Chapter One
July 4th, 1998
"There's always been something about that face. Something that I don't remember, but it's almost as if I feel… safe."
The television had the show on, but the volume was low. It was getting late, and the Donivine residence was in full swing of having one of their annual get-together parties to celebrate the 4th of July.
Sitting on a sofa was the oldest of the Donivine siblings, Anika. This Latina bombshell was twenty eight year old and looked like she could kick someone's ass blindfolded. The rest of her family was different from her, however, because she had been adopted at a young age by a Caucasian family that loved her all the same. They were Hector, Marie, and her two other siblings, Lucas and Natalia.
Lucas and Natalia were twins, though not quite identical. They were in their early twenties, and just getting into college a couple years late, having wanted to work for a couple years and take a break from studies before entering the next phase of their lives.
Anika felt at home with them, though, because she felt the safest and the most herself around them.
A slightly muscular man in his mid-twenties sat down next to her, with a hot dog in his hand.
She glared at him for a moment, but the look in her eyes was nothing short of admiration. This young man was Chris Redfield, a co-worker. They both worked at the Raccoon City Police Department. Anika was a detective, and Chris was a leading member of their S.T.A.R.S. branch.
"Your mom makes some of the best hot dogs," he said as he took a bite.
"I can tell," Anika joked.
Chris glanced her way, and then shrugged. "So what's Johnny's uncle talking about?" Chris asked, motioning to the television.
Anika sighed, thinking of Johnny for a brief moment before finally focusing herself back on the conversation. "He's talking about one of his greatest regrets," Anika replied, "But apparently it's not so bad, cause whoever it is has a good life going for him or her."
Chris just nodded. "Wouldn't that be a good thing, then?"
"Perhaps. But I guess the regret is maybe he tried to help them with something, and it
didn't go as planned. So though they're doing well, they could be doing better if he'd helped out more," Anika said.
"That's deep," Chris commented. Then he dug into his hot dog.
"You are so pig headed," she said, then got up to go get a hot dog of her own.
"Was it something I said?" Chris asked, half-seriously with hotdog in his mouth as he spoke. He turned to the television for a moment, watching as Marcus continued talking to Christina Johnson and then turned it off. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Johnny, asking him if he was enjoying Independence Day, and if he was watching his uncle's TV appearance.
Emmy's diner was small. It held almost half a dozen seats, and this was where Detective Harry Barnes liked to spend his time when not on duty, especially on a holiday. He didn't have any immediate family in Raccoon City. They were all in New York, and he didn't make it there often because of Raccoon PD and the long hours he kept. Admittedly, he liked the atmosphere, and considering the large menu of available choices, this was his favorite eatery, but he'd never admit that to his close friend Andrew, who owned The Elephant Restaurant located in Raccoon Zoo.
The beautiful waitress that gave him his food wasn't bad looking either.
Barnes, a forty-five year old, strapping, muscular, and very hairy man, took a sip of his beer, and dug into a meatloaf dinner he was itching to have for several weeks. As he sat there, he had his pager ready for emergencies, which were almost par for the course in a city so full of crime.
He slowly ate, enjoying the taste. The waitress passed by, and gave him a wink. She was definitely getting a good tip tonight.
On the one television they had, Barnes could also see that James Marcus was visible. He didn't mind the guy, but he felt like the Umbrella Corporation was everywhere. You couldn't talk medicine and not at some point get into the politics of the Umbrella Corporation's contributions to the world.
It didn't take too long before Maggie Emmy-Sawyer, the co-owner of the restaurant, walked over to the television, watched it for a moment, and then shook her head at what was being said. She turned the channel to some sitcom that was currently in its second season.
Barnes didn't mind it too much, considering he knew that Umbrella had taken up much of her family's time. Maggie loved to brag about her sister being some high ranking scientist in the company, married to an equally brilliant scientist in Umbrella, but she absolutely hated Umbrella because she rarely saw either of them or their little girl. She probably missed her niece the most out of all of them. It wasn't like she didn't have other Umbrella connections either though. Her own husband, Carter, worked in Umbrella, but he was always at home at a normal hour and never missed time with her.
Barnes was drawn out of his daydream, thinking about Maggie's woes, when a beeping caught his attention. He took a look at the number on his pager.
"Shit," he mumbled. He got up, walked over to the payphone, and dialed after putting a few quarters in. "Yeah, this is Barnes," he said. A moment passed, and he had a look of disbelief cross his face. "Can you say that again?"
The Donivines, plus one Redfield, stood outside, as the fireworks were going off. It was a nice sight to behold, because Raccoon City always went all out, thanks to a contribution from The Umbrella Corporation, to give the best spectacle possible.
Chris stood next to Anika, with his hand in hers.
Anika looked down at their hands, and squeezed a little.
Marie noticed this, and gave off a small smile, almost a smirk. She had wanted Anika to be with Chris the first time she met the boy when they were both in high school. There was so much charm there, and, hell, if she didn't love her Hector, she'd be all over some admiration that she probably shouldn't have had at her age. Chris Redfield was an amazing catch, but something always seemed to get in the way of him and Anika being together. Marie didn't really know for sure what it was, but she had her suspicions that Johnny Marcus next door was part of it. That boy was trouble, but Anika cared about him, so she tried not to make a big deal of it.
Marie was brought out of the moment when she faintly heard the phone in the house ringing. She went inside quickly.
Anika hoped this moment wouldn't end. Not too quickly, anyway. She had always been close with Chris, and though they were like siblings in their own right, Anika could feel like they were meant for more. That was, if Jill wasn't involved somehow. She wasn't jealous. She just felt like Jill Valentine was also meant to be with Chris, and Anika was the third wheel. Jill Valentine was also S.T.A.R.S., and so naturally they were gonna be close and together a lot more often than Anika was with him.
Anika glanced at Chris, and gave in to the one thing she felt she needed to know. "So where's Jill tonight?" she asked.
"Oh, she's very busy. Had to go in to do some research on something, but she wanted to
be here instead," Chris replied.
"Well, she was invited," Anika stated.
"I know, but this thing with the Hartley case has her seeing red, and she wanted to find ways to get the arrest sooner rather than later," Chris replied. Anika was going to ask about how the drug war was going, but a tap on her shoulder made her turn around, letting go of Chris's hand.
"You have a phone call. It's work," Marie said, a bit worried.
Anika noticed the worry on Marie's face. "I'm sure it's fine, mom. Thank you." She looked to Chris. "I'll be right back."
Turning, she moved off toward her destiny.