Returning Home

It had been over twenty-four hours after Lara's reconnaissance back in Los Angeles by the time she pulled up to her mansion in her blue motorcycle. It was still early in the morning and the sky had a dark grey cast as the sun started poking through the clouds along the eastern horizon, which casted brilliant shades of red and orange. Lara climbed off of her motorcycle and walked through the front door of her mansion and saw that the foyer had been cleaned out. No longer would she have to climb over wooden boxes just to go down the hallway below the grand staircase.

"Finally!" Lara said to herself as she walked into the foyer. "I can walk in here again!"

"Welcome home, Miss Croft." said Winston as he walked toward Lara from the kitchen with a tray that had two cups and a tea pot resting on top of it. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Yes, please!" Lara said as she took a ceramic cup from the tray and poured herself some of the iconic English beverage. "It's so good to be home!"

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for a while and take a break from your travels?" Winston asked. "I could certainly use someone to talk to while I'm looking after the mansion."

"You know I would like to do that," Lara said, "but this is one pursuit I cannot put off. This could very well rewrite the history books!"

"You've already rewritten them a couple of times." Winston said.

"Touché." Lara said. "Which reminds me, should I tell you about my adventure?"

"Absolutely, Miss Croft." Winston said. "But first, I want to see the artefacts you collected. I'm really curious as to what you brought me."

"Alright, Winston." Lara said. "Let's go into the kitchen."

Winston followed Lara down the left hallway underneath the staircase down another hallway to the left that opened into the spacious kitchen. They both found themselves a spot at the large dining table and Lara took off her backpack and reached inside to grab the gold idol and the silver key. Upon seeing the artefacts spread out on the table, Winston could only gave at them in awe.

"Are these made of pure silver and pure gold?" Winston asked as he picked up the gold idol.

"Just about." Lara replied. "Now let me show the ultimate prize."

Lara reached into her backpack again, pulling out the mysterious Scion. Winston was dumbfounded at the mysterious glow being emitted from the artefact and the large geometric diamond that was on it.

"Lara…" Winston said as continued starring at the Scion. "This is a unique object…"

"That's only one piece of the whole artefact." Lara said. "It glows for some odd reason. Perhaps by the powers that are fabled to be contained within it. At times, it almost seems to be getting brighter, and then it will get dimmer again."

"How intriguing." Winston said.

"The large diamond on the third section along the outer edge looks as though it were cut with a precision laser." Lara continued. "And, if you look closely at the second section, you'll notice that there's some kind of indentation as though it fits with something else, like a key."

"Do you think that it may have something to do with it fitting with the other pieces?" Winston asked. "I'm assuming that all the pieces will fit together somehow."

"You would probably be right." Lara said. "Although, I'm not too sure how they will go together just yet. And to think that all the historical records of the Atlantean civilization are embedded inside…This is just too incredible! Wouldn't you agree?"

"Absolutely, Miss Croft!" Winston replied. "How do you always manage to find these kinds of treasures in so little time? You make archaeology look easy."

"It's not as easy as it may seem." Lara said. "It's actually pretty difficult, especially if you're like me and have to carry weapons around wherever you go. Still, I think it's the greatest thing in the world."

"I can see why you'd say that." Winston replied, refocussing his attention on the Scion. "This is just too incredible, Lara! This artefact really is beautiful! How did you manage to find it?"

"Well, I guess I can start from the very beginning." Lara said. "When I arrived at the airport in Lima, the first person I saw was Larson. He was the one that introduced me to my guide. His name was Carlos. Unfortunately, when we got to the top of the mountain where the entrance to the cave was the very next day, he was attacked and killed by a pack of wolves."

"Dear lord, Lara!" Winston said. "Did you let his family know?"

"I was kind enough to let his relatives know what happened before I left for Los Angeles. I feel bad for not being able to be there for his family. I'm just glad that they understood my situation at the time. Luckily, I was able to get their contact information. I told them if they needed anything, I would be sure to help them out."

"So what happened after that?" Winston asked.

"Well…" Lara began as she started talking about entering the cave. From there, she started explaining that had happened throughout her experience in Peru, including the time she first entered the city of Vilcabamba, and the time she discovered the lost valley and Qualopec's Tomb. Throughout the story, Lara also recounted the times she came face to face with wild animals, including her experience with the raptors and the giant T-Rex, as well as the various obstacles, including the traps and puzzles she encountered on her journey of discovery. Finally, Lara described the events that occurred inside the tomb right before she grabbed the Scion, including the terrifying experience with the mummy, right up to when tomb collapsed and she had the confrontation with Larson and learned that she only had one piece of the Scion and tried to figure where the second piece of the Scion was located. By the time Lara had finished her story, Winston was lost for words and could not force any words from his mouth. Finally, he opened his mouth and started talking.

"I think that could make a really great novel!" he said.

"Really?" Lara asked. "Because I was thinking the same thing when I was still exploring the tomb."

"Well, I guess you know what to do now to fund your next trip." Winston said. "Were you able to figure out where the second piece of the Scion is?"

"I was, actually." Lara said, taking out the monk's journal she found in Natla's office. "Take a look at this."

Winston turned to the bookmarked page.

"Read this part here." Lara said, pointing to the small passage on the right page. Winston started reading out loud.

"Relocated now to St. Francis' Folly, new temptations torment me. Rumour amongst my fellow brothers is that entombed beneath our monastery is the body of Tihocan, one of the three legendary rulers of the lost continent, Atlantis, and that with him lies his piece of the Atlantean Scion, the pendant divided and shared between the three rulers, which curbs tremendous powers. Powers beyond the creator himself. My toes sweat at such possibilities lying so close to my mortal self. Each night, I beat myself rid of these fantasies, but it is indeed a test."

Winston looked up at Lara with renewed interest.

"The second part of the Scion is underneath St. Francis' Folly in Greece." Lara said. "I even saw video footage of Pierre standing on a cliff right across from the cliff the ancient temple is standing on."

"When do you plan on getting to Greece?" Winston asked.

"Tomorrow." Lara said. "I'll probably have my private helicopter pilot take me there. I can take the rest from there. In the meantime, I should probably go into the study and look over ancient Greek history to refresh my mind on things I have learned in year's past. You never know how it might help in this adventure, especially after what happened in Peru."

"Why don't you get some rest before you leave?" Winston replied. "You'll probably need a lot of energy for the trip."

"I suppose I can do that." Lara said. "After all, the only bed I've really slept in lately was the economically-sized chair on the airplane. Besides, my body still aches a little from Peru and I'm still trying to adjust from all of the time zone changes. At least when I'm in Greece I will only be two hours ahead of England."

"Might I also interest you some breakfast?" Winston asked. "It's still really early. You must be starving after all of that running around."

"I don't see why not." Lara replied. "That actually does sound good."

"Alright, I'll have it ready for you within the hour." Winston said.

"Thank you, Winston." Lara replied.

"You're welcome, Lara." he said back. "Feel free to check out what the movers have don upstairs. I'll think you'll really like it."

"Splendid! I'll be sure to do that." Lara said as she left the kitchen and made her way the foyer, where she then started up the stairs to her bedroom to get some much needed rest. Tomorrow would be an eventful day.

This chapter sets the stage for the things that are about to take place. Lara tells Winston about the things that happened during her adventure to Peru and shows him the artifacts she collected, including the first piece of the Scion. After a long conversation, ultimately decides to get some rest before breakfast before she looks over her facts. Soon after, Lara will find herself travelling to Greece on her private helicopter. The next chapter will mark the official beginning of part 2, so stay tuned! :)

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