A/N- Please review and let me know what you think so far, be it good or bad criticism. I welcome them all! ^^
'Now then," Oswell continued, pressing a button which caused his chair to roll towards her. 'Since we've come to an agreement, I'm afraid that it is time for this old man to retire. You should do the same; we all start the day here rather early, after all. Though sleeping for two hundred years may be enough to last you for quite some time." Julianna didn't even bother to reply, still chewing at her lip in frustration. She only moved when the blonde man physically turned her around to face the door before pushing her towards it. Julianna's deadly gaze locked with his once more. The old man saw the two glaring at each, nearly on the verge of starting a fight all over again until he made it a point to put himself between the two.
'There's no need to spill any more blood," he said in a way which sounded like a disapproving father. Both Julianna and the blonde man turned their attention to him, and she was more than certain she saw a shadow of apprehension cross Oswell's face. 'After all, you'll be working in close proximity of one another and I expect that you both conduct yourselves in a civil manner." Julianna regarded the timeworn male between them with visible aversion as he rolled himself towards the doors, then locked eyes with his compatriot one last time before turning her head away and following him, making sure to keep an eye on the red eyed man as he walked ahead of them to open the double doors.
'As you've no doubt seen, the mansion is very spacious," Oswell began, passing over the threshold. Julianna followed him, locking eyes with the tallest of the three as she went by. 'You are free to frequent rooms which open to your hand. All I ask is that you do not attempt to venture into areas that are locked or beyond the gated regions." You talk as though I'm living here permanently, Julianna wanted to say but wisely kept her mouth shut.
He continued to ramble on about the history of his house, but Julianna drowned him out by observing the artwork and sculptures that decorated the halls, having never noticed them on her first trip through her. Some were of people she assumed to be relatives of Oswell, others were landscapes and still life paintings. There were only two sculptures- one a bust of a woman, the other an eagle- that she found interesting enough to warrant a closer look at a later time. She also noticed that the corpses of the creatures she killed had been removed with no traces that they were ever there.
Occasionally, she would catch the blonde haired man staring at her from the corner of her eye, but whenever she would turn her head in his direction, he would avert his crimson gaze elsewhere when their eyes met. She didn't really care. He was just another obstacle standing in her way of getting out of here.
Once they reached what she assumed was the door to Oswell's room, he stopped and turned his head towards her with one of those smiles that did not hide his smugness at having forced her into staying.
'You will find everything that you could need in the room where you awoke, Miss Dashara," he informed her. 'But should you need anything, do not hesitate to ask." He turned his head now to the blonde man, and then back to her. 'As you're yet unfamiliar with the manor, I'll have Wesker see you to your room, without further violence, I hope." Julianna barely contained a snort at this. As if she wanted him to. No doubt he was sending this Wesker man with her to ensure she didn't attempt anything which would warrant a quick end to her life. 'If there is nothing more you'd like to say, I bid you goodnight. I look forward to seeing you in the morning." With those final words, Oswell opened the door and disappeared within it, leaving Julianna alone with Wesker.
Red met black sunglasses for a tense moment before he turned and proceeded down the hall, wordlessly ordering her to follow, which Julianna reluctantly did. An awkward silence fell upon the two, the only sounds being their footsteps.
'I don't think I need to tell you that you are walking on very thin ice," Wesker said suddenly, taking Julianna off guard. 'If it were up to me, you would have been killed for your insolence." She cast him a sideways glance.
'If I recall, you were the one that started the whole thing," she pointed out. 'I did give you ample warning to-"
'And I gave you ample warning that I have no problem disposing of you should you prove to be more trouble than you're worth." He interrupted. Curiosity had her.
'It's clear that you aren't thrilled with my being alive and well. Which leads me to ask… why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?" Wesker stopped suddenly, a strong hand grabbing her by the arm and turning her to face him.
'What makes you think that I still won't?" He growled, his crimson gaze nearly glowing from behind his sunglasses. Julianna wasn't the least bit intimidated.
'I never said that you wouldn't," she explained. 'It just seems rather odd that you would say you want to kill me and yet when the opportunity presented itself, you didn't. I'm merely curious as to why you chose not to." Wesker said nothing, only glared at her. After a tense moment, he resumed walking, practically dragging Julianna along with him before releasing her roughly.
'You're of no use if you're dead, so I'll let that slide this time," he grumbled, the set of his jaw betraying just how pissed off he was at her bluntness. 'The next time you question me, I'll make sure it's the last time you question anyone. Have I made myself abundantly clear?" Julianna glanced over to see he was giving her a cold glare, to which she responded with indifference.
'Seeing as I have no other choice, yes, you have." Julianna replied, glancing away to instead observe the paintings on her side of the wall. They continued along their way in a tense silence, not so much as looking at each other until the hall became one that she recognized again. As with the rest of the halls, this one was clear of the carcasses of her earlier kills, making Julianna wonder just when they were removed in the first place as the only people she'd seen so far were Wesker and Oswell. Then she remembered the voices which had brought her out of her deep slumber. Just how many people are here? She wondered. Are they trapped here like I am? It wouldn't surprise her if there was. Oswell didn't come across as someone who frequently had guests, after all. Whatever the case, she didn't want to even dream of asking the man standing beside her. She hadn't forgotten the fact that he had managed to overpower her, rendering her helpless. It would be quite some time until her wounded pride was healed.
Stopping outside one of three doors in the hall, Wesker silently opened it. Taking that as her chance to get away from him, she started through it before an impossibly strong hand grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back against him. Hot breath fanned over her ear as he leaned his head down beside it.
'Don't forget what I said," he whispered threateningly. 'One wrong move and I will personally make sure that you are never seen nor heard from again." Julianna didn't even give him the satisfaction of seeing any type of reaction. While he had a hold on her, however, she never noticed his free hand sneaking around towards her belt until she heard the buckle come loose and the belt- along with her guns- being pulled away from her. Julianna tried to turn and grab it back, but the hand which held her didn't allow such a thing to happen. 'Just in case you get any ideas," he added. 'I'll be taking these. Whether or not you get them back is completely dependent on your behavior." With that, Wesker practically threw her through the open door before slamming it shut behind her. The sounds of a tumbler falling into place alerted Julianna that he'd also locked it. Bastard, she thought as she heard his footsteps walking away until they faded into silence.
Great, she wasn't just trapped in a mansion with a psycho old man, but she also had to contend with a blonde haired prick who just took her guns.
It couldn't get any better.
Not to be deterred, Julianna took the opportunity to search the room more thoroughly, checking for anything that she could use. She didn't put it past them to have removed anything to be used as a weapon, but the pain which was still lingering in some places reminded her just how futile her firearms had proved against someone like Wesker. Still, she had to be sure that there was something they had overlooked. Julianna decided to start with the armoire at the far end of the room.
True to Oswell's word, the armoire was filled with clothes which appeared to fit her. To be completely honest, they weren't all that bad; sure, there were some blouses which she wouldn't be caught dead in, especially one which was hot pink, but the rest were nice. There were also some pants of varying lengths and some skirts that looked… interesting, for lack of a better word. She frowned; nothing useful here. She decided to try the drawers of the vanity, only to find hair brushes, combs, hair ties, accessories which looked like they were more suited for a woman much older than she. The others contained cosmetics, perfumes, and little bottles of various creams that she had never seen much less heard of. Julianna was beginning to question if they took her for an elderly woman.
The nightstands didn't yield results either; all that they contained were old medical books including some about virology, genetics, and medicine; a few magazines geared towards women (Cosmopolitan, Red Book, People… I guess if you're bored enough, it's better than nothing, Julianna thought), and scraps of paper which contained formulas that she couldn't even begin to decipher. All of it was useless. There wasn't even anything under the bed, not that she expected there to be.
After her thorough search of the bedroom, Julianna then turned her attention to the bathroom which was hidden behind the wooden door she'd seen earlier. It was painted a neutral taupe with white baseboards. The sink was atop a marble vanity with a large mirror above it. A large shelf which contained bottles of shampoo and conditioner (which she learned from reading the front), soaps, towels, and washcloths as well as a toothbrush and toothpaste sat off to the side of the vanity. The bathtub was one which she'd never seen before (if she had, she was sure she would remember it): it was on four feet which looked like a bird of prey's foot clutching a ball in its talons. A red shower curtain on a gold rod which circled the tub overhead, as well as a silver shower head, completed the look. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to bath herself in here without being afraid that it would take a step or two back. At least the toilet, hidden in the far corner, was normal enough.
At this point, Julianna's ire was beginning to bubble back to the surface, fiercer and stronger than before. There wasn't anything she could find that would be even of remote usefulness. Perhaps Oswell was smarter than what she gave him credit for. Frustrated, she leaned against the window sill, looking outside at the raging storm continuing on. Though it was nearly pitch black outside, Julianna could see as though it were high noon. Thanks to such, she was able to see that there was a rather large balcony beneath her. Disinterested, her eyes instead drifted out to what she believed was the back of the mansion.
Stretching for miles it seemed, there as a large garden complete with a hedge maze. Flowers of various colors were in different places and in the direct center of the maze, there appeared to be a massive fountain. She was suddenly itching to go outside but, after seeing a flash of lightning, decided that was a good way to get electrocuted. And God knew she wasn't in the mood for that. It wasn't like she could get out of the room anyways since the door was locked.
She hadn't been in the room for what felt like five minutes and she was already bored out of her mind.
With nothing better to do, Julianna decided to find something to do. First, after smelling a rather interesting odor on her hair, she opted to shower first even though she couldn't shake the feeling that the tub would take a step at any moment while she was inside. Thankfully, no such thing happened and she was able to finish in peace. After her shower- and after switching out her clothes for a blue silk nightgown- Julianna first read the books she'd found in the nightstands, then flipped through the magazines. Going through those, however, made her wonder just what this time period was like if women were resorting to relying on magazines for beauty and personal advice. Julianna didn't think she'd soon forget the graphic detail in which the author explained the best ways to increase sensitivity and not the emotional kind.
Losing interest fast, Julianna then decided to pick something out to wear in the morning. After flipping through everything, she settled on a long sleeve white sweater with black pants, opting to wear her comfortable boots when all she found were shoes which had incredible high heels. Human women are strange. With that done, Julianna moved on to playing with her long mahogany hair. Using the brushes and other hair accessories, Julianna tried to recreate the hairstyles she saw in the magazines. After several mishaps which involved a broken brush and seven broken hair ties, Julianna decided she was done torturing herself. Moving on to makeup didn't help at all; once again, she attempted to transform her already beautiful face into what the humans thought were even more beautiful looks. She very quickly gave up on any and all interest in cosmetology that may have been budding after reading the magazines.
Following that misadventure, Julianna decided to stick with re-reading the medical books. All told, she read them four times each until she was able to recite some paragraphs word for word without a second thought. During this, the rain lulled her into sleep for a few minutes before waking back up and showering a second time, just in case the smell of humans had rubbed off on her.
Subsequently, this was how the majority of the night was spent- reading, napping, showering- until she grew bored of this as well after the seventh shower. Deciding to call it a night- even though she wasn't the slightest bit sleepy- Julianna brushed her teeth with the minty tasting paste, relieving herself, and then walking back into the bedroom. Glancing outside, she noticed that the storm had at last stopped and left only the misting rain behind. Judging by how the sky was still dark, however, she estimated it to be around one or two in the morning. Had there been a clock in the room, she'd been able to confirm that. Apparently her captors preferred her to be disoriented more so than she already was.
Not really knowing anything better to do, Julianna plopped herself down on the bed, her entire body bouncing a few times before sinking into the mattress. For several long moments, she just stared up at the blue canopy, listening to the sounds of her heart beating. It's obvious that they are going to use the fact that I don't remember anything about me, she thought. So let's beat them to the punch. What's the first thing you do remember?
Obviously, she knew her name and, thanks to Oswell's "demonstration" of showing her what she was, that she was an Advent Sang hybrid. You're superhuman, essentially; super strong, fast, and have better senses than humans. Feeling her shoulder where the bullet had gone into her, there wasn't so much as a mark. All of the aches and pains she accrued thanks to Wesker were also gone. Hell, she wasn't even fatigued after such rigorous activity.
My name is Julianna Dashara, and I'm an Advent Sang hybrid, she told herself. I've been in a cryogenic sleep for two hundred years, but I'm really… How old was she? Julianna's brow furrowed in thought. She couldn't remember how old she was, much less when her birthday was. She continued to focus, ignoring the massive headache she received because of it. My name is Julianna Dashara, and I'm an Advent Sang hybrid. My name is Julianna Dashara, and I'm an Advent Sang hybrid…
'Yes! I know my name. I know what I am!" Julianna muttered in exasperation. 'But who am I? Who was I before this? Why can't I remember anything?" Tears of frustration welled in her eyes before spilling over her cheeks.
She wasn't just trapped in a mansion with two men who were obviously more than willing to kill her. She also couldn't remember anything about her past, much less herself.
I hate this, Julianna thought forlornly. I hate this place, I hate these people, and I hate feeling so fucking helpless! Rolling over onto her stomach, she hid her face in her arms and allowed herself to cry taking care to keep her sobbing as quiet as possible (the very last thing she wanted was for one of them to hear her.). The direness of what she was in was slowly starting to sink in, only adding to her depression. If only she could remember something that she could keep hidden from them, something which she could use to her advantage! But no matter how hard she tried to think, the worse her migraine got.
You're not solving anything by sitting here crying, a harsh voice in her mind said. Cry if it will make you feel better, but what you need to do is to find a way out of here, not wallow in your pity. Julianna raised her head at this thought, a thought which brought up an undeniable point. You must be strong. You must not let them break you or fill your head with lies. Above all, you must remember anything you can. If you lose yourself in here, you'll never find your way outside.
Determination suddenly filled Julianna at this. Scrubbing her face with the back of her hand, a stubborn light came to her eyes. They will not win, she decided. I will not stay here. And if it means I'll die because of it, so be it. So be it; she went to the bathroom and scrubbed her face to remove all traces that she was ever crying, then laid back down in bed. Julianna didn't think she would be sleeping for awhile, but it didn't hurt to doze off. Perhaps everything will be better in the morning, or better still, she'll open her eyes in the morning and realize that all of this was just a bad dream. She closed her eyes slowly, taking deep breaths as she did so.
And fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.