Hannah & The Highlander [Book 1 in the time travel series]

Chapter Three: Facing Reality

All Rights Reserved



Copyright © 2012




My apologies for the delay.





Chapter Three:Facing Reality





@Hannah's P. O. V.@





When first reached consciousness, I was aware of one thing-well two actually. The first was the heavy weight on my chest, I couldn't move my arms at all. The second, was the musky, woodsy smell that filled my nostrils-it wasn't necessarily a bad smell just . . . strange.



I opened my eyes, my breath caught inside my throat. A guy lay on top of me. He looked familiar . . . .



Like a bitch slap across the brain I remembered what happened-the kitten, falling, waking up, the Scottish Adonis, and . . . the fact that I had somehow time traveled nearly 900 years back in time.



I couldn't deny it-I was in a freaking castle that had been ruins moments before. I was wearing a freaking night dress that looked like it was made for a nun. And there was an incredibly hot, Scottish guy wearing a skirt crushing me!



I wriggled beneath him, struggling to figure out a way to slid him off of me, without waking him up. Clenching my teeth in concentration, I started to push my self into a sit up-and I am NOT an athletic person. I got a F in P.E.



In my struggle, I must have bumped him, because the next moment he was sitting up his hand flying for the huge sword at his side.



"Hey! Hey!" I yelled, throwing my hands on his, keeping them from unsheathing the sword. "Hold it right there, Brave Heart! It's okay, no raiders or bad guys."



He blinked sleepily at me, rubbing at his eyes with one of his large fists.



"Aye, lass, yer awake. Eileen and me thought ye would sleep for years," he said releasing a huge yawn.



"Um, how long have I been asleep?"



"Nearly a week, yer fever was ghastly, and yer head wound didn't do ye any favors," he said in his Scottish brogue.



Shit, a whole week?



Didn't they classify that as a coma?



I didn't really have much time to ponder this, because at that moment the door creaked open to reveal a shriveled old woman that looked to be in her eighties or so. She was arched with age, her face leathery and creased, long grey silver hair reached well passed her back. She wore a plaid shawl across her shoulders, and a rather simple dress that was a washed out off white. Her watery grey eyes assessed me with a knowing glance



Knowing what exactly, I had no clue.



She approached me with short. labored strides, the wooden cane in her hand making a gentle thump thump on the stone floor. Once she was at my side, she gave Cailen a pointed look.



"I think it would be best if the young lady and I spoke alone, Laird MacBain," the crone said her voice gritty like sandpaper.



Cailen nodded rising from his stool and following after the young woman named Eileen. The old woman waited until the door shut firmly behind them before turning towards me, her eyes keen and sharp as knives.



"Now," she said her voice like newly forged steel. "Let's get down to business-when and where are you from, young lady?"



I was taken aback by her bluntness-and her utter lack of a Scottish accent.



"Excuse me?"



"My granddaughter told me all about you-talking about cars and air planes. You were sucked through the Passage, weren't you?"



"Passage?" I asked my mind drawing up blanks. "Wait . . . you're . . . you're from the future too?"

"The year I was from was 1965-that was well over fifty years ago. What year is it now?"

"2012." I said softly the whole idea weighing down on me.



This woman was just like me-she'd stumbled through time and . . . she was still here; after fifty years. I couldn't stay here for fifty years! I couldn't stay here for another day! My parents had to be worried sick and going crazy! And something told me they weren't going to buy time travel as an excuse.



"So, you've been stuck here for the last fifty years? You never made it back to your own time?"



"No, I made it back . . . but I chose to remain here."



"Why?" I asked incredulously. Who'd give up pluming and electricity?



"Because I have a family here-daughters and sons, and a husband I love dearly. I couldn't dream of leaving them."



I nodded, though I was still skeptical. I wished I would wake up from this Topsy tervy nightmare.



"I suspect your time to return will come soon; just not as soon as you'd wish. In the mean time, you must try to blend in, no one must suspect you are from another era. What does the laird suspect?"



I sighed, pushing my hair out of my face.



"Probably, he thinks I'm crazy. I made fun of his sk-er, kilt."



The old biddy giggled, a dry, wisp of a sound.



"Aye, I did the same with my Colin. The poor man had no idea what to do with me."



"How'd you do it-make a life here?" I asked, truly curious.



"It isn't as hard as you would believe it to be-especially when you have someone worth staying for," she said with a smile.



I pondered her words-someone worth staying for. I was still pondering this when a sound like gun fire broke across the calm silence between us, and the castle trembled with the force of it.



___________________________Author's Notes___________________________

Bah-ha!!!! An update! Yez! I know really short, and a cliffy-but guys its something right!? Thank you all for your paitence and your support, it means alot to me that i didn't recieve any hate mail on my message bord for the horribly long wait.

Next chappie will have a battle scene! And you'll meet the enemy of the MacBains!

Until next time loves!