Growth

Chapter 4: New Beginning

Monday 26th October 1998

Derek Simmons was relieved that most of the press was off his back. It was of no surprise that the Racoon City Incident would've caused a media circus to revolve around it, but the constant attention of the media towards him almost exhausted him.

He only had been promoted to National Security Advisor at the start of the year, which had caused a lot of controversy in politics. He was incredibly young to be in such an influential position, being only thirty years old when he got the job. He was now thirty one, and had a lot of issues regarding national security thanks to what happened in Racoon City.

The media and the public expect him to put the safety of America above everything else. And that was a lot of pressure mounted on his shoulders.

Suddenly, a man in a suit barged into his office. He was a simple messenger, employed to serve Derek Simmons. Derek was annoyed at the man's presence, as he clearly had no manners or etiquette.

"Mr. Simmons, I have an urgent report regarding Sherry Birkin."

Derek fiddled with his golden ring on his thumb and grumbled, "Spit it out."

"The psychiatrist came in today and tested Sherry's mental health. She didn't turn up positive results."

Derek sighed. It seems like his troubles would never end. Not only was he the National Security Advisor, but he was also Sherry Birkin's legal guardian. As her foster father, he was responsible for her health, safety and security, a burden he didn't need.

"Did he state what I could do about it?"

"Yes he did. He said that you should put her in a foster home, where she could socialise with other children around her age. Otherwise if you don't, her growth and development would be adversely affected by her isolation in the facility."

"Thank you for informing me. If the psychiatrist is still there, give him my thanks."

The messenger saluted Derek, replying, "Yes sir."

The messenger spun around and left Derek's office, closing the door behind him. Derek smirked; amused that messenger at least had the courtesy to shut the door behind him.

However, he better had heeded the psychiatrist's advice. If word got out that he didn't take care of a child under his protection, it would ruin the good reputation he built up as National Security Advisor, even though Sherry Birkin wasn't meant to exist in the public eye.

It had almost been a week since I had been told by a scientist that I was moving into a home. I had been excited since I heard the news. Finally, I don't have to have to be forced to wake up when a scientist wants to take my blood or urine sample or whatever test they wanted to conduct on my body. I was sick of being some sort of guinea pig for them.

I was aware that the experiments being performed on me was because I still had the G-Virus in my body. I was the only person who didn't die instantly due to the G-Virus' effects, but that was thanks to Leon and Claire who cured me with a vaccine, under my mother's instructions.

Being in the facility gave me a lot of time to think about my parents. From what Claire described to me, I was glad my mother thought of me during her last moments. I felt that my life was valued by her and that she wanted to protect me no matter what happened to her. Even though, she ended up being killed by my father.

The scientists that knew of my father spoke of him negatively. They were angry that he wanted to keep his research to himself and he only thought of himself and not of Umbrella. They solely blamed him on the disaster, despite mounting evidence that Umbrella was at fault for what happened in Racoon City.

I didn't speak up against those scientists though. I was afraid. Afraid that they would hurt me as they forced their needles into my veins. It was because some of them had said that I would turn out like what they had perceived my father to be. Selfish, greedy and presumptuous.

My father was nothing like that. Even though he worked long hours, he came home to kiss me goodnight. On special occasions, like birthdays and Christmas, he would take time off work to spend more time with me. He taught me all interesting things about science and technology. Although I now question what were his intentions with working on the G-Virus, he was still a wonderful father and no one would be able to take his place.

While I was thinking about my parents, two men came into the room. One was dressed in the usual men in black outfit; he was working for the government. The man next to him was dressed a bit differently. He wore a black vest underneath a similarly coloured suit jacket over a white buttoned business shirt, with black business slacks and polished black leather shoes. I was drawn to a piece of black thread looped under his shirt collar, which was held together by a disc with Chinese symbols on it. I've never seen a man wear that type of 'tie' before, but it did make him look like an extremely rich person.

His short but carefully combed back hair was brown with a few tiny stray hairs drooping over his forehead. I think he didn't mind that his almost perfectly groomed hair was a tiny bit messy. He had a moustache that appeared trimmed and had a lot of stubble on his chin.

When he approached me, I noticed a ring on his left thumb. It was a strange place to wear a ring and it looked uncomfortable. But as long as the man didn't mind it, it should be fine.

"Hello Sherry. I'm Derek Simmons. We haven't met before, but I'm supposed to be your foster father. I apologise for not making it here earlier, I've been very busy lately," Derek introduced.

There was something about his voice that made me feel queasy about him. Almost as if he had feigned affection towards me. My anxieties grew worse in his presence. Unless he proved to me he was someone I could trust, I was always going to be afraid of him.

I meekly introduced myself to Derek. My nerves were showing. The man in black behind Derek shuffled awkwardly on the spot. It would be strange for the man in black to escort a rich man, only to come to a place where he would find a harmless kid. I thought having his presence there was not needed, but then again, they always have to take precautions.

"This was the earliest day I can take off, but it's not much of an excuse. So, I'm going to take you to a special place today. I'll even let you sit down in the front seat of my car. How does that sound?" Derek enquired.

I really liked the sound of that, but I simply smiled in response. Derek accepted it, and immediately signalled to the man in black to carry my bag with some spare clothes the facility had bought for me.

When I escaped Racoon City, I only had the clothes on my back. I had nothing of value even on me, except for Claire's jacket, which was passed down to me to comfort me and to protect me. After we managed to survive, Claire said I could keep the jacket, so that she could feel close by whenever I felt lonely. It was the only thing that had given me comfort over the past month.

Derek reached out to me, his open palm of his hand inviting me to hold it. I couldn't refuse his affection, and grabbed his hand. He led the way, with the man in black following behind us. It was the first time since I left Claire that I felt safe, but I had no idea that this sense of security would not last that long.

The drive to our destination was mostly uneventful. Derek asked me a few questions, but he took a while to ask each one of them. He was being careful of what he asked of me, which I could understand, but a part of me wanted to recover from what happened, to face the fact that my parents were dead and weren't coming back.

There was some tension too, with Derek asking the man in black, who sat in the back seat, to keep an eye on his surroundings while he was driving. Derek must be a really important man, but he didn't tell me what his job was. Although, I was afraid to ask what was his job.

When we arrived at the place, my jaw dropped. As the car turned into the driveway with the huge gates and from what I could see the yard stretching for what seemed like a mile before the entrance to the house. Derek had to wind down his window and talk to a speaker thing so the gates would open.

Once the gates were open wide enough, Derek drove slowly between them and on the road towards the mansion. I looked out the window, gazing at the beautiful garden that his gardeners were tending to. It had many kinds of flowers, all organised in their rows. I bet it would look amazing if I could see it from the air.

We soon approached the huge mansion. I felt so tiny compared to the size of the mansion. The mansion had two floors, judging by position of the windows, but it was so wide. It probably had a lot of rooms, but what for?

Derek put his foot gently on the brakes, slowly stopping the car at the entrance of the mansion. An old man in a tuxedo walked up to the car on Derek's side. Was he a butler, or the caretaker while Derek was absent from his mansion?

The man opened the door, standing behind it to allow Derek enough space to step out of the car. Derek signalled me to stay in my seat. I guess it's some sort of manners to wait until the tuxedo man opened the car door? I also wondered if he had noticed me on the passenger side.

"Welcome home Master Derek. It appears you have a child with you. Is this the girl you've been asked to watch over?" the man in the tuxedo enquired.

"Yes. She's quiet, but there's a good reason why she would give you the silent treatment. Please treat her with the utmost respect, she's been through a lot in the past two months," Derek implored.

"I understand Master Derek. Let me attend to her."

The butler walked quickly around the front of the car, arriving promptly at my door. I unbuckled my seat belt just before he opened the door. I had a good look at his face, before stepping out of the car. He was at least in his late fifties, early sixties with his grey hair slicked back. He had a few wrinkles, but none that suggested that he was older than sixty five.

As I stepped out of the car, the butler stated, "Welcome Miss Sherry. It is a delight to meet you. Master Derek has told me about you."

I remained quiet, but I smiled at him to let him know I appreciate the greeting. He returned my smile while shutting the car door; it was good he didn't mind my silent response.

I walked around the front of the car, seeing Derek waiting for me on the perfectly clean and even white concrete stairs of the entrance to his mansion. With all the people working here, I would be surprised if the place wasn't kept up to scratch. I grabbed Derek's hand, which somehow comforted me despite of the overwhelming size of this huge mansion.

The butler quickened his pace to overtake us and open the front doors. I began to think it was too much, but the butler managed to pull the front doors back, revealing a huge entrance hall. I let go of Derek's hand and ran inside, just curious to see the rest of the interior.

There was so much to take in. The carpet was soft and pillowy. The wallpaper were dark red with a complicated pattern on them. There was a large staircase at the back that head directly towards the second floor, which I could see. This all felt surreal, that living in the lap of luxury was a dream. Yet, I was standing in this mansion that belonged to my new Dad.

I felt Derek's hand on my shoulder, making me jump slightly at his touch. I looked up at him as he gently pulled me closer to his body. It was reassuring that he was by my side, helping me cope with my new surroundings, but it wasn't the same. Derek knows my parents had died, but he could never replace them both. He didn't have the gentleness of my father and the love of my mother.

"Don't worry Sherry. Once I show you around the place, it'll feel just like home," Derek muttered softly.

I wished I could believe him. I wanted this place to feel like home. I wanted to live a normal life again. But he couldn't bring back Racoon City. He couldn't resurrect my parents. Nothing would ever be the same, no matter how hard my new father tried.

Derek loosened his grip on my shoulder, reaching for my hand. I placed my small delicate hand in his large hand and let him lead the way. I felt reassured knowing my new Dad was right by my side, introducing me to all the rooms in his mansion.

The tour of the mansion took less time than I anticipated. It was because Derek almost skipped the rooms that he considered were the least important to me. The only rooms he showed every detail of was the entrance hall, kitchen, dining room, my room, the rec room, the locations of multiple bathrooms and some sections of the garden surrounding his home.

The butler, Thomas, was with us the entire time, told me the history of this mansion while we were going in between rooms. I only caught on a few important parts of it though, because there was so much to take in. It was first built around the American Revolution by one of Derek's ancestors. The reason why the house had survived since then was because of renewing and replacing of old materials that the house was built from and constant care from the owners and the staff that had resided here. Derek had acquired the mansion three years ago when his father passed away because he was the oldest child.

We returned to the entrance hall through the kitchen. I wasn't overwhelmed by the sight of it like before, but it was still daunting. I walked to the centre of the room, staring at the large, framed paintings on the walls. They looked like very rich men, like Derek. They were probably his ancestors that Thomas told me about.

But as I thought the tour was over, Thomas informed me that there was another two rooms of the mansion I had to be shown. Unfortunately, he couldn't tag along with me and Derek, as Derek just wanted to show me privately.

We headed upstairs on the grand staircase, its massive size not fazing me anymore. I followed Derek to the left, staring at the dark mahogany door that we were approaching. I could anticipate that we were going to enter that room.

My assumption was proven correct almost right away, with Derek opening the door for me. I was met with darkness. The only light in the room was a very dimly lit lamp to my right. I couldn't see any walls, only bookcases full of books that rise to the ceiling. There was a gap between the bookcases though, to fit a fireplace, which was the centre of the room. There was a coffee table and two large comfortable seats in front of the fireplace, probably a couple of feet away from the fireplace.

The atmosphere was homey and warm though, and I felt more at home here compared to the rest of the mansion. It reminded me of my house in Racoon City, during the last Christmas season before the destruction happened. I used to burn the old wood left in our garden in the fireplace at home, and sit in front of it until my parents came home.

I stepped into the room, letting its darkness consume me. Derek shut the door behind me, blocking the only bright light entering the room.

"Let's have a seat Sherry," Derek declared, motioning towards the chairs before the fireplace.

I picked my chair, and sat down. My body felt like it was sinking into the cushiony softness, but it was just the feel of the leather hugging my skin. Derek sat on the seat opposite of me, flashing a grin at me before he changed his expression.

He quickly glanced at the fireplace before declaring, "This is my private living room. No one else is allowed in this room except you and me."

"Why me?" I asked.

"You're a part of my family. So you have every right to be here. If your bedroom doesn't give you peace, you can always come here," Derek answered, while twirling the ring on his thumb.

That ring had bothered me since I first noticed it. I wondered what the significance of wearing that ring was and what it had engraved on its face. But I found myself unable to speak my mind.

"I know it sounds hard to believe, but this area of the mansion is extremely quiet. Almost tranquil. The only sounds you would hear would be the fire crackling during the winter months and any noise I make in the next room."

"What's in the next room?" I enquired eagerly.

"You already want to move on? Well, there's only one room left to show. Follow me."

Me and Derek stood up, and I took the few steps behind him to the next room. With a twist of the knob, Derek opened the door to reveal a much brighter room. It was a major contrast to the room we were exiting.

There was a large window covering almost the entire back wall, letting in so much light. There was a large wooden desk in the centre of the room, with a computer, a printer and probably other important documents Derek had been reading currently. There were two large filing cabinets behind the desk, each on different sides of the room. There was also a bookcase to the left of the desk.

Other things that stuck out was the American flag hanging on the wall and a portrait of another man that bore a striking resemblance to Derek. Perhaps it was his father.

I approached the window, noticing it had views of the mansion grounds. It was a beautiful view, as I could see the hedges and the flowerbeds arranged in such an organised fashion that brought fantastic colours into the picture.

Derek placed his hand on my shoulder, breaking my thoughts on the view. I thought I should get used to the hand on the shoulder from him. My father never did that. I could understand why he wouldn't do it too. It freaked me out.

"Enjoying the view Sherry?"

I acknowledged Derek, but was averting eye contact with him.

"Every day I look out this window and experience this view. It never gets old. It changes with each experience. This has been the first time I shared this view with someone in four years."

I didn't respond. I kept on looking out, spotting a gardener heading for the flowers with his equipment. It gave me an excuse not to continue this one-sided conversation.

Abruptly, Derek lowered himself down on one knee. I looked to see that he was around my height, with a serious look on his face that told me I had better pay attention to him.

"Sherry, it is very important to hear what I have to say about this room. I won't be repeating myself. Is that clear?"

I nodded right away. His tone was beginning to scare me. Was it because I didn't say anything back when he was musing about the view?

"This is my study. I work for very important people in this country. This means you are not allowed in this room without my permission. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

I was going to add something along the lines of 'My father had a study and he had the same rules too,' but I didn't feel like bringing him up. Or anything from Racoon City. I found peace looking outside at the garden, and it was the only thing I wanted to focus on.

"Good. This is the only room in my home you can't access freely, but I think you'll enjoy your time here otherwise. Anyway, there's one more thing that needs to be said. Please stay behind me."

I almost grumbled to be pulled away from the view. I spun around, and took a single step. I noticed something strange that stopped me. There was a dark box that was stuck underneath Derek's desk, in the space that would fit his legs. Why was it there? And what was inside it?

It only took a moment for Derek to notice I wasn't right on his heels. He turned around quickly, with his expression telling me he wanted an explanation right away.

"Why did you stick something big underneath your desk?"

Derek approached me, as the colour drained from his face. He crouched down to my height, to see that I could easily spot it. He looked down, biting his lip before answering me.

"I cannot let it fall into the hands of evil people. Sherry, promise me to not tell anybody else about this. America would be in grave danger if people outside the government knew about it."

"I promise," I responded, but I wasn't sure if I could take him at face value for it.

I felt like if I knew what was in there, I wouldn't be interested in it anymore. But I wanted to tear the box from underneath and open it up like it was a present. I was going to be left wondering of what could be inside that box that would place the entire country in danger.

"Come on; let's head back into the living room."

Derek let me take the lead instead. I felt more suspicious that he wanted me to leave first, and have no chance of investigating it. Perhaps I would find out what's in the box one day when I'm older.

Once we were both in the living room, Derek shut the door behind him. I wished he didn't have to shut the door, the room looked so much better with light coming into it.

Derek showed me the leather seat I previously sat down on before, wanting me to sit down with him. But I simply refused. There were so many things going on in my mind that I wanted to be alone, without Derek's compony. I didn't want to know what else he wanted to tell me.

"Sherry, you can stand, but this is also very important. So pay attention."

I made eye contact with Derek, letting him know I was prepared to listen to him. There was a lot to process already and I just wanted it to be over for the day.

"Most of the time, you're not going to be living here."

My heart sank. I began to wonder why Derek had brought me here in the first place if I wasn't going to stay here. For the first time today, anger replaced my fear to demand answers from him.

"Where am I going to stay?"

"Patience Sherry. I was just about to say where. You're going to live in a foster home, not far from here, for three weeks of every month. This is so you can interact and socialise with children your age."

Now that I thought of it, there was no one here my age. Who was I going to talk to while I was here? Thomas the butler felt like the only person I could talk to comfortably, but his age would prevent him from working here for a long time.

"You will not be without education. You'll be homeschooled, both here and in the foster home during normal school hours."

"Why can't I go to a normal school?"

"You haven't been in school for a while, and homeschooling was the only alternative. See it as a way to gauge your knowledge."

I accepted his reasoning. I was comfortable with that thought. Although, if he really wanted me to talk to other kids, I should've just been sent to school.

There was one last question that just came up. It was the one lingering at the back of my mind, waiting for the right time to for me to articulate it.

"Am I still going to be experimented on?"

Derek raised an eyebrow briefly. He seemed to be surprised that I asked that question. He began searching for the answer to that question, or rather, the words to answer the question. And I think I wasn't going to like the answer.

"Unfortunately, yes. There wasn't much I could do to convince the government. I'm sorry Sherry."

I sighed. At least he was honest about it. At least I knew Derek cared about me.

"Thanks. I'll be... heading into my room."

"We'll be leaving tomorrow morning, before lunch, to the foster home."

I noted the message, and walked out the dark room. So much had happened today, and a lot was going to happen tomorrow. The fact I was going to be around kids the same age was great. I was looking forward to that.

But the experimentation lingered on the back of my mind. How much time was I going to spend between schooling, going back here and experimentation was going to cut out of spending time with those kids?

I was going to find out tomorrow.

Author's Notes: Chapters in the past are going to be in Sherry's perspective with the only exception being the start of this chapter. It's suitable because this is Sherry's past and how she grew up.

I hope you guys have enjoyed the chapter despite the long wait!