* * *
Lara-Su was sitting alone in a nice hot sauna, wearing nothing but a towel. She sighed in complete relaxation. "This is the life." She said to no one in particular. Lara closed her eyes and felt the waves of heat simply wash over her. Before long she found herself falling asleep, not surprising considering how well rested she was.
It did not come as much of a surprise when she began to dream, as most people tend to do. Lara found herself in a cave, of all places, and it wasn't long before she felt a sudden chill. For a dream, Lara said to herself, this feels astonishingly real. A cold moist air wafted through the cave, making Lara shiver. "Something isn't right here." She said softly, her voice echoing off the walls of the cave. She turned around to try and find and exit, but found none.
All of a sudden, she heard something in her mind. It wasn't a verbal call, but something she heard inside her head. It beckoned her down long and winding tunnels of darkness that seemed to stretch on forever. Lara, for one of the few times in her life, felt furtive and afraid. There was something familiar about that inner voice, but she couldn't quite place it. It was oddly intimate but at the same time, very cold.
Lara felt herself coming closer to the source of the voice but with each step, she felt her heart hammering in her chest and her breath shallow.
"Lara-Su." The voice wafted on an unseen wind. It was louder than before; louder, and more excited. Lara stopped in her tracks.
"I think I may have made a mistake." She said to herself as she prepared to turn around and head the other way.
"Lara-Su." The voice called again, sounding even more urgent. Lara ignored it and started walking the other way. "Lara-Su! Lara-Su! Lara-Suuuuuu!" The voice continued to cry and moan. Lara picked up her pace, her walk turning into a brisk jog, then all-and-out run. The voice had grown progressively louder as Lara ran faster and faster. By this point, it had even left off her hyphen. "Lara! Lara! Lara! Lara!"
"Lara!" A new voice called. "Are you all right?" This voice was different, concerned. Lara woke up and found herself staring into the worried face of her best friend, Naomi.
"Huh? Naomi?" Lara asked, confused and exhausted. "What's going on?"
"I could ask YOU the same question!" She said. "Have you taken a look at yourself?" Lara was puzzled until she looked down. She had apparently left her towel in the sauna and walked over to the pool area without a stitch of clothing.
Too confused to even be embarrassed, Lara just looked blank as she tried to recollect what happened. She just shook her head. "What just happened?" Lara asked as Naomi draped a towel around her.
"Besides walking around naked?" Naomi asked sarcastically. "I really don't know. One minute I'm talking with Aeryn in the pool, and the next minute you walk in and scare the crap out of poor Christopher." She smiled sadly and shook her head. "He just dove to the bottom of the pool and stayed there until his air ran out." Her smile vanished. "Are you all right?"
"I guess so." Lara said shakily. "I think it was just a bad dream or something."
"Just count yourself lucky that you didn't walk past the Game Room. I don't think Nick or Thomas would ever let you hear the end of this." Naomi smiled.
"Yeah I think you're right." Lara agreed, not really listening to Naomi as much as she was trying to remember what just happened.
"Aeryn promised not to talk about this...little incident and I'm sure Chris would be too embarrassed to EVER mention it, so I doubt anyone will read you the riot act over this."
"Yeah, thanks Naomi." Lara said distractedly. "I don't think this'll happen again."
"I should HOPE not!" Naomi agreed. "Come on, I'll show you where the showers are. After we get dressed, I'm sure we can put this whole thing behind us."
Lara agreed but was still troubled. Not so much by her...odd actions as by their cause. What did that dream mean? She asked herself. And why was that voice so frighteningly familiar?
* * *
Lara-Su was sitting alone in a nice hot sauna, wearing nothing but a towel. She sighed in complete relaxation. "This is the life." She said to no one in particular. Lara closed her eyes and felt the waves of heat simply wash over her. Before long she found herself falling asleep, not surprising considering how well rested she was.
It did not come as much of a surprise when she began to dream, as most people tend to do. Lara found herself in a cave, of all places, and it wasn't long before she felt a sudden chill. For a dream, Lara said to herself, this feels astonishingly real. A cold moist air wafted through the cave, making Lara shiver. "Something isn't right here." She said softly, her voice echoing off the walls of the cave. She turned around to try and find and exit, but found none.
All of a sudden, she heard something in her mind. It wasn't a verbal call, but something she heard inside her head. It beckoned her down long and winding tunnels of darkness that seemed to stretch on forever. Lara, for one of the few times in her life, felt furtive and afraid. There was something familiar about that inner voice, but she couldn't quite place it. It was oddly intimate but at the same time, very cold.
Lara felt herself coming closer to the source of the voice but with each step, she felt her heart hammering in her chest and her breath shallow.
"Lara-Su." The voice wafted on an unseen wind. It was louder than before; louder, and more excited. Lara stopped in her tracks.
"I think I may have made a mistake." She said to herself as she prepared to turn around and head the other way.
"Lara-Su." The voice called again, sounding even more urgent. Lara ignored it and started walking the other way. "Lara-Su! Lara-Su! Lara-Suuuuuu!" The voice continued to cry and moan. Lara picked up her pace, her walk turning into a brisk jog, then all-and-out run. The voice had grown progressively louder as Lara ran faster and faster. By this point, it had even left off her hyphen. "Lara! Lara! Lara! Lara!"
"Lara!" A new voice called. "Are you all right?" This voice was different, concerned. Lara woke up and found herself staring into the worried face of her best friend, Naomi.
"Huh? Naomi?" Lara asked, confused and exhausted. "What's going on?"
"I could ask YOU the same question!" She said. "Have you taken a look at yourself?" Lara was puzzled until she looked down. She had apparently left her towel in the sauna and walked over to the pool area without a stitch of clothing.
Too confused to even be embarrassed, Lara just looked blank as she tried to recollect what happened. She just shook her head. "What just happened?" Lara asked as Naomi draped a towel around her.
"Besides walking around naked?" Naomi asked sarcastically. "I really don't know. One minute I'm talking with Aeryn in the pool, and the next minute you walk in and scare the crap out of poor Christopher." She smiled sadly and shook her head. "He just dove to the bottom of the pool and stayed there until his air ran out." Her smile vanished. "Are you all right?"
"I guess so." Lara said shakily. "I think it was just a bad dream or something."
"Just count yourself lucky that you didn't walk past the Game Room. I don't think Nick or Thomas would ever let you hear the end of this." Naomi smiled.
"Yeah I think you're right." Lara agreed, not really listening to Naomi as much as she was trying to remember what just happened.
"Aeryn promised not to talk about this...little incident and I'm sure Chris would be too embarrassed to EVER mention it, so I doubt anyone will read you the riot act over this."
"Yeah, thanks Naomi." Lara said distractedly. "I don't think this'll happen again."
"I should HOPE not!" Naomi agreed. "Come on, I'll show you where the showers are. After we get dressed, I'm sure we can put this whole thing behind us."
Lara agreed but was still troubled. Not so much by her...odd actions as by their cause. What did that dream mean? She asked herself. And why was that voice so frighteningly familiar?
* * *