Have you ever heard of telekinesis? Seem surprised? I guess that would be normal. Telekinesis. That thing you always read about in comic books, or see on those fake old superhero shows? You got it. Seeing it you might think, "Yeah, right! What a load of garbage! You have to be outta your mind to believe that old hocus pocus!" Well, this is where that old assumption is turned on its head, and thrown out the window. You see things, on the T.V., in the news, and just assume that the people talking about such things are just crazy or immersed in some convoluted fantasy. But do you just blow it off? Admit it, these sort of supernatural things, things that we perceive as impossible, seem tempting to think about. C'mon, you know its true. We, as humans, are tempted by things that are out of our realm of control. The whole concept of something that does not exist within our our power seems so enticing. However, this is a double-edged sword. It may seem tempting, but be warned. Such power draws you in, and consumes you. This lack of control can lead to devastation, calamity beyond anything we've seen. This is what happened to a young girl, someone who nobody ever thought could do such a thing. This is the story of Carrie White.
Carietta N. White was just an ordinary 16 year-old girl in an ordinary town in ordinary Maine, or so everyone thought. There was much more to this young girl's story, a story born out of anger and torment, and the cruelty of her peers. Life had been hard for Carrie. Born from an overtly-Christian fundamentalist mother, along with the absence of a father figure, resulted in a tough, grueling childhood. The odd customs of her mother gave an unwelcomed impression on the young girl, and in turn resulted in antisocial tendencies. From a young age, her mother knew Carrie was special. And when I say that, I mean she thought that Carrie was drawn in by Satan's tempting offers and was a sinning witch. So much for parental encouragement, huh?
On the cold, barren road, surrounded by the blazing fire, the wreckage, the chaos. Carietta N. White was dead. It was the Black Prom, the worst incident ever to happen in the small, unassuming town in Maine. Hundreds dead, and even more injured, all because no one would stop terrorizing the resident loser, Carrie White. Electric wires flicked and hissed like snakes , weaving around the bodies of the deceased. Many of them were left in grotesque, horrible positions, clothes smoldered, limbs contorted in almost comical fashions. Fire hydrants coated the asphalt in a thin sheet of water, and combined with the severed wires, resulted in the electrocution and electric-based fires of many citizens and residencies. Quaint homes burned, many already scorched beyond repair, corpses of the deceased lay scattered like ragdolls, the streets were dead. Only one of the bodies showed signs of movement, the body of Carrie. Ironic, isn't it? The girl who caused all of this devastation, all of the death, is the only one who is alive. She lay in a pool of deep-red blood. It clung to her dirty-blonde hair. It stuck to her simple white prom dress, now in shreds and tears. It just covered her. The metallic, awful scent hung in the hair, combined with the sharp scent of burning, only added to the gruesome scene. In her position that she "died" in, she looked like an innocent, fledgling animal, save the blood. Her eyes fluttered amongst her wind-strewn hair, and finally opened, revealing her simple brown irises. Her figure moved slightly, testing the surface. She felt sticky, thick, warm liquid, and reacted as such. She slowly raised herself, propping herself on the abrasive ground. The sharp, searing pain was gone, just a dull ache now. Her mind was fuzzy, still trying to remember what had happened, and how she got there. She was Carrie White, she knew that for sure. Judging by her surroundings, she recognized her location: the street on which she lived.
That's when the realization of what happened, all of the emotions, hit her like an 18-wheeler. It shattered her, it crushed her. Emotional, mental, and physical pain stung like a wasp. She hurt, in every sense of the word. She gave another look at the wreckage and could only conjure one thought: I did this. The houses of people she knew, in ruins (I did this). The bodies of her peers and their families arrayed in some sort of appalling art scene (I did this). She couldn't fathom the severity of her actions. She finally rose, the simple action taking what she felt was a lifetime. She found her balance, and looked down at herself. She was a disheveled mess. Her dress, if you could even call it a dress anymore, was stained red, a particular dark patch around her shoulder. The deep, severe gash in her shoulder somehow healed into nothing more than a small cut. She shrugged it off, and began walking down the road, trying her best to avoid the myriad of bodies as she went. She stumbled across down the street, until she came to a particular house. She didn't need a map, a sign, or anything to tell her what house, or the remains of a house, she was standing at. It was her own house (I did this). And for the first time all night, tears came from Carrie's eyes. Her house was gone. As she shuffled towards the door, she sobbed out loud, I mean, it's not like there was anyone here to listen. She approached the ruins, stepped over the remnants of the door frame, and navigated her way among the remains. She stopped when she saw something peculiar. A small, brown teddy bear, alienated perfection among the ashen ruins. It seemed like it was untouched, flawlessly intact, no scorch marks, it was completely unharmed. A short wave of relief and joy interrupted her sorrow as she picked it up, and hugged it tightly, glad to have found something happy among the depression she was trapped in. She even began to smile, until she saw something else. It was a figure, a person, a body, a corpse. She didn't have to even think, it just came to her: it was her mother. She was standing just feet away from the corpse of Margaret White . Again, the tears hit her hard, and she collapsed next to her mother. Despite every horrible thing she had done to her, the fact that she killed her own mother was unbearable. She lightly touched her wound, now a scar, and couldn't help but feel betrayed, enraged at the fact that her mother, her own damn mother tried to kill her. She quickly collected herself, knowing what would come if she got out of control. Turning her back on the scene, she again squeezed that peculiar little teddy bear, and walked away from the wreckage. As she departed, another thought came into her mind. She was with someone when before her eyes shut for what she thought was the last time. She remembered that she didn't try to push her away. She was not a threat, but an honest, genuine friend. Sue Snell. Flashbacks overtook her like a tidal wave. She could recall things she never truly felt before. Elation, joy, sincere happiness. Sue Snell was someone who disregarded what people would view her as for being kind to the old loser Carrie White. Hell, she even convinced her boyfriend Tommy Ross to take her to prom, one of the moments a girl remembers for the rest of her life. To be completely honest, prom was one of the best nights of her life, of course before the devastation, the destruction. She also remembered, when all hell broke loose, that Tommy was struck by a metal object that fell from the rafters. She knew what it was, but everything happened in so fast that she didn't really register it. She never saw him wake up. Oh god, Sue. I have to find her, she thought to herself. She set off down the road, being cautious of the live wires writhing along the street.
After about a mile or so, Carrie stopped when she saw a slumped over figure on the pavement. She looked like she was supporting herself, but she was quietly sobbing. Carrie could feel her cries, her emotion. Pain, anguish, scaredness, shot at her like bullets. Carrie nearly doubled over from the sheer intensity of the sadness that the figure was feeling. Determined, she continued towards the figure, the pain increasing with every step. She was mere feet away, and shock overtook her when she saw the person's- a girl no older than she was- face. It was Susan Snell, her only friend. She tentatively dropped to her knees beside her.
"Sue? Sue, it's me. It's-" her voice broke "It's me, Carrie. Oh, god Sue! I can't believe I did this! Everyone is dead because of me! Tommy's dead, Chris is dead, Donna's dead-" With every name she listed, her anger grew, Sue could feel it. "Hell, my own mother is dead! I KILLED THEM!" Carrie roared.
The fire hydrant 15 feet from them burst like a firework, showering the area around it in a mist of water. Sue jumped and looked over, and in a reverse-crab walk, backed away slightly from Carrie. When Carrie realized what she had done, she calmed herself down, the geyser of water shrinking down nothing.
"I-I'm sorry Sue. For everything. You were the best person, the best friend I've ever had, and look at how I repaid you. You were kind, compassionate, and I- I was h-horrible to you. I am so, so sorry Sue, can you ever forgive me? No, you can't, hell I wouldn't even forgive myself! I was, I was such a bit-"
"Carrie", Sue said barely audible, cutting her off, "I forgive you. What happened to you, the people who did that deserved what they got. What they did was unforgivable. You did nothing to deserve that. This, all of this, you couldn't do anything. You were provoked. Sure, I'm upset, hell I sort of want to punch you in the face right about now, but what would that solve? Nothing, not at all. I'm upset Tommy's dead, I mean, I loved him. I'm upset about all of this, but I forgive you. That's all you can really do in live, is to forgive. Grudges kill people. Their toxic. Forgiveness, to me, is a panacea for all of this, this hate, in the world, all of the awful things people do. Of course, forgiving someone won't change what happens, but it better's you. It keeps you sane. So, Carrie White, I forgive you."
Carrie tried to register what happened, but she just couldn't. Everything she did to her, and she forgave her? She tried to muster up the nerve to say something else of that power, but all she could make out was a simple, "Thanks".
"What are you doing out here anyways? Shouldn't you be with your family?" Carrie asked, sitting Sue up next to her.
Sue took in a deep breath, her eyes, devoid of their usual energy, welling up with tears, "Carrie, a week ago, I found out I was pregnant. Tommy-was the father. I got scared when I didn't have my period, and I found a test, and sure enough, it was positive."
Carrie's eyes widened, "Congrats, Sue! I told you, it was a girl, remember?"
Sue looked at her, tears freely cascading down her face, "No, Carrie, not "was" like Tommy is dead, well, I guess that too, "was" as in, I was pregnant. After you died, I-I just ran away, oh god the cramps hurt so bad. C-Carrie, I had my period. When you're pregnant, you're not supposed to get your period. Carrie, god, I had a miscarriage. I-I'm not pregnant anymore."
Carrie couldn't help but cry, for her friend, for a life lost. She shakily stood up, and brought Sue up with her. Sure enough, a small, dark red pool of blood had dried into the pavement under where Sue was sitting. She hugged Sue tightly, for what it seemed like hours, just whispering words of encouragement and hope into her ear. She pulled away, and Sue was finished crying.
"Sue, right before Prom, I found something. A girl emailed me, she lives on the border of our town, about 15 minutes from here. I don't know how she found me, but when my mom wasn't looking, I stole her laptop and started messaging her. She said her name was Rachel Lang, and she thinks she's a telekinetic, like me. She said she saw a case in the police station, her uncle's a psychologist, and she saw my case. Well he put under his notes "telekinetic", and she made the connection when she started seeing weird things happening. Doors closing on their own, glasses breaking, lights turning on and off." Carrie told her.
"Carrie, I-I don't understand, what are you saying?" Sue questioned.
"Sue, we have to get to her. We have to teach her how to control her powers I know I shouldn't be the one talking, but we have to. I don't know, I just feel a connection to her, I don't know how to explain it. Please, Sue, I know that you, more than anyone, can talk to someone, and make them feel comfortable. Please, help me."
"Carrie, did you know I was a straight "A" student, Class President, and most likely to be voted...Prom Queen? Everything I've been taught goes against what you're asking me. Going off with a telekinetic girl who can destroy towns, to find another possibly telekinetic girl who could do the same thing, a girl you've only met online?!" Sue chuckled to herself at the irony of the situation she was in. "Like I said, I've forgiven you. God, I can't believe this, but sure Carrie, I'll help you."
Carrie couldn't help but smile and hug her friend, out of happiness, and relief.
"First, though, let me stop at my house." Sue said, before the two of them departed along the street.
Walking for another half-mile, they stopped at the door of a sky-blue two-story colonial house, accented with a shipped white trim. The lawn was in pristine condition before this whole ordeal, or so Carrie had seen before. Decorative flower pots and shrubs lined the front wall, with scattered oak trees dotting the land. Carrie waited by the door, while Sue entered inside for several minutes, and came out, wiping a tear from her eye, and carrying a set of car keys.
"Everything okay?" Carrie asked, concerned.
Sue gave a slight smile of thanks, "Yeah, I'm just happy that no one in my family was hurt. I just gave everyone hugs and a kiss and said that I had to help out at the police station. Carrie, I hate lying to my family. It sucks, you know? They do so much and I just lied straight to their face, after all of this no doubt. Can we make this relatively quick, please?"
"Yeah, no problem. Sue, I'm so sorry." Carrie said, understanding her friend's pain. Sue gave a small nod of appreciation. They both got into Sue's baby-blue car, with Sue revving the engine, and they set off towards the address Carrie saved from the email. They only had to drive for a short while before they pulled up to the address. Carrie and Sue both gasped in horror at the scene before them. A house, which they imagined was a beautiful colonial, was destroyed. No, destroyed doesn't even scratch the surface. It was demolished, decimated, annihilated. Debris was flung around the house in a 30-foot circumference. Window's shattered, the glass hovering bizarrely in a ring, the elongated edges, like knives pointed outwards, like a protective barrier. The walls were ripped to shreds, leaving only the first floor remaining. Wood splintered, furniture thrown around like ragdolls. The scene was so, so familiar. It was just like the Black Prom, the devastated streets. It was a repeat, deja vu. Carrie and Sue hesitantly got out of the vehicle, as to not disturb the barely moving frame of someone inside. As they went past the mailbox, the only thing in pristine condition, the glass floating above them seemed to come to life. They clustered together, a swarm of locust, eyeing them like eagles. They reflected eerie images of the scene around them. Everything around them seemed to slow down, they could barely move their bodies, like they were in quicksand. Sue screamed, a high, shrill sound, like a frightened animal, as the shards of glass shot at them, like bullets. Carrie moved in front of Sue, and with extreme focus, narrowed her conscience, and mentally commanded "stop moving, just fall to the ground".
Whether it was pure luck, or actual power, the glass listened to her words, and did just so. The daggers dropped to the ground, devoid of life. Sue was speechless, and just stood there, mouth agape. Carrie gave her a slight tug, and together, they approached the figure. Popular position for sobbing teenage girls, huh? Sitting in a lump amidst a burning wreckage. It sure seems like it. They slowly approached the figure, now hearing her barely audible cries, and stepped into the remainder of the house. She saw a girl, around 14 or 15, in a tin red sweater, and skinny jeans. But everything was tattered. Her shoulder-length brown hair covered her face, a face that Carrie could feel projected beauty, but also sadness. Carrie gasped when she saw another frame, lying face down, not moving.
"Oh God, Sue, Sue call 9-1-1." Carrie said breathlessly.
"Carrie, what happened? Carrie!" Sue nearly yelled over the intermittent roar of the flames.
"Sue, go, NOW!" Carrie shouted, and Sue turned on her heels and ran to her car. Carrie crouched down next to the young girl, who was sniffling into her hands. She touched her shoulder, and the girl tensed up, but relaxed again almost instantly. Carrie brushed back the girls hair and turned so she was looking at the girl's face. The girl's sadness, her remorse projected into Carrie when they locked eyes. There was the connection. They were drawn to each other. They both had the same problems, the same demons. They understood each other.
"R-Rachel, Rachel Lang? Rachel it's me. I'm Carrie White. I'm here to help you."