Chapter 3
Lara submerged, panting.
The water around her was cool and refreshing. Length after length she swam, dipping and diving. It was now almost four months since the Paris affair, and Lara was beginning to feel more like her old self, before that dark chapter of her life. She rose out of the water, and droplets trailed behind her as she walked, damp, to find her towel. After a quick once over, she ventured through the corridors and halls of the manor to her bedroom, where she changed. She ambled downstairs to find Winston fixed to the television - the news was on.
"What are you doing, Winston? Informing yourself on the state of your pension?"
"Lara, that was a little rude." He replied, but a smile hid in the corner of his mouth. He liked Lara's crude humour, but didn't openly admit it. "No actually, I like to inform myself of what is going on in the world."
"Very well, Winston."
Lara joined him, she too felt that she should bring herself 'up to date' concerning world affairs. One report was announced that intrigued her.
"The charity United Poverty Prevention (UPP) have announced that it is their mission to install running water in every building around the world…" The voice of the anchor trailed off in Lara's mind.
"Impossible...that's a large feat for any organisation, especially considering UPP isn't as major as Water Aid and the like."
"I suppose you're right Lara, it does seem extraordinary."
"Sounds like a lot of talk to me, talk is as much as the human race can accomplish, so it seems."
"Now that's unfair, you've become greatly pessimistic of late."
This triggered a strange feeling in Lara, she no longer had control over her words.
"Events in life affect everyone in different ways - this is the way life has left me." She said this perhaps slightly angrier than intended. Winston was taken aback somewhat, and Lara saw this as her cue to excuse herself."
"I'll see you for dinner."
Lara's mind was a mess. No ideas that entered her head made sense, she felt as though she could explode. As much as she hated to admit it, she was very much haunted by the events of the past year. She wished she could just go back and start again - the last time she had spoken to Werner she was full of anger, and she didn't try to persuade Kurtis that teamwork was the answer in terms of defeating Boaz. How could she have been so stupid? With this the memory of their last conversation flooded back.
"Come on, I'll give you a boost."
"Kurtis, quick!"
"Here, take these too."
"These are your speciality, Kurtis."
"Don't worry about ugly here. Go on! You're wasting time. I can take care of her."
He had been so confident that Lara had suspended her doubt. If only she could have seen the mammoth task he was undertaking. Bloody men, so many of them were self assured imbeciles. It seemed paradoxical, but all Lara could do to soothe her mind was study Werner's notebook. She analysed all the Obscura Engravings with care, and ran her fingers over Werner's spidery, beautiful writing. However she could see the difference in his lettering when he became fearful for his life - it was scratchy, rushed, as though he believed death could catch him at any moment. She gently closed the pages and placed the notebook in her chest of draws. Her thoughts were calming a little now, and to focus her mind she laid her trusty pistols on her bed, glared at them for a while, and then began to clean the dirt that had collected inside the barrels, vigorously twisting the cloth deeper inside. Subconsciously, she was attempting to cleanse her life, yet from the outside would just appear as an obsessive-compulsive. Finally, her thoughts left her, and with a suddenly heavy head, she collapsed onto her pillow into a fitful sleep.