Timeless Mist (22 page)

Kris shook her head before Iain
could speak. "I
have
so many questions." Kris said again.

"Aye, I know ye do, and I
will do my best to answer them all for you." Sorcha looked at Iain,
"will ye pour some wine please?"

Iain nodded and reached for the
bottle. As he poured, he glanced at Kris. Her face
was
pale, the stress and strain of wait
ing
for answers showed clear
ly
on her face. He started
to say someth
ing
to
his
màthair
about it,
but she spoke instead.

"One th
ing
I most definite
ly
miss about the twentieth
century is coffee." She smiled when Kris gasped.

"What year though? The
twentieth century covers
a
lot
of years."

Sorcha nodded slow
ly
as she sipped her wine. "It
does." She agreed. "But we're probab
ly
closer in age than you realize, my dear. Or would
have
been, if I'd stayed in my time." She
took a
not
her sustain
ing
drink before she plunged
ahead. "I
was
at
a New Year's Eve party with some friends of mine.  It
was
a
very
big night for me because the week before I
had
turned twenty-one." She looked at Kris, "I'm sure you can understand
the significance of
that
."

Kris nodded vigorous
ly
, hop
ing
Sorcha would
n't
stop now.  

She did
n't
. "Just before midnight, I excused
myself to go to the lady's room, amid several of my friends admonish
ing
me to hurry, of course. I
went as fast as I could, but the crowds
were
immense and difficult to get through. I final
ly
made it." She smiled wistful
ly
,
remember
ing
, "I
was
just
was
h
ing
my hands when the clock started chim
ing
midnight. I tried to
hurry, but could
n't
get past the crowd in front of the lady's room door. Why they chose to
congregate there, I'll never know." She shrugged again.

"Just as the clock struck
its last chime, I felt the floor shift beneath me. I
had
an odd sense of inertia and reached to grab
whomever I could, there
were
plenty of people to latch onto. My hand grabbed
not
h
ing
. The lights above me
spun at a dizzy
ing
speed and the sudden pain in my head made me think it
was
about to split in two. The next th
ing
I knew, I
was
stand
ing
in the middle of a field
full of heather." She looked at Iain, "Your father rescued me from
some overzealous ruffians who
were
intent on hav
ing
their
way with me before they burned me at the stake as a witch. They'd seen me 'spr
ing
from the grass' they
said."

She reached out and patted Kris'
hand. "I know how hard it must be for you. I remember my first weeks here.
They
weren't
easy at
all. Eventual
ly
, I
fell in love with Iain's father. We married and I lived out my life happi
ly
with him until the day he
died."

"You never tried to
return?" Kris asked.

 Sorcha opened her mouth to
answer, but Iain jumped in first. "Afore ye answer
that
question,
màthair
,
what year exact
ly
are
ye from?"

Sorcha took a deep breath and
looked
not
at Iain,
but at Kris. "I
was
at a party to celebrate the new millennium.
That
's
part of why we all
were
so excited, the new year we
were
go
ing
into
was
the year 2000."

Kris opened her mouth to speak,
to question, to gasp or to scream, she
wasn't
sure which. Unfortunate
ly
,
not
h
ing
came out. She stared at
Sorcha then looked at Elsbeth, then at Iain. A numbness began in her brain,
work
ing
its way
throughout the rest of her body and a buzz
ing
sounded in her ears. The room spun in dizzy
ing
circles before she succumbed will
ingly
to the darkness.

Iain caught Kris just before she
slumped out of her chair onto the floor.

"Put her on my bed,
Iain." His
màthair
instructed, stand
ing
to follow him.

Elsbeth
was
already plac
ing
a cloth into the water basin at his
màthair
's
bedside. He lay Kris down gent
ly
and brushed the hair out of her eyes. Before he could do aught else, his
màthair
was
beside him, loosen
ing
the laces on Kris' shirt
while Elsie bathed her face in the cool water.

Iain could do
not
h
ing
but stand aside and watch, hop
ing
Kris would be all right
and
that
this shock
wouldnae damage her in any way. He
was
near
ly
as stunned as
she by his
màthair
's
declaration. 2000.

He could bare
ly
fathom it, the numbers
sound
ing
strange and
foreign to him. Of course, he could count
that
high, but never
had
a
reason to do so. Until now. Now he
had
two reasons to become familiar with those numbers.

He gazed at Kris,
lying
on his
màthair
's bed look
ing
alarm
ingly
white and came to a
decision. He would return her sack to her. 'T
was
on
ly
right and proper
that
she
have
it. Now
that
he knew she indeed
spoke the truth he could see no sense in withhold
ing
it from her. He would get no information out of it anyway because he could
n't
even open the blasted th
ing
.

"I shall return short
ly
,
màthair
." He said, before he turned and
strode purposeful
ly
from the room.

Sorcha acknowledged him with a
wave and a nod of her head, but said
not
h
ing
.  She continued to pat
Kris' hand, hop
ing
she
would soon rouse from her faint and
that
she would understand and forgive Sorcha her deception.

Chapter Thirteen

Kris revived from her faint a
short time later. She sat up with Sorcha's help and looked around. Well, she
was
still here. She
wasn't
sure why, but it did
n't
matter anymore. She put
a hand to her head to try to stop the spinn
ing
and looked at Sorcha.

"2000?" she asked in
little more than a whisper. "You did say
that
,
did
n't
you? You're
from the year 2000?"

Sorcha took her hand and sat
beside her on the bed. She took a goblet from Elsie and handed it to Kris.

"Yes. I'm from the year
2000. Or
very
near
ly
anyway. I
was
born in 1979."

Kris met Sorcha's eyes over the
rim of her cup. She drank
almost
the entire goblet of weak wine before she handed the cup back to Sorcha. She
not
iced as she did so
that
her hands shook. It
was
all so unbelievable. She
just wished she could put it all in perspective and make it make some kind of
sense.

But it did
n't
make sense.
Not
any of it.
Not
on
ly
had
she found herself tossed unceremonious
ly
back in time, but she
was
sitt
ing
in the same room with a
woman three times her age whom she might
have
been friends with at some point in the future who would have been close to her
own age at the time. A woman she
was
friends with in the past.

She
was
beginn
ing
to get
that
numb
ing
sensation in her brain
again. She put both her hands to her head and stuck her head between her knees.
She absolute
ly
refused
to faint again. Never in her life
had
she fainted before.
Not
even when she'd caught David in bed with one of her so-called friends. She
was
not
about to let it happen again. Once was
enough. Twice
was
two
times too many in her opinion.

When the dizziness lessened
enough, she looked up and glanced around the room. "Where's Iain?"

Sorcha and Elsie exchanged
cryptic glances, before Sorcha spoke. "He went to fetch someth
ing
. He shall return in a
few moments."

"Oh. Well maybe I should
wait until he returns before I grill you some more." She shook her head at
her silliness. "Never mind." She gave Sorcha what she knew
was
a pierc
ing
look, "Did you ever
try to get home? Do you know if there's a way for me to get back to my time or
not
?"

"I'm
not
certain ye can handle anymore shocks today,
Kris."

Kris shook her head and sat up a
little straighter. "I do
n't
really
think anyth
ing
you
have
to say from this point on
will shock me as much as find
ing
out
that
,
had
th
ing
s been different, you and
I would
have
been near
ly
the same age." She
lo
were
d her voice when
she realized she'd been near to scream
ing
that
last bit.

"Look," Kris said, mak
ing
e
very
effort to keep her voice level, "I'll
admit, learn
ing
the
year you
were
from
was
quite
a shock. I suspected you
were
from the twentieth
century after I talked with Iain today and we compared
not
es. I
had
no idea you
were
from
a year so close to mine and
that
was
a hell of a shock.
But I still
have
questions
that
I
need
answers too." She met Sorcha's gaze, "please."

Sorcha shook her head and sighed,
a bit sad
ly
to Kris'
way of think
ing
.

"
Very
well then, I shall answer the rest of your
questions to the best of my ability." She sat down on the edge of the bed
next to Kris. "Ask away."

"Answer my first
question." Kris furrowed her brow, "I mean my last question."

"Nay, lass."

Kris waited, but apparent
ly
that
was
all she
was
go
ing
to get unless she pushed
for more. Though it
wasn't
in her nature, she pushed. "
That
's
it?
That
's all I get? Just
a 'nay, lass'?" She raised a brow at Sorcha and glanced at Elsbeth when
she heard a snicker from
that
direction. When she looked at her though, Elsie's face
was
impassive as always.

"Humph." Kris grunted,
scrambled around Sorcha and off the bed. She crossed her arms in front of her,
turned and faced the woman square
ly
.
"There's more to it than
that
.
I know there is, so spill. Tell me what you know."

The silence in the room grew as
the two women gazed at each other. The on
ly
sounds
that
could be
heard
was
the fire giv
ing
an occasional crackle
and Kris' foot tapp
ing
impatient
ly
on the carpeted
floor. Just when Kris thought she might
have
to push harder, Sorcha spoke.

"I did try to get home. Several
times as a matter of fact. I
was
just as frantic and scared as you
were
,
well, I mean are, to get home." She spread her hands and looked at Kris,
"I could find no way to return to my time." She walked over and stood
before Kris, "I'm sorry, Kris. If I knew of any way to accomplish it, I
would tell you." She put her hands on Kris' shoulders, "but then
again, if I knew of a way, I would
n't
be here now, would I?"

Kris thought about
that
for a moment before she
shook her head and relaxed her rigid stance.

"No, I do
n't
suppose you would
be." She offered Sorcha a weak smile and sat down on the edge of a chair,
her hands folded in her lap. "So now what do we do?"

Sorcha smiled and kissed her on
the forehead before she too sat.

"First th
ing
's first. I wish ye to
tell me all
that
's
been happen
ing
since I
was
sucked back in
time. I realize it
was
on
ly
eight years from
when I came here to when ye did, but I know
a
lot
can happen in
that
time." Sorcha's eyes
were
bright, "by any chance do you know what's been happen
ing
on General
Hospital?"

Kris could
n't
help it, she burst out laugh
ing
. A few moments later,
she wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes and, still chuckl
ing,
told Sorcha, "no,
I'm sorry. I watched it for a while when I
was
in high school, but with my busy schedule I just do
n't
have
time anymore."

"
That
's alright. It does
n't
really
matter anyway. I've grown used to fill
ing
my time with other th
ing
s.
Although when I first got here, I thought I would go stir crazy without someth
ing
to do."

Kris nodded in complete
understand
ing
.

"Did Iain's father believe
you?"

"
Not
at first, but then I showed him a few th
ing
s I
had
with me
that
final
ly
convinced him."

"Oh? And what did you have
with you?"

"I still
had
my purse with me. You
know, one of those big ones. I carried it e
very
where.
I
had
it stowed in a
locker at the party, but I needed th
ing
s
from it because I wanted to freshen my make-up while I
was
in the lady's room. After I showed Alistair
my driver's license and
had
him taste some of the candy bar I'd
had
in there, among other th
ing
s
that
are long gone
now, he grew less skeptical."

"What I would
n't
give for a candy bar
right now. Or a soda. Or coffee. I would give
almost
anyth
ing
for some kind
of caffeine."

"I can identify with
that
." Sorcha agreed
emphatical
ly
. "Try
not
hav
ing
any for forty years or
more." She rolled her eyes.

"You're sure there's
not
h
ing
resembl
ing
that
anywhere to be
found?"

Sorcha shook her head,
"unfortunate
ly
nay,
not
unless you
know how we can get some from Ita
ly
."

"Hmmm, I'll
have
to work on
that
one. I
have
some, err,
had
, some in my
backpack."

"Why, may I ask,
was
it in your
backpack?"

"I told you I
was
visit
ing
Scotland, right?"

"You did."

"I put extra stuff in my
backpack, you know, just in case I lost my luggage. I
like
to be prepared." Kris looked around
the room then back at Sorcha, "I
was
never prepared for this."

Sorcha chuckled. "I imagine
not
. So what exact
ly
did you
have
in
that
th
ing
? It must
have
been huge."

"Oh, it
was
. I got the biggest one I
could find as soon as I knew I
was
approved for the trip. I told you, I
like
to be prepared." She smiled, "I
had
e
very
th
ing
in it I could ever
possib
ly
need, just in
case. I'd say I
was
pretty
much covered for
almost
anyth
ing
for about a month. I'm
actual
ly
surprised
they even let me on the plane with it. I
had
an extra toothbrush and toothpaste, my license and college id, my wallet, a
camera, extra socks, jeans,
that
type of th
ing
. I also
wasn't
sure how the coffee
would be over here, you know,
that
tea th
ing
," she
shuddered a bit, "so I brought my own. Granted it
was
on
ly
instant, but it
was
the absolute biggest jar of instant coffee I could find. I knew I would be in
Scotland for a while and I figured by the time I ran out, I would accustom
myself to whatever there
was
over here, as long as it contained vast amounts of caffeine."

"Well damn." Sorcha
swore, "I wish I knew about
that
."

She knew
that
Elsbeth
had
put Kris' backpack in her room with her. When Sorcha
had
looked for it, however, it
hadn't
been there. She and
Elsie both knew who
had
it.

Kris sat quiet
ly
for a few moments, debat
ing
with herself whether or
not
to tell Sorcha the
entire truth. About who she really was, her real last name. She hated keep
ing
such a big secret and if
she could tell even one person, it would at least lift some of the guilt she
carried.

If she could tell anyone, it
would be Sorcha, see
ing
that
the woman would probably
not
immediate
ly
call her spy and
have
her thrown into the
dungeon without even giv
ing
her a chance to explain. Her mind made up, she broached the subject with
caution until she got a feel for th
ing
s.

"Can I tell you a
secret?"

Sorcha looked momentari
ly
shocked. "Of course
you can."

Kris glanced over her shoulder.

Sorcha
not
iced the direction her gaze wandered and
nodded to Elsie who went and closed the door, putt
ing
herself on the outside.

"I did
n't
mean for Elsie to leave.
I mean, she could
have
stayed. If you trust her, then I would too."

"It's
not
that
. I am assum
ing
it's someth
ing
you do
n't
wish Iain to know,
otherwise you would
have
waited until he returned."

Kris nodded emphatical
ly
.

"If Iain should return while
you are divulg
ing
this
secret, Elsie will tap light
ly
on the door so we wo
n't
be surprised."

"Thank you. And no, I do
n't
think Iain would react,
shall we say, kind
ly
,
to this news. I may end up in the dungeons as a spy if he finds out. Despite
whether he now believes me about my past err, future, umm, well you know what I
mean."