•Thicker Than Blood•

•Chapter 32•

Genevieve and Sherry were currently in class. They sat in the back of the class together. The teacher was rambling on and on about whatever it was they were learning about... but Sherry seemed disturbed by it all. Rubbing her arm, she just did her best to seem as though she was invisible. Her stomach turned with some form of anxiety that she only recently learned she had.

She had already had two severe panic attacks since she returned from Umbrella Corporation's holds. It seemed that sort of traumatic event triggered this anxiety she had been holding within. Or maybe she was born prone to such anxiety through genetics... she wasn't sure. The only thing she knew for sure was that she strongly disliked what was happening to her.

Genevieve seemed to realize something was wrong right away, leaning over to touch her arm. Sherry flinched slightly, being snapped out of her thoughts while she turned to look at Genevieve. The panic written on her expression wasn't hard to recognize. Genevieve had been warned about Sherry's panic attacks. So, Genevieve calmly went up to the teacher, alerting her that she was taking Sherry for a breath of air.

After that, she returned to the desk and assured Sherry things were going to be okay. She carefully took her arm and the both of them left the classroom together. Genevieve knew exactly where she should take her. They went and got their backpacks and headed to the art room. The teacher was more than understanding of their situation.  She was the same one who gave Sherry the pop up easel.

"Hello, you two! Is everything alright?" The teacher asked.

"Yeah, I think Sherry just needed some time out of class, Ms. Sander." Genevieve responded.

"Makes sense to me. What are we feeling today then? Maybe paint, sketching, or my personal favorite... ceramics?" She put her hands together.

"I actually really enjoyed the painting. I wanted to show you." Sherry said suddenly, taking her book bag and taking out the canvas.

She carefully took it out of her back and held it up so the art teacher could get a good look at it. The woman with dusty brown hair and freckled skin looked towards the painting. Her long dangling sun earrings jittering with movement. It was the painting she started before. Except she had finally finished it. The sky resembled the sunset over the cracked dirt road. The disheveled city was just behind the fence in the background.

"Is this... your home from before?" Ms. Sander asked.

"Mhm. This is Raccoon City. This is the last I saw of it before I headed over this way. If anything, leaving the city was the fondest bit I remember of it." Sherry explained.

"Well..." Ms Sander put her hand on her own chin in thought. "You're missing something."

Sherry seemed confused by her next comment, looking up and tilting her head. She finally got a full glance of the art teacher. She wore a long skirt with a tank top. Over that was a crocheted yellow cover. She also wore sandals and a necklace with the evil eye on it. Despite the comment coming off as cruel, she had a smile on her face. She concluded that the hippie lady didn't exactly mean harm.

"What am I missing...?" Sherry asked, seeming to hide behind her canvas almost.

"Well, you're missing a signature! With artwork like that, you've got to sign it so people know who made it!"

Sherry breathed a sigh of relief. Of course she wouldn't have meant harm. She should have known that! She looked down at her painting. Perhaps it would be good to give it a signature... her work was a part of her. Despite all the bad things that happened in the setting she painted. It brought her a lot of comfort and helped her distract herself from her dread of current day life.

Ms. Sander held out a black marker to Sherry. She took it, then sat down at one of the various tables and picked a part of her piece that didn't have much attention on it. Up in the corner of the sky, she wrote her initials. "SBRK" Sherry Birkin Redfield Kennedy. That mouthful of a last name. Who else could it have been than her? Smiling, she capped the marker and set it aside.

"I don't think I've actually written out my entire name like that before.." she said, looking over.

Genevieve's eyes seemed to become a little bit more dull while she watched Sherry. She couldn't help but feel left out or jealous. Carefully, she took her seat on the opposite end of the table from Sherry. This time, Sherry seemed to notice the shift in Genevieve's behavior. So, she set her painting down and looked at her from the opposite side of the table.

"Genevieve? Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm okay, Sherry- It's just... It's sort of... hard to explain." She responded, in a quiet tone.

The girl in purple took her journal out from her back, unlocking it and setting it in front of her. Previous pages had been ripped out. When it was opened, you could see just the remnants of where the page was once attached to the book itself. She took her lucky pen and carefully began to write on a new, fresh page.

"...it's because of all of my last names, isn't it?" Sherry suggested.

The other girl froze for just a moment. "Well, not the names themselves...it's more so the meaning behind all of the names."

"The meaning behind the names?"

"Yes, exactly. You see.. What the names symbolize, at least to me, is that... strong bond to people. People you look up to. A family of sorts.. I guess you could call me jealous... I just wish I had that sort of thing, you know?" Genevieve laid her head on her own shoulder, watching the ground, praying she hadn't made Sherry feel guilty.

"Jealous... of having a family? What about Chris? Isn't he like a dad to you?"

"I guess I've always sort of seen him as a dad. I'm just... not sure if he sees me like a daughter. He's never talked to me about that sort of thing. He's always really busy with these dangerous jobs while I'm back at the bases they're stationed at. He always comes back for me when the job is done, but... I don't know if he wants to keep this up forever. Maybe I'm just a thorn in his side." She whispered, becoming quieter the more she explained.

Sherry shook her head slowly as she walked around the table in order to reach Genevieve. She sat on the stool beside her and wrapped her arms around Genevieve. Slowly, but surely, the other girl would reciprocate the hug. Genevieve leaned her head against Sherry in search of comfort. Sherry was able to provide that sense of security, even for just a moment.

"I think he really cares about you, Genevieve. I don't think he would be taking you with him on these missions if he didn't. Maybe it hurts him to leave you behind. Obviously, he already cares about how you feel. You guys always seem to think the same thoughts. It's actually fun to see..." she set her hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you should ask about becoming his daughter. Then... we could be cousins." Sherry said, smiling toward her.

Genevieve let out a pitiful laugh. "Maybe you're right, Sherry... if I can work up the courage to ask. I will... I really hope you're right about all this."

"I'm sure I am." Sherry smiled toward her as the bell rang. "Oh! Lunch time."