CHAPTER 1
The first thing Alyse Fletcher did when she woke was throw up.
It was a nervous habit of hers where any feeling of anxiety led to the previous meal making a reappearance and one that had led to many unfortunate and embarrassing moments in her short life. The drink taking up the majority of room in her stomach probably didn't help, however the sudden feeling of being hit by a lorry (not that she knew what that felt like, although she could probably hazard a guess) only added to the nausea.
After cleaning herself up and sorting her aching head out, she began to get her bearings when she noticed the change in temperature. Now Scotland isn't exactly known for its 40 degree tanning weather, especially during the early spring, but she knew just 5 minutes prior when she was with Ethan and Jess, it was considerably warmer than it was currently. Coming to that realisation, she also noticed how Jess and Ethan were nowhere to be found. It had barely been 2 minutes since she had seen Ethan fall and went to help him up and then just as she passes out, they abandon her? Surely not and if it did turn out to be true, she'd give them hell to pay - at least for the next 3 days until she was due to return home.
She sat down next to the largest stone of the collection, the one she woke up next to, and leaned against it as she tried to make sense of what had happened and where her cousins had gone. Maybe she had been out longer than she thought and they had gone to get help. Maybe their phones weren't working or they couldn't get reception or they were out of charge. Maybe Jess had started panicking and Ethan had taken her away from Alyse to help calm her down. Every possible scenario went through Alyse's head to convince herself the two hadn't just abandoned her yet as she sat there and the minutes ticked by, she knew they weren't coming, with help or otherwise. She didn't know what was taking them so long or where they'd gone at all, leaving her uncertain and confused as to what the hell had happened.
Figuring that it was probably best to wait and see if they come back, she grabbed her bag and got out the big fleece her mum insisted the teens take with them to use as a blanket on their 'celebratory birthday picnic'. Whilst 10 minutes ago the weather was surprisingly warm for a March evening, the temperature had drastically changed and suddenly her new floral dress and grey hoodie were no longer keeping her warm enough. The blanket was a relatively thick one as well, featuring the family tartan that had belonged to the Fletcher's seemingly forever. It was nice to think that she was a part of a family with such a lengthy history and connection to their country, making her annual trip that much more special.
The cold didn't much bother her, but she felt it rather important to try and see where Jess and Ethan had gone. Reaching into her bag once more, she pulled out her phone (an old iPhone 8 of her uncles) and knew immediately that she was getting nowhere with it. Signal was sketchy in the Highlands at the best of times, and as the screen came to life and the bars were replaced by dots, she knew any attempt at calling them would be pointless and lead to nowhere. She decided that the best course of action was to sit and wait for them rather than go off on her own, as despite going every year she wasn't totally confident in her ability to navigate the vast field and hills from the stones back to Inverness. She'd wait a maximum of one hour and if they still hadn't returned, she'd reluctantly make her way from the stones and try to get home.
Getting out her copy of Pride and Prejudice, she began to dive deeply once again into the world of Elizabeth Bennett and her troubled love with Fitzwilliam Darcy. A couple chapters in, Alyse checked her phone to look at the time, dismayed to see it was coming up to 8:30pm meaning she had half an hour for Jess and Ethan to come back to her, to make the hour walk back to Inverness in time for curfew for she still did not want to make the journey back by herself. Pulling her blanket around herself from where it had fallen off her shoulders and settling herself back against the stone holding her book, she resumed her wait trying to convince herself that she wouldn't have to walk back alone in the dark.
About 10 minutes later, she was getting more and more worried and couldn't focus on the words anymore. She looked down at her phone again, shocked to see it was still exactly 8:26pm. The same time it was 10 minutes ago when she got her phone from her bag. Alyse sighed as she went to turn off her phone in hopes that it would restart. She was already stressed about her entire situation and she did not need a broken phone on top of things. After waiting for the small Apple logo to appear on screen, she noticed that the time still said 8:26pm. This sent her over the edge.
All of a sudden, her ears were filled with screaming, crying and curses that she was too distraught to realise had come from her mouth. She had no idea what time it was, she had no idea where her cousins were, she had no idea how to contact them and she had no idea how to get back. In her anger, she ran up to the centre stone and began banging her fists and palms on in an act of frustration. She had no idea how that was to help but in her panic, she needed an outlet. After a few moments and a couple bruised knuckles, she began to tire and stopped to catch her breath. Her back slid down the centre stone and as she touched the ground, she wrapped her blanket around her frame from where it had slid off her shoulders and before she knew it, her exhaustion had reached its peak. As she quickly drifted off with her head against the rock, she had no idea what adventure awaited her.
Thanks for reading guys! Once again, make sure to check out the Pinterest board for intrépide - link on my Profile. There, you'll see hairstyles, outfits and more relating to Alyse and her journey in 18th century Scotland. Please rate and review, and let me know what you think of the new chapter!
