The moment I show the card father gave me, Lara explodes.
It's glorious and terrifying, because she screams even though she's awake, her face twists and swirls with so many emotions it makes me dizzy and a door slams into my face with such force it makes the windows behind me shake.
I'm breathless, because that's the most emotion she has shown in weeks, and it makes me want to cry and laugh at the same time.
I leave her in her room, and she does not leave it for days, not even at night.
Winston is the only one allowed in, and he always leaves after barely a minute, tray empty.
I miss her, especially when I twist and turn in the sheets, staring at the ceiling and the walls and at nothing at all. I suddenly realize that I didn't just help her, she helped me too.
I sleep more, but it is fitful. The idea of night alone turns my stomach into a sleeping vulcano of fear, waiting for the right moment to explode and turn me into a shivering mess.
I'm reminded that I was at Yamatai too, and those cold fingers, the icy wind, the soul-tearing agony of another presence within me are not just phantoms, but memories.
I call, because Lara makes me forget myself. I go, because without Lara I'm a ghost, just like her.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year everybody!