A Sky Full of Stars

12. Loch Ness

The Highlands trip brought Logan and Emilia closer. Sleeping under the stars and hiking up grand mountains made Emilia fall in love with Scotland and Logan even more. Scotland had a different beauty than the United States.

The trip also gave Emilia time to think about what Logan told her about instantly falling in love with her. Insta-love. From when she ran away in Glasgow to now, there hasn't been a moment where he hasn't stopped loving her and she hasn't stopped loving him.

The final day in the Highlands saw the two of them driving through the mountains and stopping in Loch Ness. Because the roads were a straight-shot, Emilia got to drive. It was a pretty bumpy ride because Logan was teaching her how to drive a manual car, but she was able to drive the car to Loch Ness without an issue.

While Loch Ness is famous for its hard-to-catch monster, the lure and beauty did not disappoint. The town sat right on the river bank and was full of poncho-wearing tourists. A visitor center had a statue of Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster. A boat ferried people to and from the visitor center and Urquhart Castle.

The two of them joined the queue to get onto the ferry. As they were waiting to reach the boat, Logan indulged Emilia in some Scottish history. One story he loved to tell was the Massacre of Glencoe.

"The Massacre of Glencoe happened in 1692 and was between the Clan MacDonald and the British government," Logan said. "The clan's government didn't pledge allegiance to William and Mary before a certain deadline."

"And the government massacred everyone?" Emilia asked.

"Yeah. It was winter too, so everybody who survived the initial slaughter died while trying to escape."

"That's terrible. Has the government apologized for it?"

"I don't think so. There was an investigation."

Emilia bit the inside of her lip as she thought about what Logan told her. She didn't know much Scottish history, but she knew that Scotland was always instigating the idea of independence from Great Britain.

"Do you think it could have incited an independence movement?" Emilia asked.

"Oh, I think so. Scotland had so many independence movements, so one more couldn't hurt."

The queue for the ferry inched closer and closer to the dock. Logan and Emilia reached the dock and boarded the ferry. The ferry was two levels and a huge crowd fought to climb to the second level. Emilia grabbed Logan's hand and walked to the back of the first level. The area was more secluded and faced the loch.

After everyone boarded, the ferry left the dock. Emilia looked out the window and watched as the dock grew smaller and smaller until it was engulfed by the water. Children ran through the viewing area and families pointed out the window to search for Nessie.

"Do you think you're going to make up with yer father?" Logan asked.

"I want to and I plan to. I just don't know if he'll accept my apology or want to speak to me," Emilia said.

"It's worth a shot. And I think it'll make you the better person. Think about it."

Emilia gave Logan a smile and snuggled into his side. He was right. It would make her feel better if she talked to her dad. Even if he didn't listen, it showed that she tried to take a step to rekindle their relationship.

"Do you remember the soulmate talk yesterday?" Emilia asked to redirect the conversation. "Were there any times that your family knew that their spouses were the ones?"

"Loads. My parents believed that they ran into each other multiple times throughout history. My dad swears that they met in the 60's at a Vietnam rally in the States," Logan said. "They got married in 1990 and he says that she looked just like her 60's counterpart right down to a T."

"That's amazing! Like deja vu!"

"It is. Both my parents have stories of their first date and giving each other the look of horror when they realize they've seen each other before. Honestly, I feel the same with you. Like I've seen you before but I can't put a finger on it."

"Maybe we met somewhere else before too! I believe that I was part of the Russian Revolution," Emilia said.

"How did you figure that out?"

"We were studying it in school. My teacher showed us a picture of the revolutionaries after the Bolshevik government was sworn in. There was a girl standing in the far back and she looked like my doppelganger."

Logan laughed. "That's crazy."

"I fully believe it," Emilia said. "She had everything down to the last detail."

As the boat sailed down the loch, Emilia glimpsed at Logan and suddenly felt a strong sense of deja vu towards him. She squinted her eyes, so she could focus on him and where she could have seen him before. She couldn't place it, but there was a faint inkling that she knew. Knowing her, it will be coming to her soon.

The boat pulled into Urquhart Castle's dock. The castle sat on the edge of a cliff, and was in ruins with only the foundations and high-bearing pillars left. People walked through the ruins of the castle. Plagues around the ruins told which part of the castle visitors stood in and stories of the castle.

A crew member docked the boat and everybody queued to exit. Logan grabbed Emilia's hand and they walked off the boat. They followed the crowd and hiked up the hill to the castle. They stood in front of the castle and watched as people made their way through the ruins. Emilia grabbed Logan's hand and they walked through the ruins as well.

"Why is the castle in ruins?" Emilia asked as they walked to the back of the castle.

"It went into decay in the 1600's. A storm came in later and destroyed what was left," Logan explained. "The castle was used as a port and protection."

Emilia grabbed Logan's hand and pulled him to the edge of a cliff. The cliff overlooked the loch and the small, gravel coast. "What do you think it looked like?"

"Small but mighty. It wouldn't be like the other castles too. More bricks and uniformity than splendor and decoration."

Logan pulled Emilia closer to him. Emilia wrapped his arms around him and leaned upwards to kiss him on the cheek. The two of them stood on the edge of the cliff in an embrace. At that moment, it was just them and the world.

Soon to be them against the world.