Chapter 7

But after saying this, Carrie immediately became hesitant again.

She quickly lowered her head.

"Sorry... I shouldn't have asked..."

"I will go," Randy interrupted her. "But not right now."

The recent excuse for skipping school had been that his father had passed away and he was too heartbroken to attend. The school had understood.

But with almost a month having passed, it was not sustainable to keep using this excuse. Given the tendency for people in the area to meddle, it was likely that teachers would soon come for a home visit.

However, Randy had no intention of actually attending school or being compliant.

He also didn't have the qualifications to formally withdraw from school.

As Randy knew, he was still under eighteen and had no guardian. In the U.S., he would likely be sent to other relatives or placed in a local foster home.

So he remained a minor, unnoticed.

Otherwise, he could have easily been caught by some youth protection organization.

"Oh."

Carrie continued to keep her head down and did not ask any more questions.

But now Randy had taken an interest and warmly invited her in.

"Come inside and sit for a while."

"Huh?"

Carrie looked shocked and quickly waved her hands.

"No, no, no... I need to go to school."

However, Randy remained silent, his expression emotionless, and he made way for her.

His attitude was somewhat unyielding.

Carrie nervously looked around, unsure if she should seek help from passersby or worry about them discovering the situation.

In the end, she moved forward cautiously, stepping into the house as if she were a thief.

She seemed submissive and lacked the ability to refuse, likely indicating a deeply ingrained people-pleasing personality.

Though not a psychologist, it was apparent that Carrie had psychological issues.

To ease her tension, Randy explained, "It's still early. As a thank you, I'll make breakfast for you."

"No need..."

Carrie turned away, quietly refusing while adjusting her clothes.

"You need to accept my thanks properly."

Randy stepped closer and placed his hands on her shoulders.

Carrie's body visibly tensed, and she remained as stiff as a statue, not moving at all.

Randy smiled silently.

It had been a long time since he had met someone so interesting.

Moreover, with their close proximity, he could examine Carrie's situation more closely.

She was like a treasure wrapped in thick fog.

Though Randy sensed something extraordinary about Carrie, he couldn't quite grasp it.

"Sit down, Carrie."

Randy gently guided her to the dining table.

But Carrie's joints seemed to be frozen, sitting straight and stiff, her face flushed red as if she had never interacted with the opposite sex before.

Thinking of her mother, Margaret, such an extreme person, it made sense that she had raised such a timid and sensitive daughter.

Randy went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, while also inquiring about Carrie's family situation.

"Where's your mother?"

Carrie, still tense, lowered her head and answered.

"She went to the store early in the morning."

Carrie spoke more fluently this time.

Margaret usually didn't drive her, so Carrie generally rode her bike to school. Today, she had noticed the phone at the neighbor's door while passing by and decided to return it.

"Oh."

Randy nodded and asked another question: "Why did you come back so late last night?"

If he remembered correctly, Carrie's routine was very simple, with no other activities besides studying the Bible at home on weekends.

Carrie immediately became flustered and fearful at the question but eventually said,

"It's nothing..."

Carrie felt particularly aggrieved about what happened last night.

She couldn't understand why her classmates targeted her.

In the afternoon, she had accidentally overheard a conversation between her classmates, Kris and her boyfriend, about waiting at the school gate to lure Carrie into a pig farm in town and lock her in a pigpen for the night.

"This freak shouldn't stay at school; she should go work at the pig farm."

Kris even claimed she would introduce Carrie to the bald, sweaty pig farmer.

Carrie was terrified, but without a phone to seek help from her family and with the belief that they couldn't help, she dared not tell her teachers and merely cowered in the classroom.

She only carefully left in the evening.

However, when she returned home, she received no comfort from her family.

In fact, being late, she was punished by Margaret without dinner.

It wasn't until the morning, when Margaret had to go to the town's tailor shop for work, that Carrie was let out.

Carrie felt a pressing need to talk, but Randy didn't press further.

Randy could guess that it was likely related to bullying by her classmates, but since Carrie didn't want to talk, he didn't push.

When negative emotions haven't reached a certain threshold, it's best to let them accumulate.

Besides, Carrie had no other outlets for her psychological relief.

Randy didn't let the atmosphere go cold and asked some provocative questions.

"Does your mother often lock you in?"

Carrie nodded.

"It's not locking me in; it's... repentance to God."

Randy nearly laughed.

"God doesn't have the time to listen to your complaints."

Carrie's expression changed, but she relaxed a bit when she remembered she was at a neighbor's house.

"Don't worry, your mother won't come here. We're Asians, and in her eyes, Asians are heathens destined for hell. She won't step into my yard."

This was indeed the case. Since Randy's family moved in, Margaret had shown no friendliness. Randy's parents had even considered visiting but were coldly turned away.

Even at Randy's parents' funeral recently, Carrie's family didn't show up, though other parents did.

Randy had overheard Margaret's mutterings.

"It's because she doesn't believe in God that Satan took her life."

Even Randy's followers from his previous life weren't as extreme.

After all, the public image of his cult was one of charity, offering a warm home to its followers.

In comparison, his foreign cult seemed more like a respectable, mainstream group.

"You can relax; this isn't your home."

Though it sounded strange, for someone like Carrie, home might be even more frightening than school.

Indeed, hearing Randy's words, Carrie visibly relaxed, her stiff posture easing slightly.