Lara Van Helsing: From Spy to Ally in Amari and the Great Game

Overview

Lara Van Helsing is the daughter of Director Victor Van Helsing and initially serves as a spy against Amari at the request of her father. Over the course of Amari and the Great Game, she evolves from a hostile, insecure bully into a trusted partner and friend. Her journey mirrors the novel’s central questions about prejudice, family loyalty, and personal redemption. This analysis draws on the book’s events to distinguish explicit story facts from interpretive reading.

Plot Role

Lara appears as an antagonist in Amari and the Great Game before becoming a reluctant ally. She is first seen in the Bureau’s dining hall, where she is bullied by Bear and refuses help from Amari. Later, she becomes Amari’s assigned partner after Amari deliberately chooses her over Tristan Davies. Unbeknownst to Amari, Lara has been spying on her under a deal with her father—a revelation that nearly destroys their trust. Nevertheless, Lara helps Amari investigate the time freeze, uses her father’s transporter to break into the Congress Room, and eventually stands with Amari against Director Harlowe’s mind control.

Motivations and Traits

Lara is driven by a desperate need for her father’s approval. Having failed her Junior Agent tryout the first time, she retakes it abroad—only to feel like a “total fraud” when her father pulls strings to get her into the Bureau. She is proud, athletic, and initially condescending, treating Amari with the same prejudice she faced from others. However, her actions also reveal a deep insecurity and a desire to prove her worth on her own terms. When Amari defends her from bullies, Lara begins to question her inherited biases. She gradually shows courage, loyalty, and a willingness to admit her mistakes—most notably when she confesses that the dead magician mural in Amari’s dorm was her idea.

Chronological Arc

• Early encounters (Chapters 9–11): Lara is isolated and humiliated by older Junior Agents. Amari and Elsie defend her, but Lara rebuffs them, still clinging to her family’s anti-magician stance.
• Partner assignment (Chapter 11): Amari picks Lara as her partner to spite Tristan, shocking everyone. Lara initially tries to switch partners.
• Tentative alliance (Chapter 16): Lara admits her Junior Agent status was obtained through her father’s influence and confesses her role in the mural incident. She and Amari agree to a working partnership.
• Field training and first challenge (Chapters 17–18): Lara helps Amari hide a NightWalker’s pet shade, and they begin to trust each other during the first Great Game challenge.
• Maria’s arrest (Chapter 19): Lara attempts to free Maria physically by breaking handcuffs but is stopped. She witnesses her father publicly disown Maria.
• Duel with Tristan (Chapter 22): Lara enthusiastically accepts a duel challenge, using the Helsing Technique alongside Amari. They win against Bear but struggle against Tristan’s flight advantage.
• Investigation deepens (Chapters 24–25): Lara and Amari sneak into the Congress Room using her father’s transporter. They discover evidence that Dylan might be behind the time freeze. Lara admits she hates her brother.
• Betrayal revealed (Chapter 31): Under interrogation, Lara confesses that she was spying on Amari for her father, trading information in exchange for a chance to be a Junior Agent. Amari’s trust is shattered.
• Redemption (Chapter 34): During the climax, Lara is controlled by Harlowe’s persuasion ability, forced to aim her Stun Stick at Amari. She fights the control, showing her genuine loyalty has grown.
• Aftermath (Chapter 36): Lara’s fate is not detailed, but she is no longer an antagonist; the betrayal has been addressed and forgiven by the group’s shared struggle.

Relationships

• Amari Peters: The core relationship of Lara’s arc. Initially a target of her bullying, Amari becomes her partner and, later, her friend. Their bond is tested by Lara’s spying but ultimately survives because Amari recognizes Lara’s capacity for change.
• Director Victor Van Helsing: Lara’s father is a source of immense pressure. He disowns Maria and Dylan for being magicians, forcing Lara to carry the family legacy alone. She follows his orders out of fear and a desire for approval, but by the end she defies his expectations.
• Maria and Dylan Van Helsing: Her siblings who have been cast out. Lara feels the weight of their losses; she hates Dylan for his crimes but later shows pity. She tries to free Maria during the false arrest.
• Elsie and Jayden: Lara initially clashes with Elsie, but they later work together as part of Amari’s investigating team. Jayden is more neutral, but he accepts Lara into the group.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Themes and Symbol Connections

• Prejudice and Discrimination: Lara is both a perpetrator and a victim. She inherits her father’s bias against magicians, but her partnership with Amari forces her to confront that prejudice. Her own status as a “fraud” makes her sympathetic to Amari’s outcast position.
• Friendship and Loyalty: Lara’s shift from spy to loyal friend demonstrates that loyalty can be learned. Her decision to help Amari investigate the time freeze—even after being caught—shows her commitment.
• Power and Responsibility: Lara’s father uses his power to secure her place at the Bureau, but she feels unworthy. She must earn her own responsibility rather than relying on family connections.
• Identity and Belonging: Lara struggles to define herself apart from the Van Helsing legacy. Her relationships with Amari and her siblings help her form a new identity based on her own choices.
• Truth and Deception: Lara lives a lie (her Junior Agent status) and deceives Amari. Only when she tells the truth can she begin to build trust. The novel suggests that deception, even for self-protection, ultimately isolates.

For deeper thematic reading, see our guides on Prejudice and Discrimination, Friendship and Loyalty, Power and Responsibility, Identity and Belonging, and Truth and Deception. See also the ending explained for how Lara fits into the resolution.

Questions and Answers

1. Why did Lara Van Helsing spy on Amari?
   Explicit fact: Lara made a deal with her father, Director Van Helsing, to spy on Amari in exchange for being allowed to become a Junior Agent despite failing the tryout (Chapter 31). She provided him with information about Amari’s ability to move during the time freeze.

2. How did Lara become a Junior Agent after failing her tryout?
   Explicit fact: Her father forced her to transfer to a school in Australia to retake the tryout during their summer break. When she passed, he used his influence to have the result accepted by the Bureau, making her feel like a “total fraud” (Chapter 16).

3. What is the Helsing Technique, and why is it important for Lara?
   Explicit fact: The Helsing Technique is a Stun Stick strategy that involves constant side-to-side movement so an opponent cannot get a clear shot (Chapter 22). Lara uses it in the duel against Tristan and Bear, demonstrating her family’s combat legacy and her own skill.

4. How does Lara feel about her brother Dylan?
   Explicit fact: After the Congress Room discovery, Lara tells Amari, “I hate him, Amari. So, so much” (Chapter 25). Her hatred stems from Dylan’s crimes and the pain he has caused their family. However, she later shows pity when Amari uses the Dreamcatcher spell on Dylan.

5. How does Lara redeem herself after betraying Amari?
   Interpretation: Lara’s redemption is earned through her actions in the climax. When Harlowe uses her persuasion ability to control everyone, Lara fights the mental command to attack Amari (Chapter 34). Though she is forced to point her weapon, her visible struggle proves her loyalty has changed. Earlier, she risked punishment to help Amari investigate, and she publicly defended Amari against bullies.

For more discussions on the book’s events, visit our Questions and Answers page, and explore the full Amari and the Great Game guide.