The Art of Being Emily - Katie MacAlister Page 0,96

a revolution. How did they get Jacobites from James, that’s what I want to know. Anyway, once Aunt Tim and Alec came out of the café, we wandered around for a bit, and Ruaraidh read stuff out of Brother's book about what things were, and what the castle used to be like, but it wasn't too thrilling until we saw the piper.

I know what you're thinking—first castles, now bagpipes, where is this going to end? Before you start scrunching up your nose at the thought of bagpipes, let me point out that where there's a bagpipe, there's usually a guy in a kilt.

“Kilt!” I bellowed and pointed when I saw the piper guy standing at the base of the Tower House.

“Where?” Aunt Tim said, pushing Alec aside. Holly was right with her.

“There. Isn't he nummy?”

Alec snorted something rude behind us.

“Dibs the first picture with him,” I said, and started running down the path toward the big tower, Holly right on my heels.

Here’s the thing: it's been cold here. Not snowing, but freezing. Today it was sunny, but still really cold. Now, you've had chemistry, combine cold weather and wet spray from the loch with a cobblestone path, and what do you get? That's right, you get frost and ice!

I am here to tell you that frosty cobblestones and very stylish, totally tight chunky shoes do not mix well. Just as I ran into a long, shaded dip in the pavement directly in front of the piper, I hit a patch of black ice, and fell. On my knees.

Skinning them.

In front of Ruaraidh AND the piper guy.

Can I die now?

“Emily!” Holly shrieked, right in my ear because she was hauling me up to my feet. “Are you all right?”

“Well, I'm going to be deaf in my left ear, but yeah, I think so.”

“Don't move!” Ruaraidh yelled down from where he was standing near the upper gate. “I've had first aid training!”

First aid? Yay! I collapsed back down onto the ground, shoving Holly out of the way so Ruaraidh could take me in his strong, manly arms and save me. “Oh! The pain! Oh! My knees! Oh!”

OK, OK, so it wasn't the most brilliant thing to say, you try and come up with something fabu when you've just fallen down and skinned your knees like you're a six-year-old.

“Emily!” Holly whispered to me. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself!”

“If you're not ashamed by offering to buy Ruaraidh a Nessie with your names embroidered on it, I'm not ashamed about this,” I hissed back at her.

“Are you hurt?” The piper set down his bagpipe, and ran over to squat next to me. “That was a nasty tumble you took.”

“Right in front of Ruaraidh, too. How curious,” Holly said, in a jaded sort of voice. She gave me a look that just came right out and said she thought I'd fallen down on purpose. As if!!!

I ignored her and gave the piper a quick once-over, and decided that although he was very cool in his kilt and a pretty ruffled shirt, he was too old for me. I smacked at his hand when he tried to feel around my kneecap.

“Go away!” I said through my teeth so Ruaraidh wouldn't hear as he ran up to me.

“Your knees could be seriously hurt—”

“No, they're not! Please go away! As in, like, NOW!”

Ruaraidh knelt beside me, and sucked in his breath as he looked at my scraped knees. “Ouch. That'll sting, I'll wager.”

“She's done both of them,” the piper said helpfully.

I gave him a three second scowl before turning to Mr. Hottie. “Oh, Ruaraidh, thank god you're here!”

Holly snorted. SNORTED! What's next for her, saying that “tch” thing that old people do?

“We're here, too,” Aunt Tim said. She and Alec had followed Ruaraidh, and now they all stood around looking down at me.

“How lucky I am that you've had first aid training,” I told Ruaraidh. Hey, I'm not stupid! I might not have fallen down on purpose, but I sure as shootin' was going to take advantage of all my pain and suffering.

“Alec knows lots of medical things because of the animals. Don't you, sweety?”

“Lots,” Alec said, peering over Ruaraidh's shoulder to look at my legs. “Ouch.”

“An expert opinion is always a good thing to have,” I pointed out.

“Oh, Alec's had lots of experience patching up the animals.”

“Expert human experience,” I said, with emphasis.

“Hmmm,” Ruaraidh said as he bent over my knees.

“How bad do you think I'm hurt? Will I be able to walk? Maybe someone should