It was still very dark when my alarm began to chime. My hand slowly reached out to stop the horrid clanging, but another hand reached out and did it for me. Then the light turned on. I nearly screamed seeing Lottie sitting on the chair on the other side of my bedside table. I then looked at her with a confused expression. "Did you sleep at all?" I asked her, trying to shield my face from the light.

"A bit," she stated matter-of-factly, pulling the blanket a bit tighter around her shoulders.

I knew she likely hadn't slept for very long, if at all. Back in medical school, when we had to be up earlier than normal, she would usually stay awake and read. How she could function the next day always amazed me. I required much more sleep than she did. My father would playfully tease me about such things when I was little.

"What time is it?" I asked with the blanket still shielding my face from the light.

"Time for you to get up." Lottie then pulled the blanket from my head. I squirmed, trying to bury my face in the pillow, but Lottie then took hold of my arms and tugged me into a sitting position. My expression must have been rather skeptical because without prompting she told me, "I promise it's worth the early rise."

I shivered and then rubbed my bare arms for warmth. Lottie chuckled. I was nearly always cold, especially here in Scotland. Another reason I longed for America at times. "I have a blanket in the car for you," Lottie teased with a smile.

"How long will we be out today?" I asked rather groggily. Since our first adventure to Castle Leoch, we spent most days out exploring until at least early afternoon. I anticipated today wouldn't be any different.

But Lottie played coy. "You'll just have to wait and see. Now up." She playfully smacked my arm. "Don't make me have to dress you. You know I will."

I rolled my eyes remembering that one time in medical school before I forced myself onto my feet. Lottie chuckled and then left the room. She was already fully dressed. I knelt at the edge of my bed and folded my hands in prayer like I did almost every morning. Knowing I needed to be quick about it, I prayed a prayer that my father had taught me as a little girl.

In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen. I thank Thee, my Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Thy dear Son, that Thou hast kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray Thee to keep me this day also from sin and all evil, that all my doings and life may please Thee. For into Thy hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Thy holy angel be with me, that the Wicked Foe may have no power over me. Amen

I slipped my feet into my slippers and walked over to my wardrobe. It was safe to say that blue was my favorite color given the number of articles of clothing hanging up that were colored such. It brought out my eyes. Or at least that's why I used to prefer wearing blue. I had once considered my eyes my best feature, but there really wasn't a need to be showing them off anymore.

I pulled a long-sleeved powder blue dress from a hanger and changed into it. I pulled on a pair of stockings before a knit cardigan for added warmth. I then grabbed my satchel with contained my diary and pen, Pride & Prejudice, Of Love and War, my Bible, and my Scottish Highlands history book. I didn't have any idea which book I was going to be in the mood for later, so I might as well bring them all. Although, had I known the adventure I was about to undertake, I might have packed some more useful items like extra stockings, a compass, matches, or food.

My good walking shoes were downstairs, so I made my way out of my room and found Lottie waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me. "You were serious about that blanket in the car, right?" I asked her.

She chuckled and nodded her head. "I also packed a few things to eat when we're done."

"You packed them?" I asked as I put my shoes on my feet.

Lottie nodded her head and folded her arms across her chest. "Mrs. Campbell is...busy at the moment."

I paused for a second and looked up at her in the dark, the moonlight the only light in the room. She knew me well enough to know that I was curious as to Mrs. Campbell's whereabouts. "You'll find out soon enough," Lottie whispered. "I don't want to spoil the show."

I was able to deduce that Mrs. Campbell must have something to do with what we were about to go see. Lottie then extended a hand down to me and I accepted it before she pulled me to my feet. We then quickly scampered to the automobile and were on our way to Craigh na Dun.

The ride there was a rather silent one. Truth be told, I was still much too tired to make much conversation. I must have slept for too long. I either needed less than four or more than seven to be useful. If I was woken up between four and seven hours, I was rather useless for a good while. So, I leaned my elbow against the car door and rested my head on my hand, trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep.

I somehow must have managed to fall asleep for a bit, because I awakened to Lottie shaking me. The car was parked on the side of the road. I assumed we were at Craigh na Dun, despite the fact I had never visited the place. I had been told of the standing stones before. Now that I thought about it, Stephen had wanted to visit them at Samhain, but his condition hadn't allowed for it. It then struck me that Lottie likely visited the stones with Stephen. And I realized that while Stephen hadn't been perfect, he had been a good brother to Lottie. I knew that much. I also knew that she missed her brother terribly, even though she didn't often show it. Lottie was able to mask such things and keep pushing forward. For that I envied her.

Lottie tossed a blue and green plaid woven afghan at me, knocking me out of my reverie. I wrapped the afghan around my head and shoulders, much like I imagined the women in Jesus' time would my satchel slung across my shoulder beneath the blanket. I climbed out of the vehicle and walked around to the front where Lottie stood waiting for me. I grabbed her arm and we climbed upward together.

"Tell me about when you and Stephen would come here," I said, without asking to verify that she had. The small smile on her face after I asked the question told me that my assumption was correct.

"Mother would bring us at first. Every Beltane and Samhain we would come up here to watch the druids dance. We would do a dance of our own when they were done. Oh, how it would make Mother laugh. After mother died, it was just Stephen and me, but we would still come up here whenever we were home. Last Samhain was the first time we didn't come." Her voice trembled at the last phrase.

"He wanted to go," I assured her, gently rubbing her arm in comfort. "He told me so."

Lottie chuckled derisively. "Stephen made me promise to bring you after..." her words trailed off, but I knew what she meant. After he died. Stephen hadn't died long after Samhain last year.

"We're here now and that's what matters," I said, resting my head on her shoulder for a moment.

"Stephen wasn't like my father," Lottie said to me. "He might have gotten trapped into my father's schemes, but he wasn't him. He had a lot of my mother in him. He did care about you, you know."

I sighed and patted Lottie's arm. Stephen wasn't a subject we usually broached. It was hard for both of us, both of us having such vastly different experiences with him. "I know," was all I could manage to say, but that seemed enough for Lottie for now. For that, I was thankful, especially given the circumstances that neither of us saw coming.

We made it to the top of Craigh na Dun and found our way behind a tree wide enough to shield Lottie and me. At the time, I thought it might have been a better sight to behold in the daylight. I told Lottie we would have to come back when the sun was up for a proper look. She told me we'd get a pretty good view once the dance was over and the sun was starting to rise. What I could see did look beautiful. There was a light fog that the stones seemed to come from. The stones towered over me. They stood in a ring surrounding the tallest stone in the middle of the ring.

Across the stones, I could see two shadowy figures hiding behind some alder bushes. Likely the Randalls, I mused. At that thought, the wind seemed to pick up. I held the afghan tight as the wind blew into my face so hard I could barely keep my eyes open. A few seconds later it died down. How odd. I had never known the wind to act in such a way.

"Mother would have called that the winds of change," Lottie whispered to me.

"Gaelic superstition?" I asked.

She chuckled. "More like my mother's. Mother always seemed wiser beyond her years. Like she knew some secret the universe was hiding."

I probably should have asked her more, but I didn't get the opportunity because Mrs. Graham, the reverend's housekeeper walked at the crest of the hill, carrying a white bundle in her arm. "What is she carrying?" I asked.

"Bedsheets, most likely," Lottie whispered back to me.

"Why on earth is she carrying bedsheets?" I asked.

"You'll see."

While my curiosity was piqued, I trusted Lottie that I would indeed find out. If I didn't, I would press the matter later. I might be curious by nature, but I was not impertinent about it. I let the afghan down from my head and pulled my long honey-blonde hair out from beneath, splaying it against the blanket.

Lottie gently elbowed me. "Look."

My eyes widened incredulously before I turned to look at Lottie who was giggling. It was Mrs. Campbell coming up the path, nearly out of breath. I needed to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. "Is that.." I began before Lottie interrupted.

"How else do you think my mother found out about this? Certainly, you don't think my father brought her here," Lottie teased. "Mrs. Campbell brought her when my mother was just a young lass. They were always close."

The more I learned about Lottie's mother, the more I became convinced I would have liked her. Soon, more women were coming up the path, whispering to each other. In all, there must have been fifteen women who climbed the hill carrying bundles beneath their arms.

For a few minutes, they disappeared behind the stones and bushes, but they emerged clad in white. The bedsheets. Lottie was right. The bedsheets were knotted at their shoulders and wrapped around their bodies. One by one, each of the women was given a lit torch. They then filed in a line from oldest to youngest forming a circle around the outer ring of stones.

"This is it," Lottie whispered, reaching for my arm.

The women bowed toward the stones, a signal to the start of their dance. They stepped inside the stones and lifted their torches high toward the stone in the center before they bowed low once more. They spun toward the outer ring of stones and repeated the same action. Mrs. Graham called something out in Gaelic and the other women repeated the words back to her. Then Mrs. Campbell began to sing a haunting tune, again, in Gaelic. The other women joined in bobbing and weaving, dancing through the stones.

Lottie translated the song for me. "It's Norse," she confessed. "My mother taught me the words as a lass."

The morning mist made the scene look eerily beautiful. I had never seen such a sight in my life. Although growing up, there really hadn't been time for such pagan rituals. Then the circle split in half. Seven dancers moved clockwise around the stones. The remaining eight moved the opposite direction. The circles seemed to move faster and faster and the song stopped when a mournful high-pitched wail began to resound among the stones.

I was absolutely mesmerized by the sight in front of me. I understood why Lottie had recommended we come...and why she came nearly every year. As the sun began to rise, Mrs. Graham began to raise her arms along with it while the other women continued to dance and spin in circles around the stones.

The mist seemed to grow thicker, blocking the identities of the dancers, but the torches' light was still cutting through the mist. They continued to spin and spin until the sun had nearly completely broken through the darkness. Then, the women raced toward the center stone with their torches high and froze. Mrs. Graham called out something and the women lowered their torches and extinguished them. The women then began to file away.

Lottie sat down and pulled a handkerchief from her coat pocket. She unwrapped some biscuits and offered them to me. I sat down beside her and accepted one. I nibbled on the biscuit and watched as the Randalls made their way to the stones. They seemed just as amazed as I was by the scene. Frank Randall pointed up at the center stone and touched it. Claire Randall was bent down looking at something on the ground, a flower perhaps. They must have noticed one of the women coming back because they looked in the direction of the path before they quickly scurried away.

Lottie chuckled. "They needn't have worried. It's likely Mrs. Campbell giving us the go-ahead."

I pulled my afghan a little tighter. "Is it okay? Us being here, that is."

"Aye," Lottie responded after swallowing a bite of biscuit. "She's been trying to convince me to join them for years now."

"Do you think you will?"

Lottie sighed. "I want to, but I feel my motivation is wrong. Simply out of spite for my father doesn't seem a good enough reason."

"Tradition seems a good enough one," I mused. "I mean, I'm sure your mother wouldn't have exposed you to this had she not one day anticipated such a thing. You could always think of it as a way to honor your mother."

Lottie smiled at me. "Aye, I suppose I could. Hadn't thought of it that way before."

"That's what you have me for," I teased, nudging her with my elbow. She nudged me back.

Sure enough, the woman was Mrs. Campbell. She waved in our direction, dressed in normal clothes before she disappeared down the path. Lottie quickly scrambled to her feet before she held her hands out for me to grab. I accepted and Lottie pulled me to my feet. "Let's go get a better look," she suggested.

But I had a better idea. Still holding onto Lottie's hand, I pulled her along as I sprinted toward the stones holding onto my afghan, my satchel hitting my thigh with every step. I had been so lost in my own grief that I hadn't been as good of a friend to Lottie as I should have been. Now was as good a time as any to remedy that.

We stepped through the outer ring of the stones and stopped a few feet shy of the center one. "Show me," I insisted. "Show me the dance your mother taught you."

"It really wasn't much of a dance," Lottie said. "It was really more holding hands and spinning around the stones."

"Then let's do it." I reached for her other hand, which made her smile. We began to spin. I hadn't done something this silly since our days in the dormitory at medical school. We laughed. In that moment, with my dearest friend, my heart felt light and unburdened.

But then something strange began to happen. A pounding noise seemed to be emanating from the center stone. Voices whispering, but I couldn't make out any of it. Lottie and I stopped and looked at each other, wondering if the other could hear what each of us was hearing. Without saying it, we both understood the other's expression and nodded our heads, confirming that we could both hear the sound.

Lottie then looked up at the stone quizzically. "Mother?" she called out. "Mother? Is that you?" I saw her reach out her hand toward the stone.

Instinctively, I knew I had to stop her. I reached out to stop her from touching it. I slapped her hand away, knocking her out of her reverie. Lottie was knocked off her feet and to the ground. She held her ears with her hands.

I was about to back away, to try and help calm Lottie's cries for her mother, but a sudden gust of wind came from nowhere and I wasn't prepared for it. The wind pushed me forward into the stone and everything went black.

Claire held onto Frank's arm as they descended the hill. They were nearly to their car when there came a rather large gust of wind. It was so powerful that the wind knocked Claire into her husband's arms. Frank's arms wrapped tight around her. She had been in Frank's arms hundreds, maybe even thousands of times before, but this time it felt different. It felt like something had changed. It felt like things had suddenly become tethered, which hardly made sense. But that was the best she could describe the feeling. She felt tethered in two opposite directions.

Frank leaned down and kissed her. He then helped her into the car and they traveled back to Inverness.

The sun was high in the sky when Lottie awoke. Something had happened. Something crazy, but she couldn't remember what exactly. Her head was throbbing. She lifted her hand to her temple to find that it was wet. After dabbing a few times and wincing, Lottie removed her hand and held it in front of her. Blood. There was blood on her hand, meaning her head was bleeding. Head wounds always bled a lot. She glanced down to find a rock marked with blood. She had likely hit her head on that...which would also account for her momentarily memory loss.

She glanced around. She was a top Craigh na Dun. Why was she atop Craigh na Dun? The Druids' Dance for Beltane. She had brought Ruthie. Speaking of Ruthie, where was she? Knowing her friend, she should have been tending to her. Unless something worse had happened to Ruthie. Lottie slowly stood on her feet. She was rather light-headed, but she needed to find Ruthie.

Lottie slowly turned her head from side to side, trying to find Ruthie. There was no sight of her. "Ruthie!" she called out. "Ruthie!"

There was no response.

Lottie called even louder. Still, no one responded. Perhaps, Ruthie had gone to the car in search of medical supplies. It made enough sense to Lottie that she followed the path down to where she had parked the automobile. But no luck there either. Maybe, Ruthie had made her way home or gone to fetch help.

When Lottie returned home, Ruthie was nowhere to be seen. She scoured the entire house looking for her sister-in-law. But it was no use. Lottie stormed into her father's study and demanded to know if he had seen Ruthie, but he hadn't either. Not that he really seemed to care that Ruthie was missing, which frustrated Lottie even more.

Lottie then enlisted Mrs. Campbell's help. They checked everywhere they could possibly think of on the estate before making their way into town. No one seemed to have seen Ruthie. What could possibly have happened to her? They didn't have any clues and they seemed to have exhausted every resource available, except one. So they went to the police for their assistance, praying that Ruthie was still alive.

Claire had been reading up on the local flora from inside her bedroom at the inn. But she wasn't quite sure which plant she had seen atop Craigh na Dun. Frank had suggested that she go back to find it. So, she got in the automobile and made her way back.

But to her surprise, the police were blocking the path which led up to Craigh na Dun. Claire parked and got out of the car. She tried to walk toward the path when one of the police officers stopped her.

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we need ye to make your way back to town."

There was a tug in Claire's stomach. It felt like there was a string attached to her, pulling her up toward the stones. Another string seemed attached toward town. But the string toward the stones seemed to be vibrating. She set her shoulders, trying to ignore the feeling in her gut. "I-I only wanted to find a flower."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but no one's allowed up there right now. A young woman's gone missing."

"Missing?"

"Aye. It's Ruth Arbuckle who's gone missing. She was here this morning with Miss Lottie. Miss Lottie took a blow to the head and now Mistress Ruth is missing. We're taking every precaution imaginable."

There was another tug in her gut toward the stones. She needed to get up the hill. That string seemed to be vibrating furiously.

"Of course. I completely understand," Claire offered. "But please, I'm not here long. It's just a small flower I'm in search of. If I'm not back in ten minutes you can send someone after me."

"Orders are orders, ma'am. I cannot let ye atop Craigh na Dun. Perhaps ye can try again tomorrow. I'll stop by the inn and let ye know if yer able. Aye?"

There was a sudden gust of wind, and suddenly, it seemed like a string snapped. There was no longer a strong tug in her gut beckoning her toward the stones. The only string seemed to beckon her back toward Inverness. Claire sighed. "Sounds perfectly reasonable. Thank you for your time."

With that, Claire headed back to Inverness and her husband, Frank, none the wiser that there had been a twist in time. That the life that should have been hers now belonged to someone else.

Author's Note: Well, Ruthie is missing. Although, I'm sure y'all can guess what happened to her. Haha. Also, I wanted to make sure that I explained Claire a bit more. Her connection to the past has been severed and now she is only bound to the present, to Frank. That doesn't mean she won't make another appearance later, but she will be staying in her time. Thanks to everyone who has supported this story. It means a lot to me!