Hey again! Wow, it feels great to have some reviews! This is my first story ever so I'm glad! Well, I'll get on with it then!
Disclaimer: I don't own Resident Evil.
Sherry was awoken from her dreamless nap by a sudden falling sensation. Panicking, Sherry frantically tore off her seatbelt and went to stand up, ready to escape from a possible disaster.
"Get back in your seat Sherry! What the hell are you doing?" Sherry glanced beside her to see Janet sitting in a seat next to hers, reading a book titled 'Assistants: How To Be Useful.' Realizing that the "possible disaster" had only been the jet getting ready to land, Sherry bashfully sat back in her seat and put her seatbelt back on. Janet just sighed at the girl. For the three years she'd been an assistant to Wesker, she always thought that Sherry was a bit of an air head.
"So, Sherry, Wesker tells me you're going to work for these people." Janet began and closed her book. By Sherry's slightly puzzled look, Janet guessed that Sherry hadn't been told anything about where she was going. Janet gestured with her eyes to the small jet window, and Sherry looked out of it. She saw a huge, luxurious mansion that sat handsomely on a mini-mountain, surrounded by tropical trees and plants. There were what looked like small houses or stations grouped together at the bottom of the mountain. Sherry couldn't help but gasp at the sight. It looked like the Umbrella facility's complete opposite. Umbrella was modern and cold, but this place reminded Sherry of a Georgian style mini-palace!
"What is this place?" Sherry sounded like a small child in Disney Land.
"This is where you're gonna work, kid. Pretty neat, huh?" Janet ignored the 'No Smoking' sign and lit up a cigarette, inhaling softly. "The Ashford's live here. There's only two of them, so I doubt there'll be much cleaning to do. You'll probably be an assistant, like me."
"Work... here?" Sherry breathlessly whispered. Her face was still pressed up to the window, watching the view as they got closer and closer to it.
"Yep, that's right. You'll probably be needing this."Sherry looked round to see Janet holding out the book she had been reading for her to take. Sherry took it with both hands and smiled at the older female.
"Thank you Janet!" Sherry beamed.
"Look inside the front cover." Janet exhaled her smoke, only to take another drag of her cigarette. Sherry did as she was told and looked inside the front cover. She saw what looked like a note attached to it, and looked up at Janet, confused again.
"A note?"
"A note from Wesker. I don't know what it says but he told me to give it to you somehow before you go. I thought I'd give it to you in this assistants' help guide. At least it'll be kinda useful to you. But Wesker said that you have to read the note before you land, so go on."
Sherry nodded and unfolded the note. She recognized the writing right away. Smiling, she began to read the note. It read:
Sherry, I hope you haven't landed yet. I also hope this note hasn't been found by an Ashford. I couldn't tell you this in person Sherry, just in case they had a spy nearby, but the Ashfords are dangerous people. There may only be two of them, but they are still capable of causing major distress. The woman, Alexia Ashford, cares for no one but herself. Just because you are young, she won't go easy on you. As for her twin, Alfred Ashford, well, I don't really know much about him. I do know that he will do anything Alexia says and if Alexia says to hurt you, he'll do it and he'll enjoy it. Just be careful Sherry. Don't do or say anything that could get you hurt or killed. Just follow orders and don't do anything stupid.
A.W
Sherry's smile had faded about a quarter of the way into the note and her nails were beginning to dig into the paper as she reread it a third time. Dangerous? Hurt? Killed? What was happening? Why was this happening? Sherry began to feel light-headed and the familiar nervous flutter filled her stomach as she started to sway slowly back and forth in her seat.
"Huh? Kid, are you alright?" Janet put her hand comfortingly on Sherry's back. Sherry's already pale complexion went about two shades lighter.
"K...kill..ed..." Sherry squeaked, almost immediately passing out afterwards.
...
Sherry could hear voices. They were vague, but she could make out what they were saying. Where was she? Maybe, if she opened her eyes, she could have a look around. No, best keep them closed for now, Sherry thought. She tried to feel where she was, but without moving or opening her eyes, this was a challenge. Sherry could feel that she was lying down, on a soft surface. There were no outside noises and the voices seemed like they were coming from another nearby room, so she must be inside. She decided to listen to the voices.
"... of course I'll return Ms Wong to Wesker, she is of no use to me anymore." An unrecognizable female voice spoke, and Sherry came to the conclusion that she was English. At the mention of Wesker's name, Sherry also came to the conclusion that this may be that 'Alexia Ashford' Janet was talking about.
"Is she still alive?" Sherry instantly felt better when she heard Janet's voice, but she sounded almost scared. Intimidated maybe?
"Barely!" A man's voice came now, high-pitched but manly at the same time. He sounded excited and devious. Was this Alfred Ashford?
"Settle down, Alfred. Go check on the girl over there. She's been out for a good twenty minutes." The woman's voice commanded and Sherry could hear footsteps coming her way. Immediately, Sherry could feel herself shiver with fright. The words "... he will do anything Alexia says and if Alexia says to hurt you, he will do it and he will enjoy it" rang in her head. As the footsteps quickly got louder, Sherry decided she would pretend to wake up before he could do anything. That's it; just open your eyes, thought Sherry.
As her eyes fluttered open, Sherry tried to make it look like she had just woken up. She sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes before looking towards the door where the footsteps had stopped. Standing there was a man who looked like he was in his mid-twenties. He was pale and blonde, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to cut into Sherry. He wore odd clothing, the type of clothes Sherry would expect to see on a soldier, with his red blazer and white trousers and a rifle holster strapped around his thin but muscular frame. Sherry let out a "huh?" and immediately blushed at the stupid noise she made.
"Ah, so you're up. Hmm, not very impressive, are you. Small, young... Will you even be able to survive here, little girl? Ahahaha!" The blonde man patronized her cruelly and laughed out loud at her scared face. He marched towards her, grinning evilly and grabbed her arm roughly, pulling her off of the fancy sofa she had been lying on and into the next room.
While this was happening, Sherry took a few seconds to take in everything. Her surroundings were absolutely beautiful. The wall paper was light and pleasant, and the furniture looked like it had once belonged to King Henry VIII or someone like that. Gorgeous chandeliers hung from the ceiling, dazzling Sherry with their bright jewels. She was so busy taking in the rooms that she forgot about the painful grip Alfred had on her arm. However, Sherry was jolted out of her amazement when she saw Janet and another woman. The other woman was beautiful, majestic even, and made Sherry feel small and unimportant.
"She woke up just as I went to check on her, my dear." Alfred said lovingly to the woman, who smiled in satisfaction at the young girl.
"Sherry Birkin," the woman's voice floated around the room, "How lovely it is to meet you finally. I am Alexia Ashford, but you must refer to me as 'my Lady', understood? And this...," Alexia gracefully stepped beside Alfred, who still had his hand wrapped around Sherry's thin arm, "This is my dear brother, Alfred. You shall refer to him as 'Sir', alright? Now, before I tell you of your duties here, Wesker's assistant, you may leave and take that horrid Ada Wong woman with you."
Alexia waved a hand at Janet apathetically. Grunting, Janet nodded and gave Sherry a quick look before walking out of the room, leaving Sherry alone with the two grinning Ashfords. Sherry had felt small before, but now she felt tiny, like a speck of dust. Alexia waited a minute before sighing and clapping her gloved hand together.
"Well, Birkin, I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure what to do with you. However, I'm sure I will come up with something later. Maybe seeing you in a cute little maid's uniform will inspire me! I will say one thing though, and that is, if you disobey me or my brother, you will suffer a severe punishment, is that clear?" Alexia asked sternly. Sherry nodded. "I said, is that clear Ms Birkin?" Alexia repeated. Alfred tightened his grip on Sherry's arm and shook her.
"Answer Alexia, girl!" Alfred snarled down at Sherry.
"Ah! Yes, My Lady! I understand!" Sherry squeaked. She felt tears well up in her eyes but she fought the urge to cry.
"That's better. Now, I will get one of the servants to show you to your new quarters. Once that is done, you shall come to the dining room where we will discuss what you will do. Alfred, you may let go of the girl's arm now." Alexia chuckled at the pair before her. Alfred let go of Sherry's now severely bruised arm and the young teen gasped at the sudden relief.
A servant entered the room. He looked like a typical butler, serious but kind. He bowed in the presence of the Ashfords and Alexia smiled.
"You called for me, My Lady?" The servant said.
"Yes. Edgar, this is the new addition to the household staff, Sherry Birkin. I would like you to show her to her room. After that, bring her to the dining room."
"Of course, My Lady." Edgar said and bowed at the two royals once more. He led Sherry out of the room and into the rest of the mansion.
After being told not to expect much where her new room was concerned, Sherry was completely blown away by her chambers. The walls were a happy pink and the bed was rather big and old fashioned. The wardrobe was huge, there were shelves with hundreds of books on them and a big vanity with a fabulous mirror. It was so different from her old room. This room was far too nice for an assistant!
"This... is... fantastic!" Sherry ran over to the bad and leapt on it, landing on her back and bouncing slightly. It felt like lying on a cloud! Edgar smiled at the giggling girl.
"You like it, Ms? That's good; Lady Alexia didn't know what you'd be used to. She was insistent you get a decent room." Edgar began to take clothes out from Sherry's suitcase and put them into the wardrobe and drawers.
"But why would Lady Alexia do something so nice for me?"
"Lady Ashford is actually not a nasty employer, you know. She does seem a little scary at first, but fear not. She's quite relaxed when she gets her way."
"What about Sir Alfred?" Sherry asked, as climbed off of her bed and helped Edgar with the unpacking.
"He is... Well... He cares a lot for Lady Alexia. So I suppose if she is happy, he is happy. Don't go against him though. He can be very violent." Edgar warned and Sherry gulped. The middle-aged man chuckled and walked over to the wardrobe, taking out a black dress. "This is your uniform, Ms Birkin. The stockings to go with it are in the top drawer along with your underclothes and the shoes are at the bottom of the wardrobe here. While you get changed, I will wait outside the door for you. Come out when you are finished." Sherry nodded at his instructions and looked at the dress in her hands as he left the room.
The dress looked like a typical maids' outfit, though slightly less revealing. The dress came to just above Sherry's knees and the white stockings covered up what could be seen of her legs. She searched at the bottom of the wardrobe and found two shiny shoes, the type a little school-girl might wear. She looked in the mirror and stared at herself. She smiled, thinking she looked cute in the dress, though Sherry very rarely complemented herself.
Once she had prepared herself, Sherry left the room and was led to the dining room. There, Alexia and Alfred sat side-by-side on two chairs at the huge dining table. Alexia grinned at Sherry but Alfred just stared at her, no expression on his face.
"Ah! Sherry, how cute you look in your little outfit! Come, come! Sit in front of us!" The blonde woman demanded excitedly and tapped the table in front of where Sherry was to sit. Sherry looked up at Edger, who nudged her gently in the Ashfords' direction. She stepped towards them slowly and sat down, feeling uneasy as Alfred stared into her with his cold eyes. Alexia giggled quietly and cleared her throat. "Looking at you now, you look far too fragile to do any heavy housework. Hmm, yes, perhaps I'll leave that to the older servants. Tell me Birkin, what are your talents?" Sherry had to think about this. Talents? She had never really paid any attention to what she was good at.
"Um... Well, I'm good at art, I suppose and, uh, I like gardening- " Sherry began, only to be interrupted by Alexia.
"Gardening? Splendid, we need a gardener, don't we Alfred?" Alexia turned to her twin who sat silently next to her.
"Yes, my dear." The man nodded, as if he had just been pulled out of a daydream.
"Alfred killed our last gardener. But I suppose it was fair, that idiot completely butchered the roses!" Alexia chuckled. Sherry fought the urge to show fear. 'What if I mess up the roses?' Sherry thought. "Oh, don't look so frightened, dear! I'm sure you'll do a fine job!" Alexia encouraged.
"Thank you, My Lady."
"So it's settled! Gardening it is! Now, we'll have to find you some appropriate clothing. I'll let Edgar do that. You shall start work tomorrow! You may go up to your room for the rest of the day. Edgar will show you where the lavatories are." Alexia sang happily.
...
That night, Alfred entered Alexia's room. Something about his sister's sudden shine to the new servant had been bothering him and he needed to ask Alexia about it. He knocked twice, waited for the "Come in" and entered quietly. Alexia sat at her vanity, brushing her long golden locks with a hairbrush she had had since she was a child. She smiled at her brother through the mirror and Alfred walked over to her and sat on her bed.
"Alfred, how nice of you to pay me a visit at this hour of the night."
"Alexia, I need to ask you something." Alfred nervously twisted the ring around his finger as he spoke.
"Yes, what is it darling?" Alexia got up and sat next to her sibling on her king-sized bed. She began to stroke his back comfortingly, consoling him. "Is something troubling you?"
"My love, I don't mean to sound like I'm accusing you of anything, but, you seem to be acting rather nicely to that Birkin girl. I just want to know why."
"Oh, Alfred. I understand why it would seem that way. And yes, perhaps I am being a bit too nice to her, but you see... She reminds me of someone." Alexia's blue eyes glistened romantically.
"Who? That William Birkin man?" Alfred's tone turned quite sour, but Alexia calmed him with a look.
"No. You. She reminds me of you when you were young. So shy and timid. Wanting to please people so badly. And that innocence that she possesses. I see you in her, you know." Alexia placed a hand on Alfred's icy cheek and rubbed it. "That is why I can't possibly be as cruel to her as I am to some."
Alfred didn't know what to say. He still didn't see what was so special about this Birkin girl. He didn't remember being "shy" and "innocent" as a child. But Alexia was never wrong.
"Now, go back to your room Alfred." Alexia tapped his cheek gently and the blonde man did as he was told, but not before kissing his sister goodnight.
Alexia chuckled to herself after Alfred had left. She saw it. That look in Alfred's eyes when he first saw Sherry. Alfred didn't seem to know it yet, but Alexia did. She was always ten steps ahead of him. And she was his twin after all!
"My dear Alfred... I just know that girl will melt the icy shield around your heart."
Well, what do you think? I made the mistake of putting up the new chapter without checking it first. There was a major storyline glitch, so I took it down and fixed it, and now it's up again! Review please!
