Chapter 11
A Laugh Forever Gone
.:Lara:.
'Sixth of August, 1995'
Today was the day that marked the twentieth anniversary of the Great Serpentine War and the day her family died. Lara's starry eyes watched over the skies with her back pressed against the trunk of the hidden home of Howard Julien and his son. She didn't know how long she was out here for but she knew it must have been a while. She only came out to see the sunrise and now it wouldn't surprise her if it was over eight in the morning. It had been overcast since she had been outside. At first she assumed that it was too early to be up for the sunrise but after some moments of waiting, the hues of orange, pink and purple adorn the clouds but now; the sky was awash with various shades of grey, in places a chink of light managed to break through, but otherwise it was almost as dark as pre-dawn. It was the perfect whether to fit the mood.
Her mind and her eyes were both seeing two different things. Her eyes were looking at the sky whereas her mind was reliving the memories that were made twenty years ago. She could vividly envision the crimson blood soaking through the white snow, the clatter of bodies that were discharged everywhere; whether they were friend or foe, the faces of horror on each falling person's face. However the memories of the life leaving her brother's and her mother's eyes were never forgotten; not a single second or detail.
Dead. That one word echoed in her mind over and over again. Dead. Dead. Dead. The grief that surged the redhead was like the ocean; it came in waves, engulfing and overwhelming her. It was an emptiness in her heart, a shear of nothingness that somehow took over and held her soul and threatened to kill her entirely. It gave her this heavy feeling that's like the weight of the world was resting on her shoulders and that there was nothing she could do to get out from under it. It was like this hole that existed in her heart that is the shape of the ones she has lost. Lara wanted to wipe away the tears away but they were non-existent. This pain was much more than her injuries.
Slowly, Lara's mind drifted away from the memories of the battles and she somehow found herself remembering the insignificant yet sweet memories of Dawson. She could remember how Dawson would burst into a loud harsh cackle of laughter. He would always eventually fall on the ground and writhed with laughter as if he was in that state of intoxication when he could find no release from maddening self-consciousness. She knew that he did it deliberately, just to make her laugh. This small memory somehow brought a smile to her lips but tears to fall. She wished it didn't have to be this way, for him to die. He should be here to laugh with her, or at her, or just near her. She missed all that.
"Lara?"
Upon this call, Lara looked to her right to see Zane standing in the door way with a couple blankets in his arms. Due to her injuries, Lara have no other choice other than to say with the Julien's and according to Howard she could get back travelling once her sprained ankle make a full recovery – since she doesn't need her arm and shoulder for walking however it does make it more useful but the quicker she leaves the better. Already she could feel an attachment to Zane and Howard, a friend type of attachment.
"Yeah?"
"Sorry to intrude, I know you want to be alone but I brought you some blankets just in case you get cold."
"Thank you." The redhead smiled softly and but it took her by surprise when Zane draped the blankets over her good shoulder. Before she could say anything, he scurried back inside.
It was their kindness that was making her stone façade crumble. It's not every day someone would risk their life by going into a blizzard to rescue you and then offer their hospitality to you – especially when you barely know them. Not only did Zane and Howard did that but the robotic son actually dig through the avalanche to find her missing belongings. Who even does that? Now she has her bag back along with her sketch book and the sword-
"Crap!" She hissed and groaned. She promised both Vivian and Aidan they she would be back today. Oh well… There's always next year. There's no way I could leave now and at least be there by night fall…
With a heavy heart, Lara readjusted the blankets so they covered her completely in a way that doesn't hurt her shoulder and arm.
Sorry for the short chapter but I literally wrote this in twenty minutes. But massive thanks to everyone who has reviewed and I'm so sorry for the long wait, life have been so chaotic for me not just because of school but also because I lost a close friend to me, my soul sister. This chapter is also a tribute to her and how I missed the way she would laugh at jokes I did not find funny (because I have a poor sense of humour). But another reason my life have been so hectic is because my family and I have been recently robbed of at least $80 000 of stuff including some stuff you can't put a price to – family photos so all memories and photos we had since I was a baby to ten is now gone so this has taken a major toll on my family and it's just devastating to think there are some scum bags who would do such a thing. But a reason why I decided to update today is because it's my story Undercover's 2nd Birthday, it has been two years since I've published and I practically forced myself to write a chapter so I decided to also do one for this story so it'll mean a lot to me if you can read that story too (even though the beginning isn't that great). But massive thanks to everyone who has reviewed!
