Did you hear about what happened to the prince's guard?" She asks as we start our rounds around the castle.

"No? What happened?" I look at her with a confused look.

"He died from a heart attack! Now the spot is open and they are looking for someone to fill it!" She says way too excited.

"Really?! Wow. I wonder who's gonna get the spot." I wonder.

"I bet it's going to be James. He has worked so hard this year." Nora says as we see James walking past us.

"Maybe, it could be anyone though." I reply. It will probably be Nora. She's so hardworking and does so much extra work then she is asked to do. I think to myself.

"It's almost thanksgiving!" Nora smiles widely.

"Yup. Only one more day till we get to go home!" I put on a fake smile. The only reason why I like going home is to see my sister. Other than that, I wish I never had to leave the castle. It was so peaceful and I have so many good memories here while at home it's chaotic and filled with dreadful memories.

We finished the lap around the walls of the castle. We both walked towards the Black ranked guards room. In the royal guard there are levels, or ranks, that we are placed in. We all start in the White rank, which is the lowest rank, then we move up to the Orange rank, also known as the middle rank, next we move up to the Black rank, or the highest rank, and if you're lucky enough you might get promoted to the Blue rank. The Blue rank is the royal family's personal guard. The King gets his own guard and so does the Prince while the Queen and Princess share a guard.

The Queen and Princess share a guard since they never usually leave the castle without each other, meanwhile the Prince and King are constantly going to different meetings and conferences. Nora and I are a Black rank. You can tell who is in what rank by their clothing. The main part that's not covered in metal armor is colored by their rank. We finally made it to the Black rank guard room, which is a big room with a bunch of beds, each with their own dividers and drawers to put our personal stuff in. Nora and I say goodnight to each other and head to our beds.

It's finally thanksgiving! Which means half of the guards get to go home. Each year we switch off on who gets to go on vacations.

"I can't wait to see my brother!" Nora smiles as we walk to the stables.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see my sister!" I reply as I put the saddle onto my black horse.

"Well, I'll see ya in a week!" Nora smiles as she rides in the opposite direction of me. Nora lives in the Town of Silverhelm while I live in the Town of Redmere. I mount my horse and ride towards my hometown. After a couple hours I finally made it to the stables in Redmere. I dismount my horse and leave him in the stable. I turn the lock on the stable door and head downtown. I walk till I see the old brick building. I look around to make sure no one is following me. I knock on the dark wooden door five times in a rhythmic beat. The old rusted door swings open. I walk in and start heading down the long spiral staircase.

I look around the dim lit room. I see my sister, Aster, in the corner reading a book. I walk over to her and tap on her shoulder. She gasps and wraps her arms around me. 'Wow! You've gotten so big!' I sign to her when she lets go of me. Me and Aster couldn't look any more different. She has blonde hair like my mother, while I got my fathers dark brown hair. Aster also got my fathers dark brown eyes while I got my mothers blue eyes. The only thing that makes me and Aster look similar is our tan skin, oval shaped face and wavy hair.