"Big brother ran off to play again."
It was the weekend. Carrie was home and bored, rolling back and forth across the living room carpet.
After several rotations, she jumped onto the sofa and plopped her head onto Elaine's lap.
Elaine was calmly reading an e-book on her tablet.
"Elaine, stop reading all the time! Come play with me!" Carrie pleaded pitifully.
Elaine lifted the tablet slightly and looked down at her.
"Carrie, would you like me to tell Lucas about your grades?"
Carrie immediately snorted.
"Fine. Keep reading your boring book."
Aside from mathematics, every one of Carrie's subjects hovered barely above passing. If Elaine hadn't intervened, Lucas would have received calls from the school long ago.
"I read books and get full marks in every subject," Elaine replied without even turning her head. "You might consider trying it."
"Hmph. So what if your grades are good!"
Pouting, Carrie ran to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
The ice cream was gone.
She rushed to the snack room—
Empty.
Lucas had been away frequently lately and hadn't arranged restocking. Carrie, on the other hand, had simply eaten without thinking ahead.
Biting her lip to hold back tears, she ran barefoot upstairs.
"Sis Wanda" she called softly while knocking on Wanda's door.
Unlike the aloof Elaine, Wanda always treated her kindly. Surely Wanda would take her out to buy snacks.
"Come in," Wanda's voice responded.
The door opened automatically.
Carrie stepped forward—
And froze.
Wanda was floating midair, surrounded by twisting red energy that filled the entire room. The air itself seemed saturated with chaotic power.
Carrie couldn't even step across the threshold.
Wanda's eyes were closed. A crimson diamond-shaped mark on her forehead shimmered faintly.
"What is it, Carrie?"
Wanda's lips did not move, yet her voice echoed directly in Carrie's mind.
"N–nothing! Sis Wanda, you keep busy!" Carrie quickly shut the door.
Just then, Pietro walked out of another room.
Carrie's eyes lit up.
"brother Pietro!"
"What's wrong, Carrie?" he asked.
"My snacks are gone. Can you take me to buy some?"
"Sure!" Pietro agreed immediately.
The two headed downstairs, changed their shoes, and left the house.
Elaine glanced toward the closed door and muttered, "Those two…"
---
They boarded a bus and arrived at the small town supermarket.
The moment they entered, Carrie grabbed a large shopping cart and marched straight toward her favorite snack aisle.
Pietro followed behind, eyes widening.
He knew Carrie loved snacks. Lucas had even built her a special storage room.
But he had assumed this would be a modest restock.
Within minutes, Carrie had already filled over a dozen large carts with snacks, directing store staff like a seasoned general.
"Let's check out!" she declared happily.
Pietro's smile froze.
Carrie proudly ordered employees to push the carts toward the registers.
"W–wait," Pietro tried to call out, but she was already gone.
The store manager, seeing such a massive purchase, personally opened three checkout counters to assist.
By the time Pietro caught up, nearly a quarter of the items had already been scanned.
"Carrie…" he said carefully, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"What?"
"Did you bring any money?"
"No. I never carry money."
Ever since Lucas rose to prominence, her tuition and daily expenses were handled in advance. She had never developed the habit of carrying cash.
"I've only got one hundred seventy dollars…" Pietro whispered.
Under normal circumstances, that was plenty for him. He didn't spend much.
"Your total comes to $4,572.50," the cashier announced.
Pietro felt his heart drop.
The manager sensed something wrong and approached with a polite smile.
"Is there a problem?"
"We didn't bring enough money. Can I go home and return with payment?" Pietro asked quickly.
"If this is some kind of prank, I will call the police immediately," the manager replied sternly.
Pietro could easily grab Carrie and vanish in a blur of speed—
But that would be irresponsible.
"Do you know who my brother is?"
Carrie suddenly stepped forward, pointing at the manager.
"Are you new here?"
Pietro's eyes widened in horror.
"You believe me when I say my brother could buy this entire supermarket right now?" Carrie bared her little tiger teeth. "And I'd kick you out myself!"
Pietro quickly pulled her back.
"I'm sorry," he apologized to the manager. "I'll call someone from home to bring the money."
From the crowd, a voice spoke up.
"Aren't you Mr. Lucas's sister?"
A middle-aged white woman stepped forward.
"Aunt Millie!" Carrie greeted cheerfully.
"You know them?" the manager asked cautiously.
The manager had only worked there for a few days. Carrie's earlier confidence had genuinely unsettled her.
Millie opened her wallet.
"I'll cover it for her."
Just as she prepared to smooth things over—
A deep voice sounded behind her.
"You're Lucas's sister?"
"Yeah!" Carrie replied proudly.
Before anyone could react, a massive hand landed on the manager's shoulder.
She felt herself lifted aside effortlessly and pushed into the onlookers.
A towering, muscular figure stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Carrie.
Behind him emerged a man in a red hood.
He smiled faintly.
"Little cutie," he said softly, "would you mind coming with us for a while?"
___
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