Chapter Text
Season 1
On that frigid night, the sound of military helicopter blades deafened the entire forest, along with the bombs being dropped on Miranda's territory. Chris was somewhat suspicious about why the BSAA had suddenly appeared on a mission that was supposed to be his and his team's alone. As he crossed through the woods, already equipped and with the Wolf Pack squadron at his command, one of the members with the call sign Canine alerted Chris.
"Alpha, take a look," he handed Chris a sniper rifle.
Chris positioned himself beside him on the edge of the hill where the squad was, witnessing BSAA soldiers disembarking from the helicopter and being immediately attacked by Miranda's mutant roots, which then threw the vehicle into the lake.
"Damn it," Chris sighed, still unsure. "BSAA shouldn't be here."
"Change of plans?" asked Brown Eyes, another member of the elite squad.
"No. The plan remains the same: rescue Rose and destroy Miranda," said Chris, determined. He took the opportunity to monitor the village just ahead. The ceremony site was on the other side, but the village was surrounded by lycans, and with the squad outnumbered, they wouldn't stand a chance against the creatures. They needed a shortcut, and that's when Dimitrescu Castle caught his attention. "Let's go through the castle trail, so we don't attract so much attention from those abominations. Meanwhile, spread the bombs to blow this whole place up when the mission is over."
"Understood."
Leading the way, Chris moved forward with his men close behind.
"Canine."
"Yes, Alpha," Canine quickened his pace to catch up with Chris.
"I want you to investigate the BSAA and find out what they came here for. Gather as much information as you can."
"Got it."
Canine broke away from the team, taking a narrow path to the west and disappearing into the forest. After a few minutes of careful walking, the squad found themselves on a bridge, cornered by four lycans — humanoid creatures with lupine faces, mouths filled with sharp fangs capable of tearing anything apart. Chris and Brown Eyes fired simultaneously, quickly dispatching the creatures without much effort. Then, they hurried on.
Crossing the bridge, they reached one of the castle's first towers. It was in ruins; the upper part had been shattered, reduced to pieces of rubble scattered everywhere, as if something grotesque had collided with the bricks, causing its destruction. As the place seemed suspicious, Chris gestured for his team to scout the surroundings, ensuring the area was clear of lycans. They paired off, except for Chris, who preferred to stay alone and search the grounds himself. His first target was a small, dilapidated cabin ahead. The door was ajar, windows shattered, and the aged wood creaked with every sound. Chris drew his flashlight, searching for tracks, blood, anything... but found nothing. Just abandonment.
"Alpha! You need to see this!"
Chris recognized the voice of Wolf outside, so he hurried to find out what his team had discovered. The four were standing in front of the double doors of the destroyed tower, and although their masks and night vision goggles hid their faces, their tensed muscles were evident. As Chris approached the entrance, he understood why his team was frozen in place. There was a massive slain carcass inside the tower — a winged creature, gray-skinned, resembling a dragon crossed with a bat and other unknown species. Likely one of Miranda's experiments. Chris presumed the creature had caused the tower's collapse, and Wolf moved forward cautiously.
"She must have been killed by Ethan, which explains all this mess," he commented.
"That thing has wings, or is it just me?" asked Night Howl.
"That was the first thing I noticed," said Tundra. "This is bizarre. Just imagining that Miranda created something like this."
Chris nudged the carcass with the barrel of his rifle, wanting to make sure it was truly dead. The creature had a long tail and four legs with enormous claws, and a deformed head that only had a mouth and nostrils. On its hump was the unmistakable shape of a female human bust, with the absence of the head and arms. Its skin seemed to be made entirely of ashes. And one couldn't help but notice its huge bat-like wings, folded around its carcass. It was while examining the wings that Chris noticed something in its chest area—a crack, preserving a figure inside. Chris was alarmed to discover the figure was that of a human woman.
"Help me open this!"
"Do you want us to crack this thing in half?" Wolf asked.
"There's a person in there," Chris alerted, taking one of his hunting knives from his vest, and skillfully, he began to carve it to create an opening.
The rest of the squad hurried to assist him, pulling the excess skin of the creature until they managed to create an opening to rescue the body, and in it, a second surprise. The lower part of the carcass was covered in layers of sparkling crystals, reminding Chris of young Zoe Baker — a victim infected, whose skin took on a crystalline form. And in the midst of it all was the body of an unknown woman. Her skin was as white as marble with cracks in certain parts, her black, wavy hair obscuring her face. She was unconscious, her body curled up, and fine roots from the carcass were connected to her, entwined around her limbs like cords.
Cautiously, Chris crouched, entering the carcass. As he pulled one of the roots with his blade, severing the connection to the victim, claws erupted from her hands, and Tundra pulled Chris back in time to avoid him being shredded. The woman's body remained motionless, and her claws retracted within seconds.
"What the hell was that?" Night Howl shouted. "Wasn't she dead?"
"Could it have been a reflex?" Tundra suggested, panting. "A reaction from the mold."
"Orders, Alpha?" Lobo stepped forward, awaiting Chris's decision on the woman's fate: kill her or spare her.
Chris was just about to give the final order to end it and continue his mission if it weren't for the fact that the woman had suddenly awakened. She vomited blood and mold, coughing, gasping, and inhaling air amidst convulsions. The squad drew their weapons simultaneously in her direction, except Chris, who approached to cradle her inert and fragile body, nestling her into his chest. She was panting and trembling, frightened and disbelieving to be alive.
Her long, black hair spilled over her face. Chris assessed her features; a woman between 35-40 years old, approximately 5'6" in height. Again, she shuddered upon waking, her eyes opening slowly, emitting a sky-blue color. Through them, Chris saw how human she appeared, despite being an experiment. The woman was disoriented, trembling in his arms.
“Who are you?” Chris whispered.
With a mere breath, the woman pleaded, “Daughters.”
Darkness engulfed her, and her body succumbed to anguish and weakness. Was she trying to say something?, Chris wondered. Was it a plea to save her supposed daughters? If so, how many were there? Where were they?
Questions swirled around him, all of them without any immediate answers. Under the current circumstances, there wasn't much he could do. He needed to find Ethan and rescue Rosemary, besides deciding the fate of this woman. Maybe the BSAA could examine her and remove the rest of the mold that was evident on her body.
Tundra, the only woman in the squad, removed her coat to cover the unidentified woman's body. Chris gave her a grateful look and stood up with the woman in his arms.
“Brown Eyes,” Chris handed the woman to the soldier. “Take her to the helicopter and try to contact Canine. Ask him to return and keep watch over her until further orders.”
“Understood,” Brown Eyes nodded, heading back across the bridge to return to the starting point.
“What are your plans for her?” Tundra asked.
“The BSAA will take care of her once we're done,” Chris replied, turning back to the hill where the ceremony was being held. “Let's move on.”
***
Things happened very quickly. Chris tried in every way to help Ethan reach the helicopter, warning him that the entire place would be blown up in a matter of minutes. Rose was in his arms, and Mother Miranda had been defeated. Ethan was practically disintegrating. His body was pure mold, and there was no hope left for him.
“Take care of her,” were his last words to Chris as he handed Rose over along with his jacket. “Teach her to be strong.”
Using his last bit of strength, Ethan pushed Chris back, saving him from being hit by one of the Megamycete's mutant roots. In that short moment, Ethan took control of the bomb from Chris’s hands and headed toward where the organism had projected itself. Knowing what Ethan intended to do and that nothing more could be done for him, Chris ran with Rose in his arms. He crossed the village consumed by incandescent flames, passing by the charred bodies of lycans and humans—innocents who couldn’t take refuge like the others — until he reached his helicopter where his entire team was waiting.
“Pass her here!” Lobo extended his arms to take Rose, and Canine pulled Chris’s arm, helping him into the aircraft.
“Where’s Ethan?” Canine asked.
The question was answered by an explosion below them. A tremor shook the helicopter, and Night Howl regained control in a few moments.
“Ethan is gone,” Chris replied, watching the black smoke engulf the ruins of the village.
Only the castle remained intact, being in a place out of reach from where the dynamite was installed.
“Alpha, come see this,” Brown Eyes called Chris, gesturing to the back of the cabin, where the body of a BSAA agent was found dead. As Chris approached the corpse, he couldn’t believe what he saw. “The BSAA didn’t send soldiers. They’re bioweapons.”
“What the hell are they thinking?!” Chris’s indignation was evident. He had suspected the company earlier, and now with that evidence, he had more reason to investigate the BSAA and settle things with the one responsible for all this.
“What do we do with her now?” Brown Eyes turned to the rescued woman, still unconscious, wrapped in a blanket, and lying in one of the seats on the other side.
Chris thought for a moment. Now knowing that the BSAA was using bioweapons and that there could be possible corruption within the organization, they would clearly use the woman for experiments to create more weapons. This would be a huge problem, especially if they got their hands on Rose too. Chris wouldn’t let Ethan and Mia die in vain and would fulfill their wish: to take care of Rose.
“We can’t hand her over to the BSAA. We’re going to the Blue Umbrella European hospital. It’s the only safe place for both of them right now.”
Everyone remained vigilant, and Night Howl changed course toward the Blue Umbrella base, where they could rest and receive the necessary medical treatment. Without anyone noticing, overwhelmed by everything they had faced, the dark-haired woman briefly woke up. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the castle, her last image before the rear of the helicopter closed, darkening the entire cabin. And once again, she returned to her deep sleep.
***
Two days had passed since the incident in the village. Rose was being cared for by Blue Umbrella doctors, and she was protected with Chris by her side, monitoring the baby's progress constantly. His colleagues were present, each in a different sector of the base. The corporation had initially existed only in the United States but had now expanded to Europe, following the same ideology as the BSAA in having companies worldwide to ensure the greatest safety for humanity. A doctor entered the room where Rose and Chris were, carrying a clipboard.
"Chris," the doctor nodded.
"Dr. Campbell," Chris returned the greeting.
"The woman you brought from the village, she woke up recently. And as we suspected, she really does have the Cadou inside her, but it was severely damaged in her system, preventing her from using any abilities she might have developed with the mold."
"That’s good; we won’t have much trouble with her. Can I interrogate her?"
"You can try, but believe me, you won’t get any useful information from her."
"What do you mean?"
"I’ll explain on the way."
Dr. Campbell opened the door, allowing Chris to go first, and outside, his canine colleague — Dion Wilson — stood guard by Rose’s room until Chris returned. As they walked down the white, light-filled corridors, Campbell explained the case of the woman from the village to Chris.
"As soon as she woke up, I had the chance to communicate with her, to run some tests, and unfortunately, this whole incident severely damaged her brain."
"How so?"
"Memory loss; she doesn’t know where she’s from or even her own name. The reports you found in Miranda’s hideout are indeed connected to her, and much more..." Both stopped in front of a door where the woman was supposedly staying. "She was part of the order that faithfully served Miranda, composed of four families from the village." Beneath his clipboard was one of the books Chris had found in the hideout during his mission. The aged cover bore a crest of flowers with two crossed swords. "Our research indicates that her name is Alcina Dimitrescu, and she was one of Miranda’s first test subjects. Unfortunately, she doesn’t remember any of this."
Chris flipped through some of the pages briefly; he had already read about her before, along with other data on Alcina’s age, weight, and the consequences the Cadou had caused in her body.
"Is there a chance she might regain her memory?"
"Our tests detected a rather abnormal and radical sequela... caused by the Cadou itself," Campbell explained. "The parasite had an aggressive reaction during the battle. The trauma from the attack triggered an instant block in Alcina’s mind; a primitive instinct of the parasite to protect itself. Consequently, her mind shattered, and the fragments were hidden by the Cadou. The parasite is a second consciousness, a mini intruder brain that stole her memories, and since it’s dormant... well, I believe the sequela might be permanent. We’ve never seen anything like this."
Chris took a deep breath, absorbing all the information.
"I’ll talk to her. If I make any progress, I’ll inform you."
Chris handed the book back to him, cautiously entering the room and finding Alcina staring out a window beside her bed.
Even though the countryside landscape was beautiful, her gaze was dull, revealing how lost she was in her own thoughts. It wasn’t until Chris closed the door behind him that Alcina noticed his presence, allowing him to get a better look at her face.
Her skin was no longer as pale as before, revealing more humanity in her. Her black hair was neater, above her shoulders, with curls at the ends. Alcina was wearing a hospital gown. Chris wasn’t one to pay much attention to people’s appearances, but he had to admit to himself how unique Alcina’s beauty was. They weren’t alone in the room. Emily (Tundra) was also present, assigned to monitor Alcina during her recovery.
"You’re finally awake," Chris murmured calmly. "They told me you just woke up; how are you feeling?"
Alcina didn’t respond immediately, studying Chris’s face and gradually recognizing him.
"Your face... You’re the man who found me."
"It’s good that you remember that. Dr. Campbell told me you don’t remember anything else."
"Dr. Campbell?" Alcina whispered, thoughtful.
"The man who was in your room earlier."
"Oh, yes." Alcina recalled, shrinking back on the bed.
"Maybe you’re a bit insecure from waking up in an unfamiliar place, but no one’s going to hurt you." Unless you activate your claws again, Chris thought. "You had an accident, suffered a severe head injury. My team and I brought you here. Do you remember anything before that?"
"I..." Alcina tried her hardest, but her mind showed nothing. A true void. "I don’t remember anything."
"You don’t remember your home? Family?... Children?" Chris recalled that Alcina had mentioned her "daughters" during the rescue and wanted to be sure she remembered since she had mentioned them.
"I... I don’t remember," Alcina repeated.
The confusion in her eyes was evident, and Chris found no signs of deception.
"We’ll look for any relatives of yours, and I promise to keep you informed. Your memories might return at some point, but in the meantime, rest. I’ll come back later for a visit."
Chris walked over to Emily, murmuring close to her ear.
"Has she said anything to you?"
"No, she just stared at the window all morning," Emily replied, watching Alcina return to gazing at the blinds. "She barely touched her food."
"Keep an eye on her, and call me if anything happens."
Leaving the room, Chris crossed several corridors to find Campbell and share his experience. They talked for a good part of the day, with the doctor saying it was almost a miracle Alcina had survived and that this might have happened because of some evolution of the Cadou that even Miranda was unaware of. This was theoretical, but if it were confirmed in the future, it could be a huge problem. There might even be a chance that Miranda herself had survived. There was still much to learn about the Cadou.
***
They were dark nights for her.
Alcina, as time passed, remained lost, dissociated; seeing the world outside as an artificial reality. From her perspective, everything surrounding her seemed anomalous. And she didn’t quite know why she thought that. There was a void inside her, an endless icy darkness wrapping around her stomach, her bones…
Cold.
Alcina stared at the glimpses of silver flakes falling outside, piling up on the window. The winter season was harsh that year. Inhaling the air was like breathing in ice cubes, dry, cold. It was a searing pain.
Cold.
Her eyes burned; a furtive tear appeared. Alcina was petrified, her fists clenched on the hospital blanket.
“Are you okay?”
Emily’s voice brought Alcina back to the present, and she turned to the uniformed woman standing half a meter from the door.
“What?” Alcina asked, her voice a mere whisper, disoriented.
“You’re crying.”
Alcina blinked, expressionless. Apparently, she hadn’t noticed the solitary tear rolling down her cheek.
She turned back to the window and softly said, “Cold.”
Emily assumed that the draft seeping through the cracks was causing Alcina discomfort, so she left her post to close the curtains, shielding her from the winter. From the world.
To ease the throbbing in her temples, the suffocation in her chest, and the freezing void, Alcina curled up in the hospital bed, trying to muffle the endless silence with a single solution: sleep.
Sleep had become a form of escape, a way to endure the delusions and chronic stress hammering inside her head.
She didn’t eat; she didn’t eat because she didn’t feel the need.
She didn’t interact because she had nothing to say.
And that searing pain, she realized, didn’t come from the cold snow.
It came from within her heart.
***
Chris had started to monitor Alcina frequently. Of everyone, Chris was the only face Alcina had grown familiar with — he had saved her, after all. Trust was established during their continuous interactions. Chris shared false information to test Alcina, but suddenly, memory lapses would occur during conversations, and Alcina would complain about the sharp stabs in her head whenever she tried to remember something.
Outside the room, Emily informed him that Alcina was experiencing a loss of appetite—along with excessive sleepiness, fatigue, the repetition of insistent and disconnected words, and irritability.
Post-traumatic stress, Campbell had said, exacerbated by depression due to social isolation and recent amnesia. Daily tests were conducted, and Alcina faced new challenges: mental and sensory exercises. There were no mutations in her body. Alcina was in a state of dementia due to the serum implanted in her system—drugged day after day, sedated with substances that numbed the parasite.
It was necessary to ensure safety; both hers and the hospital’s. However, Chris was becoming increasingly uneasy with the excessive doses being administered to Alcina. And the BSAA soldiers patrolling the building were already watching her closely.
With Alcina’s memories stored within the Cadou, completely dissociated from her original brain, Campbell considered the desolation unchangeable—as long as the parasite remained suppressed. Untouched.
As for Rose, she was special. A child born of the mold and who possessed abilities inherited from it. She would need to be trained to control them, and Chris took it upon himself to do so — deciding to adopt her.
One night, Alcina received another visit from Chris. Seeing her desolate made him reflect; her depression might go far beyond isolation and emotional exhaustion. "Daughters," she had said once, even if she couldn’t remember. And if she had been a mother… how much could grief destroy you? Especially a mother who had lost her children and was fatally separated from them, unable to remember their faces, their voices… having to live “normally” as if she had never had them.
Then, a hypothesis arose — a test of adaptation, a way to make the sky-blue color of Alcina’s eyes resurface vividly.
“What if I introduce Alcina to Rose?”
If they complemented each other, Chris could not only claim guardianship of Rosemary but also of Alcina. Thus, the BSAA couldn’t exploit them—turning them into bio-weapons for profit.
“Would you like to meet someone? Can you walk?”
Alcina nodded slightly.
“I believe so.”
Chris extended his hand to her, guiding her out of the room. Alcina needed a few seconds for her motor coordination to adjust, and then she took her first steps.
It was horrible. Alcina felt like a baby learning to crawl, her legs barely cooperating. Although Chris was holding her hand, she felt the need to lean against the walls whenever she sensed her legs wobbling. Chris anticipated this, steadying his arm around her before her knees abruptly buckled. He was quite meticulous.
“Take your time,” Chris encouraged her, calmly. “One step at a time,” he instructed.
As they advanced, Alcina inspected the hospital. There were soldiers everywhere. They looked at her coldly; their weapons at the ready. Alcina nervously swallowed, her chest hyperventilating.
Her fingers contracted around Chris’s hand, with surprising strength—very surprising, even to Chris—and unnoticed by Alcina.
“It’s okay; you’re safe,” Chris assured her, murmuring.
As she composed herself, Alcina thought she should have stayed in her room.
“I want to go back,” she said, huddling against the wall.
“We’re almost there, just around the next corner,” Chris directed. “You’re doing very well, trust me.”
Still hesitant, Alcina allowed herself to be guided by him. But the nausea rose in her throat as panic set in her chest. She felt like she was going to vomit…
One. Two. Three. Four… Alcina mentally recited a count; one of the exercises she had learned with Campbell for when she faced a panic attack.
And then, the blinding light of the new room hit her face, temporarily blurring her vision.
Alcina found herself facing Charlie (Night Howl), and Rose was fussing in the nursery, as if about to cry.
“You’re just in time; I don’t know what to do with this girl,” Charlie grumbled, holding his head.
Chris moved forward, picking Rose up in his arms, rocking her to calm her down; Rose began to cry even more.
“I wanted to introduce you to her at a quieter moment,” Chris said to Alcina.
Contemplative, Alcina looked at Rose from a distance, feeling a sharp pain in her temple; her heart immediately began to beat faster.
She took a step forward to meet the child, and Charlie discreetly handled his weapon at his waist, so Alcina wouldn’t notice. Chris shot a gentle look at his colleague, gesturing for caution. Charlie loosened his grip on the pistol.
Alcina continued to walk; focused on the child. She took her place in front of Chris, less than half a meter away. A reasonable distance.
“She’s so small,” Alcina observed, her eyes completely fixed on Rose, entranced. “Is she your daughter?”
“Not exactly. But she will be from now on.”
Rose sobbed, wriggling in his arms.
Maybe it was a latent maternal instinct, or a brain impulse, or Chris’s carelessness in holding the baby that led Alcina to offer, “May I try to calm her down, if you’d like?”
Chris thought about it, analyzing. He had noticed that her tremors had stopped; how serene and anxious Alcina seemed. Chris nodded.
He watched; watched intently as Alcina’s arms reached out to take Rose into her embrace, cradling her gently.
Chris saw, clearly, Alcina’s dull eyes transform into the most vibrant blue he had ever witnessed. Fascination emanated from them; the fog covering her heart had lifted, and Alcina inhaled Rose’s scent deeply: antiseptic mixed with baby powder.
Inhaling a bit more, her sensitive nose distinguished an aromatic scent—lavender and roses—embedded in Rose’s blankets.
The crying was muffled as Alcina rocked her, soothing her. She supported the small head on her right arm, her hand resting on Rose’s back, encouraging her muscles to relax.
“What’s her name?”
“Rose… Rosemary,” Chris replied, surprised by Alcina’s agility, as the child was actually calming down.
“Rose,” Alcina sang softly. “Don’t cry, little Rose. There’s no harm that can hurt you.”
Rose stared at Alcina, her eyes shining with curiosity. The little arm reached out to grasp her wavy locks, tangling in them, squeezing the strands but not pulling them. Now she had something to entertain herself with, and Chris gestured for Charlie, calling him aside.
The two men isolated themselves from Alcina, watching her as they talked quietly.
“I expected everything, except for this maternal attitude from her,” Charlie whispered.
“What did you expect? For her to slash Rose with her claws?” Chris joked.
“Actually, I imagined her opening a huge mouth with fangs and devouring the child whole.”
“That village really traumatized you; have you scheduled with the therapist?”
“Go to hell.”
The two men chuckled softly, and Alcina continued to rock Rose, who yawned. She was getting sleepy.
“When we found her, she whispered ‘daughters’ to me before passing out. I believe she was a mother, which is why she managed so well with Rose,” Chris commented in a low voice, so Alcina wouldn’t hear them. “But she doesn’t remember anymore.”
“Do you think those daughters might still be alive?”
“I highly doubt it. No one who was in that village survived, and the few who managed to escape wouldn’t dare return to that region, especially with everything destroyed.” Chris crossed his arms, watching Alcina carry Rose to the nursery once she had fallen asleep. “I’m relieved to know they got along well; it’ll be easier to take care of them now.”
“Are you going to take the woman with you?” Charlie couldn’t believe it at first.
“The less access the BSAA has to them, the better. The men are already watching her—orders from the director, I’m sure,” Chris deduced. “With me, at least, they’ll be safe. I also made a promise to Ethan, and I intend to keep it. This stays between our group, understood?”
“You can count on me, Captain.”
Winter said its farewell a month later.
The flowers bloomed with the first light of spring.
Alcina could hardly believe it when the sun kissed her face, when the breeze rustled her hair, and the scent of freedom brushed against her nostrils.
I’m outside. Finally outside.
Ahead, Chris waved at her, leaning against the hood of his black truck—a Toyota Hilux Revo. He took a drag from a cigarette as he crossed the road to fetch his new charges.
Alcina felt a gloved hand touch her shoulder. It was Emily.
“Do you have everything you need?” Emily checked, smiling.
Alcina was holding Rose in her arms, wrapped in a pink wool blanket, sleeping deeply. A bag with medications and donated clothes had been given to her before she was discharged.
“Yes,” Alcina nodded, her head still dizzy from the morphine.
Chris approached, tossing the half-smoked cigarette to the ground and extinguishing it with his boot. Emily waved goodbye, heading back inside the hospital.
“How are you feeling?” Chris asked.
“My brain feels like jelly.”
Chris gave a half-smile.
“That’s the morphine talking; it’ll pass soon,” he assured her, glancing at Rose napping in Alcina’s arms. “She’s gotten used to sleeping in your arms.”
“Rose was agitated earlier. I sang a song to calm her down.”
Chris raised an eyebrow, curious.
“You sing?”
Alcina nodded, looking at Rose — she felt oddly intimidated to admit it.
“I… didn’t know I could. It just happened. And… I think I was born in Romania.”
“Did you remember anything else? Your name?”
Alcina shook her head, her expression saddened.
“Dr. Campbell mentioned something about selective memory… honestly, I don’t understand much about medicine. But…” Alcina’s features darkened with sadness. “He said the chances of me recovering are almost nonexistent.”
“Not all is lost,” Chris gave a faint smile. “You won’t be alone; I’ll be your guardian. I know it might be tough at first, but things will work out. And if anyone comes looking for you, we’ll make sure to return you to your family.”
A flicker of hope glinted in Alcina’s eyes.
They both headed for the car. Chris motioned to open the door for Alcina, making it easier for her to get in with Rose in her arms. As he maneuvered the car, turning west, Chris glanced sideways at Rose.
“Lucky you got her to sleep. Our trip is long, and it could have stressed her out.”
Alcina watched the Blue Umbrella base gradually disappear as the car sped down the road. She vaguely registered the rural landscape in her mind, wanting to fill it with new, memorable data to replace what had been taken from her.
She held Rose closer, wanting to feel her against her chest, to unify their heartbeats.
“Where are we going?”
Chris’s lips curled into a warm smile.
“Home.”
***
16 years later
The annoying sound that only cell phone alarms make was blaring in Helena's ears, and she was already used to waking up in a bad mood, especially when she hadn't slept well due to nonsensical nightmares that liked to disturb her sleep on some nights. On this particular Friday, she had to go to work with huge dark circles under her eyes because of nightmares involving extremely hideous mythological creatures and crows flying around her.
"What the hell!"
Helena turned off the alarm with a burst of anger. She knew that if she had supernatural abilities like Rose, she could easily break that device in an instant. She got up with her long, wavy hair completely disheveled, a clear sign that she hadn't slept well the night before. She walked down the hallway to Rosemary's room, almost flinging the door open.
"Time to wake up! Your class starts in forty minutes." Despite Helena's warning, Rose remained motionless, covered from head to toe in her bed. But Helena knew a young woman had woken up with the door slam, so she used tactic two. "I'm going to count to three. If you don't get up before then, you'll regret not listening to me. One... Two..." Helena paused to create tension, and Rose didn't move a muscle. "Do you really want to find out what happens at three?"
In a leap, Rosemary shot out of bed with a frightened expression.
"I'm going! I'm going!"
Helena felt proud of herself and opened Rose's window to let the breeze ventilate the room. Since Rose was using the upstairs bathroom, Helena decided to use the downstairs bathroom for her hygiene. Chris entered the room carrying a bag of bread and met Helena along the way.
"Love the new hairstyle."
Helena huffed at Chris's joke, making him laugh at her grumpy face. Continuing his path, he entered the bathroom to wash his face, brush his hair, and use some makeup to hide his dark circles. Chris suspected Rose was already awake and began setting the table for breakfast. Unlike the two women in the house, he didn't feel any pressure since he was already late. Rose came down the stairs wearing jeans and white Converse, covered by her father's jacket and a cap, which she loved to wear on sunny days like this one.
"Good morning, Chris." Rose patted Redfield on the shoulder and helped set the table.
"Good morning. Did Helena wake you with a fake spider or another bucket of water?"
"I jumped out of bed before she could think of what to do with me. I don't want to wake up with my bed all wet again like last time."
Chris knew how much Helena cared about Rose's studies and did everything to get her out of bed as early as possible. The girl never used her abilities to get back at Helena because she had great respect for her for taking care of her since she was a baby. Of course, Chris also played a significant role, but due to his work with Blue Umbrella, he couldn't spend much time at home. Thanks to his retirement, he could now spend more time with the girls.
Helena was the name Alcina chose after never recovering her memories, developing a new identity to restart her life. Chris could have at least told Alcina her real name so she could carry her true identity, but he thought it might attract BSAA's attention and give Alcina a hook to try to discover her past using her real name. To avoid either of these problems, he decided to keep the truth to himself. Despite these sixteen years, Helena never showed interest in her past, as if she feared discovering something bad and chose "overcoming" and moving forward. Talking with Chris and Rose was the best thing for her since the accident.
Finally, Helena came out of the bathroom with her hair tied in a ponytail with curls at the ends. This was always the hairstyle she liked to wear on sunny days, and she joined Chris and Rose at the table.
"Now, good morning," Helena said, pulling out a chair and sitting down, pouring herself some coffee.
"Is it that time of the month?" Chris asked, knowing Helena sometimes woke up in a bad mood and always wanted to break something.
"I just slept poorly last night," she complained, stretching her neck.
"Nightmares again?" Chris asked more seriously.
"Maybe. I don't even remember anymore," Helena said, drinking her coffee in hopes of waking up more.
"Can you pick me up from school today, Hel?" Rose asked, spreading butter on a slice of bread.
"Of course, I can."
Helena never refused any of Rose's requests, no matter what they were. She always put aside what she was doing or planning to do to help young Winters. They both finished breakfast simultaneously and prepared to leave. Rose went to her room to get her backpack, and Helena went to change clothes. She put on black leggings with a white jacket tied around her waist and a dark blue tank top. She put on her black sneakers, grabbed her bag, and went downstairs, finding Rose at the door with her headphones on and her backpack waiting.
"Don't forget about our appointment this afternoon," Chris reminded them as he finished his coffee.
"We'll meet you there!" Helena said, closing the door.
They both headed to the garage where Chris's truck and the black Troller T4 that Helena had bought five years ago when she had saved enough money for her first car. Rose buckled her seatbelt, and Helena started the car, turning on the radio to listen to her beloved jazz. It was a musical taste she always had, and Rose also appreciated it, though she preferred her rock from the '60s and '80s.
As she entered the main avenue leading to the city center, Helena saw an opportunity to talk to Rose now that Chris wasn't around.
"I noticed you were quieter during breakfast today. Did something happen?" Helena went straight to the point.
"It's just today," Rose commented, looking downcast and watching the street activity through the Troller's window. "It's their birthday."
"Oh, right." Helena sighed, feeling guilty for forgetting that fact. "I'm sorry, I completely forgot."
"It's okay. I noticed you've been very busy this past week; it happens."
"Is that why you asked me to pick you up from school today instead of taking the bus? Do you want to visit them?"
"If you don't mind."
"Of course not, Rose. I'll never mind taking you to your parents' grave. You can ask me as many times as you want. I can take you to the florist to buy flowers for them."
"Thanks, Hel."
When Rosemary involuntarily used her powers at four years old, Helena was the first witness and was understandably scared. Chris explained the tragic past of the Winters family and the Cadou, without mentioning Alcina's past or the village. He revealed how Umbrella was formed and all the controversies the company was involved in, including the BSAA. It was complicated for Helena to digest all that information at once, but it didn't make her distance herself from Rose. It only made her want to stay even closer to protect her. Since then, Helena and Rose have formed an extremely strong bond, needing each other without knowing how connected their lives were.
Helena managed to drop Rose off at school on time and then started driving faster to get to her workplace, which was six blocks from the school. She parked the car in a spot across the street and hurriedly crossed, almost getting hit by a speeding car that honked furiously.
"Look where you're going, fucker!" Helena yelled angrily, flipping off the driver before continuing on her way.
Her workplace was a café specializing in cupcakes, entirely themed around the 80s, which attracted many customers, especially on weekends. That sunny Friday was no exception, and it was the reason Helena was so stressed out from not getting enough rest during the night. Entering the café, she found only two tables occupied by customers at the moment and quickly moved behind the counter, where she met her colleague, Eddie.
"Glad you're here, I need your opinion," Eddie showed her a small plate with a cupcake he had made. The frosting, combined with some candies and cream, gave the cupcake the appearance of a deformed face screaming in pain, which made Helena grimace. "I'm the Picasso of cupcakes, right? I have a lot of talent."
"It's horrible," Helena replied bluntly.
"Your sense of humor is great."
"It's not humor; it's honesty. You better get rid of that cupcake before it traumatizes a customer."
"I told you she'd hate it!" Rubby, the girl responsible for the cash register, called out from the kitchen upon hearing Helena and Eddie's conversation.
Helena passed through the kitchen, greeting Rubby with a wave and heading to the employee bathroom to change. As expected on a Friday, the day was busy at the café, with customers constantly coming in, and only Eddie, Helena, and Rubby to serve everyone. Despite the stressful day, everything went smoothly, and time passed quickly thanks to the hustle. When there were only ten minutes left before Helena's shift ended, she returned to the bathroom and changed back into her clothes from earlier.
Returning to the counter, she noticed that there was now only one table with customers outside. Eddie was sweeping the floor while Rubby organized the display case with cupcakes and other pastries.
"What are your plans for later?" Eddie asked as he saw Helena getting ready to leave.
"I'm going to pick Rose up from school, and we're going to the shooting range."
"And tonight?"
"I plan to stay in my bed reading Shakespeare while savoring a good wine. Why?"
"Oh, it's just... There's an interesting movie playing at the cinema, and I kinda don't have anyone to go with, you know?" Eddie hinted, hoping Helena would catch on.
"Invite Rubby so you don't go alone. I have to go now, see you later!"
Eddie felt disappointed as he watched his colleague leave and saw Helena getting into her car and driving off on the busy avenue. Rubby picked up a pen and removed a cake drawing, revealing a scoreboard with Eddie Pakerson's name and ten tally marks underneath.
"And that's eleven times Helena has turned you down," Rubby added another mark, increasing the count.
"Next time, I'll convince her to go out with me," Eddie insisted, still hopeful.
"Eddie, when are you going to accept that Helena is a lesbian?"
"How can you be so sure she likes women?"
"Are you kidding? It's written 'I hate men' on her forehead!" Rubby made a rectangle with her fingers on her own forehead.
Eddie decided to ignore Rubby's arguments and went back to sweeping the floor as if nothing had happened.
Arriving at the school, Helena saw Rose passing through the double doors with other students and honked once to signal her position. Rose quickened her pace to reach the car as soon as possible, eager to visit her parents' grave. Knowing this, Helena pressed the accelerator a bit harder so they could reach the cemetery earlier and not be late for their meeting with Chris at the shooting range.
"How was school today?"
"The same as always. Tests piling up, the popular girls making fun of how I dress, and teachers pretending nothing is happening."
"You won't have to deal with that for much longer. Soon you'll be in college, and your classmates will be more serious."
"If you say so. How was your day?"
"Busy, but under control. Working at the café is really tough, but soon I won't have to exhaust myself so much there."
"What do you mean? Are you leaving?"
Helena had let it slip accidentally and hadn't mentioned to Rose, or even to Chris, about her plan to move and look for another job.
"Let's just say I've decided to build a life entirely my own, and the chances of me leaving the city are high."
"Leaving? Where are you moving to?" Rose didn't hide her shock and sadness. "Are you leaving me and Chris?"
"Calm down, it's not like that. I'll visit you on weekends and holidays, and you can visit me whenever you want," Helena tried to reassure Rose. "It's just that I've been stuck in this city for sixteen years, and I want to change my life. I want to see new places and have new experiences, that's all. I'm grateful for everything Chris has done for me, but it's time for me to move on with my life now."
"When were you planning to tell me this?"
"By next week at the latest. I kinda found a job opening outside the city, in a rural area, and from what I've researched, they pay well. I'm eyeing a cabin nearby, and it's almost certain I'll move there by next month."
"I don't want you to go, Hel. You're the only one who can keep me in check; you're my rock," Rose said, distressed, breaking Helena's heart.
"I understand your frustration, dear. This wasn't supposed to be discussed here; Chris should be here too. You know I love you, don't you? No matter the distance, I'll always find a way to come back to you."
This helped Rose feel more at ease and secure. They arrived at the florist, and Helena gave Rose money to buy flowers for her parents. Rose didn't take long to choose; she almost always picked the same bouquet of white roses, and this time was no different. When she returned to the car, they drove to the cemetery in silence, with the radio playing "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush at a low volume. As they approached the cemetery gates, Rose's body tensed, but she relaxed when Helena touched her hand. It was incredible how Helena could read her just by looking.
"Do you want me to go with you?"
"No need. It’ll only be ten minutes."
"Okay. I'll wait here."
Rose got out of the car and walked into the cemetery, knowing the exact path to her parents' grave from having visited so many times. She placed the flowers near the tombstone, which read, "In memory of Ethan and Mia Winters — A kind couple and loving parents who put family above all." Rose would typically talk about her day, her studies, and her life with Chris and Helena, never sparing any details, wanting her parents to know everything regardless of where they were. She always ended her visit with an "I love you" and turned away, her eyes moist with tears she couldn't control, but she wiped her face on her jacket sleeve before getting back into the car so Helena wouldn't notice.
As they headed to the shooting range to meet Chris, Helena knew how uneasy Rose was and wanted to cheer her up. She had an idea that usually worked with Rose, especially when she was a child and feeling down.
"Don't look so sad, my love. Your parents wouldn't want to see you like this, especially such a beautiful girl."
"Hel, I know you're just trying to cheer me up, but I don't want compliments right now."
"I'm just stating the obvious. If I were one of your parents, I'd haunt you at night as punishment for seeing you cry," Helena joked, making Rose smile briefly. Then she moved to plan B. "Are you going to keep that frown? Well, you leave me no choice." Helena plugged her flash drive into the radio and skipped a few songs until a specific one started playing.
"Oh no! Please, Hel, turn it off!" Rose pleaded as she heard the voices of the child band "Musical Youth."
"Pass the Dutchie, pon the left-hand side! Pass the Dutchie...!" Helena started singing, purposely off-key to encourage Rose.
"Helena, seriously! Anything but that!" Rose continued pleading, covering her ears.
"Give me the music, make me jump and prance! It a go dung!" Helena kept singing, even turning up the volume. "I'll stop singing only if you sing with me!"
"No way!"
"PASS THE DUTCHIE! 'PON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE!"
Rose started laughing uncontrollably, and Helena sang more enthusiastically, achieving her goal. When the chorus repeated, Rose joined Helena, singing in sync. Rose used to sing this song as a child in a very high-pitched voice, and Helena always participated in her songs and games. This moment helped them both forget their problems and have fun while they could, and they only calmed down when they finally arrived at the shooting range, where Chris was waiting for them at the entrance.
"Can you keep a secret about what I told you earlier?" Helena asked, trusting Rose completely.
"You know I'm good at keeping secrets."
And how Helena knew. There were abilities Rose had that even Chris didn't know about, and only Helena had witnessed them. But she knew she couldn't keep her plan a secret from Chris for long, and she hoped for his full support. Otherwise, it could lead to a big argument.