Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil, and I never will.


Growth

"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen." – Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Chapter 1: Empty Space

Staring at the small plastic Christmas tree on the desk, Sherry Birkin wondered why she celebrated this holiday. It was all about spending time with family and giving something special to everyone. She had no family left and she had given too much over the course of her life. The Christmas tree represented everything that was taken from her, beyond her control.

She was only a young girl when the Racoon City Incident happened, and because of the disaster her life was transformed. Even though she had escaped the infected city alive, she was given the G-virus directly from her mutated father. She was lucky that Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield, the people that had saved her life, found a vaccine. However the virus was still in her body, a reminder that she didn't get out unharmed. Not only that, but the city was literally wiped off the map, as a missile was launched to prevent the G-virus from spreading.

There was nothing left for her to return to. No home, and no photos of her deceased parents and community she had spent her childhood in. She was lucky that the government had kept two photos of her childhood. One had featured her parents when they were younger, before her birth, and the other was a family portrait taken when she was five years old, which was in a frame near the Christmas tree. It was something, but wasn't enough to heal her completely.

The only thing she gained were two irreplaceable friends in Leon and Claire. They had protected and saved her life during Racoon City, while also remaining positive. She was, and still, looked up to them as role models in her life. She even had this foolish dream that they could replace her parents and raise her into adulthood. Looking back on that thought, Sherry could see how childish it was. Claire was searching for her older brother at the time and Leon was starting his career. The government wanted her more than her friends.

Although, government care had treated her horribly, with almost daily blood testing and the occasional experiment performed on her every now and again. Not to mention she wasn't allowed out and have a normal life like children her age had. The man she thought that cared for her, her legal guardian, Derek Clifford Simmons, used her to further his dreams and manipulated her to believe that he had good intentions. It made her sick that she had placed so much trust in him for almost fifteen years. The G-Virus which lay dormant in her body had cursed her with regenerative powers. It was the reason why Derek Simmons used her for his ambitions.

And yet, here she was. In her own apartment, earning her keep and finally living her life. It took twenty seven years to get her to this moment. However, she felt like she had given up the most important years of her life. The years she considered the most developmental in any life. Adolescence and early adulthood. They were the years of discovery, sexuality and most importantly growth, both physically and mentally.

Yet, Sherry didn't have that. She was confined in a government facility for a month, then for nine years a foster home with almost daily trips to the government facility for experimentation. Her apartment was a major step up from those places, but under the direct supervision of Derek Simmons left her far from free. It was only in the past six months that she had free reign over most things in her life.

It had to be those moments in life, the ones that appeared insignificant, that made her the person she was today. As much as she wanted to turn back the clock to get her adolescence and early adulthood years back, the end result was worth all the suffering. And it gave her a reason to continue fighting bioterrorism.

A knock on the door that sounded like thunder broke her thoughts. Sherry wasn't expecting anyone over, so she wondered who it was. She was certain it was not Claire, knowing she would be incredibly busy until Christmas Day. Her guess was that Leon was the person at the door and he was probably just visiting before Christmas.

Sherry quickly stood up and headed towards the door. Despite being caught off guard, she was looking forward to seeing the visitor, especially because the person would put her in a better mood.

She approached the door, opening it to reveal a very nice surprise.


Author's Notes: This is the shortest first chapter I've completed of any fanfic I've done.

The title of this chapter was inspired by a song from Pink Floyd's movie, The Wall, called Empty Spaces, or it can be known as its other title, What Shall We Do Now?

Here's my thought process for Sherry's age for this fic. Sherry's turned twenty seven since the events of Resident Evil 6. She's twenty six at the start of Resident Evil 6, and she was held in captivity with Jake for six months until late June 2013. However, regarding the events of the second Resident Evil game, she already had her twelfth birthday and the Racoon City Incident happened in late September, so her birthday has to fall between July and early September.

That's really it for the first chapter, so I hope you guys have enjoyed it and have time to drop a comment!