CARRIE

Chapter Twenty-Seven

*****

I didn't know what or how to feel, I just sat there with my hands on my head thinking about a million things. "Do we know who sent the box?" Carrie's question brought me back to the present. How is that what is on her mind right now. "What do you mean?" I looked up at her. "Well someone must have sent this, it couldn't have been Uncle Perry because well, he's dead" She explained. I stared at her in confusion, how is this what she is thinking about at a time like this, after seeing something like this. With the little I knew, I knew this was going to be dragged out and nothing good would come of it. “Does that matter? Just forget about it”. My words fell on deaf ears as Carrie had already started searching through the box. “What are you even looking for?” I asked as I sat up. “Something that could tell us more, anything” She kept on searching the box and I was about to raise my voice at her when she stopped at something. “What's that?” I asked. She ran her hands along the box, it had a false bottom. She lifted it, she discovered a note in it. Leah moved closer to her and asked what it was. She opened the note and read it loud for all of us to hear, “I knew nothing but shadows. and I believed them to be real. Now you'll know about my shadows too. Brace yourself.” what did that even mean, why get us involved? I know he hated my Dad but why extend that hate toward us? I felt sad and angry. I stood up in annoyance and grabbed the book and flash drive, I just wanted to get rid of everything related to him. I took a bucket from the kitchen and was about to burn them when Carrie held my hand, “Don't burn the diary”. I turned to her, still boiling with anger, “What?” I asked with a furious look on my face. “We don't know what's going on, what we're dealing with, we should keep the book. We need it” She explained as she collected the book. I was brimming with anger, but I had to admit, she was right. We need the book. “Alright we'll keep the book, but I'm burning the rest,” I told her as I went outside to burn the rest of it.

bucket and lit them on fire. I gazed at the fire, thinking about everything that had just happened. Thinking about what my Dad told me, I have to protect Carrie and my Mom, no matter what. There's nothing more important, I sighed and went back inside. I saw the three of them still feeling anxious, I smiled at them and tried to lift their moods. “Now that it's behind us, let's forget about it,” I said as I sat down. “Yeah Yeah that's fine, I have some errands to run in town so I'm going out now, you guys be safe” my Mom stood up and went upstairs to change her clothes. She came back downstairs and asked if we wanted anything, “I'm good” I called out to her.

“It's just us three home now, what should we do?” I rubbed my hands together as I looked at Carrie and Leah. “We should watch a movie” Leah suggested. I snapped my fingers, “That's a perfect suggestion, Leah! Yes, we'll do that” I agreed. “That's fine, but I have to freshen up first” Carrie said as she dragged Leah upstairs.