Author's note: Hey sorry that this had to take so long, it's just that my academics are going to hell, and, well, school's first.
Chaos: Actually no, I'm open to your…remarks because it's a welcome change. We're cool. I hope. By the way, where are you studying?
Molotov: Hey, thanks. I'd hate for everyone to be a stereotype, so bleh.
Tifa: I feel your pal's pain. I want to date these three girls, two if whom show great interest (I do NOT know why) in me, and one who is way out of my league that I could brood all day over her.
Chapter 4: "Life and Musicals"
"What happens if we don't get Sherry?" asked a middle-aged woman to her husband. She had long, blonde hair that was tied back to a bun. Helena was a thin, beautiful woman, even at thirty. She could always compete with younger women out there, but she never did. She was happy with the fact that she had a husband.
"We'll get her. You just have to have faith." Replied the man, thirty-three, he had short, light brown hair and an enviable frame. He wore a blue, collared shirt tucked into a pair of brown slacks, while his wife, Helena, wore a red shirt beneath a white jacket and a black skirt.
Both of them were sitting on a bench in Stoneville Park; surrounded by green pastures. A group of children were running around not too far a distance from them, with one little girl playing with her kite and two boys following her around. Their hearty laughs could all be heard from a mile away.
"…Aaron…"
"Yeah?"
"…Do you ever think of how life would be if I could…?"
"Sometimes."
"…"
"Then I tell myself that this is what the Good Lord had wanted."
"You still believe in coincidences…in fate?"
"Everything has a reason, right?"
"…We don't live in some silly kid's fan fiction. Not everything ends great. The sun does not always shine after it rains…"
"…"
Claire knocked on Sherry's door. She had already warned the little girl about going off into the night, she always had. The streets were a dangerous place for a little girl, no matter how hardened by experience she was. A straight face in front of danger did not always precede a living one. This however, was not a time for sermons or scolding. "Are you okay Sherry? Do…you want me to get you anything?" Claire asked through the door.
"…I'm fine." Came the girl's reply.
"Then why don't you unlock this door? I want to see you."
"…"
"Sherry?"
"…"
"Sherry?"
"I need to get some sleep Claire, I'm really tired."
"It's already one in the afternoon. You have to get out of there."
"…"
"…You need to eat."
"I brought home a burger from last night."
"…That must be cold by now."
"I don't care."
"…Well, I do." Claire responded, not knowing what the girl was doing inside. The one inside on the other hand, did not want to think of the one outside. She didn't want to see Claire worry or get angry. Sherry wore a blue top and black jeans, her hair was clean but uncombed, and she was hugging herself as she sat on the middle of her bed.
The bloodstained sweater was still on the floor, reminding her hauntingly of last night. In her mind she knew, that there was no hope for a race that kills each other upon whimsy. She knew that only the strong would survive, and she knew that she was not one of the strong ones. Claire was so far away now, trapped in the real world, and she knew for a fact that all of Claire's problems rooted in her. That single fact tore Sherry apart.
A nagging phone ring finally pried Claire away from the door. She marched with heavy feet, clearly agitated at her life. "Hello?" she asked as sweetly as she possibly could the moment the receiver met her lips. "Is this Ms. Claire Redfield?"
"…Yes?"
"Yes, hello, this is Karen Montgomery."
"Oh…uh, hello."
"Listen, I don't want to make it any harder on you…"
"…"
"…So I just rang by to tell you that…if you voluntarily give Sherry to my clients' custody…"
"…"
"…well, you'll…get a severance package of sorts."
"Excuse me?"
""Miss Redfield…"
"How dare you think that I'd ever let her go for money?"
"Ms. Redfield…Claire…we know what you are going through, and…"
"No, listen, you have no idea what I am going through okay?"
"…I'm just a lawyer trying to do my job."
"And I'm just a human being trying to be humane."
"You don't think I'm doing that as well?"
"What, by trying to bribe me?"
"I wasn't…"
"…"
"You don't even have a lawyer, no one is going to go Bono especially after all the trouble you've caused with Umbrella."
"…I'll find one."
"Well if you do or don't…I'm sorry but…I'll have to see you in court."
"Bring it on."
"…" Claire then heard a soft click on the other end of the line. "Oh God." She thought as she fell back on a chair and pressed her palms against her face.
Leon and Rachel sat in hushed silence as they watched the French constabulary massacre the students upon the massive barricade. It was overwhelming, how the senses were bombarded with each tragic note as the curtain lifted once again, revealing the lifeless bodies of the revolutionaries. Soft, solemn melodies were orchestrated so perfectly, bringing an air of veneration from the crowd.
They watched as Marius began to sing to himself Leon's favorite song, "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables". The deep, melancholic voice softly trailed his ears, and his mind transported him to what his life could have been without Umbrella. He would be in a desk, doing paperwork on some small case, eating and drinking with the people that he would forever call his brothers. He wouldn't have met Claire.
"Are you okay honey? You look like you're under a trance." Rachel whispered to his ear. It was a cardinal sin to make unnecessary noise in a crowd that would kill to be in an anniversary musical.
"Yeah, I just…like the song."
"Would it have been better? If Umbrella never reared its head…if I never met Claire…never fell in love with a woman who deserves so much more than me?" He hated thinking like he could somehow change the past. He hated the idea of being able to change the past as well, since he knew that there were so many things that he needed to rectify.
Leon turned to look at his wife, who had already hesitantly resumed her attention to the musical. For her, the powerful music was not strong enough to lighten her heart at the sight of her fiancée, who was clearly in deep trepidation.
"She's beautiful." Leon thought as his eyes trailed her delicate features. She wore a red gown and had her brown hair tied back, once again reminding him of the woman who was left behind.
"He's doing it again." Rachel thought to herself as she bit her lower lip. "What could he be thinking? …I…need to find it out for myself. I have to find Claire Redfield." She imagined that the story of the musical Miss Saigon would have been too close to home than comfortably possible. She even fretted that Leon and Claire may already have a child. Rachel knew how Miss Saigon ended, and she would be damned if she would let an orchestrated masterpiece parallel to the lives they led.
"Did you enjoy the play?" Leon asked her as they drove home in their red Volvo.
"Yeah, I loved it. Thanks for bringing me." Rachel replied, looking out the window.
"Man, I hate those Thenardiers." He joked, occasionally glancing to the girl who looked like she was thinking of something deep.
"Yeah."
"…And how Javert jumped into the Seine, that was…great."
"…"
"…Great." Leon bit his lower lip and resumed keeping his eyes on the road.
"Leon?"
"Yeah?"
"Tonight was…spectacular, really…thank you."
"I'm…glad you said that."
"I'm sorry but I guess I'm just tired."
"…" Leon gently trailed his right palm against her forehead and neck. "You're warm." He said in worry. Rachel simply nodded and held his hand. "I'm okay, you're with me."
"Should I tell her about Claire? What would she say?" Leon thought as he drove. It was difficult being in love, especially since any wrong word of connotation could turn it all around.
"Should I confront him about Claire? He'll…probably just retreat into a corner again." Rachel thought as she looked out the window. She didn't want to look at Leon right now, since she felt that she would see somebody else, somebody different. She was afraid of seeing a man who did not love her anymore, because she saw it all before.
"…Rachel?"
"Yeah?"
"…You look wonderful tonight."
"…Thanks." She said with a blush.
"Just thought you'd want to know." He shrugged with a sheepish smile. Rachel giggled a bit and turned to look at him. He turned as well, for just a few seconds since he was on the road. "Tomorrow…I'll tell her the truth tomorrow." He thought as he resumed his adamant driving. "God give me the strength to do this…"
Author's note: Hey, three more characters introduced, hope we don't go all confused. (Stares at Chaos… just kidding) I hope that it was worth the wait and that you enjoyed it. (Incredibly short, but I'm doing my best here!) Until next time.