Chapter 1 Weird But Good
It's just another ordinary day for Claire Redfield in her junior high school life as she sat on her respective seat beside her one of her best friends Jill Valentine and at the back of her another best friend Ada Wong. The sun outside the school shine brightly along with the cool breeze of spring. The three were chatting random stuffs about their favorite things but it was Jill and Ada who mostly do the talking. Although Claire was laughing in between of their conversation, her focus was cut when a certain brunette entered the classroom. Alice Abernathy.
The brunette was simply walking as she read a book on her way to her seat at the back, at the right corner near the window. The brunette seemed to be comfortable and used to what she was doing. She always does that everyday after all. And there hadn't been a time that she tripped or bumped into something or someone. Alice Abernathy was just a teenager who loves to be on her own. She doesn't mingle or hang out with anyone after school like everyone does. Sure she has friends or some people she can talk to at times but she hardly considered them as people she can surely trust. She's somewhat aloof and quiet although she smiles at everyone to whom she could consider as good people. She's actually a smart but quiet student in their classroom but she doesn't boast it. She doesn't let others known about it so it will be a lot easier for her to isolate herself from everyone. She doesn't like people coming to her and ask her to answer questions to the problems.
Unlike Alice, Claire Redfield was somewhat the famous student in their class; not only in their class but also in the entire campus. But she doesn't boast it. She actually doesn't like the attention she's getting from everyone but she can't help it. Everywhere she goes, even in the corner of their campus, people seemed to know her. Reason for her popularity was because she always excel in everything she does, academic or non academic. Addition to that is her astounding beauty that everybody always admire. She wasn't that friendly either although unlike Alice, Claire is always with her two best friends Jill and Ada ever since she entered high school.
"So Claire, do you wanna go shopping later?" Ada asked but no response came from the redhead, instead their eyes followed the redhead's gaze and were focused on Alice also who sat on her seat.
"Why are you looking at her?" Jill raised an eyebrow at her friend.
"Nothing. So..." she turned to her friends again. "...shopping huh?" It's now her turn who didn't get a response. Her two friends are now looking at Alice, focused.
"Why is she always alone?" Ada asked.
"I was wondering the same thing. Doesn't she got any friends?" Jill also asked.
"Hey guys, why are you bothering with her all of a sudden?" Claire cut in.
"Well, she's always alone but I think she seems so cool." Ada answered. Jill nodded. "She's next to you, you know. Or let's say, equivalent to your intelligence. It's just that, she's not popular unlike you."
"So you're trying to imply... what?" Claire raised an eyebrow at the Asian girl.
"Why don't we invite her some time for lunch or invite her to hang out?" - Ada.
"You want to be friend with her?" the redhead asked.
"Yeah, what do you think?"
"She's not gonna go for it. I'm sure." Claire quickly replied.
"How can you say so?" Ada turned to her redhead friend.
"I just know." she shrugged.
"Hey Claire, she lives next door to your house right?" Jill suddenly asked who has been quiet for awhile.
Claire nodded. "Yeah why?"
"Was there a time you were friends with her? Was there a time you even talked to her?" Jill inquired.
Claire was silent for awhile. "Sure, when we were kids. I was like seven or eight at that time."
"Then what happened?" Ada asked.
Suddenly, their homeroom teacher Ms. Addison came inside the room. "Okay class, settle down so we can start."
Everybody straightened up but Claire was still looking at Alice. On the other hand, Alice seemed to sense that someone was watching her, she turned her head on the right and caught sight of cold blue eyes staring at her who suddenly looked away. She was confused at first but shrugged it off nonetheless.
Seven year old Claire Redfield was playing with her bike on a Saturday morning on a summer season when she noticed a cargo truck next to their house. She stopped and watched some men unload things from the truck and then she caught sight of a young girl who's about her age got off a black sedan car. She looked at her and the latter looked at her also and soon they were locked in each other's gaze. They smiled and soon enough the young redhead noticed that the brunette little girl was holding a stuffed zombie toy.
Claire got off her bike and walked towards the new girl who is currently standing near a tree hugging her stuffed toy. "Hi." Claire greeted with a smile.
"Hi." the brunette girl smiled also.
"Is that a zombie stuffed toy you're holding?" Claire pointed at the stuffed toy.
"Oh yeah." the girl nodded.
Claire grinned and extended her hand to the new girl. "Name is Claire. Claire Redfield."
"My name is Alice. Alice Abernathy." Alice accepted her hand and shook it.
"How old are you Alice?"
"Eight. You?"
"Seven, turning eight next month." Claire grinned again. "Hey we can be classmates if you're going to attend my school?"
"Where do you attend school?" the brunette asked genuinely.
"Raccoon City Elementary School."
"Alice! Get your things inside now." a not so old woman called out.
"Coming mom!" Alice turned to her mother. "I have to go now Claire, see you around."
"Yeah. This is our house by the way." Claire pointed at their house next to Abernathy's house. "Let's play some other time."
Alice smiled. "Yeah. That'd be great."
"Alice!" Mrs. Abernathy called out again.
"Bye Claire. Nice meeting you."
"Nice meeting you, too, Alice." and the brunette ran towards her mom.
Claire, Jill and Ada entered the cafeteria after the bell for break rang. They went to their usual seats where is located at the back of the room. Jill and Ada were caught up in a conversation about on what they're going to buy later after school.
"Hey Claire, you don't have soccer practice later, right?" Jill asked.
"Yep. I'm free later." the redhead smiled.
"Great. You can help buy some new dress and then you can buy your own, too." Ada said.
"Nah. I'm not gonna buy for myself. I still have new clothes though. I'll just help you pick for yourselves."
"That's great. Sometimes Ada doesn't have a great taste in dresses." Jill said.
"Hey!" Ada snapped. Claire just chuckled at her two friends.
"By the way, why are you buying new dresses again? Is there any occasion that I don't know?" Claire asked.
"Nothing. We just wanna buy."
Claire narrowed her eyes at them. "Really?"
"Yeah? Why?" Jill raised an eyebrow.
"Well, you're going to buy dress for nothing? Why don't you just save your money instead?"
"Claire is in 'Mom Mode' right now." Ada smirked. Claire shot her a death glare.
"Whatever you, two."
"She's alone again." Jill suddenly said as she spotted Alice eating while reading her book.
"I got an idea." Ada said and started to walk towards Alice.
"What the fuck Ada?" Claire whispered as she narrowed her eyes.
Ada sat across Alice as the latter put down her book and looked at the newcomer. Ada smiled genuinely at Alice but did not speak right away. On the other hand, Alice was puzzled at the sudden arrival of her classmate. She clasped her hands and put it on top of the table, waiting for the other girl to speak but it did not come.
"Hi. Anything I can do for you?" Alice broke the silence as she became uncomfortable with the other woman's presence.
"Hi Alice. I'm Ada by the way." Ada introduced herself as if they weren't classmates since first year high school. She even extended her hand for Alice to shake as for formality of their introduction.
Alice hesitated at first but accepted and shook hands that was being offered. "I know you, Ada Wong." she half smiled.
"Great." Ada's smile got bigger.
"So, what can I really do for you?" Alice inquired.
"Well, you know, my friends and I were wondering if you could join us for lunch?" Ada turned to her friends and Alice followed her gaze seeing a grinning Jill and a shocked Claire.
"Oh. Thank you for the invitation but I'd rather be on my own if you don't mind." Alice turned her focus on Ada with a smile plastered on her face.
"Oh. Then join us later after school? We're going to the mall."
"I have a lot of stuffs to do actually. Thanks for the offer though." Alice replied dismissively. She smiled at Ada as she picked her book.
"Oh okay. See you around then." Ada stood up and headed back to her friends. Alice was left, still puzzled and shook some thoughts that is already forming in her head.
A week after the arrival of the Abernathy's in Raccoon City, Claire and Alice became friends immediately, not only that they're in the same age but also they have the same interests in lots of things, like toys, games and movies. They sometimes stayed in Claire's house to play, sometimes in Alice's but most of the time, they play outside to the hill they had discovered not far away from their houses.
On a Monday morning, Claire walked outside to see if her friend is already awake only to find her watering flowers as she helped her mom for their daily chores. The redhead walked over to the two as she greeted with them with a smile.
"Good morning Alice, good morning Mrs. Abernathy." Claire greeted and stood beside her friend.
"Good morning Claire." the woman greeted back with a smile as she continued to pull off weeds from the lawn.
Yawning, Alice turned to her friend and smiled sleepily. "Morning Claire." she noticed the cheerful mood of her friend from the look of the redhead's face. "You seems so happy. Something good happened?"
"Well you see, Chris went out of town this early in the morning." Claire skipped and moved closer to Alice who is still busy watering the flowers.
"So? I don't see anything to be happy about that." Alice commented.
"You're not getting it, are you?"
"Pretty much. So please enlighten me?"
Claire rolled her eyes. "It means we can watch movies or play video games without being interrupted."
"Oh yeah, right. I can also bring Severus while we watch or play." Alice said.
Claire frowned at the name mentioned by the brunette. "Who is Severus?"
"My zombie stuffed toy? I named him Severus last night."
"Did you practically got that name from Harry Potter?"
Alice's eyes lightened up and turned her head to Claire again. "Hell yeah. I was watching it last night. You know, the Chamber of Secrets and then I got an idea by naming my stuffed toy Severus. I was up late last night that's why I'm kinda sleepy today." the brunette told the redhead with amusement and excitement.
"Why Severus then?"
"Well you know, I think Severus Snape is kinda cool though he got a bad personality towards Harry. Just like zombies, I think they're cool though they always do bad stuffs to normal know something like that?"
"And that gave you an idea to name your stuffed toy Severus?"
"Yeah pretty amazing right?" Alice boasted as if it was the bright idea she had ever thought of. "It actually made perfect sense."
Claire face palmed. "Whatever Alice, you're really weird. So you want to watch movies later?"
"Sure, after I do all my chores though or mom will yell at me for the rest of the day not doing anything." Alice shrugged.
Claire grinned. "Okay. So what do you want to watch? Anything you want to suggest?"
"Resident Evil Afterlife."
"You're really a zombie fan, huh?" the redhead smirked.
"I can't help it. They're really cool you know."
"Yeah whatever. Actually you looked like the main actress in that movie. Milla Jovovich is her name right?"
"Yeah."
"Except that you're brunette and she's black haired."
"She's actually blonde in the first movie but brunette in real life. Mind you, you looked like her sidekick." Alice smirked.
"Sidekick?" Claire frowned.
"That Ali Larter chick. She's a redhead just like you."
"Oh yeah. So you better finish what you're doing now, alright? And I'll be waiting for you at my house. Feel free to bring Severus though."
"Sure. I won't be long."
"Bye Alice. See you later." Claire waved and ran towards their house.
"Bye Claire." Alice watched the redhead took off and couldn't help but put a smile on her face. She immediately found a friend in her new neighborhood not to mention that they're of the same age. Way back then and when, she had also friends in her previous neighborhood. She was glad to have them but when they learned about her fantasies and love for super heroes, gun or meelee toys especially in zombies, they managed to detach themselves from her. Well, she's not a kind of young girl who would want to play with doll houses and other girly stuffs just like the other girls of her age. She's more of an action one. She likes to run around, climb trees and every activity that involves exerting extra energy. And that made her realize that she's far different from other kids. Claire at some point, found her weird at first but to her surprise, the redhead played along with her. She never criticized her from what she likes and wants. She just accepted them without a second thought. And as a return, she accepted Claire's likes also including practicing martial arts, exploring the neighborhood, solving mysteries like why there's always thunder before a big storm. Is it a reminder to everyone that a big storm will follow next? Something like that. From then, they formed a somewhat strong bond. And from then and there, Alice could freely admit to herself that she found a true friend from Claire Redfield.
AN: If ever you came across this story of mine, please feel free to leave a comment or review if you're interested. Thanks! Hope you like it.