AN - I'm not so sure about this story... If anyone has any constructive criticism for me, I'd love to hear it cause I think I have a good idea here, but I want to be able to make it the best it can possibly be. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and I hope you'll consider helping me!

She just stood there. The same spot every day - on the front steps of the house neighboring Darry's place. Didn't matter if it was raining. Didn't matter if the weatherman called a tornado warning. She'd be there. For hours at a time, Pony swore she never moved at all, that she occupied the steps from when he woke up to when he came home from school. When he'd glance out the window before going to bed, she'd still be standing on the steps. Like she was waiting for something.

That was how he put it, anyway. Wasn't sure I really believed him, though. He had a pretty active imagination and sometimes it got the better of him. We were about the same age - we were in the same grade at school, even had classes together. I thought he was kinda immature for his age, in spite of his book smarts. Never would hold it against him cause I honestly liked him a lot.

Anyway, it was a Saturday morning in mid-October when things started getting weird. And I don't mean spending-quality-time-with-Steve weird. This was so much more than that...

ooo

"C'mon, Sleepyhead, wake up." My brother shook me out of my dreams, grinning like a madman. He pinched my arm then laughed as I hit him with my pillow. "We're goin' to Pony's place today. Don't ya wanna see your little boyfriend?"

I knew he was teasing me, but I couldn't stop myself from being angry. Redheaded and stubborn, I'm proud to say I have the fiercest temper around. And my brother knew that better than anyone. He just liked provoking me, I guess.

"Screw off, Two-Bit," I said.

"Well, fine then," he replied, backing away from my bed. "Suit yourself, Carrie. But don't ya know that lazy girls get no pancakes?"

I practically jumped out of bed at the mention of breakfast. Not like I was fat or nothing... Big appetites just run in the family, okay? There was this one time, back when the whole family was still together, that my dad ate enough to feed a baby elephant. He kept on asking for more until Two-Bit finally told him to lay off before the rest of us starved.

It used to hurt to think about. The memories of Dad, I mean. But it's been a couple years since he walked out and my friends said I just had to get over it. So I did. Wasn't hard at all...

"You didn't say nothin' 'bout pancakes," I said, crossing my arms. "Lead with that next time and I'll be runnin' for the kitchen like the Devil's chasin' me."

"Watch that mouth, would ya?" Two-Bit frowned a bit as he watched me from the doorway. "If Ma hears, she'll force some soap down your throat."

"She ain't even home," I said, picking out clothes from my dresser - simple blue jeans and a pink sweater.

"Guess she ain't..."

My eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What do ya mean?"

Two-Bit shrugged then walked out of my bedroom. I changed quickly, put my pajamas in the laundry basket. As soon as I was finished, I met my brother out in the kitchen. He'd already served himself, leaving only two pancakes for me.

We ate in silence. I couldn't stop thinking about how weird it was that he didn't know Mom was at work. He must've figured something out about her. Like she was sick. Or maybe she got fired. Which would pretty much mean we'd get evicted right away cause Two-Bit didn't bother with getting a job and I was still too young to work.

When we finished eating, I did the dishes while he got dressed and greased up his hair. Then we walked over to Pony's house. We passed by the neighbor's place and, sure enough, that girl was standing on the front steps, watching us.

"She's real pretty," Two-Bit said, his eyes running up and down her body. He must've been admiring her curves cause she had a figure that made guys drool and girls jealous. "I'm gonna go chat her up. You run on ahead."

"Sure."

I was still feeling self-conscious so I didn't have that feeling that something bad was gonna happen. I was too distracted by looking down at my small breasts - wishing they were bigger - to notice much else. Seriously, though. No wonder Two-Bit never worried about me. With full-figured girls like her taking up all the guys, he didn't ever think that one of them would bother screwing with his little sister.

By the time I got to the door of Pony's house, I was close to tears. Thinking about how I wasn't pretty enough or thin-yet-curvy enough to capture a boy's attention. How I wasn't smart enough to be charming and interesting. I just wanted to go home, but I went inside anyway.

Soda was watching tv from the couch when I walked in. He glanced up at me, smiling as brightly as he usually did. "Hey, Carrie," he said. "Where's your brother?"

I sighed. "He's next-door, talkin' to that weird girl..."

"Oh. Guess he'll be over soon then," he replied, smile widening. "Cause it only takes a couple minutes before girls reject him."

I shrugged a bit. It was hard to laugh when you were feeling bad about yourself. And, all things considered, I was pretty down. Slowly, I sat on the floor, leaning my back against the sofa and staring at the television screen. Guess Pony wasn't home. He would've come out and made me feel better. Where was everybody else, anyway? I thought we were all supposed to be hanging out here.

The door opened again and I hoped it was Ponyboy. But it was just my stupid brother. I almost turned away, but then I noticed how pale he was. It was like all the color in his body had been sucked right out of him. And his eyes had lost their sparkle, too.

"Told ya he got rejected," Soda said, chuckling. He stood up and crossed the room, putting his arm around Two-Bit's shoulders. "Don't worry, I'm sure it wasn't too bad. You'll be back to your old self in no time."

It was like my brother hadn't even noticed his friend. He just stared at the carpet, shuddering. That's when the whispers started and those freaked me out real bad cause I couldn't understand what he was saying. It was all gibberish with some actual words thrown in. Words I wasn't even aware that my brother knew - brimstone, damnation, apocalypse.

As if he was quoting from the Bible or whatever...

Then he just snapped out of it like it was nothing. He was still pale and grim, but the next time he opened his mouth, I could actually understand the words coming out.

"Somethin' ain't right about that girl," he said, quivering like a leaf in a hurricane. "She... She got real issues..."

In the end, we just decided to go home. The other guys were late and Soda had been called in to work suddenly and with Two-Bit in the state that he was, we figured it'd be best to reschedule. I wanted to get as far away from these two houses as possible, anyway. It'd give me the time I needed to deal with my own problems. Then I could handle everyone else's.

I said goodbye to Soda and nearly bolted out the door. Two-Bit followed much more slowly so I had to wait for him, growing especially impatient when he shared a few private words with his friend. With nothing to occupy my mind, my eyes wandered over to the neighboring house's front steps.

The girl was gone.

AN - Thank you for reading! :) In addition to the constructive criticism (either a review or PM), I could really use some suggestions for the plot cause I have no idea where this is going. I know I should, but I wrote this on a whim. Anyway, thanks again for taking the time to read this and help me out. Bye for now!