Carrie the Witch

Edward glanced lazily at Frank and said with obvious disdain, "Give me a break. I'm not gay—I'm not going to a concert with some guy. I already made plans with Jennifer."

Frank immediately took offense, reaching out to punch Edward on the shoulder as he complained, "Edward, that's really not cool. Are we even brothers anymore?"

The two bickered as they strolled leisurely toward the school.

The morning sunlight fell gently over them like a golden veil. The roadside trees were lush and leafy, their branches swaying softly in the breeze with a rustling sound, as though whispering about the trivial routines of campus life.

As they walked, a scene not far ahead caught their attention.

A slender blonde girl was being shoved around by a group of punks. Under their pushes, she swayed like a helpless fallen leaf, on the verge of collapse.

Her delicate face was filled with terror and helplessness, and her bright eyes were now full of fear and panic.

Edward and Frank instinctively exchanged a glance. In that instant, each understood what the other was thinking.

Almost at the same moment, Edward and Frank locked eyes, their minds in perfect accord, and charged at the punks without hesitation.

Edward stormed forward and shouted, "What the hell are you doing?! Stop right now! Let that girl go—leave her to me!"

Frank stared at Edward in astonishment, his expression seeming to say, Buddy, what are you doing? Is this really the time for that joke?

Edward realized he had misspoken too. He smiled awkwardly and hurriedly explained, "Sorry, slip of the tongue. I was too anxious and didn't watch my mouth."

The punks had been shoving the girl around with abandon, enjoying the "fun" of bullying her. They had never expected Edward and Frank to suddenly barge in.

They sized up the two imposing boys before them. Though they were unwilling to back down, they were wary of how fiercely the pair had come at them. If a fight really broke out, they might not have the advantage.

After weighing it up, they could only turn and leave reluctantly, cursing and spitting threats as they went, muttering things like, "You got lucky this time."

Edward hurried forward and looked at the girl with concern in his eyes. "Are you okay?" Trembling slightly like a startled deer, the girl answered softly, "I-I'm fine." Her voice shook as though she still had not recovered from the fright.

Frank gave her a friendly smile and introduced himself. "I'm Frank, and he's Edward. What's your name?" The girl hesitated, seeming a little afraid, before quietly saying, "Carrie White."

(Carrie—Carrie, 1976)

At the name, Frank's expression changed instantly, and he blurted out, "Carrie!?" Edward looked at him in confusion. "What's wrong?" Frank froze for a moment, realizing he had overreacted, then covered it up. "Nothing. Let's get going. We're going to be late."

Edward turned his gaze back to Carrie and happened to notice the school badge pinned to her chest. It was exactly the same as theirs.

So he spoke kindly. "Carrie, since we go to the same school, why don't we walk together? Judging by your badge, you attend our school too, right?"

Carrie seemed startled by something and instinctively took a step back. A flash of panic crossed her eyes. She lowered her head slightly and said in a quiet voice, "No need. I can go by myself."

As soon as she finished speaking, she hurried away, her footsteps quick and anxious, leaving Edward and Frank standing there dumbfounded.

Edward watched Carrie's retreating figure and turned to Frank with a suspicious look. "Frank, what was that about?"

Frank looked a little embarrassed. His eyes darted about as he stammered, "Uh, it's nothing serious. It's just... I heard some strange rumors about her before."

"Strange rumors? What kind of rumors?" Edward's curiosity was completely piqued, and he pressed impatiently.

Frank cautiously looked around. After making sure no one was nearby, he lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "People say Carrie is kind of... kind of creepy.

"You know, her mother is an extremely strange religious fanatic. She keeps Carrie on an incredibly tight leash.

"Some students used to deliberately mess with her, but afterward, they all somehow ended up having terrible luck. It was like some eerie force had its eye on them."

When Edward heard Frank say that, he remembered too—she was Carrie the Witch.

Carrie's mother, Margaret White, was deeply mired in extreme Christian fundamentalism. Her twisted faith had long since burrowed into her bones like vines, shaping her personality into something obsessively warped, almost pathological.

Her religious fervor had reached an utterly incomprehensible degree. In her narrow and distorted mind, sex, puberty, and women's normal biological functions were all symbols of "sin," as though they were blasphemies against the religion she believed in.

In that suffocating household, Margaret subjected Carrie to almost abusive control.

Like a cold-hearted prison guard, she forbade Carrie from taking part in normal social activities, completely isolating her from the vibrant world outside. In Margaret's eyes, Carrie was little more than an object that could not be exposed to the light, existing solely for her control.

The "prayer closet" in the house was so cramped that only one person could curl up inside. Its walls were as cold as ice, like an invisible yet unbreakable prison.

Whenever Carrie made even the slightest "mistake," even over something trivial by ordinary standards, Margaret would mercilessly lock her in that closet.

Inside that dark closet, Carrie could only listen to her mother's hysterical religious lectures and repent endlessly in fear and despair. Every word was like a heavy hammer smashing brutally into Carrie's fragile heart.

Day after day, year after year, Margaret used those obscure religious scriptures like poison to continuously brainwash Carrie, painting the entire world as a bottomless abyss filled with temptation and sin.

Through this, she tried to make Carrie submit completely to her twisted control from the depths of her soul, forcing Carrie's thoughts and actions to conform entirely to her will.

After living under such terrifying psychological oppression from her mother for so long, Carrie White became like a little bird trapped in a dark corner—extremely insecure and timid.