By the time Dante returned home, the sun had already begun to sink behind the houses of Derry.
He pushed open the front door and found Sarah straightening the cushions in the living room.
“Mom, I’m home.” He dropped his backpack onto a nearby chair.
Sarah looked up and gave him a warm smile before pointing toward the hallway.
“Welcome home, honey.
Wash your hands before dinner.
Go upstairs and tell Lily to come down while you’re at it.” “Okay.” Dante headed upstairs and stopped outside Lily’s bedroom.
The door had been left slightly open, so he pushed it aside and walked in without knocking.
Marquis sat on the edge of the bed with her chin resting against one hand.
She stared blankly at the wall and looked as though boredom had drained every trace of life from her body.
The sound of the door opening brought her back to reality.
She immediately jumped to her feet and lowered her head with exaggerated respect.
“Master, you have returned.” Dante gave her a calm nod.
“Marky, dinner’s ready.” The corner of Marquis’s mouth twitched.
Her pride as a demon demanded that she correct him.
Her instinct for survival told her that arguing with Dante would only result in humiliation or another painful demonstration of Purification.
She swallowed her anger and forced a smile.
“Yes, Master.” Marquis followed him downstairs without another complaint.
She behaved like Lily throughout dinner and answered Sarah’s questions without revealing anything unusual.
Dante occasionally glanced at her from across the table.
Marquis noticed every look and immediately straightened her back as though proving that she was behaving.
Once the meal ended, Dante announced that he was taking his sister for a walk.
Sarah approved without suspicion and reminded them not to stay out too late.
The two left the house and followed the quiet residential street.
Night had settled over Derry, and dim streetlights cast long shadows across the pavement.
After walking several blocks, Dante suddenly stopped.
“Marky, can you get me a large amount of money?” Marquis blinked at the unexpected question.
“How large?” “Enough that I won’t have to spend years saving for another System draw.” She considered the request before answering honestly.
“I could manipulate wealthy humans.
Illusions and Bewitchment would make them hand over their money without much resistance.” Dante frowned.
“That sounds slow.
Can’t you walk into a bank vault and bring me a few bags of cash?” Marquis’s expression fell.
“I can’t do that, Master.” Dante looked at her with open disappointment.
“You call yourself a demon, but you can’t even rob a bank?” “Demons don’t automatically know how to break into bank vaults,” Marquis muttered.
Dante narrowed his eyes.
“What was that?” Marquis stiffened and quickly put on a flattering smile.
“I said that my abilities are better suited for controlling people.
Breaking through reinforced steel and security systems is outside my specialty.” Dante released a tired sigh and resumed walking.
“Forget it.
I should have known I’d have to earn the money myself.” Marquis followed behind him with her cheeks puffed in frustration.
She had once been feared in the demon world, yet Dante treated her like a defective household appliance.
She hurried forward and forced another obedient smile.
“Master, are you tired?
I could carry you.” Marquis started lowering herself as though preparing to let him sit on her back.
Dante stepped away at once.
“Get up.
I’m not riding my little sister through the neighborhood like a horse.
Someone will call the police.” Marquis slowly straightened.
“You’re very difficult to please.” Dante ignored the complaint and continued down the street.
Their shadows stretched ahead of them beneath the yellow glow of the streetlights.
A furious shout suddenly shattered the quiet night.
Dante stopped and turned toward the sound.
The argument was coming from a familiar house farther down the block.
Carrie White’s home.
“Why are you always like this?” Carrie screamed from inside.
“Why can’t you act like a normal mother?” Margaret White answered with a voice filled with religious fury.
“Because you are sinful!
You were born from sin, and evil lives inside you!” Dante and Marquis exchanged a glance before approaching the house.
Two distorted shadows moved behind one of the curtains.
Margaret’s shadow waved its arms wildly.
Carrie’s smaller figure backed away as though trying to protect herself from the woman’s rage.
The argument grew louder.
Something heavy crashed inside the house and shattered against the floor.
Marquis’s eyes brightened.
“This could be entertaining.” Dante said nothing.
He remained focused on the window and listened as the shouting continued.
“You ruin everything!” Carrie cried.
“I’m tired of being afraid of you!” “You should be afraid!” Margaret screamed.
“The Lord sees what you are!
Your wickedness cannot be hidden!” The lights inside the house began flickering.
They dimmed and brightened several times before shaking shadows spread across the walls.
Dante knew the electrical system was not responsible.
Carrie was losing control.
Her emotions were feeding her telekinesis.
Every ounce of fear and anger pressed harder against the objects surrounding her.
“I’ve had enough!” Carrie shouted.
“I’ve had enough of you!” A sharp crack came from the house.
Part of the window exploded outward.
A jagged piece of glass flew through the air and landed near Dante’s shoes.
Marquis crouched and lifted the shard between two fingers.
She closed her eyes and breathed in as though tasting the energy clinging to it.
“Fear, hatred, and years of suppressed rage.” A hungry smile appeared on her face.
“She’s close to breaking.” Before Dante could answer, the front door slammed open.
Carrie stumbled outside with her hair hanging across her face.
Tears covered her cheeks, and her entire body shook with anger and despair.
She noticed Dante and Marquis standing near the sidewalk.
Carrie did not stop or offer an explanation.
She turned and ran down the street as quickly as she could.
Margaret appeared in the doorway behind her.
The older woman looked wild and almost possessed as she pointed after her daughter.
“You cannot run from judgment!
You are a devil, Carrie!
You will burn in Hell!” Dante watched Carrie disappear into the darkness.
He then turned toward Margaret and studied her twisted expression.
Fear was hidden beneath the woman’s fanaticism.
Margaret feared sexuality, change, the outside world, and anything she could not control.
She had buried that terror beneath religion until it poisoned both her mind and her daughter’s life.
Dante looked at Marquis.
“If you feed on the fear and hatred inside that woman, how much stronger will you become?” Marquis paused.
“Are you talking about Carrie or her mother?” Dante frowned and gestured toward Margaret.
“Which one is standing in front of us?” Understanding appeared in Marquis’s eyes.
Her lips slowly curved into a greedy smile as she examined Margaret’s emotional state.
“There is enough fear inside her to feed me for quite some time.
If I absorb all of it, the result should be considerable.” Dante gave a slight nod.
“Do it.
I’ll handle Carrie.” Marquis lowered her head.
“As you command, Master.” Dante turned and ran in the direction Carrie had fled.
Behind him, the temperature around the White house dropped without warning.
A cold wind moved through the street despite the still night.
Tree branches shook above the sidewalk and produced a low rustling sound that resembled distant whispers.
Marquis’s body blurred.
Her human outline dissolved into a dark phantom that drifted silently toward Margaret White.
The woman continued screaming after Carrie and failed to notice the shadow approaching from behind.
Dante followed the road for several minutes before finding signs of Carrie’s path.
A gate had been left swinging near an abandoned industrial lot, and fresh footprints crossed the dust outside an old warehouse.
He entered through a broken side door.
The air inside smelled of rust, damp wood, and years of neglect.
Moonlight slipped through holes in the roof and formed pale patches across the floor.
Dante soon found Carrie curled against a wall near the back of the building.
Her knees were pressed against her chest, and her long hair covered most of her face.
Her shoulders shook with every sob.
Dante slowed his steps to avoid frightening her.
“Carrie.” Her body jerked at the sound of his voice.
She raised her head and looked toward him with fear and suspicion.
Tears filled her eyes and left shining trails across her cheeks.
Dante crouched several feet away rather than moving too close.
“Don’t be afraid.
It’s me.” Carrie stared at him for several seconds before some of the tension left her body.
“She’s always like that.” Her voice broke as she spoke.
“She says I’m sinful.
She says everything about me is wrong.” Carrie gripped the fabric covering her knees.
“She calls me a monster.
I can’t live like this anymore.” The final words escaped in a sob.
She lowered her head and began crying again.
Dante moved closer and placed one hand gently on her trembling shoulder.
Carrie flinched at first but did not pull away.
“You are not a monster.” His steady voice echoed softly through the empty warehouse.
Carrie slowly looked at him.
“You’re different from most people.
That doesn’t make you evil.” She searched his face as though waiting for the cruel joke that usually followed any kind words.
Dante continued before doubt could overwhelm her.
“Everyone has something that separates them from everyone else.
Some people are smarter.
Others are stronger or see things in a way nobody else can.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
“Being different is not a sin.
It only means you need to understand what makes you special.” Carrie’s breathing gradually slowed.
Confusion remained in her eyes, but a faint trace of hope had appeared beneath it.
“Do you really believe that?” “I do.” She wiped her cheek with the sleeve of her sweater.
“Are you different too?” Dante leaned slightly closer as a mysterious smile appeared on his face.
“Of course.
Let’s just say I’m unusually gifted.” [Goal Tracker]