Signs of Destiny

	Lara’s grip was starting to fail; she didn’t think that she could hold on much longer. She could feel her leather gloves ripping on the sharp rock, but she couldn’t let go. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw the ground miles below. “Oh god Lara don’t look down!” She thought to herself. She tried to pull up but she had been hanging on to the ledge too long. Her strength was almost completely gone. She couldn’t hold on, she just couldn’t. She hoped that some miracle could save her. She closed her eyes, and she let go.

Some time later, she opened her eyes. She blinked, trying to look through the sand that was blowing through the air. Suddenly, realizing where she was, shouted in surprise. She looked around for the cliff that she had been hanging onto. There it was, miles high. It was a wonder that she had survived the fall. Lara, breathing a sigh of relief, stood up and walked out of the area that she had landed in. 

She walked for three days, until she came upon a small town, by the name of Carmines. The streets were full of people, so she would blend in easily. Making her way through the crowd, she saw a travel agency. She opened the door and walked inside. The cool air was almost irresistible; Lara just sat there forever, just taking in the cool air as if it were water. Then, sitting up, she noticed that all the people inside were staring at her. Lara didn't care. She got off the chair and walked to the nearest empty desk. 
“One ticket to London, as soon as possible.” She sat up straight, looking the man straight in the eye. The man stared back at her. His gaze started to wander, and Lara noticed. 
“Hello?” she shouted. “Ah, yes, yes, sorry, one ticket?” Lara groaned, and the man purchased her ticket. She glanced at the recite as she exited the building. It left tomorrow. 
“Well, let’s find a place to stay in this town then.” She walked around a bit, looking at the various stores. Bakery, glass, jewelry, candlesticks, cigarettes, rugs, all the usual stores. Looking up, she saw a small sign that creaked on its hinges as it swayed in the slight breeze. It was in desperate need in a coat of paint, but Lara could make out the words. Globe Inn. She opened the door and stepped inside. 

It was dark and damp, it reminded Lara distinctly like a tomb. 
“To many tombs in the world,” Lara muttered to herself. She heard nothing once she had entered, except the creaking of the floorboards from upstairs. She went to the front desk and the chair that was there looked as if it had not been sat on for at least twenty years. There was a bell, and she pressed it. The noise echoed through the building like an avalanche, and Lara jumped instinctively, and reached for her pistols. A door opened in the back and a young girl, younger than Lara, came out. 
“Would you like a room for the evening?” she asked in a mouse-like voice. 
“Yes, I would. How much?” The girl looked briefly through a book, and then replied,
“Well, what kind of room would you like?” 
“The cheapest.” Lara said with a smirk. The girl nodded and Lara fished out some money from her pocket. She motioned for the girl to count the money out, because Lara wasn’t familiar with Egyptian money. The girl took the correct amount and handed her a key from the rack in the back of the small office. Only one other key was gone. Lara nodded and headed up the stairs. It was a steep climb and at the top Lara was getting tired. She saw her room on the far left, and went over and unlocked the door. She stepped inside, and threw her key on the small table. She started to undress, and once she was finished, walked over to the bathroom and turned on the shower. Afterwards, she went to sleep. 

The next morning, Lara woke up and saw the stun streaming in through the curtains. She blinked hard, glanced at the clock on the table, and got up. She dressed in the clothes she had, dropped the key off at the desk, and went outside. She looked around for a possible bus station where she could catch a bus to the airport. She saw a small wooden post sticking out of the ground with a picture of a bus taped to it. 
“Well, at least they got the point across.” She went over and stood next to it. Half an hour passed, still no bus. An hour passed, still no bus. Lara went over to a small café, and finished a very large breakfast, still no bus. But as she was getting up from the table, a rumbling noise sounded from behind the large statue in the square. Lara’s jumped for joy, the bus was here! She ran out and hopped on the bus.   
 
When Lara stepped out of the plane at London Heathrow Airport, she breathed the fresh city air. She was happy to be home.

The taxi wheels crunched on the gravel driveway that led up to her manor. Lara glanced out the window, and saw a house like she had never seen it before. The taxi driver seemed to have noticed it to. 
Lara paid the driver, and looked long and hard at her house. Windows were broken; the vines that Winston had once kept so neat were growing like mad things all over the house. The small fountain to the side was no longer working, and the gate that led to her training course was gone. She opened the door and looked inside. The clock had stopped, there was dirt and grime on the walls, and the carpet was so moldy that when she walked on it the liquid seeped through her shoes. She went upstairs, and everything was out of place, and her bedroom was exactly as she had left it before she went to Egypt. 
“Winston!” Lara shouted as loud as she could. She heard no reply, and so she ran downstairs to the kitchen, where Winston usually resided. 
She pushed open the heavy wooden door and saw the kitchen as if someone had left in a hurry, but had tried to clean up as much as possible before they left. Lara noticed a newspaper on the table, with Winston’s glasses on top. She started to read the article.

AMAZING FIND IN EGYPT
Recently, a known archaeologist Werner von Croy has been digging in the temple of Horus found a backpack with 20th century items in it. He said that he found it near one of the entrances to the tomb that had collapsed recently. 
“He didn’t seem very surprised to find it,” says a close friend of his who had also been working in Egypt. Many suspicions have arisen from the find, as many can probably imagine. Who does the backpack belong too? Why was the backpack there? No one has reportedly managed to get inside the tomb since the end of the Egyptian dynasty. Hence, very little is known about the Temple of Horus. 
However, a man who has been living in Egypt for a while, who wishes to remain anonymous, told the Times that an archaeologist, Lara Croft, had an expedition in the area surrounding the temple. The man speculated that she had been inside the tomb and that the backpack belonged to her. Little did the man know that Lara Croft has been missing for over a year now, and has been presumed dead. For an obituary to Lara Croft, please turn to D7. Lara Croft is well known for finding some of the most coveted artifacts in the world. Close friends questioned the man’s reports, however the man said that he remained to his word. 
Von Croy, who was a mentor to Croft when she was in school, hasn’t said anything about her disappearance or her possible link to the backpack. One of the workers says that he has been trying to kill Lara Croft, but Von Croy denies ever trying to kill her. Von Croy, who has recently decided to retire once he has finished this expedition, has bought a flat in Paris where “he will live until he dies,” quote, a close friend. 
A bizarre chain of events I say. For a continued update please visit the times website. 

“Gosh…” Lara whispered. She pulled up the newspaper from the table to look at the picture of von Croy and she saw a small piece of paper flutter to the floor. Scribbled on it was a note. 
	Lara, if you are indeed alive and you read this, I have gone to London to investigate the article. Please take care, 
	Winston

“So he thinks I’m alive, the dear…” Lara smiled, and put the note back on the table. Lara sat down, and wondered what to do with her self. Suddenly, an idea popped into her mind. She went to the hall and picked up the phone, no signal. She went into the living room and looked around for the phone. As she pushed papers aside she found a cell phone. “Handy,” said Lara. She went into the hallway and flipped through the address book. She found the V’s and dialed a number. 
“Hello Brown, any update on Lady Croft?” A familiar voice sounded at the other end. She had heard that voice last when she found out that he had taken her friend hostage. She couldn’t put those images of death and destruction out of her head. How could a person like Werner be like that? He had been such a role model to her and then when she escaped him and found things out that he wanted to find out, he turned on her. 
“Brown?” The voice brought her back to reality. 
“No. This isn’t Brown. This is Lara.” Lara spoke in a slightly annoyed tone. She hoped that she had gotten her point across by doing so.
More than 1000 km away, Werner von Croy stood open-mouthed
“L-l-l-Lara?” he stammered.
“Yes, Werner it’s me. It’s such a pleasure to hear your voice again. I read that you found my backpack. I wasn’t surprised when you weren’t. Thought I had died had you?”
“Well, Lara you were gone for a long time…”
“Thought you had killed me had you? Finally, that annoying girl out of the way!”
“Well, Lara, you must understand. I wanted to find those artifacts. You must understand that things have changed.”
“For once you are correct, things have changed Werner. Between the two of us.”
“Please Lara. Don’t be angry with me.” 
“Werner, please. I don’t need your babbling filling up my already filled up head. Just let me know where I can retrieve my backpack.”
“I sent it over to the Times headquarters. They were the first to get the story, so I returned the favor.”
“I’m sure that’s why you sent it,” Lara said with sarcasm in her voice.
“Okay, fine. I sent it so they would stay quiet about me trying to kill you.” 
“That’s better Werner.” Lara smiled, she had always been smarter than Werner, it really bothered him, she remembered.
“So I can pick it up there?”
“Yes, however I don’t think that you should go in there in person Lara, there will be such a chaos.”
“Werner, I can make my own decisions, thanks. Take care.” Lara put down the phone. She paused, and considered Werner’s words. Should she go in herself or have someone get it for her? She decided to call Winston; she remembered the he carried a cell phone, although reluctantly. She picked the phone and was about to dial when the front door opened. Lara leaned over the chair to see Winston walking in the door. She put down the phone and walked towards him. Winston saw her and a look of shock was on his face. He adjusted his glasses and peered over them. 
“Lara? Is that you?”
“Yes Winston, it’s me.” A huge smile appeared on Winston’s face and he leaped into her arms. He hugged her with such force Lara could barely breathe. She smiled and hugged him back. She was happy to see the old man. 
“Oh Lara, I have been so worried about you. I, I, I thought you were dead! I had a funeral service and everything. I am so sorry. There is a monument in the graveyard commemorating you; you can’t possibly understand Lara. You were gone for so long and, and Lara I, I---I am so glad you’re home Lara.”
“I’m glad too Winston.”
“Oh, I brought you a little something Lara.” Winston pulled out a simple brown backpack from the plastic bag he had been carrying. Lara put her hands out and Winston gave her back her backpack. She carefully opened the latch and peered inside. Everything she had been carrying in Egypt. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her pistols were in there too. She pushed aside a few pieces of parchment and saw an amulet that she had found in one of the temples. 
“I have something for you too, Winston.” She handed him the amulet.
“Oh, thank you Lara.” Winston smiled and started off towards the kitchen. Lara laughed to herself. Little did Winston know that that amulet might be worth over 100,000 pounds. She headed up the stairs, and lay down on her own bed for a much deserved good night’s rest. 

Two Years Later

	Lara had gotten used to her aristocratic life again after almost four months tomb raiding. She loved waking up to the smell of breakfast and sleeping every night on a mattress that was far from stone. She caught up on all the latest archaeological expeditions, and in spite of the past events researched von Croy’s expedition. 
	It was one afternoon that Lara got a telephone from Paris. 
“Lara Croft speaking.”
“Lara? Is that you?”
“Yes, who is this?”
“This is von Croy. Lara I don’t have much time. Please come to Paris, please.” He sounded as if he had just seen a ghost or something, he was breathing quickly.
“Werner are you okay?”
“Please, come as quickly as you can Lara. I will pay for the plane ticket. Please Lara.”
“Why should I Werner? Last time you requested something you trapped me in a tomb. Why should I trust you now?” Lara snapped.
“Read the papers.” The line went dead. Lara put down the phone and called for Winston. 
“Winston! Get me this week’s papers!” Lara sat down at the dining room table and Winston came soon carrying a large stack of papers. Lara rarely read the paper, she wasn’t really interested who was dating who, who was winning elections, and what kind of fights were going around the world. She skimmed the titles of the front pages.

'Gruesome killing in Paris!'

'Paris’ Own Serial Killer!'

'A Deadly Attraction in the City of Lights!'

'Serial Killer is named!'

'Monstrum Strikes Again!'

'Tourism in Paris takes nosedive, Monstrum blamed!'

'Parisian residents flee the city!'

Each one described immensely gruesome murders by a serial killer, called .......
the “Monstrum.”

THE END ?

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