Disclaimer: I don't own any aspects of the Resident Evil universe. Cora Merandez, Amelia Merandez, and Irene Talbot are mine though.

The sun beat down on the rooftops, glinting into Cora Merandez's eyes. Wincing, she raised an arm to shield her vision from the brightness of the sun. Despite the fact that she looked more like her American father than her Mexican mother, she didn't stick out too much in the crowds on the street.
She absently tossed her long, dark braid over her shoulder as she took a sip on the Coke she had ordered. Soft drinks were less expensive then the water sold around here. Less dangerous, too. She shifted in her chair, watching the front doors of a large, stone building. She had been waiting here for twenty minutes, and according to her boss, the guy that she was waiting for got off work fifteen minutes ago.
Cora sighed. She didn't want to be doing this. She was young, only nineteen years old. But on the streets of Mexico, she had to learn to provide for her family. Her father was constantly on business trips, her mother had worked in a slaughterhouse for cheap wages until she had injured her lower back, and her younger sister was still going through school. Amelia was only eleven, and a happy child. Seeing how she didn't appear half-American the other kids didn't taunt her as they had Cora.
Suddenly, the large doors to the building swung open. Cora stood up, pulling a few pesos out of her pocket and dropping them on the table before following one of the men who were part of the crowd.
Cora hurried after him, easing two of the knives that were hidden from view in her sleeves. She hated this job, really, but how else could she support the Merandez family? She fixated Amelia's face in her mind and pressed on.
The mark seemed to realize that he was being followed. He glanced over his shoulder and quickened his pace. Cora sighed. This was the worse part. She followed him. Hoping to lose her, he ducked into an alley.
"Worst mistake you could make, pal." Cora muttered, and followed him. The man was pressed against the end of the alley, shaking.
"Who are you? Why are you following me?" the man demanded.
"Mr. Jack Elliot?" Cora asked. She wanted to get this right. She had seen her friends get their pay docked before because they had shot down the wrong man.
"How do you know my name?" Mr. Elliot shouted. What, did he think that people were going to come running? They weren't. First of all, no one in Mexico cared about their neighbor. They were too busy keeping themselves alive. Secondly, everyone hated the rich, American businessmen who came and sucked workers and money out of the community. Even if anyone noticed, they'd probably smile to themselves and walk on.
The struggle was quick. Cora slipped out her knives. He managed to deflect one stab with his briefcase, but the other slipped through his throat. Cora winced as he fell lifelessly to the ground, his eyes beginning to glaze over. She wiped her blade carefully on his coat. As she walked away, she made a single nick on her wrist that aligned with seven others. Her eighth kill. Cora didn't know whether she should be proud or horrified.
Cora Merandez was an assassin, but she considered herself an assassin with morals, thank you.

"Cora's home! Cora's home!" Amelia flung herself at Cora for a hug. Cora's father hated Spanish, so the girls had had to reconcile themselves to using English. It had grown on them, and now they only spoke Spanish when necessary.
"Hey." Cora said tiredly.
"Cora, you're bleeding." Amelia said, showing Cora the nick in her wrist.
"Oh, don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" Cora said brightly, heading into the kitchen. Cora's mother looked worn and tired.
"Your father will be coming home soon." she said wearily. "Back from Florida, with gifts for all!" she gave a tired laugh. Cora felt a wave of pity. She could almost hear "as if gifts make anything better." tacked onto the end of the sentence.
"Daddy's coming home?!" Amelia's two braids bounced on her shoulders as she gave a happy bounce. Her large dark eyes - so different from Cora's gray blue eyes - were bright with excitement. Cora's mother cracked a tired smile.
"Yes, he's now working as an Agent for a pharmaceutical company. Umbrella Incorporated. He's a field agent, whatever that means. He will be here in a couple of days. Now, go wash up and I'll get dinner ready."
"Yes, madre." Cora and Amelia said politely, and headed off to the washroom. Cora wasn't looking forward to meeting with her father. While her mother knew that she was an assassin, and while Amelia knew that she had some sort of job that was potentially dangerous, Cora's father always chatted about bringing Cora back home to America and giving her 'a proper life'. He spoke of getting her a college scholarship through his new friends at whatever company he was working at.
Cora scowled as she scrubbed the eight cuts on her arm. She didn't want her father's charity. She could keep up being an assassin. Besides, she couldn't leave Amelia and Mother behind. She wouldn't do it.
In the middle of the dinner of roast beef, the phone rang. Cora's mother picked it up.
"Hola." she said politely, then frowned and passed the phone silently to Cora.
"Hola." Cora said, standing up and walking into the next room.
"Did you get the job done, Cora?" Cora's boss' voice filtered through the phone.
"Yes, Mr. Cobley." Cora said politely. There was a short bark of a laugh on the other end of the phone.
"Excellent." There was the scratching sound of a pen against paper. "September 6th, 1997. Check in the amount of the usual amount to Cora Merandez. I'll let you get back to your dinner, Cora."
"Yes, Mr. Cobley."
"Give your family my regards."
"Of course." Cora muttered. "Good-bye." And she hung up the phone and sat down. The eighth mark on her hand twinged horribly. She was getting closer to getting enough money to let Amelia and her mother live comfortably and being able to fulfill her lifelong dream of seeing the world.
Cora had no idea that her dream would go horribly wrong.