Drowning. She was drowning. Her eyes stung and she couldn't swim upward to the surface. Her wrists and ankles were tied down by chains. As she tried to push up, her back would hit the floor again. She didn't need to breath but she did it out of habit, causing whatever chemicals were in the water to make her lungs burn. Eventually she stopped altogether because her head had begun to spin. To her left was a giant window. She could see movement behind it. She tried reaching out to it and it got closer. At first she saw blond hair and red eyes. As it got closer she saw steel grey eyes stare back at her. Leon. Hope rose in her. He'd get her out. He began yelling. He fist slammed against the glass but it didn't bust. He was pointing at something. She followed his finger and saw what he was shouting about. A huge figure began to swim towards her. She started to panic. She looked back at Leon but he was gone. Instead stood a slim figure. In red. The figure cracked a smile; she knew it was Ada. She turned back away from her and looked at the figure in the water. She began to scream as it lunged at her, no sound coming out of her mouth.
Claire sat up quickly. Her chest was drenched with sweat and her hair was stuck to forehead. She was breathing heavily and her phone was going off. She grabbed it off the nightstand and unlocked it. She grabbed it and shut off the alarm. 7:30 a.m. She threw off the brown quilt and limped out of her room and into the living room. She pulled open the curtains, letting the light shine into the room. The light hit her face on.
"Crap. That's bright." She stood back and watched as the neighboring kids ran toward the bus stop. From behind her, her phone was ringing again. She spun around and read the name on the screen. Chris. She answered it, his voice immediately filling her quiet apartment.
"Hey butthead. We're going out for breakfast. Want to join us?" She was reluctant to say yes, but it was the second time she had passed up hanging out with her brother. "C'mon Claire. Don't let Leon third wheel again." She'd tried getting back into the regular routine of her normal life, but it wasn't as simple as she'd thought. It had been five months and she still found herself constantly looking behind her, checking to see if that towering blond figure was watching her every move.
"You know what? Sure. I'm too tired to make breakfast anyway. I'll be ready in ten. Let yourself in when you get here. You have the key still, right?"
"Yup. See you in a few."
She connected her phone to let it charge while she rinsed off. Claire stood in front of the mirror. She stared at her sweat-soaked tank and tied up hair.
She dropped her hair and stared at the black locks falling around her face. It was odd, seeing black instead of red. She thought a few times about dying it but she didn't see the point. It would just keep growing back black. After a few she peeled off the tank and tossed it into the basket. Five minutes later she emerged from the steamless room and changed into a pair of green cargo pants that fell a little below her knee. She threw on a beige tank top and tan boots covering the rest of legs. As she was zipping up her boots, the door lock clicked and in came in Chris, behind him was Jill and Leon.
"Ready to go, Red?" Leon smiled as he saw the younger Redfield adjusting her hair in the mirror.
"Patience, Kennedy. It takes time to look this good." She set her black aviators on the bridge of her nose and fixed the fringed bangs that hung annoyingly in her eyes at the most inconvenient times.
"There we go. See? It's an art." She flashed a smile at the trio and made her over, keys in hand.
"Whatever. Let's go. I'm starving. Pshh, you probably look the same as when you woke up." Leon let Jill and Chris walk ahead while he waited for Claire to lock the door.
"Can it Leon. You're just jealous you're not the prettiest one in the group anymore."
"Fight me, Redfield." Claire squinted a challenging look at the special agent in front of her. He did the same, almost calculating whether she would actually attack him. Maybe she would've, had it not been for her older brother's voice coming from the car parked at the base of the stairs.
"You two hurry up or I swear I'll leave you both to starve!" The pair rushed their way down the steps to the car. Leon opened the door for her just as they reached the Jeep. The sudden memory of the night that she and Wesker went to the BSAA banquet flashed in her mind. She climbed into the seat and moved over, Leon quickly settling into the seat next to her.
"Okay. Let's go." Chris didn't even wait for the sound of seat belt click before he gassed it. Maybe some things were the way they used to.
The air conditioner was blasting cold air the most it could and it still didn't eliminate the heat the Inland Empire had almost year round. It had taken some convincing to get Claire to pack up and move from the east coast to the west, but when Chris knew he had to, he stopped at nothing to get Claire to go with him. Part of her wanted to leave. There were too many events that she wanted to forget. She was trying to focus on those who mattered most, those who didn't knock you out and try to kill the most important people in your life.
Before she knew it, they had parked and were getting out of the jeep, all starving. They entered the small the restaurant, sat down and eventually ordered. The restaurant was tiny enough to see every customer in it. Claire watched everyone, smelled everyone, and heard everyone. She could have easily ignored most of it, but she was hesitant to do so. She was on her toes lately.
She'd been having nightmares. Nightmares that seemed to realistic to ignore. Most nights she dreamt she was drowning. In others, Chris was would be dying in her arms, Wesker only a few feet from them, bloody dagger in hand. It would change between Chris and Leon. Sometimes she wouldn't even be holding them, she would be the one with the dagger. Snapping back into the conversation taking place at the table, she grabbed a piece of bacon and ate it.
"So, Claire? What do you think about the apartment?" Jill sipped her coffee as she questioned the younger Redfield.
"It's great. It's really quiet."
"Not to mention close to LA," Leon butted in.
"Yeah. It's a good change, and not to mention the weather." Claire smiled widely at Jill. They continued the conversation, Claire beginning to feel more relaxed. They stayed for a good hour, none of them noticing the blonde watching them from across the street.
Cute. The Asian woman watched them from across the street. She set her eyes on the younger Redfield. She'd been watching her for days. It wasn't everyday she been made a fool, especially in front her superiors. No one would get away with that. Ada began to walk down the street heading for her car, she had other errands to run. Eventually, she'd find them again. As she got into the car, she grabbed the blonde wig off the top of her head. You couldn't be too careful. Not when a certain red-eyed man had been betrayed and no doubt himself was watching the Redfields. Only question was, why was he taking so long to execute his plan? She was making it her job to find out.