Edit: I had the teacher's name wrong. I wasn't sure what it was, so I looked it up as I was writing and it said Miss Collins. Thanks to the guest reviewer for correcting me!
She didn't know how or why it happened. She was barely conscious, let alone functioning. She didn't know where she was or why it was so dark and stale...Was she dead? Was this the afterlife? It was far too crammed for Carrie's liking. She wanted to go back to sleep. Everything was peaceful in her sleep; there were no small spaces stinking of dirt and mold.
She almost did go back to sleep. After all, what else was there? But then, at the last moment, something cracked. What was it? There didn't seem to be anything around that could have cracked. Then again, it had sounded muffled, as if on the other side of a thick wall.
Carrie furrowed her brow in concentration, then gasped as there was another loud crack directly in the two foot space above her face. Clumps of dirt fell into her eyes and mouth, and she promptly wiped at her face to get the offending soil to go away.
What was the meaning of this? Had she done that? She hadn't thought about doing it. Perhaps her power was out of control, if that was what it was. Of course, it had to be. What else could it have been? She was alive, and she was...
She was...
Carrie was suddenly aware of the lack of oxygen in the casket and screamed, lashing out with her power in fear and confusion. She was underground! She had been buried alive! Carrie began to take quick, shallow breaths, anxiety bubbling up inside her as the previous blast of telekinesis only showered her in more dirt. She pushed at the earth over and over again, slowly making progress, until she thrust both of her hands upward and the remaining soil exploded out of the grave, leaving a wide hole in her berth.
Though her body was weak, she was filled with adrenaline, and it didn't take any time for Carrie to scramble out of the hole in the ground and come to rest beside it. She rolled onto her back and stared up at the sky, her chest heaving.
Carrie tilted her head as she began to catch her breath, narrowing her eyes up at the sky. It was dark, and tiny flecks of light from the stars stared back down at her. The stars must have witnessed everything. If only they could speak to her and tell her what kind of mess this was. Was she buried alive on purpose or had she been mistaken for dead? She figured both were equally likely, considering her reputation.
Carrie took a deep breath and sat up, then glanced around to take stock of her surroundings. She was in the Chamberlain Cemetery, the only cemetery in town. She knew where she was, but...she didn't know where to go.
She drew her knees to her chest and locked her arms around them, feeling more hollow inside than anything. What was she to do? Perhaps she should have gone back to sleep in the grave, anyway.
Carrie looked at the marker, curious, and felt her heart sink. The first thing she noticed, other than the fact that it was cracked down the middle, were the large red letters scrawled over it. "Carrie White burns in Hell". She felt her stomach twist and she drew her legs up to her chest, clasping her arms around them. Should it really be that much of a surprise to her? She knew everyone hated her. Everyone. Even her own mother had thought she was spawn of the devil, and even she was dead.
Despite never wanting to see the grave marker again, Carrie felt her eyes being drawn to it once more. It was a hideous sight, one that made her want to crawl back into the grave and die, but...
She blinked. A small blob of white glowed in the light of the waxing moon. It didn't fit the dreary atmosphere; in fact, she wasn't even sure of what it was. She crawled closer and bit her lip as the object came into focus. Carrie picked it up, gently, and brought it close to her face, where she could study it better.
It was a single white rose. Its petals were satiny and clean, and the stem was moist and flexible; it wasn't even brittle as it would be if it were dying. The rose was fresh; it couldn't have been there for more than a few hours, if that. Carrie stroked a smooth petal with one finger, feeling tears welling up in her eyes.
Did someone leave this for her, or had it been a mistake? Surely nobody here could possibly miss her, not after what she had done at prom.
Prom. Carrie winced as the memories of that night came rushing back. So many people were dead...so many students and teachers, all because of her. It was directly her fault, and nothing could change that. But even with that fact withstanding, the rose did not walk to her grave itself. Someone had to have put it there.
But who? Who could have possibly forgiven her enough to show her resting place any amount of respect? The first person that came to her mind was Mr. Desjardin. After all, she was the one person who had helped her and believed in her. However, even in that case, the woman had probably set the rose there because it was a polite thing to do. There was no way Carrie was going to find Mrs. Desjardin and reveal to her that she was still alive. She didn't know who she could trust.
She winced as her stomach let out a loud rumble. She was hungry. And absolutely parched. She felt scared and alone; she had no one to turn to, no home, and no way to get food and water. She could not even risk sneaking into a gas station for a drink from the water fountain if it meant she could get caught. Whoever found her would probably kill her on spot.
She couldn't stay here, though, that was for sure. Someone would notice the destruction that had been wrought on her grave and assume it had just been further vandalized, but if she was still there herself, things would not be good.
Carrie sighed and got to her feet, clutching the white rose to her chest as if it were her lifeline. She would go back to her house and...and if the debris was still there, then there must be somewhere to hide once the sun rises. It would be all she could do until she could come up with a better plan.
The trek to her former home wasn't too long, and she was barely winded by the time she reached it. She could see the sun beginning to peek over treetops on the horizon, and she bit her lip as she scanned the street for any people that might see her.
Once she was sure the entire area was clear, she got closer to the pile of rubble that used to be her house. None of it had been cleaned yet, and Carrie only wondered why for a brief moment before shrugging it off and beginning to scour the chunks of plaster and drywall for a place to hide and give her shelter.
Once she found a decent place where she was sure she couldn't be seen from any angle, she nestled down into the cold stone and closed her eyes, exhaustion taking precedence over anything else that would have kept her awake.