Valyrie: A Resident Evil: VILLAGE OC Fanfiction

A Gifted Invitation

My heart drops like a stone in my chest. She sent her daughter after me , wait..how did she know I was here??? My mind is racing and I'm frozen with fear as I hear Donna let her into the house. The footsteps are slow and calculated like a cat stalking a mouse as she searches. Should I hide, should I run, or should I just stay still right here and hope she doesn't see me?  "Is there something I could do for you?", Donna asks softly. I hear the footsteps continue to creep along the hallway until Cassandra answers, "No..I'm sure I'll find her". I glance towards Angie, looking to her for an answer, but she simply looks back at me as if to say that she'll rat me out the instant I try to run or hide. Donna's soft footsteps follow Cassandra's closely as I hear them getting closer to where I'm at. I slowly curl up into the chair, knees to chest, trying to make myself look as small as possible and hold my breath in case she might hear it. Please don't come in here, please don't see me. Closer and closer she approaches and I see the edge of her hood in the doorway. Quickly, I close my eyes and duck my head down on my knees. As if the idea of 'If I can't see them, then they can't see me' actually would work in this situation. Suddenly, I hear the footsteps stop abruptly outside the doorway. I'm tempted to look up, but fear tells me to keep still and wait until I'm surely safe. How do you know if you're safe if you don't check? I freeze up and stop a scream in my throat hearing the footsteps move into the room and slowly stopping just in front of my chair. Whatever you do: DON'T. MOVE. A moment of absolute silence passes and I feel someone sharply poke the top of my head. I'm forcing back my fight or flight response knowing that it will do me no good and stupidly remain still in my balled up form. "I can see you", a stern feminine voice growls at me. Without thinking of a proper response to explain my way out of my unfortunate situation, I simply mutter, "No you can't". Without hesitation, she grabs the back of my head and viciously yanks me out of the chair, making me fall forward onto the floor. I turn quickly and put my hands up in case she tries to attack me, but she just stands there, staring at me furiously and slightly shaking her head. She seems very angry with me and she's holding a..riding crop? I catch a glimpse at Donna standing in the doorway seeming very small, but turn my attention back to Cassandra."Honestly, why would Mother possibly want a coward like you?", she snarls. My eyes widen and I instantly feel my blood boil. Coward, I'll show her coward! I shoot up off the floor and stand up to Cassandra challengingly. "I'm NOT a COWARD", I bark in her face. It takes every bit of strength I have to control my rage and keep myself from doing something she would most certainly make me regret. "Really?", she scoffs while challenging me back. We're standing toe to toe, and staring into each other's eyes intensely. Before I get a chance to respond, she hits me hard across the face, snapping my head back and making my legs buckle. She pushes me making me fall once again. I catch another glimpse at Donna who cowers as I fall back onto the ground. Though my whole face stings, with burning tears already starting trickle from my eyes, I spring back up and face her once more with a deadly glare. With eyes wide and filled with hate, Cassandra grabs the collar of my shirt, and slams me up against a wall. "How DARE you!", she hisses into my face with poison. The burning anger in my soul is keeping me from flinching at her fury and proving to her that I'm no longer afraid, and DEFINITELY not a coward. "What do you possibly have to say for yourself?", she growls pushing into me. Trust me, there is a LOT I would like to say for myself in this moment, but I would also like tl live another day. "Whatever it is you are going to do to me, DO IT and just GET IT OVER WITH", I snarl, keeping my eyes locked on hers. She grins sickly, pulls me off the wall, has me stand up, and sneers, "Mother expects you to be punished for what you did to her". She then explains that I must recieve five lashings to pay for the pain I've caused to her and to prove I'm not a coward. Damn..now I understand why she brought a riding crop with her. Willing to pay the price of emotional damage and to prove myself, I take off my vest, shirt, and bra to keep them clean and in tact while I take my punishment. Donna frightenedly shakes her head at me as I look towards her as if saying, 'Please don't do this'. I have to do this, I don't have a choice. I even glance towards Angie, who has gone into lifeless doll mode, staring blankly at the empty chair I was once curled up in. Cassandra shoves me back into the wall, pressing my face into the wallpaper. Fueled by pure rage and pride, I look unbothered, as I feel it will take a lot more than a few lashes to break me. I'll show her, I'll prove I'm no coward. Glancing towards Cassandra, I brace hard as her arm winds back, but she is stopped midway by Donna shouting, "STOP, SHE'S LYING"! Turning away from the wall, I see Cassandra whip around towards Donna and snap the crop angrily against the floor. Donna cowers at the sound then timidly rushes over towards me. "She's just... being cruel, Alcina doesn't expect you to be punished", Donna explains picking my bra and shirt up off the floor and handing them to me. Cassandra, staring into us, growls in frustration and rage as I carefully dress myself. Well if she's not here on her mother's orders, why is she here? I'm nearly about to ask before Donna answers with, "She has something for you...something special". Cassandra freezes, seeming surprised but still very upset. Something special....for me? After a long moment of awkward, aggressive staring and silence, Cassandra sighs sounding defeated, rolls her eyes, and reaches into her dress. She pulls out a small, velvety, black drawstring pouch. It looks like something you might put coins or jewelry in and it definitely looks as if it contains one of the two. Hesitating, she reluctantly hands it to me and I take it from her slowly. For once in my life, I'm hoping that it's not money, I understand that she's quite wealthy but I would feel very upset if Alcina paid me as if it was my job to sleep with people. I'm cautious to open it and look to Donna who seems very eager to see what the pouch contains. Guess I should open it and see what's so important. I pull open edges carefully, loosening the drawstring and peek into it. It's too dark see anything inside, so I reach into it, startling at the touch of something woven and webby. Donna is anxiously waiting for me to pull something out, so I grab the strange feeling substance in my fingers and slowly pull out something made of black lace and small chains. Is it...a necklace...a small lace necklace? There is a large, black crystal hanging off of it like a pendant and it's quite decorative in style with a patterned array of small chains and beads hanging onto it. Donna gasps softly, lifting her veil up and beaming at it in awe. Feeling confused, my eyebrow raises and I look back up at Cassandra. "What is this?", I ask her still holding the necklace delicately in my hand as Donna examines it. "It's an invitation....from my mother", Cassandra snarls glaring at me. Now, I'm even more confused. Why would I need an invitation to the castle if I've already been there...was I not welcome to return until I recieved an invitation? Donna, seeming unbothered, continues to marvel at the necklace in awe. "To the castle?", I press, still feeling lost. Cassandra clenches her jaw, then clarifies, "To a PERMANENT RESIDENCY at the castle". The confusion on my face instantly turns to shock, Donna's awe halts as she looks back up, and as the room fills with dead silence, Cassandra begins to explain, "By accepting this gift, you are accepting to live at Castle Dimitrescu and devote yourself entirely to my mother, if you refuse well...", she chuckles as her blood stained lips curl into a smile, "..let's just say that if she can't have you, then no one can..I am supposed to await your decision and escort you to the castle if you accept". I pause, reflecting on the magnitude of this choice. Come to think of it, I really don't have a choice. I look back at the small necklace. It's very pretty and it shows that I certainly mean a lot to Alcina. I look back up at Donna as looks at me. She seems frightened at a bit sorrowful. My heart starts to ache reading the sadness in her face and I'm not sure I can just leave her so easily. She saved my life, she helped meand took care of me for three months, and now I have to leave her.....there's no way, I just can't...."I-I-I don't-", I sputter before Donna stops me with a tight embrace. She hugs me for a while and letting my emotions take over me, I start to cry softly in her chest and squeeze her tighter. "It's alright", she reassures petting my head gently, "You'll come back and visit if you can.. right"? I nod my head aggressively, still hugging her. I don't want to let her go. Her grip loosens and I reluctantly loosen mine as well, forcing myself to separate from her. She wipes away a few stray tears still lingering on my cheeks. "Now...let's see how it looks on you", she smiles softly gesturing towards the small necklace in my hand. Cassandra sits up slightly, seeming a bit eager that I'm accepting the offer. I hold both ends of the necklace in my fingertips, examining how to put it on and how it will sit on my neck. It's small enough that it looks like it will wrap tightly around my throat, but not tight enough to seriously choke me. It's a bit more like a nicely decorated lace collar rather than a necklace. I unhook the tiny clip from one of the chain loops and wrap it around my neck. Sure enough, it fits splendidly, but the clip and loops are so small, they slip around in my shaky fingerstips as I struggle to get it hooked back properly. Cassandra stifles a laugh and Donna eventually asks, "Would you like me to help you"? I nod, feeling slightly embarrassed and she rushes behind me, taking the ends of the collar to hook it around my neck. "I've never really had anything like this before", I explain as she makes sure it's tight enough around me without choking me. I hear the clip hook onto the loop with ease, fitting snuggly on me. "Don't worry, it just takes practice", she reassures. I hold the black crystal pendant, turning and examining it, then touch my new accessory, getting accustomed to how it feels. It feels a bit strange at first, but I'm sure I'll get used to it. "How do I look?", I ask Donna. Her smile grows brighter as she looks at me and she whispers under her breath, "You look beautiful Val". I smile brightly feeling her sincerity and turn towards Cassandra. She glances me up and down and confirms, "Yes...you do look quite pretty". I nod and reply, "Thank you". Since I have accepted the gifted invitation, Cassandra starts for the door, then looks back towards me and asks, "Are you ready"? I give Donna one more quick hug and a peck on the cheek. "I'll promise I'll come back to visit you", I swear to Donna as I follow Cassandra out the door. "I know you will", Donna gleams with a sad smile as I look back one more time before exiting the estate and shutting the door behind me.