Timeless Mist (12 page)

"I'm sure it is, but he's
still a jerk," Kris grumbled.

"I heard a bit of commotion
a short while ago." Sorcha ignored
that
last statement, "I assume it
had
to do with you?"

Kris said
not
h
ing
,
just nodded again. How much could she tell this woman? Could she trust her? How
would she react if Kris told her the truth? Did she even dare to give out the
whole truth, even about be
ing
a Campbell, when current
ly
stuck in a century where Campbell's and MacGregor's
were
mortal enemies?

"Ye
have
not
h
ing
to fear from me." Sorcha
placed a gentle hand on her. "I will cause ye no harm. I may even be able
to help in some way if ye tell me your story."

Kris sat back in her chair,
not
sure what to do. Tears
stung her eyes and though she tried desperate
ly
to hold them back, they slow
ly
found their way down her cheeks.

"Ye poor dear." Sorcha
was
immediate
ly
at her side. The concern
in the older woman's voice, and the gentleness of her touch on
ly
served to br
ing
more tears. Kris always
found it hard to stop the tears once they started. And even more difficult to
stop when she
had
someone to comfort her.
That
's
why she did
n't
let
herself cry
very
often. She
was
certain
it did
n't
help the situation
much now, see
ing
that
she
had
been close to tears
since she
had
come to
terms with the fact
that
she
was
indeed stuck
in the past, with little or no chance of ever gett
ing
home.

Sorcha wrapped her arms around
Kris, rock
ing
her gent
ly
while mak
ing
sooth
ing
noises. She glanced at
Elsbeth, who on
ly
shrugged. After several minutes, Kris' sobs slowed and final
ly
stopped. She wiped her
eyes with the damp cloth Sorcha handed her, and blew her nose. She
had
to stop giv
ing
in to these outbursts. She
hadn't
cried this much
ever,
not
even when
she'd broken up with David.

"Better now?" Sorcha
asked.

"Yes, I think so." She
offered a wobb
ly
smile. "I do
n't
know what's wrong with me. I'm
not
usual
ly
this
emotional."

"'Tis
quite
natural, my dear. From
what Elsbeth tells me, it
has
been an emotional
ly
try
ing
few days for
you. It tends to take its toll on a body." She sat in the chair opposite
Kris, but held onto her hand. "Now, ye must tell me what is troubl
ing
you so. I always find it
helpful to talk out my troubles. The shar
ing
of them does
n't
always
lead to a solution, but it helps lessen the direness of them."

"My grand
mother
used to tell me
that
." Kris smiled.

"A wise woman then."

"I do
n't
know if you'll believe what I
have
to tell you." Kris
took a deep, but shaky breath, determined
not
to let the waterworks start again. She shrugged, "I'm
not
sure I believe it yet,
and I'm the one it's happen
ing
too." Her voice came out helpless and frustrated.

"Why do
n't
you tell me all and we
shall see what I believe, hmm." Sorcha coaxed. "Why do
n't
we start with your clan
name?"

Kris took a
not
her deep breath, "my
name is Kristianna Armstrong." She decided to wait awhile before she would
divulge Campbell as her name. It
was
safer
that
way.

"I see. And my son locked
you in here because you are English." It
was
more a statement than a question.

Kris nodded.

"There is more to it though,
aye?"

Kris nodded again.

"Would ye
like
to tell me about the
rest?"

Kris rose from her chair and
paced the length of the room. Where to begin? How much could she tell this
woman? Would she
really
believe any of it? Or would she tell Iain they
had
to lock her in a rubber room somewhere? She turned and faced Sorcha.

"I'm
not
really
sure how I got here, or even why I'm here."

"Where is your clan?"

"I do
n't
really
have
a clan as you
would call it." Kris offered her a half-smile. "Where I come from, we
do
n't
have
clans. My parents are
who knows where, probab
ly
fight
ing
with each
other. My brothers and sister are probab
ly
frantic about find
ing
me, but I know
that
's
go
ing
to be impossible
to do."

"And why is
that
? I am sure Iain could
see to return
ing
you
to them."

"I do
n't
think so. My home is in the United States. America."
A look of startled surprise passed over Sorcha's face. But it
was
there and gone so quick
ly
, Kris
was
sure she'd imagined it.

Sorcha cleared her throat. "And
where is this America?" She asked, careful
ly
.

"It's across the
ocean."

"Do ye mean the English
Colonies?"

"Well, no,
not
really
. They are
n't
the colonies anymore, and they certain
ly
are
n't
under the
English anymore. We won our freedom from the English well over two hundred
years ago."

"I'm confused again." Sorcha
shot Elsbeth a speak
ing
look. "You say you are from across the ocean, yet ye are
not
part of the English
Colonies in the new land. Then ye tell me your country won its freedom from
English rule two hundred years ago. How is
that
possible?"

"Well, it's, umm, it's
because it
hasn't
happened yet."

"Kristianna," Sorcha
rose from her chair, her voice filled with patience. She placed her hands on
Kris' shoulders to stop her pac
ing
.
"What is it ye are
really
try
ing
to tell
me?"

"I-um," Kris hesitated.
She took a
not
her deep,
fortify
ing
breath,
then, "I'm
not
from this time. I do
n't
belong here. I'm
not
even from this century. I'm from the twenty-first century." She met
Sorcha's gaze, wait
ing
for her reaction, pray
ing
the woman would
n't
think her complete
ly
mad,
and
have
the guards
come drag her to the dungeon to await her burn
ing
at the stake.

"The future?" Sorcha
breathed.

Kris nodded.

Sorcha turned to look out the
window. Silence filled the room. Kris watched her take several slow breaths as
if try
ing
to digest
it.

"What year?" Sorcha
asked in a whisper.

"2008."

"The future." She said
again. Final
ly
she
swung back to meet Kris' gaze. "Ye are from the future."

Kris could on
ly
stand there and nod,
afraid to say anyth
ing
else.

Sorcha crossed the room and took
Kris' hand in hers. "Ye must tell me e
very
th
ing
ye remember lass. Leave
not
h
ing
out. Ye said ye do
n't
recall how you got here?" She shot
Elsbeth a
not
her
glance.

Kris shook her head, dumbfounded.

"Do you remember what
happened before ye arrived here? Before you ended up in the woods?"

"You mean you believe
me?"

Sorcha paused and looked at
Elsbeth again. "Aye, lass, I believe you." She led Kris back to the
chair she'd departed to pace and sat down with her. "Now, ye must tell me
e
very
th
ing
you remember. You can
not
leave out a s
ing
le detail."

For the next hour or so, Kris
told Sorcha all
that
had
happened since she'd
gotten to Scotland. How she'd arrived, her stay in the castle and her research
into the MacGregor history.

"Why did ye wish to research
the MacGregor history?"

"Ever since I can remember,
I've been fascinated with e
very
th
ing
about Scotland. I'm
study
ing
art-history
in college, and when I
was
offered the chance to come on this trip with my class, I jumped at it. I did
n't
really
have
any choice about which castles or inns we'd be stay
ing
at. I ended up in this castle. Well, sort
of this castle. This castle in the future." Kris rose to pace again. It
was
a bad habit she
had
of
not
be
ing
able to sit still. Some
people found it
quite
annoy
ing
when she sat
there tapp
ing
her foot
or sw
inging
her leg,
so she paced.

"Anyway, I saw this paint
ing
of Iain and well,"
she shrugged, "I
was
quite
taken with it. With
him, actual
ly
. He's
very
handsome. I
have
a curiosity streak as
big as Montana." She stopped when Sorcha chuckled. "Oh, oops. I mean
as big as the Highlands."

Sorcha smiled. "I guessed
your mean
ing
, lass. I
can also understand your curiosity. 'Tis said I
have
an extra-large dose of the
like
myself. I must admit to the truth of
that
.
It
has
led me to many
different th
ing
s in my
life, some good, some bad, and others
quite
wonderful." She smiled wistful
ly
.
"My daughter inherited
that
from me, sad to say." She frowned slight
ly
;
a look of deep sadness touched her eyes.

Kris wanted to ask her about her
daughter, but Sorcha continued. "I
have
found
that
my
curiosity
has
also led
me into several difficult situations as well."

Kris nodded in complete
understand
ing
. Though
she doubted this love
ly
woman
had
found
herself anywhere close to the difficulties in which Kris now found herself.

"Is there anyth
ing
else you remember?"
Sorcha asked, before Kris could dwell on just how much in trouble she might be.
"Do ye recall what you were do
ing
,
or what you did, just before you went to bed
that
night?"

"No," Kris stopped pac
ing
and tapped her chin for
a moment, then shook her head. "
not
h
ing
. When I try to think
about it too hard, it gives me a headache."

Sorcha rose to her feet and
embraced her. "We will work on this mystery together and joint
ly
we shall figure out what
we can do. If there is any way to return you to your home, we shall find it
together."

Kris returned her hug,
"thank you," she whispered with feel
ing
.
"You
have
no idea
how much I appreciate
not
on
ly
your listen
ing
, but your believ
ing
me as well."

"Ye must promise to tell me
e
very
th
ing
you remember, no matter
if it seems unimportant to ye or
not
."

"I promise."

"Now," Sorcha
was
the first to pull away. "I
will
have
Elsbeth see
to bath for you, as well as some clean cloth
ing
."

Kris nodded and wiped her eyes. She
watched as the older woman went to the door and spoke to whoever stood outside.
After a short conversation, she returned and nodded to Elsbeth, who left
immediate
ly
.

"'Tis all seen to. Ye shall
be soak
ing
in a
nice
, hot bath within the
hour." She settled herself into a comfortable chair by the fire. "Tell
me more of what ye did the day you found yourself here and we shall see if
that
prods forth some more
helpful memories."

Kris began to pace again, her
brow furrowed in concentration. She filled Sorcha in on e
very
th
ing
she'd done two days ago,
from the moment she awoke, to the time she went to bed.

She left out the fact
that
she'd dreamed of Iain
for months before her trip but
hadn't
dreamt of him
that
night. She stopped pac
ing
for a moment when she began to recount what she'd done before she went to bed.