Carrie

Edward considered this, quietly making his plans.

Carrie, a pitiful girl twisted by fear and bullying, had ultimately brought catastrophic destruction upon the entire town with telekinesis on prom night.

Given a second chance at life, he was not here to watch the tragedy repeat itself.

Her supernatural ability was a useful thing. With a little guidance, if he let her feel some warmth from the "normal world," this incomparably sharp blade could be held firmly in his hand.

"Hey, Edward! Let's go!" Frank patted his shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. "If we don't get to class, Collins's chalkboard eraser is about to take flight."

In class, Collins lectured with spittle flying everywhere. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting shafts of light through the drifting chalk dust.

Her gaze swept across the classroom and soon settled on a figure in the back row, sleeping soundly.

Collins frowned and, without another word, picked up the chalkboard eraser from the podium and swung her arm.

"Whoosh—"

The eraser traced a precise arc through the air and hit its target with a smack.

"Kaller!" Collins's voice carried an icy edge. "If you sleep in my class again, you can prepare for a big F on this year's report card."

Kaller jolted awake, rubbing his aching head with a bewildered, indignant look on his face.

He looked around, then seemed to seize upon a lifeline. Pointing at Edward beside him, he said, "Collins, that's not fair! Wasn't Edward asleep too? Why aren't you saying anything to him?"

The moment he finished speaking, the entire class burst into laughter.

Collins adjusted her glasses. A cold glint flashed across the lenses. She could not even be bothered to look at Kaller as she said flatly, "Edward gets A+ in every subject. How can you compare yourself to him?"

Her voice was not loud, but the words struck Kaller like a sledgehammer, leaving him speechless.

By then, Edward, whose name had been called, finally woke up. He rubbed his eyes, still a little groggy.

"Edward, since you're awake, come answer the question on the board," Collins said.

Edward instantly sobered up. He stood, glanced over the long string of complicated calculus formulas on the board, and, with barely any thought, gave a clear solution and the final answer without a single mistake.

The classroom fell silent again. Even Collins nodded in satisfaction.

At last, the bell rang to end class.

Today's PE lesson was volleyball, and the students streamed onto the field.

The blazing sun hung overhead, and the air was so stifling it was hard to breathe.

Carrie wore a faded old tracksuit and huddled alone in a corner of the court, wishing she could turn invisible.

A volleyball wobbled toward her. She instinctively reached out to block it, but her movement was comically clumsy. The ball struck her arm and bounced far away.

"Hahaha! Look at that idiot!"

Several girls who delighted in bullying others immediately gathered around her. Chris, the tall girl at their head, crossed her arms and sneered sharply, "Carrie, did you skip breakfast? You can't even touch a ball. What a useless loser!"

The piercing laughter stabbed Carrie like needles. She lowered her head even farther, her cheeks flushing crimson. Her fingers clenched desperately at the hem of her clothes, and her body would not stop trembling.

Edward, who had just arrived at the field, saw the scene and his eyes lit up slightly.

The opportunity had arrived.

He headed straight for the volleyball court.

"Edward, are you crazy?" Frank followed behind him, completely baffled. "You're going to help that freak? Stay away from her. She always smells weird."

Edward did not slow down or look back. "You wouldn't understand. I'm saving them."

He walked over to Carrie and softened his voice. "Ignore them. I'll teach you."

Then he picked up the volleyball from the ground, turned to Chris and her group, and said expressionlessly, "There's no need for classmates to act like this, is there?"

Chris and the others froze for a moment, clearly not expecting the school's star student to stand up for Carrie.

Chris quickly recovered. She looked Edward up and down, her voice dripping with provocation. "Oh, isn't this our A+ genius? What, trying to play the hero and save the beauty? Your taste is really something."

The girls beside her joined in. "Edward, if you're really so capable, make her catch one ball! Just one, and we'll admit you're amazing!"

Frank scratched his head anxiously at the side, thinking, Now we're done for. With Carrie like that, she'd be lucky if the ball didn't hit her in the face, let alone catch it.

Yet Edward acted as though he had not heard their mockery. He tossed the ball to Carrie and said gently, "Don't be nervous. Watch the ball. Pretend it's an apple. You just need to reach out and catch it."

Carrie stretched out her trembling hands. Sure enough, the ball slipped through her fingertips once more.

Chris laughed even louder.

Edward did not mind at all. He picked up the ball again and smiled at Carrie. "It's okay. One more time. This time, imagine it will fly into your hands by itself."

The ball was tossed into the air.

In everyone's eyes, it seemed as though the ball had grown eyes. It traced a perfect arc, neither too fast nor too slow, and landed steadily in Carrie's outstretched hands.

"Smack."

A soft sound rang out.

The entire court fell silent.

Chris's smile froze on her face, while Frank's mouth dropped open in shock.

Carrie herself stood stunned. She looked down at the volleyball in her arms, then at her own hands, her eyes full of disbelief.

Edward turned to Chris, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "One ball. She caught it. Now, do you admit I'm amazing?"

Without waiting for Chris to answer, Edward took the ball again and hurled it upward.

"Carrie, hit it back!"

The instant Carrie swung her arm, it seemed as though some special force had been added to it.

"Bang!"

The volleyball shot out like a cannonball, trailing a howl of wind as it grazed Chris's cheek and slammed heavily into the wire fence behind her with a thunderous crash.

Chris's legs went weak, and she dropped onto the ground, her face deathly pale.

Just then, the PE teacher happened to walk over. Seeing this, he assumed Edward's guidance had worked and patted him approvingly on the shoulder. "Excellent work, Edward! Everyone should learn from him and help classmates who are having difficulties!"

The girls did not dare make another sound. They helped the dazed Chris up and scurried away in disgrace.

Carrie stood where she was, her heart pounding wildly. Looking at Edward, she moved her lips for a long moment before squeezing out a few words in a voice as soft as a mosquito's. "Th... thank you..."

"It was nothing." Edward winked at her, his smile bright. "If you want to learn volleyball, come find me anytime."

With that, he turned and left with Frank.

Frank was still in shock. He caught up to Edward and lowered his voice. "My God, how did you do that? That hit she made just now... she was practically a professional!"

Edward walked leisurely with his hands in his pockets, leaving Frank only a profound, unfathomable silhouette from behind.

"I told you, I'm saving people."

Saving them, and saving her too.

Carrie, left where she stood, kept looking down at her palms. For the first time, a different kind of light appeared in those eyes that had always been filled with fear.