Chapter 1.
"Oh, shit!" Alex thought as she looked at her watch and saw that it was already 01.30.
"So much for curfew" she said out loud and started walking in a faster pace. She knew she was in trouble, her curfew was midnight and this was not the first time she had been late. All that her 'uncle' Duncan knew was that she was going to hang out with some friends. Instead she went to a club she was not allowed to go to. It had not been open until midnight and all she wanted to do was check it out with two of her friends, Stephanie and Jim. But as usual, Alexandra got carried away and things did not go as planned.
"O, aye, I am in deep shit now" Alex thought.
Duncan had been strict with her from the moment she had moved in. She knew that being her teacher and mentor he had to be, but Alex thought he was a little too up tight with his "rules of the house" he had laid down and so on. Duncan had grounded her when she had been late a couple of times and also sent her to her room when she had had a big mouth. But Alexandra Macleod felt that there would soon be other consequences to her carelessness in coming home on time or talking back. Alex also knew that over the past few months she had now about pushed Duncan's limits. "Come to think of it, the past few months have really flown by", she thought.
**flash**
"I don't want to move to the US, I don't want to live with Duncan, and I DO NOT WANT THIS SHIT!!" Alex shouted to her father, Connor Macleod, and she ran upstairs to her room.
Connor had patiently waited until his seventeen-year-old daughter's tantrum had come to this climax. Normally he would immediately go after her and set her straight for talking this way to him, but too much had happened in the past fortnight and he knew where her behaviour was coming from.
Brenda, Connor and Alex were involved in a car accident when returning one night after having dinner in a local restaurant near their home in Glenfinnan. It had been a great evening, and they had all been in a good mood. Things were going ok for them as Brenda had been living with Connor in Scotland for a couple of years now. Alex was away most of the time because she went to a boarding school in Glasgow but during holidays when she was home, she and Brenda got along fine. A drunk-driver made an end to this happiness as their car collided with his. Although all of them were wearing seatbelts, they were killed in the crash.
Being immortal, Connor had woken up a few minutes after the crash. It had been a horrible sight; Brenda almost unrecognisable because of the front window shattered in her face and Alex had first been jerked forward and then sideways, her head smashing into the side window. Connor had shut his eyes and blocked away his emotions. He knew what to do: get Alex out of the car before she would wake up. He had always known she was going to be an Immortal, ever since he had adopted her as a baby. That is why he had encouraged fencing lessons and martial arts classes for her. He had only hoped it would happen when she was a little older.
When he got her out he had carried her into the bushes away from the wreck and waited. Not long afterwards Alex had come back to life and Connor explained their situation. She had to go home and wait for him there. This had been Alex's most difficult moment in her life, all these questions, still the pain from not having healed completely and having to walk home all by herself...Immortal. When all the formalities had been done Connor came home and he and Alex cried and talked all night.
A week after Brenda's funeral, Connor tried to explain to his daughter that he could not be her teacher because he was too emotionally involved with her. He also needed some time-off for himself after all what had happened. And that was when Alex just lost it. It really hurt her that her dad wanted to send her away to live with Duncan and Tessa. She loved both of them and somehow it had felt like an adventure to be living in a city in the US instead of a small town in Scotland, but still it felt like she was being pushed away by her father. Connor went upstairs and found Alex on her bed crying. He softly put his hand on his shoulder and when she turned around he held her in his arms and explained again that he loved her more that anything in the world but that is was just for the best that she was trained by Duncan.
"I would not send my lass to just anyone, you know" he had said in Gaelic. "Duncan has been trained by the best, so you get the best." Alex smiled a little, looked at him and nodded.
"Alright, I'll give it a chance, dad." She sighed. "But if I don't like it, or there is anything, a-ny-thing-at-all that I don't like, I coming back."
"Deal." Connor said and stretched out the palm of his hand, which she in turn slapped.
"Deal."
**flash**
"Well, there is certainly something going to happen that I do not like now" Alex thought as she turned the key to the front door.
"Oh, shit!" Alex thought as she looked at her watch and saw that it was already 01.30.
"So much for curfew" she said out loud and started walking in a faster pace. She knew she was in trouble, her curfew was midnight and this was not the first time she had been late. All that her 'uncle' Duncan knew was that she was going to hang out with some friends. Instead she went to a club she was not allowed to go to. It had not been open until midnight and all she wanted to do was check it out with two of her friends, Stephanie and Jim. But as usual, Alexandra got carried away and things did not go as planned.
"O, aye, I am in deep shit now" Alex thought.
Duncan had been strict with her from the moment she had moved in. She knew that being her teacher and mentor he had to be, but Alex thought he was a little too up tight with his "rules of the house" he had laid down and so on. Duncan had grounded her when she had been late a couple of times and also sent her to her room when she had had a big mouth. But Alexandra Macleod felt that there would soon be other consequences to her carelessness in coming home on time or talking back. Alex also knew that over the past few months she had now about pushed Duncan's limits. "Come to think of it, the past few months have really flown by", she thought.
**flash**
"I don't want to move to the US, I don't want to live with Duncan, and I DO NOT WANT THIS SHIT!!" Alex shouted to her father, Connor Macleod, and she ran upstairs to her room.
Connor had patiently waited until his seventeen-year-old daughter's tantrum had come to this climax. Normally he would immediately go after her and set her straight for talking this way to him, but too much had happened in the past fortnight and he knew where her behaviour was coming from.
Brenda, Connor and Alex were involved in a car accident when returning one night after having dinner in a local restaurant near their home in Glenfinnan. It had been a great evening, and they had all been in a good mood. Things were going ok for them as Brenda had been living with Connor in Scotland for a couple of years now. Alex was away most of the time because she went to a boarding school in Glasgow but during holidays when she was home, she and Brenda got along fine. A drunk-driver made an end to this happiness as their car collided with his. Although all of them were wearing seatbelts, they were killed in the crash.
Being immortal, Connor had woken up a few minutes after the crash. It had been a horrible sight; Brenda almost unrecognisable because of the front window shattered in her face and Alex had first been jerked forward and then sideways, her head smashing into the side window. Connor had shut his eyes and blocked away his emotions. He knew what to do: get Alex out of the car before she would wake up. He had always known she was going to be an Immortal, ever since he had adopted her as a baby. That is why he had encouraged fencing lessons and martial arts classes for her. He had only hoped it would happen when she was a little older.
When he got her out he had carried her into the bushes away from the wreck and waited. Not long afterwards Alex had come back to life and Connor explained their situation. She had to go home and wait for him there. This had been Alex's most difficult moment in her life, all these questions, still the pain from not having healed completely and having to walk home all by herself...Immortal. When all the formalities had been done Connor came home and he and Alex cried and talked all night.
A week after Brenda's funeral, Connor tried to explain to his daughter that he could not be her teacher because he was too emotionally involved with her. He also needed some time-off for himself after all what had happened. And that was when Alex just lost it. It really hurt her that her dad wanted to send her away to live with Duncan and Tessa. She loved both of them and somehow it had felt like an adventure to be living in a city in the US instead of a small town in Scotland, but still it felt like she was being pushed away by her father. Connor went upstairs and found Alex on her bed crying. He softly put his hand on his shoulder and when she turned around he held her in his arms and explained again that he loved her more that anything in the world but that is was just for the best that she was trained by Duncan.
"I would not send my lass to just anyone, you know" he had said in Gaelic. "Duncan has been trained by the best, so you get the best." Alex smiled a little, looked at him and nodded.
"Alright, I'll give it a chance, dad." She sighed. "But if I don't like it, or there is anything, a-ny-thing-at-all that I don't like, I coming back."
"Deal." Connor said and stretched out the palm of his hand, which she in turn slapped.
"Deal."
**flash**
"Well, there is certainly something going to happen that I do not like now" Alex thought as she turned the key to the front door.