Dante gave Frank a lazy glance before looking back at the Low Shoulder poster.
His expression held no trace of excitement.
“Forget it.
I’m not going to a concert with another guy when I already have a date with Jennifer.” Frank’s smile disappeared.
He punched Dante lightly on the shoulder and stared at him with betrayal written across his face.
“You’re abandoning me for a girl?
What happened to friendship?
I thought we were brothers.” “You’ll survive.” The two continued arguing as they made their way toward school.
Frank complained about Dante choosing Jennifer over him while Dante ignored most of what he said.
Warm morning sunlight filtered through the trees and stretched across the sidewalk.
Leaves swayed in the light breeze as the quiet streets of Derry slowly came to life.
They had not walked far when a disturbance ahead caught their attention.
Several teenage boys had surrounded a slender blonde girl near the side of the road.
They shoved her from one person to another and laughed whenever she nearly lost her balance.
The girl looked terrified.
Her thin body trembled while she tried to protect the books clutched against her chest.
One boy pushed her again.
She stumbled backward and almost fell.
Dante and Frank exchanged a brief glance.
Neither of them needed to say anything before they changed direction and rushed toward the group.
“Hey!” Dante shouted.
“What the hell are you doing?” The bullies turned toward him.
“Let her go!
If anyone’s going to bother her, it’ll be me!” Frank stopped beside him and stared in disbelief.
His expression clearly asked what was wrong with Dante’s brain.
Dante also realized how terrible the sentence had sounded.
He cleared his throat and quickly raised both hands.
“That came out wrong.
I meant leave her alone.” Frank shook his head.
“You really need to think before you talk.” The bullies looked between Dante and Frank.
Their earlier confidence weakened when they realized both newcomers were prepared to fight.
Dante stood nearly a head taller than some of them.
He also carried himself with enough confidence to make them hesitate.
None of them knew that the Ox Talisman could let him throw them across the street with one hand.
The group muttered several insults and tried to preserve what remained of their pride.
“You got lucky.” “Stay out of our business next time.” They backed away before turning toward the school.
Their threats continued until they disappeared farther down the road.
Dante watched them leave before approaching the girl.
“Are you hurt?” She hugged her books tighter and shook her head.
Her pale face had not recovered from the fear.
“I-I’m okay.” Her voice was so quiet that Dante almost failed to hear it.
Frank offered her a friendly smile and tried to appear less intimidating.
“I’m Frank.
This is Dante.
What’s your name?” The girl hesitated.
Her eyes moved between them as though she expected the kindness to become another cruel joke.
“Carrie White.” Frank’s expression changed the instant he heard the name.
“Carrie?” Dante turned toward him.
“What’s wrong?” Frank quickly recovered and looked away.
“Nothing.
We should keep moving or we’ll be late.” Dante did not believe him.
Frank was unusually good at controlling his expressions and talking his way out of uncomfortable situations.
The fact that Carrie’s name had startled him so badly meant something was wrong.
Before questioning him, Dante noticed the school badge attached to Carrie’s sweater.
It was the same badge worn by students from their high school.
“You go to our school too?” Carrie gave a small nod.
“We’re heading there now,” Dante said.
“You can walk with us.” His offer seemed to frighten her more than the bullies had.
Carrie took a quick step backward and lowered her head.
“No.
Thank you, but I can go by myself.” She hurried away before either of them could respond.
Her steps grew faster until she was almost running toward the school.
Dante watched her disappear around the next corner.
He then turned toward Frank and crossed his arms.
“All right.
What was that?” Frank avoided his eyes.
“What was what?” “The moment she said her name, you looked like someone had walked over your grave.” Frank glanced around the quiet road.
Once he confirmed that no one was close enough to overhear them, he moved nearer and lowered his voice.
“I’ve heard some things about her.” “What kind of things?” “Carrie White has a reputation.” Dante raised an eyebrow.
“She barely managed to speak to us.” “That’s not what I mean.” Frank looked toward the corner where Carrie had vanished.
“People say strange things happen around her.” He adjusted the strap of his backpack before continuing.
“Her mother is some kind of religious fanatic.
She controls everything Carrie does and barely lets her have a normal life.” Dante remained silent and allowed him to explain.
“Some students have messed with Carrie before.
Afterward, bad things happened to them.
Nothing anyone could prove, but there have been enough accidents to make people nervous.” “What kind of accidents?” “Broken windows.
Lockers slamming shut by themselves.
People falling when nothing touched them.
One guy claimed a desk moved across the classroom on its own.” Frank shook his head.
“Most students think Carrie is just creepy.
Others believe she’s cursed.” The pieces suddenly fell into place inside Dante’s mind.
Carrie White.
He finally remembered where he had heard that name.
She was the girl from Carrie.
Carrie possessed powerful telekinetic abilities that grew stronger under emotional pressure.
Years of humiliation and abuse would eventually push those powers beyond her control.
The original story had taken place in Chamberlain, Maine.
In this mixed horror world, Carrie and her mother apparently lived in Derry instead.
Dante looked in the direction she had gone.
If her life followed the movie’s events, then Carrie was not the real monster in her story.
She was a frightened and isolated teenager who had been abused by nearly everyone around her.
Her mother was Margaret White.
Margaret followed a warped and fanatical interpretation of Christianity.
She viewed normal human desires as evidence of corruption and treated almost every part of growing up as a shameful sin.
Puberty, sexuality, and even menstruation were forbidden subjects inside their home.
Instead of preparing Carrie for adulthood, Margaret taught her to fear her own body.
Carrie had grown up isolated from the outside world.
Her mother restricted her friendships and discouraged nearly every form of normal social interaction.
Whenever Carrie disobeyed or failed to meet Margaret’s impossible standards, she was punished.
The White house contained a cramped prayer closet.
It was barely large enough for Carrie to sit inside with her knees drawn against her chest.
Margaret locked her daughter in that dark space whenever she believed Carrie had sinned.
Inside the closet, Carrie was forced to pray and beg for forgiveness while surrounded by disturbing religious images.
Her mother’s screaming sermons followed her through the door.
Margaret used fear and guilt as chains.
She described the outside world as a place filled with temptation and evil while presenting herself as Carrie’s only protection.
Years of that treatment had damaged Carrie’s confidence.
She had become painfully shy and struggled to speak whenever someone approached her.
Her classmates noticed that weakness and made her an easy target.
Dante now understood why she had refused to walk with them.
Carrie had experienced cruelty so often that simple kindness felt like the beginning of another trap.
Frank waved a hand in front of his face.
“Dante?” He blinked and returned his attention to the road.
“What?” “You stopped walking.” Dante resumed moving toward the school.
Frank fell into step beside him and continued glancing over with curiosity.
Dante said nothing more.
Carrie White was already developing her telekinetic abilities.
The unexplained accidents surrounding her proved that the power had begun awakening.
If events continued along the same path as the movie, then the frightened girl they had just met could eventually turn a school celebration into a massacre.