CHAPTER TWO "The next journey"
Lara jolted awake from a shocking dream, She had been captured and killed by someone. She had also saw herself as a little girl, and when she was captured the little girl cried. She had tried to help Lara but didn't succeed.
"It was just a dream." Lara said to herself.
Yes, it was just a dream but lately her dreams have been the same in one way, each one had the same little girl in it. The little girl always tried to help her in some way.
It was a month later after her last journey. The sun peered through the open curtains, along with a warm breeze through the open window.
Lara had kept the mysterious green jem on her nightstand. She had a feeling that the jem was something to do with her past, seeing herself as a little girl and some kind of healing power. However, what she didn't understand was why it glowed at 1:31 am, she also didn't understand what the May birthstone and the Taurus were for, her birthday was in February and she was an Aquarius. The only theory she had was something was going to happen to her between May 1st and the 20th. What if she was pregnant? She always wondered, but it couldn't have been a possibility since she has never slept with any man.
Lara made her morning trip to the bathroom and vomited in the toilet, she flushed then washed up.
"Then again, " Lara thought. " I do have some symptoms, either that or I could just be sick."
Lara decided not to bother with a pregnancy test. She got out of the bathroom to change her clothes.
After she changed her clothes, put the jem in her pocket, and went down the stairs.
"Lady Lara," Hillary said as Lara reached the end of the stairs.
Lara had started to get used to Hillary treating her sweeter than usual, he had been doing that since the phone call last month. She was still confused why but she usually played along.
"Yes" She said.
"Your breakfast is served." He said and pointed to the dining room table.
"Why thank you." Lara said nicely.
"No meat I hope." She added, Lara had turned into a vegetarian lately. She just started to hate the taste of meat.
"No meat" Hillary said.
Lara sat down at the table and started eating her breakfast she ate fruit, eggs, and drank milk and orange juice. Hillary walked out of the room as she ate.
After she was finished eating, she decided to walk upstairs to the library. There, Hillary was with fencing sticks. He tossed Lara one of them, Lara and Hillary started fencing. Hillary was going easy on her.
"You know you never went this easy on me before, Why start now?" Lara said as she smacked his stick.
"I want to." Hillary answered as he stood with his stick in front of him.
Lara whacked Hillary in the head with her stick. He groaned. Bryce came in seconds later. Lara swung the stick around to whack Hillary again.
"Blimey! Watch it Lara." He flinched as Lara almost hit him with the stick. She missed Hillary.
"Sorry", She said and threw the stick down near a couch.
"Can I see that jem again?" Bryce asked her.
Lara walked over and handed the dull jem to him. Bryce opened a file on his laptop that brought up the picture of the jem, Lara stood behind him. Hillary rubbed his head, picked up Lara's stick, and put the sticks away then went over to the laptop.
"I was doing some more research last night", Bryce started.
"And this jem was made from scratch." Bryce explained.
Bryce went to another file on his computer, a picture of a man's head came up. The man had untidy black hair, dark blue eyes, and light colored skin that looked as if he hadn't been outside for weeks.
"Jesse A. Keene, a jeweler in New Zealand, makes jewels and jems for a living, without machinery." Bryce explained.
Bryce picked up the dull green jem and showed it to Lara and Hillary.
"He sold each jem he made, except one. This one". Bryce said.
"This jem took much of his time and was filled with infinante healing powers. When Jesse's shop was broken into one night, he found that the burglars were looking for the very special jem, after somehow finding out the jem's power. Jesse, also a mage, put a special spell on the jem that only the chosen one will be able to find it. Lara you were that chosen one. Last month when you found the jem, you gained the jem's power and one other thing that I still can't find out." Bryce explained.
There was a long pause. Then the telephone rang.
"I'll get that." Hillary jumped.
Lara looked as the butler ran out of the room.
"Anything else?" Lara asked Bryce as she jerked her head.
"Well that's all I know for now." Bryce answered.
Lara nodded.
"Lara the phone's for you." Hillary said and handed Lara the cordless.
"Hello" Lara said after she was given the phone.
"Hello, is this Lara Croft?" The man on the other end asked he had a New Zealander's accent.
"This is she." Lara answered.
"Lara I have a journey for you to go on." The man on the other end said.
"Hold on, Hold on, Who are you first?" Lara asked.
"Jesse A. Keene, I Talked to your butler, Hillary The other day". The man said.
"The New Zealand jeweler Jesse A. Keene?" Lara asked.
"Yes" Jesse said.
"Hold on." Lara said as she put Jesse on hold.
Lara looked over at Hillary, "Do you know anyone by the name of Jesse A. Keene?" She asked him.
"Yes, old friend that Jesse talked to him a few times, seen him once." Hillary said confidently.
"Since when?" Lara asked.
"Two months", Hillary answered smartly.
"Was he the one who called you last month? What did he say?" Lara asked.
"Yes, he was the one who called me last month. Keep talking to him he will tell you what he told me." Hillary said plainly.
Lara trusted Hillary so she put Jesse back on the line.
"Sorry for the wait". Lara apologized.
"No Problem". Jesse said.
"What were you going to tell me?" Lara asked.
"Your Journey, Take a plane to South Africa and then a boat to New Zealand I will be waiting for you when you get off and then I'll finish telling you there. I'm running out of minutes so I can't explain it to you now." Jesse said.
"Ok, can I bring someone with me?" Lara asked.
'You already are." Jesse said.
"Excuse me?" Lara asked a bit confused.
"I mean of course you can." Jesse corrected himself.
"Ok" Lara, said slowly in confusion.
"Bye" Jesse said quickly then he hung up so did Lara.
Bryce looked a bit confused. Hillary seemed calm. There was a long pause.
"What was that about?" Bryce finally asked.
"We have to take a plane to South Africa then a boat to New Zealand." Lara explained.
"Ok?" Bryce said in a confused way.
"That's all he told me, I'm as confused as you are." Lara assured him. "Why not take a plane from Britain to New Zealand instead of to South Africa and a boat?" She thought aloud.
Lara swiftly looked back at Hillary who sat down fiddling with his hands, looking around and humming. Lara Knew Hillary knew something she didn't by the looks of it. Lara scowled.
"Hillary," Lara said as she put her hands on her hips and glared at him..
Hillary looked at her, "What is it Lady Lara?" He asked sweetly.
"What else did Jesse tell you?" She asked.
"Basically what you heard." The butler answered.
"Hmm, right." The young woman said with a bit of anger in her voice.
Bryce closed up his laptop and walked over to Lara.
"Come on let's pack." He said calmly.
She wasn't getting anything out of Hillary, he just sat there.
"Fine!" She exclaimed as she walked out of the library with Bryce behind her. Bryce went down the stairs and out the door to his trailer, while Lara walked to her room.
As Lara packs for her journey, she sees Hillary at her door.
"Aren't you supposed to be packing?" She asked angrily.
"I thought I should stay and watch the manor." Hillary said.
"Oh really?" Lara asked. "What about your friend?"
'He'll keep me up on things." Hillary explained as ha flashed his cellular.
"Hmm" Lara said and finished packing.