July 9, 2010 (6:30 PM).
Cinnamon, wafting my nose, and the chattering sounds of laughter.. Simple, no? It brought a gentle smile to my lips as I closed the door behind me. I moved toward the front room where the sound was coming from, entering only to freeze in the doorway.
Nolan was standing beside mom's friend Lee who was mostly likely going to stay the night, while mom and dad were lounging on the couch, all laughing about a joke that dad had told them. I knocked gently on the wall, alerting them to my presence.
"Saria!" Dad called out, grinning widely. "Just in time! Get over here."
I nodded, moving into the room, eyes on Nolan.
"Been awhile, hasn't it, lil sis?" My older brother said with a frown on his face. We stared each other down before he finally grinned, moving forward to sweep me up into his arms in a loving embrace. "I've missed you so much!"
"Careful, dear." Mom laughed.
"Ohhhh, my little sister has gotten so much bigger!" Nolan cooed warmly, swinging me around like a doll. I just held on, laughing. He had gotten much taller since the last time I had saw him, easily six foot four now. His once flattened brown hair was again spiked, a bit longer in the back to graze just below his ears. He was beaming as he set me down. He smelled of cologne, a scent I had gotten used to over the years. He crouched down in front of me, his blue orbs scanning my own. He grabbed my hands, but frowned as he felt the strange coldness on one of them. He glanced down, then instantly back up to my face with a frown. "Why is there blood on your hand, Saria?"
I just shook my head. "I'll explain later." I could hear talking in the kitchen, but it was too low to make out the words. I could tell one was Frank's voice, but the other was unknown.
Nolan glanced around. "Where's Derick?" He was still smiling. My face lowered to stare at my feet. "Hey, Saria. What's wrong?" He was tipping my chin up with his pointer finger, concern written on his face.
I leaned towards him, whispering into his ear. "I have a lot to tell you." I then leaned back, smiling sadly.
Derick's phone began to vibrate in my hand. I moved away from Nolan, opening it. "Hello?" Once it was pressed to my ear I asked a greeting. The line was silent.. nothing. Not even static. Then.. unmistakably.. I heard the low rumble of laughter before the line clicked off.
"Who was that?" Mom asked, tilting her head at me. Dad's eyebrows furrowed as I turned to face them.
"Wrong number." I beamed a fake smile, grabbing Nolan's hand and dragging him up the stairs towards my bedroom.
"H-hey!" He grumbled just as I closed my door behind us. We were alone. I could tell him now. "Saria, what's going on?"
"Let me explain." He nodded to this.
I told him the entire story, about the stalker, the showdown between the chief tracker and the ex-gang member, my involvement, then my search for Derick, his phone being in the hands of a dangerous man and possibly him too.. my retrieval of the phone, bumping into the chief tracker dude from the showdown, all of it. I even told him about the confrontations with uncle Frank, to which I saw his fists clench.
"I see.." He said as I finished. "So they are searching for him?" I nodded. "Let's hope they can find him before he gets hurt or killed." He let his hands relax, no longer curled into balls of silent anger.
"Yeah." I simply said.
"Oh. There's news you have to know. You might want to come downstairs to hear this. We have a visitor too." Nolan wore a frown, but then he shook it away, smiling. "A very interesting visitor."
"Who is it?" I tilted my head.
"You'll see. Come on." He led me back downstairs and together we re-entered the front room, where a man was sitting across from my parents, Frank standing close by him. All heads turned as we descended the stairs, but my blue orbs were locked on the man. He seemed.. familiar, oddly. My eyes narrowed as I studied him. Dark eyes.. matching hair, a fancy suit, a gentle smile. Something was up with this guy. He was young.. early thirties, I think. He had a slightly British look to him.
"Saria, dear, come over here. We need to talk." Mom said, motioning for us to join them. Nolan stood beside father while I sat on the floor beside his feet, staring up at my parents and then at the man, ignoring Frank's casual smile.
"I'm going away on some business with this man and I'd like for you to come with me. I could use an assistant to help me. It's nothing major, you won't have to do much. Just help me with whatever I need, alright?" Dad began, smiling at me. "I haven't been completely honest with you, sweetie."
"What..?" I blinked at my dad, confused by what he was saying. Not completely honest with me? What did he mean by that?
"I work at a medical company, as a scientist. I help progress medicine and such. I'm a merchant on the side, yes, but this job as a scientist.. is the main reason I've been away." He said in a proud tone. I didn't believe him. Why would he keep such a thing from me? A shiver raced up my spine.
I eyed the man on the opposite couch with curiosity, trying to figure out why I was getting a sense of deja vu from seeing him. I couldn't think of anything, though, to justify this feeling, so I pushed it aside. "If it's to help you, then sure dad." I may as well go. I needed to get away from Frank. Maybe I could tell dad what the bastard does and says to me. Maybe I could put a stop to it. I smiled at this.
"Great. We'll be leaving first thing in the morning on Sunday, so make sure to pack your things tonight and tomorrow and have it all ready before then." Dad said, rising from the couch and leaving to head upstairs towards the master bedroom where he and mom always slept when he was actually home.
Was this true? Dad was actually a scientist? Just who was this guy sitting across from me.. Dad never introduced him. As if reading my mind, the man, having noticed my staring at him, smiled gently. "We'll talk later, miss Saria, but for now.. adieu." He rose, heading down the hallway towards the guest rooms. Lee left a bit after him.
I scoffed, looking up at Nolan, a glare on my face. "Did you know about this?" I asked in reference to dad's secret job.
"Not until he told me, no." He shook his head. "Anyway, you should go get packed. You have a long trip ahead of you, sis."
"What about Derick? My presents are still at the festival, in the center on the tables. Bradly was watching them for me." I frowned. It was only 7 now, Friday.
"I'll get them. You head upstairs and get ready for Sunday." He moved away from me, vanishing through the short stretch that led to the front door. I heard it open and then shut behind him as he went to retrieve my presents with his truck.
I sighed, rising to my feet. Frank was still in the room, mom having departed minutes before. We were alone.. again.
"Be sure to make yourself useful, Saria." He scowled at me. I stuck my tongue out at him, turning to stalk up the stairs to my room. I shut the door behind me gently, glancing around my bedroom. I went straight to the bathroom and washed the blood away, drying my hands with a towel before moving back into my room, closing the door behind me.
It was simple, yet decent for my style. The walls were a watery blue while the floor was covered in short grey carpet. The ceiling was grey to match the floor. A desk stood beside my twin bed in the corner, which was covered with blue sheets and blankets, along with the same colored pillows. A dresser set off to the side with a bookshelf beside it, the closet across from it. Beside the closet was the room that led into my bathroom, the door shut to the silver-colored room. A few other furniture pieces were around my room, but I paid them no mind.
My attention was towards my closet. I strode over to it, throwing it open. I pulled out my duffle bag, tossing clothes into the bag.
I paused, staring down at the messy pile of clothes in the bag, pursing my lips. "No, no. This won't do..." I needed to organize it, to make it fit better.
I picked at the clothes, folding them into a neater pile and then placed them into the bag, allowing for more room. I put pretty much a month's worth in there. It was big. It fit them all, with side pockets for underclothes and socks.
I zipped it shut, setting it aside, and moved over to my desk, opening the top drawer to glance in it. Inside was a small space with a picture frame in it. My door creaked open, but I was entranced by the photo in the wooden frame. It was my immediate family.. me, mom.. dad, Nolan and Derick. I picked up the frame, pulling it from the drawer to look at it more closely.. when a voice spoke up from behind me.
"Excited for the long trip ahead?" I spun around at the male voice, the frame hidden behind my back.
"Y-you again." I muttered as I studied the man. It was the same male that had been sitting across from me, early thirties with a dark appearance, but a handsome face, in an older way.
"I didn't get the chance to introduce myself yet. I am Lord Ozwell E. Spencer." As soon as he said the name I froze, eyes widening. He kept speaking, but I was too shocked to hear the words. Surely this was a joke? This wasn't real. "Miss Saria?" I heard him say as I tuned back in, feeling my heart beating like crazy in my chest.
"What did you say your name was again?" I asked in hopes of accidentally mishearing it.
"Ozwell E. Spencer." Yep.. I heard him right, sadly.
"But.. how are you here?" I whispered to myself. He leaned forward, an eyebrow arched.
"Excuse me?" He asked, but I shook my head.
"Oh, nothing, sorry! What did you say after you said your name the first time?" I wanted to hear what else I had missed while being in shock. "My focus is horrible right now." I laughed, but it was shaky. How in the bloody hell was he HERE? Ozwell E. Spencer was just a character from Resident Evil, in a fake world about zombies, virus' and evil corporations.. right?
"I run a medical company called Umbrella Corporation, along with the other two founders Professor James Marcus and Sir Edward Ashford." He stated what I had missed with a detached tone. "Mostly grown up things, but it helps to save thousands of lives. I'm sure you wouldn't understand. Your father is a brilliant scientist, has been working for me since the company was founded." He smiled.
I frowned. "One moment, please?" I asked. He nodded. I set the picture frame back in the drawer. I stepped over to my game console area, searching the game stack for a certain series. I blinked, gasping. Resident Evil was not where I had placed it.
"Missing something?" He asked, causing me to glance over my shoulder to him. He was tilting his head a bit.
"Yeah, sort of." I sighed.
Something was terribly wrong. My games were gone.. and Spencer was here, in my house, in my ROOM. This was insane! How was he here? Why? "As I was saying.. your father wanted me to meet his family, so I decided to come along with him. Having not much of a relationship with you, I suggested to him that you could help him out as an assistant, though only with small things. We wouldn't want you catching a disease or a virus." He chuckled.
Yeah, virus. Haha. Very funny.
I just shook my head.
"You will not be allowed in the labs due to possible exposure. Understood?" This wasn't happening. I was dreaming, wasn't I? I pinched myself, but nothing happened.
I felt it and boy it hurt. "Saria?" He pressed. I nodded. "Good." This totally couldn't be real.
"May I.. touch you?" I asked, wanting to test something. If he was real then he would have real flesh, meaning when I touched him.. he would be solid, not a ghost.
"Excuse me?" Spencer blinked, taken aback from my sudden question.
"Errm.. touch you, to see if you are real. It's just a habit." I quickly said to cover myself.
"Sure?" He seemed startled by my question. I stepped towards him, a hand extending. My fingertips grazed against his arm and I jumped back in realization that he WAS real. His skin felt warm. "Satisfied?" He smiled.
I shrugged my shoulders. "Real, yep." He chuckled.
"Well, I believe it is time that I get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us on Sunday. It was a pleasure to meet you, miss Saria. Goodnight." Spencer said with that fake-looking smile.
"Mhm." Was all I mumbled as he left my room. I turned back to my desk, pulling out the picture frame again, staring at the people on it. My family. I put it back, closing the drawer. I felt lost, confused and dazed. Like I was in a movie, playing the role of a girl who knew not what was going on around her. Which, of course, was true. I knew one thing for sure, though. We were going to get Derick back. Tomorrow. But for tonight.. I needed to sort through my thoughts. It was only an hour later from his departure that Nolan returned home. He had carried my presents to my room while I was getting things from the bathroom to take with me.
"Saria! They're all in your room, at the foot of your bed." Nolan's voice rang softly, loud enough for me to hear. I left the bathroom.
Nolan was sitting on the edge of my bed, smiling at me. "Nolan.." I was frowning. As soon as he heard the confusion in my voice he stood up, taking a step toward me.
"You ok?" He questioned me, placing a hand on both of my shoulders. I peered up into his blue eyes.
"That man, the one with dad.. Do you know who he is?" I needed to know this. I had to ask.
"Ozwell E. Spencer, right?" He answered with a confused tone. "Why?"
"Don't you remember Resident Evil?" I blinked at him.
"Resident Evil?" He pursed his lips in thought. "No, I don't. What's that?"
"..." I felt like my jaw had dropped. "What?" I gasped. "Are you serious? Nolan.. me, you and Derick used to play that game when we were little."
"Not that I'm aware of, no." Nolan was shaking his head. Ok, what the hell? It's like the game had been erased from his mind. What was going on? I needed to know. I needed to find out what was wrong.
"Nevermind." I mumbled, looking away. Something definitely did not sit right with me.
First a crazy stalker, then Derick's kidnapping, then Spencer's appearance and now the vanishing of my Resident Evil games and the knowledge of playing it.
"Ah! Idea!" I turned from him, heading over to my book shelf beside my dresser. I crouched, scanning the shelf for my Resident Evil books I had gotten for Christmas... but they weren't on the shelf. At all. Nothing connecting to Resident Evil was in my room. I was speechless.
"You've been acting strange sis. What's going on?" He was concerned, I could tell, but he was being the older brother he was.
I shook my head at him. "I don't think you'd understand. You've already told me your answer." I sighed deeply, turning to face him.
"What do you mean? Tell me." He pressed.
"We grew up together playing this game called Resident Evil. It was about an evil company who unleashed these deadly virus' that destroyed an entire city. It's about the S.T.A.R.S. team that fought Albert Wesker, that evil man with the superhuman powers. Don't you remember?" I slowly spoke, staring him right in the eyes.
He shook his head at me. "That one of your fantasies, sis?" He laughed.
"It's not funny! That man in our house is a bad man! Why is he here, in our world?" I snarled angrily.
"Sis, what the hell do you mean? He's not a bad man. He's a scientist, not a lunatic." He argued with me.
I snorted. "I knew you wouldn't understand. Something's wrong, Nolan. Can't you feel it?" He only shrugged. "Just forget it! Get out of my room!" I pointed towards my door angrily. He didn't protest, simply standing and leaving my room without another word.
Tears streamed down my face as he closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with my confusion. Why didn't he remember?
I moved over to my bed, glancing out the window to see that night had fallen, casting the world into a barely lit glow, the moon only a simple crescent. I was tired, so terribly tired. The day had drained me of energy.
I threw myself onto my bed, curling underneath of the covers and snuggling close to the sheets to get warm. I didn't care that I hadn't changed into my night clothes. It was pointless.
Sleep tugged at my eyes, pulling at me to drown the world in darkness. I saw Derick's phone beside mine on my desk.. and my butterfly knife close by. I grabbed my phone, pulling it over to my face, opening it. I checked the time. 9:47 PM.. Friday, July 9th, 1967.
I blinked. 1967? That couldn't be right. That was.. years ago. I was too exhausted to think on it anymore. I shut my phone, putting it back on my desk and snuggling deeper into my blankets.
My eyes slowly closed with a heavy sigh.
That night.. nightmares haunted me. Dreams of a game that shouldn't have been real. Dreams of.. a world without truth, bound by a cleverly made string of lies, so delicately placed that one would forget themselves and become submerged in ice cold water. Dreams of Resident Evil.
It should have been just a game, right?
No. It was real somehow. Apparently it was only just beginning.. and I was trapped in it. Luckily I knew the game like the back of my head. Maybe I could fix this..?
There was no escape.
Let the fun begin, eh? If you didn't catch that I was using sarcasm on 'fun'.