As usual, I don't own Lara Croft or Bryce or Hilary or anything else referred to. To be honest I'm not quite sure where this story is going yet but it's fun getting there. So please, tell me what you think.
Afterward she walked around on the brick road, the only real road in the town, keeping to the shadows so as not to be seen even though there appeared to be no one else around. She did not trust that William Burton. He had a better poker face than herself and this made her cautious. She did not yet know what he was capable of.
She stopped at an undescript house, so ordinary it was painful. Wandering around to the back she pulled out an old rusty key and opened the backdoor. She proceeded to turn on all the lights and searched each room to make sure there were no surprises awaiting her.
"Ah, peace and quiet, just as I left it," Lara said to no one, "I really should stay here more often."
The place was considered one of Lara's vacation homes. As everyone knows though, Lara never goes anywhere to relax. She had been in this home only once before in order to explore the islands with a close companion. The house was like all Azorean homes. It was small, two stories and imperfect. There were modest cracks and the paint was peeling off the walls. It was quite dusty and Lara found giant cockroaches on the floor of the kitchen, whom she killed promptly having no patience for insects in her home. A positive aspect of the home was that Lara had bought it under another name, so no one could know where she was. Lara would describe the home in one word: perfect.
Now, Lara knew she had to do something that she had been dreading. She arranged herself in the living room with her laptop and her web-cam and e-mailed home. Bryce and Hilary answered immediately. Their faces soon appeared on the screen in front of Lara.
"Lara! Bloody Hell! Where have you been? It was real nasty of you leaving and not telling us where you were going!" Bryce blurted out.
"It's been a week!" Hilary, the worry some man that he was, screamed at her.
"Never mind all that. I need you to do a search on William Burton. He's middle-aged, dark hair, slender build. Tell me who he is and who he works for. Use whatever means you have to," Lara said dismissing their anguish.
"William Burton? Lara. We don't even know where you are! There must be a million William Burton's in the world! Wha…" Bryce was tormented by his utter confusion.
"I'm in the Azores and all will become clear to you in time. I need you to do the search now!" Lara demanded in her firmest tone.
Bryce and Hilary were Lara's best friends. They lived in the manor with her and were like brothers to her. Hilary was Lara's butler. His father before him and his father before him and so on had all been butlers for the Croft family. Hilary was always protective of her, much like her father had been. Bryce on the other hand seemed to lack all common sense and yet was a computer genius. He was a short, skinny, weak man. He was a nerd with a fascination for helicopters. His computer intelligence was always extremely useful, but at times he talked more than he worked.
"Lara, but I…" Btyce stuttered.
"Do it!" Lara logged off, not wanting to waste any more time. She knew without a doubt Bryce would do what he was told. While she waited Lara made herself a cup of tea and contemplated the man with the bride of Frankenstein hair and the offer he had made her. She did not trust him, that much was evident, but she did believe the conviction she saw in his eyes. She wondered what she would find if she went to Romania as he had suggested. It was a tempting offer she had to admit. She had never been to the area and the tale of Dracula was a fascinating one. Who knew what could be found within his lair?
"Oh shoot! How do you make this thing work?" Hilary's face suddenly materialized on Lara's computer screen, "Is it on? Is it on? Oh, yes, Lara there you are! Are you taking care of yourself? You know you should…" Hilary seemed to think that Lara could not take care of herself despite the fact that she faced off against various boogie men and bad guys on a daily basis.
"Okay Lara, I…Hey! Hilary! What do you think you are doing? Get off! Go on! Out!" Bryce was screaming at Hilary as he hated anyone touching his computer. He wouldn't even let Hilary clean in the tech-room for fear that Hilary touched a button by accident.
"Well Lara I believe I have found your man. Are you ready?"
"Yes, Bryce, would you just get on with it?"
"Alright, here we go. Mr. Burton, as seen here," Bryce sent her a picture showing the same man she had talked with in the restaurant, "lives in London and travels often all around the world. He is a wealthy business man who inherited the vast majority of his fortune."
"That's all fine and dandy," Lara quipped with a sigh, "but that doesn't tell me what his motivations are or who he works for or what his interests in Romania are."
An exasperated Bryce said, "Well ,sorry Lara, but that's all I've got," he continued on in a patronising voice, "Mr. Burton's been a law abiding citizen, flying under the radar for all of his thirty-five years."
Lara mulled over the situation as she pulled out William Burton's business card. She knew that she was not prepared to let go of this situation just yet. She was intrigued by the man and the mystery surrounding him, never mind the possibility of discovery in Romania.
As Lara uttered her next words she closed her eyes with contempt, "Do you boys know the story of Vlad Dracula?" When Lara opened her eyes it was to the sound of laughter. "Are you mocking me?" She asked with incredulity ringing in her voice and wrath shining in her eyes.
Bryce answered her, still spontaneously bursting into giggles, "Yes, I know Dracula. Gary Oldman, with his hair in two buns, trailing a red cape, saying 'I don't drink…wine' and then turning into a bat and flying away?" He then continued to guffaw some more while Lara quietly waited for his little tirade to end.
"Are you done now?" She asked. Bryce nodded his affirmation while continuing to smirk to himself. "Bryce," she began while reaching out to hold the web-cam as she spoke, "the Dracula history knows of is not the Dracula you believe he is." She took a deep breath, preparing her herself before she continued, "I am speaking of Vlad Tepes, prince of Wallachia in the 15th century; The Impaler."
When Bryce heard the name he made a grimace of understanding, "Oh, that guy. He was a nasty piece of work wasn't he?"
"In a manner of speaking: yes." Lara now searched her brain for any information she knew of the former prince. He was a ruthless warrior who fought the Ottoman Turks all his life. His favourite form of punishment was impalement and he used it on any and every on, no matter how big or small the crime. The upside to that though was there was soon no crime in his lands at all."
"Well there's still no excuse for that kind of horrendous thing."
"No, Bryce, there isn't." Lara was still deep in thought, planning her next course of action. Should she go home and do more research before going to the Devil's castle in Romania?
"Lara, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?"
"Bryce, I'll contact you again when I get to Romania."
"Lara, are you insane? You have no idea what you'll find there. I don't think you should get mixed up in anything to do with Dracula or this Mr. Burton."
"No Bryce, I'm not insane. Just intrigued by it all. And compelled to find the answers." With that, Lara prepared for her next adventure.