“No, and that’s the problem!” I bellowed.
“I’m lost,” she said, patiently.
“Imagine being hungry, but no matter how much you ate, never feeling full.”
“That would be horrible.”
“That’s how I feel when I work out right now. No matter how hard I push myself, it’s not enough. My body craves more. I’m afraid if I got physical with you right now, I might not be able to find my off switch. I can’t even trust my own body right now,” I said, my tattoos glowing red. This time signifying my anger at the enemy within.
Isla stood and placed both of her hands on my chest, immediately turning the red glow to amber. “Look at me,” she said, drawing my gaze to hers before bending us into a private moment.
Typically, Isla’s touch would calm me immediately and stop me from glowing. This time, however, we remained bathed in light, frozen in time. I could feel her attempts to soothe me, but my body resisted. Rejecting any substitute for the only thing it truly craved.
Battle.
Isla broke our embrace and I finally stopped glowing… sort of. My tattoos were more of a yellow, less amber, but still brighter than I’d like.
“I have an idea,” Isla said excitedly before taking my hand.
“Where are we going?”
“We’re not going anywhere. You are going to stay in this room, and I am going to find my dad and uncles,” she said, donning her shirt again before opening the door.
“Why?”
“Because we’re gonna need them for what I have in mind. Plus, I don’t think they’d want to miss out on all the fun.”
* * *
An hour and a half later, Isla came back to find me climbing the walls.
“Where have you been?” I demanded.
“Come with me,” she said, ignoring my question, taking my hand, and guiding me out of the room.
“What’s going on? Where are we going?”
“Not far, just out to the back lawn,” she replied with a mischievous smile.
“Why? What’s so special about the back lawn?”
“Nothing, in particular. But, I have something special planned for you.”
“For me? What is it?”
“If I told you, that would spoil the surprise. And no trying to read my thoughts, either,” she bossed. “That would be cheating, and cheating is rude.”
“I promise not to be rude,” I said, unable to contain my smile. I had no idea when the last time someone had done something nice for me was, but I was deeply touched that Isla had done so. Whatever it was.
As we neared the top the hill which led to the back lawn, Isla slowed our steps.
“Before we get there, I want to warn you that some of my family will be joining us.”
“Oh, okay,” I replied. “Who?”
Isla said nothing, but as we crested the hill my question was answered. As far as I could tell, every one of the Gunnach family were present on the field. The men were dressed in their kilts and the clan tartan was proudly on display. A section of portable bleachers had been set up along with three competition stations, including a hammer throw, an over the bar weight, and of course a caber toss. In the bleachers were Isla’s mother, Pepper, sitting beside Queen Samantha, as well as a few of Isla’s cousins, and various other female family members. On the field, the men were warming up and joking loudly with one another.
“What is this?” I asked, amazed at what I was seeing.
