CHAPTER 1

I can move things with my mind, but I can't wrap my mind around this: he is really here! Tommy Ross is really here! I'm in a limo with Tommy, and he looks gorgeous and treats me nice. Momma, forgive me for locking you up, but I needed to be with him, to be close to him, to look pretty, to be something people didn't put-down and push away. All the mean looks, the insults, the tricks, the disgusting come-ons, but more than anything the scary, miserable aloneness; it all curdles my soul and spoils my appearance with grief. The people like Chris Hargensen and Tina Blake make me want to faint dead away. Momma, God wants me to do this. He wants me to save myself, so I don't do the evil things I'm so tempted to do to them.

Everything has happened so fast. At the lowest moment of my pitiful life, I found a great power within me, like God sent me into Hell to find a sword. I don't know if the power comes from Him or Satan, and I really don't care. I've practiced telekinesis, and it's wonderful and terrifying at the same time. My mind can move much more weight than my body can lift, and from much further away than my arms can reach. I can lift the limo I'm riding in. The Internet doesn't show people doing what I can do. It's not just moving things, now. I'm seeing more than my eyes show me. I can juggle water drops. I can heat metal. I can guide flames and stop electricity in wires.

Since the day of that awful, bloody shower, the bullies have backed off for some reason. Maybe they think their point was made. I'll never forgive them, but I won't seek revenge for the past. That's only because if I let the anger in me loose, God will send me to Hell for it. If they try anything else though, I'm liable twist their fingers backward. If they fling another insult, I'd force them to bite their tongues off. Or I'll pop eyes from their skulls.

I have so much rage in me, that's the least I might do. I have such terrible visions of hurting people. The power that makes me feel so safe now also gives me nightmares about the demon I could become. It's a good thing they've backed off.

I can't look at Tommy direct now. If this is a trick, if he's setting me up . . .

"You shouldn't hide your eyes when you look so beautiful," he says.

I smile and blush. All my dark thoughts of torture, murder and damnation are gone for the moment. He's not setting me up. I just know it even if I can't make sense of why he's doing this. Maybe it's my power telling me, but if anybody does anything to me tonight, I know Tommy isn't in on it. "And . . . you look better than I even knew a guy could. The limo, the tux, this must be so expensive."

"Your dress must be expensive, too."

"No," I say. "It's very cheap. I made it."

His eyebrows go up. "Wow! That's amazing, Carrie. Cheap is the wrong word to call something so beautiful you make yourself, even if it didn't cost you much money. If that dress was in a store window, some girls you'll see tonight would have paid hundreds to wear it. Did you already have it made, or did you do it just this week?"

"Just this week."

"Amazing. It doesn't look rushed. In fact, it looks perfect. It's worth more than my tux."

"I don't know. That suit makes you look so . . . um, angelic? I'm sorry. I don't have a word for it."

We're quiet for a moment. His eyes sparkle at me and know he cares about what I say, and "angelic" wasn't a silly word to him.

He breaks the silence. "I'm surprised you never wore anything pink before. It does something for you."

I giggle. "My momma called it red."

"It is. It's White-red. Carrie White-red. Still, it's your perfect color. You look like a Hollywood star."

I put my hands over my ears. "No. Please don't say that."

"I think you look like Chloe Grace Moretz."

"No! Stop!" I gaze away, frowning.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't even know who that is. Tommy, I don't look that good. This dress isn't gonna keep them from making fun of me. And the better you make me feel now, the more terrible it's going to cut when they do."

"No, they'll be too awed with you. You just watch. I'll swear on my tux, they won't. "

"On your tux?" I laughed.

"I didn't bring my sword. Look, if anybody makes fun of you, I'll slay them."

"Tommy, thank you, but you really won't have to do that. How would you slay them anyway when you didn't bring your sword?"

"With my sharp wit."

And he makes me laugh again. "That would be worth holding back to see." I again look away, but then meet Tommy's gaze with the widest smile I ever wore. Tommy had made me feel safe from myself.

He draws closer and I drop my smile. For a moment our stares entangle, drawing us toward each other, and we kiss. Just a light, touching of the lips. We stop each other there. He hasn't broken up with Sue, and I don't want him to cheat on her, but never anticipated competing with her for Tommy. We pull away into awkward silence, my whole body feels flushed. I restrain myself from making the limousine fly. What will happen after tonight? Could I hide my power from him? If I can't, what would he think?

Little do I know he has less than two hours to live.