Tania’s eyes roll back into her head, but she doesn’t pass out; she’s vaguely aware that she’s not dead.
She stands numb, waiting for sensation to return to her body. The numbness frightens her and she wills her body to feel anything, even pain would be welcomed.
When she is able to feel again, she realizes that she’s not in pain. Miraculously, her body is singed and coated in soot, but her skin is not blistered or burnt.
Tania cannot believe that she has survived such a shock. She’s as sober as she can be and her nerves are on edge. Tania doesn’t know if she can complete this assignment.
She heads to what she hopes is a safer part of the house and calls up the only person that she can think to call at a time like this.
Antwain answers on the first ring, as if he’s been waiting with phone in hand. Tania takes a moment to decide whether she wants to tell Antwain what has happened to her.
Tania decides that she doesn’t want to worry him, so she describes the good things that she’s discovered on this trip. Just telling him about the delicious nectar makes her long for a glass.
Tania goes on to describe all of the gorgeous sites and photographs that she’s taken.
Antwain seems to sense, or maybe hears the slight shakiness in her voice, that something is wrong. He asks if everything is OK and Tania lies, telling him that everything is fine.
She takes her thoughts back to what she felt as she sat with her last glass of nectar. This helps to calm her nerves enough to convince Antwain that she is doing fine and that she misses him.
Antwain whispers that he misses her and loves her. “Hurry back to me!” He says before they hang up. Tania ends the call with a smile on her face. Now she is able to complete her tasks.
Tania grabs a shower in a can and washes the soot off her body.
She grabs her hat off the floor and picks up her camera, which is cracked but seems to still be in great working condition.
Tania continues searching the house until she comes to a key shaped hole in the wall.
She places the heavy key stone that Berthe gave her into the hole. The door to her right unlocks with a click that echoes throughout the house.
Tania explores until she finally arrives at the library. Her pulse quickens when she sees that the library is laden with traps. She almost lets her quick breathing get the best of her until she sees the stereo. Her instincts tell her to turn on the stereo.
The sound of the music fills the room until it is drowned out by the sound of moving mechanical gears. Tania walks slowly over to the traps and inspects them. They have been disarmed. She heads over to one of the two treasure chests in the room. She grabs a few relics, gold and ancient coins; snapping pictures of all of it.
Tania calmly leaves the house. She has completed part of her photographic coverage of the mansion.
Tania doesn’t realize how long she was in the mansion until she steps out into the bright sun, which surprises and temporarily blinds her. Her eyes quickly adjusts to the change and she snaps a few photos of the French countryside.
Tania’s body reflects all of the trauma that she’s been through and by the time she gets back to the hotel, she is struggling to hold herself upright.
Although she would love the taste of a hot meal right now, she settles for a bite of the crumbly dry protein meal in her pouch.
She quickly swallows it down without tasting it,...
…heads upstairs and welcomes sleep.
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