Chapter 4: Anisha interview Carrie
(Later at M&R Therapy Center…)
That question was left to be desired at M&R Therapy Center where Anisha operated in her work. Against her better judgement, Carrie pleaded with Desjardin to take her there and to let her have her alone time with Anisha.
Needless to say progress was slowly building up as Carrie had spent the last four hours in the room with her. It hardly felt like much though. So far, Anisha has gotten everything down from the date of birth all the way to the night before prom and insisted Carrie continue. She didn't really feel like it however as she contemplated getting up to the worst part.
Carrie had to stop herself from this tedious process and ask again, "What do you really want from me?"
For Anisha, she probably saw that coming.
Anisha: Like I've mentioned already, I just want to help.
Carrie: You're not the first person to tell me that. Only difference is the last person who tried to live up to that promise died right here, next to me...in my arms.
The way she was holding up her hands as she spoke, everything about it just felt completely unnatural and it was difficult for Anisha to dismiss that because it was so obvious. The bets she could do was to continue to ask questions and provide support without pushing too far deep.
Anisha: Can I-can I at least get a name?
That was the exact moment where Carrie just wanted to bolt off the couch and walk off. But she didn't...and she told her EXACTLY what she wanted to hear, just not without rarely breaking her voice.
Carrie: Tommy Ross.
She nearly choked out having to pronounce his name: the only boy in school who didn't treat her like a sack of shit and invited her out to prom for just one night of being more than what she was...
At this point, she just about had enough. Bolting off the couch and heading straight for the door, she was prepared to just move away from the matter right then and there and just leave now. But not before those four words were ushered:
Anisha: Did you love him?
For Carrie the entire world just stopped when those words were ushered. Nobody really brought up or mentioned the question up until now but even then the truth about how she felt about her "Relationship" with Tommy Ross was more tragic than sad...and given how her expression changed as she let go of the doorknob even Carrie was ashamed.
Carrie: True sorrow isn't as rare as true love…
That left Anisha confused.
Anisha: Is that a yes or no?
Carrie: There's no simple answer to that. Does it look that way to you?
She couldn't argue with that.
Anisha: If that's the case...then...eleborate.
Silence was deafening for the time being twas as the common response Carrie had giving other for hours on end. As expected though, she does open her mouth.
Carrie: I wasn't supposed to be the one with him. I wasn't supposed to go out with him that night.
Anisha: Why do you say that?
As ashamed as Carrie was to admit the truth it was still the truth regardless and it needed to be said.
Carrie: Because Tommy Ross was in love with someone else. Still, it was like...I knew he was during our dance and how he treated me sweetly. It was just out of sympathy...I-I don't know how to explain it but...I could hear what he was thinking.
Anisha: Hear? What he was thinking? Are you saying you read his mind?
Carrie: Look, I've said enough! Listen Dr...
Anisha: Anisha.
Carrie: Anisha. I appreciate this offer bit I don't see how this is suppose to help me. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered of coming here.
She just stares at Anisha disapprovingly as she just turns the doorknob and opens it about to make her way out.
Carrie didn't have to say anything - she could see that this wasn't going to go through as well as she thought. She didn't have time for this she truly believed it would be easier to work together with someone who had actual answers but if she had to find out alone, so be it.
Anisha: I met other people like you!
That's what stopped Carrie dead in her tracks as she slowly turned her head around looking at the therapist in curiosity.
The very thought of what she said sounded blasphemous yet it felt too real. Carrie knew from her high school days that there were others out there like her thanks to her research Given how inherited and potentially dangerous the ability felt to her it was a fact she could not argue with whatsoever Jumping to conclusions didn't feel all that wrong right about now but given the "Confirmation" she received seconds ago, it was unsure as to what she was to feel now.
Anisha: One of my first patients actually had the same powers as you. And since I first learned about it...Telekinesis has been my obsession for a long time. Its origins remain a mystery to me but its development has drastically increased my interests and as much as I'm ashamed to admit it...I've come to admire the skills of the supernatural. I spent the last six years of my life studying those abilities trying to learn of how what exactly created this phenomenon...and how it gets down from generation to generation.
Carrie mumbled between the crack of her lips as she closes the door and sits back down again, this time Anisha had her full undivided attention.
"Whether it was inherited or from natural causes", Carrie mumbled between the crack in her lips as she closes the door and sits back down again. This time, Anisha had her full undivided attention.
Anisha: There was...one incident that I picked up a year before your case. It was unknown as to how he got his powers but something set him off as well...and in his final moments...it destroyed him.
Carrie listened more carefully as she kept on curious on who this other telekinetic before her was. But there's one thing she knew for sure. "His gift became his curse".
Anisha: His scenario was definitely something but it wasn't until your case opened that I truly began to...question...how far is it possible to push someone like you to the brink of collapse. Four years later and I still know little about you. All I know is, Carrie...this power may feel like a curse to you but deep down, you must know it can be used for something of a higher purpose. I can give you support but not until I know more.
Once again the meeting started to go downhill as it didn't take long for Carrie to put two and two together.
Carrie: More what?
Anisha: About that night. About those involved. Do you ever think about them, Carrie?
Knowing where she was going Carrie sat there with a broody expression plastered across her face as her eyes began twitching, clutching her fists without Anisha noticing. Neither of them seemed to notice the bookshelf on the left side of the room began to shake slightly as only a few books fell over.
Pretty soon, the table began to shake as well.
Anisha: Do you...feel guilty about their fate?
No words were spoken from her except for some more twitching in Carrie's eyes.
Anisha: I even borrowed something from the old Chamberlain evidence depository. They said they found it while investigating the remains of your house.
Carrie didn't even seem to notice Anisha had a suitcase packed in her lab. Having a raised a few red flags already, Anisha opened the suitcase which caused Carrie's powers to die down slowly. Everything present in the room that was shaking stopped...and what she pulled out...
...was the ruined torn dirt and bloody covered prom dress she wore that exact night in Chamberlain.
Seeing it made Carrie react rashly on the inside as her eyes widened and mouth dropped and almost immediately, the room began to shake excessively again, even more violently than the last few seconds as the entire layout of the room began to shake, rattle and fall apart. Bookshelves were knocked over, the lamplight began to twitch, the glass table slowly began to crack. It felt like all hell was breaking loose.
Yet Anisha was still there seemingly unfazed by how far Carrie can push the limitations of her powers without exerting too much. Little did Anisha know Carrie genuinely felt no control over her abilities this time around.
Anisha: This was yours, right? The same night all hell broke loose, the very stain that continued to plague your mind ever since?
Carrie: Y-Yes.
Anisha: How many lives that day?
She was certainly pushing the wrong buttons but she insisted anyways for she deemed this too important.
Carrie: Three hundred and...seven.
Anisha: Do you even remember them?
Hours ago, she wouldn't have been able to give out an answer but now that she was pushed to a limit she didn't want to go towards, all sense of awkwardness, uneasiness and fear went straight out the window. It's as if she was a completely different person compared to when she actually had control.
Carrie: I remember all of them.
Her eyes pulsate rapidly at the sight before she just telepathically yanks the dress away from Anisha, finally ushering her to break out of her brief psychotic episode all while the room just laid in complete and utter ruins. Both women just stare at each other in stunned silence over what just happened. Needless to say, neither one of them could tell what was more terrifying: how extreme Carrie's abilities were, how close she was to snapping again or the fact that she just confessed to committing to the crime that would go on and make national history.
Finally having enough to deal with this, Carrie, still clutching onto the dress tightly, just bolted up from the couch and reached for the door yet again but not before she ushered a warning.
Carrie: If I were you Anisha...I would hope we don't meet again.
Anisha: I wouldn't dismiss that right away.
Carrie: Well, you should.
Finally, she exits.
(Later at The University of South Florida…)
Meanwhile, at the University of South Florida, the occurring basketball between the home and opponent teams had come to a close almost half an hour ago. And unfortunately for the Ford brothers, things did not go the way they had hoped it would.
They lost to the Turros by one point.
Not to mention Sean had to sit out for the last two halves of the game after twisting his ankle near the last few seconds of the second game. As a result, Raymond had to work the last two games with his friend Scott Heralds (Chris O'Neal) taking his brother's place.
That, however, completely blew up in their faces.
Exiting the lounge area and having to head up to Scott's room for some breathing room, there didn't seem to be much stopping either of them from just spitting on the game they trained so hard for only to fail. And it was hard to tell who was frustrated the most.
"And that'S how you commit career homicide." Ray sits out as soon as they enter the doorway.
"More like suicide. As careful as Sean normally is, he basically did that to himself", Scott felt the need to point out. "Ok, that I can't really argue against but for the life of me, what were you doing out there?", Ray just expressed, feeling completely dumbfounded and lost in the moment.
Ray: This was your debut for the South Florida Bulls and you could've, at least, tried to make it worthwhile. Yet you were fucking paralyzed a-as if David Blaine was there, snapping his fingers and advra kadabra straight into the center of the arena. You barely knew what you were doing down there, man.
Scott: What more did you expect me to do?! It was my first time out on the court!
Ray: We lost by one point!
Scott: Hey. You think it would've mattered less if Sean was there?
That brought the matter to rest almost immediately because Scott had a point there. Even if Sean hadn't twisted his ankle, the outcome of the game probably wouldn't have altered much in the long run and deep down, both of them knew it. Dropping both their book bags and duffle bags, they both just lay downwards onto the bed.
It was an exhausting journey of a day already and both men were just exhausted of energy.
Ray: I will say this though: the angle of that free throw looked dope as all hell.
Scott: One in a million shots, bud.
They both chuckle and the laughter immediately dies down seconds later. Neither one of them generally weren't happy with the outcome of tonight and it made Ray bring up some real talk.
Ray: When the hell did our lives get so complicated?
Scott: You know that better than I do, man-
Ray: Only because me and Sean had it worse than you and we had to build everything back up from scratch, ok? No tricks, no good luck, no spells, no wingardium leviosa, just pure manufactured brotherly-labor. Parents or no parents, it probably wouldn't have altered much in the end anyways.
Scott: Ok, so let's just say maybe there were elements of the supernatural that existed in this world. Would prefer that if it makes your life a little less tedious and a little more fun?
Ray: I've never believed in any of that. Never wanted to Cause it's more harm than good. Always leads to trouble.
All of a sudden, there were three knocks on the outside of the door of the dorm. The sound didn't startle them but it did raise some eyebrows.
Ray: You invite anyone?
Scott: No. Might be Sean, who knows?
Ray just looked at him, almost in stupor. "You know it takes days to weeks to recover from a sprained ankle, right?"
"Again, you never know. Let me check first." Seeing how Scott had a point there, he just backs off while the knocks on the door continue to run through...
Scott: Who is it?
Approaching the door with each passing second flying past him, he doesn't open the door. He just peeks out of the peephole to be able to see who it was first. Scott's eyes widen in shock before shutting the peephole and just locking the door. Putting his back up against the door, it raises more than just an eyebrow for Ray.
Ray: Ok? Should I be worried?
"I'd prefer 'scared shitless'." Scott spits out bluntly.
More knocks on the door formulate, each one more louder and aggressive than the last as an annoying female voice just echoes, screeching through the wood.
Raymond!
Ray: Is it just-me or does that sounds like-
RAYMOND!
By the time two and two come together, Ray didn't like what he found out at all. Anything to do with who was on the other side meant more than enough bad news to him already. "No no no NO! Why her?"
Scott: Shush. Don't answer it and she'll go away.
Ray: No, she won't.
I'm not going anywhere till you open this door.
Ray: What the hell did I tell you?!
This just makes Ray groan loudly, slamming down on the bed. At this point, he didn't care whether or not the person on the other side of the door heard him or not. He was just frustrated that she had to come sneaking into his life again.
I'm waiting.
"BETTER KEEP WAITING, THEN!", Ray yells from the inside out only for Scott to pull him aside out of the way of the door and just stuff him down near the cabinet near the bed. Any attempts to keep him quiet didn't go well, despite there needing to be a way to get him to lower his voice.
Ray: Don't shush me!
Scott: Whoa whoa whoa. Why are you so sour?
He just stared at Scott for a bit. Scott felt awkward, but he felt the need to say what he did. "Can you please just get rid of her?", Ray said with an uneasy vibe in his throat.
Scott: Why me?
Ray: Cause you got the hots for her.
Scott: But...that's the problem. I can't talk to her without being turned down.
If you boys aren't gonna let me in, at least tell me where Sean is.
Ray: Forget it! You leave my bro alone. He's done with your bullshit!
Turning back to Scott, Ray just squealed under his breath, "Scott just do it!"
Scott: Ohhhh...fine.
With Ray taking in his pride and hiding, this left Scott slightly grabbing the doorknob and just yanking it all the way open, just to get a good look at Kaitlyn Lawerence (Scout Taylor-Compton). Almost immediately, Scott's jaw nearly dropped to the floor of his chin.
But then again, why wouldn't he?
In his eyes, he was drop-dead gorgeous.
Kaitlyn: Oh Scott...heh...normally, I wouldn't drop by if I hadn't seen...you know. But since Ray just so happened to slip by, you wouldn't happen to see Sean anywhere?
Scott: Errr...I uh...hadn't seen him since the game. He...had an accident during on of the playoffs…
Kaitlyn: Duh! I know that. I'm the cheer captain; I saw the whole thing. Had to go to the nurse's office to check and he wasn't there. So when I saw Ray come in, I figured-
Scott: Yeah yeah yeah, I get it...both brothers aren't always in the same spot as one another. But Sean; he...really needs time to heal.
Not buying the dumb gimmick, Kaitlyn felt something done when she asked of something she'd make sure she get it. And this time would be no different.
Kaitlyn slowly began tracing on Scott's chin which made him nervous as his cheeks blushed and his eyes twitched.
Kaitlyn: Let's cut the shit, ok? I know you've been dying for a short shot at the hottest chick on the team. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the same around you. It would be very sweet if you can just...spill out some info for me.
She suddenly presses up against his pants, slapping her hand right alongside his crotch and it makes him jump slightly.
Scott: Oof! Argh...well, I...
Scott still tried to keep his game face on but his defense was deteriorating every passing second.
Kaitlyn: Just tell me, Scottie, where he is and I promise you, I'll make it very worth your while.
With Ray overhearing everything, he felt like he was gonna barf. He almost contemplated texting or calling Sean right now to tell him Kaitlyn was on his trail again but something told him not to but next thing he knew, his jaw fell completely open as he just overheard Scott blurt it out, "He's in the men's locker room."
Satisfied, Kaitlyn just plants a small kiss on his cheek before slightly shoving him back into the room and walking off. Scott undoubtedly felt awkward after that but awkwardness quickly dissolves to disappointment as he looks past at his dorm door seeing a very pissed off Ray as he once again squeals...
Ray: WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!
Scott: I get it. I fucked up, I know. Everything just happened too fast; I didn't even know what else to say...
Scott had to know that wasn't a good excuse in the slightest cause all he could see was Ray's cold eyes just staring straight through him.
Ray: See, I knew you were into Kaitlyn but I didn't think you were dumb enough to let Poison Ivy get in the way of anything.
Scott: That happens when you come across someone that drops dead gorgeous. If people were to take a survey on Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn alone, I'm pretty sure more than half of the school's population would vote "To die for".
Ray just scoffs and chuckles at that remark before he just picks up his bag and flips it into his back.
Ray: It ain't always about looks, Scott. Heart matters more.
He storms out leaving Scott on his lonesome and feeling incredibly useless.
In the men's locker room, it was all but empty. No basketball players, no baseball players, no lacrosse teams, track runners, coaches, not a single soul was present. All but one. Only Sean was present in the locker room like Scott said, only he was in the medical room trying to readjust his twisted ankle. The ankle still made it difficult for him to stand after placing ice over the sprained area so without waiting much longer, he painfully lifted it up to his right knee.
Sean: Ah! Ahh! Damn!
Yelping in exasperation, Sean first rubbed over the cold bare skin of his foot before grabbing ahold of the ankle and then snapping it back into place.
Sean: Ffffffffuck ME, argh!
Sean's leg just fell over as he breathed out and slowly. Willing to walk out of his own merit, he did, in fact, stand up on both legs.
While not at 100%, he'd be able to stand and walk again; however the chance of being able to play again was off the table for a week or two.
Looks painful.
There was a fine line between somewhat startled and just flat-out annoyed by the voice and her presence as Sean just stared at Kaitlyn standing in the doorway. He couldn't tell what was more nauseating now: her presence or the fact that she was wearing that innocent yet sadistic smile as she just giggles uncontrollably.
"Kaitlyn...this is the men's locker room. You know the coach would kill you if he catches you in here", Sean growled under his breath, making it clear how unwelcome Kaityln was no matter how much she insisted. And she continued to insist.
Kaitlyn: Why are you always so pessimistic? He's never here on a Friday afternoon. I mean you gotta have someone looking out for you...bad leg and all.
He could suddenly feel the stiletto shape of her claw nails tracing the edge of his chin, crawling up to the side of his face. Seeing where this was going, Sean just smacked her hand off and away.
Sean: Don't. I'm really not in the mood for this. Not in the mood period.
Kaitlyn knew this was going south. "Sean, honey. I know you need your space. We've had a lot of hiccups lately but...you know Valentine's day is in two weeks time. And February 10th is Karaoke night...so I thought..."
Sean: Don't even go there, Kait. Do you even remember why we broke up?
Kaitlyn: Course I do. Said you needed time to grief. Hard to argue whether it mattered much of the same to Ray since your parents.
Insulted and offended, Sean flinched when she brought up his deceased parents. He was a millisecond away from losing his cool and just shouting at her until he remembered. Taking deep breaths in and out, the best he could do was try to speak firmly and as calm as he could. But he just couldn't resist gritting his teeth.
Sean: I had to call it off because of the way everything turned out wrong. Anyone with a half a brain in their heads could've seen it coming a mile away; I'm just surprised the only one who couldn't see past your beauty was me. We can't do this anymore, Kaitlyn.
Kaitlyn: You know...'Can't' is usually a first...but it's always a road to 'Can'.
Sean really couldn't believe it. Either Kaitlyn just didn't care or she was this oblivious to every word that flew out of his mouth. It made it all the more difficult to feel sorry for her.
Sean: I'm not making that detour. Try to take the hint.
Kaitlyn: You used to hate saying that.
Sean: Well, there's a lot of things I hated about us, the more I look back on it.
Kaitlyn: Come on, Sean. Can't we just pretend for once that things are still like they used to be?
Sean: I can't...because I don't trust the notion that what went down won't remind me of how I'm without any parents. As for you...just...let it go, Kait.
He had to reiterate for the ten thousandth time, walking past her on his way out the door. Kaitlyn grabs his arm only for Sean to yank it away before walking out and slamming the door. It wasn't locked but it left Kaitlyn moody as she folded her arms, flustered.
Kaitlyn: Why do they always play hard to get?
To Be Continued…