Chapter Two: Croft

Phoenix slowly closed the tent, backed away, and laid back down onto her spot hoping to not alert Croft. As bad luck came upon her like she broke a thousand mirrors, Phoenix heard footsteps heading for the direction of the tent and she pretended to sleep. The tent opened, Phoenix could sense Croft standing over her. She dared not to open her eyes, hoping that she would walk back outside.

"I know you're awake." Her British accented voice cut through the air

Phoenix shot up and looked at Lara with a deer in the headlights expression and she backed away until her back hit the wall of the tent. As RedEye from Fallout 4, a video game she used to play before her stepmother confiscated it had said: things have gone from "bad" to "totally screwed" which is really starting to apply to real life right now as she stared at the archaeologist with a look of fear. A million thoughts raced into Phoenix's head at once as she tried to figure out Croft's intentions. What does she want from her? Why did she not kill her like she did with the others at the mill? What does she want to do with her? There is also a possibility that she might die at Croft's hand tonight. If that was the case it would be better than going through with the forced marriage to Ross that her father and stepmother set up. Phoenix closed her eyes shut, anticipating the death strike, but it never came.

"Easy, easy. I'm not going to hurt you." Lara reassured Phoenix

"You're not?" Phoenix asked, surprised that Trinity's number one enemy is not going to hurt her at all.

"I know, you are afraid of me and that Trinity has told you horror stories, but at least hear me out. I was scoping out a weak spot to strike at the mill for the past two days and during that time I saw the way they were treating you. It is disturbing and disgusting and I wanted to get you out of there. When I shot those two guards back there another three men including Ross distracted me. They led me to a different part of the mill when I saw you jump off that cliff." Lara explained

"What happened to Ross and the other guys?" asked Phoenix

"After I killed the three that chased you and the two men with Ross, he realized he was outmatched, called in a helicopter and escaped." Lara finished

"Phoenix how did you end up with them?"

Phoenix sighs "Oh boy where do I begin? It starts with two wastes of humanity I suppose you could call my father, Salem Star, and my stepmother, Ramona Star. I was yelled at, beaten, locked in the basement, locked outside in the cold weather and they even withheld food from me. They tried forcing Trinity's ways down my throat and I was not having any of it. Even before he met Ramona he was still like this. My mom tried to protect me from my father and he got abusive to her as well. One day when I was ten when I got some verses from the Bible wrong he threw me down the stairs of the house we lived in and broke my arm. For my mom that was the final straw and she divorced him, unfortunately she and Dad got split custody. Mom got me for most of the year and Dad got me in the summer and he met Ramona not long after that. Whenever I stayed at his house the abuse had escalated."

"What happened to your mother?" asked Lara

"Three years ago when I was fifteen, we were planning to tell the judge that I wanted to stay with my mom, but a drunk driver had to ruin it and I was forced to stay with them ever since." Phoenix continued as tears welled up in her eyes.

"My God, I'm so sorry," said Lara sympathetically

"For years I started slipping money out of my account and even saved enough birthday money for me to use to help with my escape once I turned eighteen. Those were the roughest three years of my life, then came the day my eighteenth birthday arrived which was a week ago. My father and stepmother were planning to force me to marry Ross Shade and I did not even know the guy prior to that night. When I refused my Dad beat me and they made me go with him in an effort to get to know him and the things that Ross planned to do with me, it sickens me to my stomach even thinking about that. After I escaped I'm now realizing I now have nowhere to go. I don't know what to do." Phoenix's voice broke as she finished that sentence, then she broke down sobbing.

Lara wrapped an arm around her to console her. Lara has heard of Salem Star and what she knew about him from the records of Trinity that she had stolen is that Salem is a candidate for Trinity's High Council. Hearing about how he treated his own daughter, she could never forget. It made her furious. She remembered what Jonah had told her about his father and brother. She needed to do something to help Phoenix. She can't just leave her here. After a few minutes Phoenix finally calmed down.

This is awful, how could anyone do this to their own child?! Lara thought angrily. If she ever met Salem, she is going to drive her pickaxe into his skull for what he did to Phoenix.

"Why don't you come with me?" Lara asked

"What?" asked Phoenix

"You said you have nowhere to go, it won't be perfect, but it will be a lot better than the Hell your father, stepmother, and Ross put you through," said Lara

At that moment Phoenix learned that Lara Croft for the most part is not the monster Trinity painted her to be. In the brief time she got to know Lara she received more sympathy for what she had gone through than in the three years she stayed with her father and stepmother.

"Yes, I will go with you," said Phoenix