Tomb Raider - Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel

26 ~ The Truth

Nora probably stood there in the middle of the kitchen for a solid ten minutes before moving.

Carol was gone.

Gone.

She had left. Just like that.

Just like that.

Nora felt like absolute shit.

"You're magic, Nora. Never forget that."

Bullshit.

The next thing Nora knew she was on the floor, her body wracked by heavy sobbing. Her head spun, her whole body shook.

What had just happened?

Why? And why so suddenly.

She felt abandoned, by everyone. 

The next thing she knew she had picked up her mother's journal and had launched it across the room, the book striking the wall and then landing open on the floor with a thud!, some of the pages bending.

A quivering yell ripped through the room when she threw the journal, making her ears ring - had that devastated sound really come from her mouth? Had that really been her voice that sounded so broken, broken beyond recognition?

She didn't recognize herself in this alarming state. But, then again, she hadn't really been recognizing herself at all lately, ever since these space-magic powers had made their appearance.

And had completely screwed up her life.

She stormed over to the journal laying sprawled out there on the rug, ready and intending to throw it again, when it registered with her that the book was open.

Open for the first time since she had gained possession of it. Open and ready to share its secrets.

But was she herself ready?

Honestly, the way she was feeling right now, she thought, Bring it on. What else have I got to lose? Also, she might as well just get it all over with.

She scooped it up and plopped down on the couch and focused in on her mother's handwriting. Damn, this was already incredibly personal.

She flipped through until she reached the entries baring the year 1991, the year of her birth. Lets start at the beginning... Even before the beginning, at least, before her own beginning.

Baby was kicking today - must be as excited about this expedition as we are! I can't wait to bring them along to sites when they're older!

People keep telling me it's a bad idea to continue field work in my condition - Harry especially keeps fussing, sweetheart. I know I probably shouldn't, but I'm determined to see this expedition through before taking my maternity leave.

Thanks, Mum, she thought sarcastically.

This has all gone very wrong. Now I know I should have listened to everyone who told me it was a bad idea.

We found the witch's tomb, but we caused something - disturbed some magic that had been lying dormant.

Surprisingly, we are all unhurt - or so we can tell right now. By some miracle, perhaps.

Nora stopped reading and rolled her eyes. This was all what Bridget had told her, so she skipped ahead a few entries, hoping this wasn't just a waste of time.

Baby hasn't been kicking since the blast - I was so afraid. I would never forgive myself if something happened to them.

Nora had to pause and then read that line again. I would never forgive myself if something happened to them.

But thank God, they finally kicked again today! I cried I was so happy and relieved! We got the doctor to do a check of the baby and he says all appears well, with me and the baby. As though the blast never happened. It's so strange. Makes me wonder if we imagined the whole thing.

And later...

Eleanora is perfect! We were so excited to welcome her into the world, into our family. Our sweet little daughter, our Nora.

Our Nora.

The journal was thick, and the entries were short and scattered. Jenny easily fit many years worth of entries in here.

Skimming through, the next entry was one from when Nora was nine.

The blast did do something. All those years ago. It didn't affect us, but it affected Nora. Now I'm really wishing I took everyone's advice and stopped field work.

It seems that she absorbed the residue magic from the blast. It sounds unbelievable even as I write it - I thought I'd heard and seen all the unbelievable. I couldn't have been more wrong.

An entry from the next year, when Nora was ten, continued this.

Further research suggests that the magic from the witch's tomb had a source, a power source, that it came from somewhere before being accessed by the witch. This must have been thousands of years ago as the witch herself was ancient.

We've got to help Nora - it was our fault this happened to her in the first place.

She couldn't put the journal down. She was now skimming it at a rapid pace, feeling the truth just within reach.

I don't feel safe working with S.H.I.E.L.D. - neither does Harry. We think they're onto us and know that we've got an ulterior motive to working on their project: trying to find answers, anything, anything at all, to help Nora.

She flipped the page - the next page was empty. And all the pages after that. This was the final entry, from when she was twelve. From when her parents had disappeared.

Our search for answers had led us to making an awful decision - we must go away, must leave Nora. S.H.I.E.L.D. is onto us, so leaving and getting ourselves off the grid is best. But that means we must leave our daughter, which is the last thing we wish to do. I hope she can understand someday that we're only doing this because we want to help her and we love her, so much. I can't express that enough.

I hate the thought of leaving, but it's our fault this happened to her, so it's only fair that we solve the problem.  It's the very least we can do for putting her through this.

I feel like I failed as a mother before I even was a mother - I couldn't even protect her then.

But I'll do anything to protect her now, even if that means making the hardest decision of my life and leaving her for an unknown amount of time. I love her so much and I hope she realizes that, but I know she does.

-Jenny Bane, 2003

That was it, the end of the  journal.  

Nora's head spun with everything she had just read, trying and failing to absorb it all.

All she could think was, Oh my God...

(So I think we're actually nearing the end of this story - I think I know how I'm going to wrap it up!

Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed as always! :))