Carrie Me Away: (To) The New Generation

Chapter 12: Pass the Power

Everyone stood up and it was almost time to leave. Carrie stood up and looked up at her children. "There's one more thing that I want to mention before everyone leaves. Have you all decided on who has the angel power passed down to?" Lauren came down. "We have mother. It'll be me who harnesses the responsibility." Carrie nodded and held out a hand. Lauren takes her mother's toon hand and the blue light swirls around Lauren as she had her eyes closed. Then her eyes went wide as the light shone right through them. Everyone looked away. "Don't look right into the blinding light." Serafima spoke as the children nodded.

Soon enough, the power was transferred and Lauren opened her eyes again. Carrie hugged her. "Please take care of these wonderful children." Lauren pats her mom's back in confirmation that she will take care of the power that has been bestowed upon her. "I promise mom. I will do just that so I can make you proud." She then turned back to her siblings. "Alright guys, let's head back." Aqua turns into her wolf form and both Jesse and Emily hopped on. "I got to say, this is a much faster way of transportation." Emily grinned as Aqua chuckles. "Yeah, I get that a lot." They all head out of the house and the others wave goodbye. "Have a safe trip back home." Serafima spoke in an enthusiastic tone.

(Back in Burbank)

Lauren sat on the grids of the water tower and looked out beyond to the sky. What if she had failed? What if she didn't hold up the angelic legacy like her mom wanted her to do? It really made her think back to her first little outburst as a young toon that almost made her fall apart. Yakko came outside and sees her pondering her thoughts. He closed it gently behind him and then knelt down next to her. "Lauren, honey? Are you doing alright?" Lauren shakes her head as she moved some of her fur from her face. "No dad.. Even I have my weak days sometimes." She puts her forehead against the cold railing bars and holds onto them. "You want to talk about what's troubling you?" He asked, trying to be as sympathetic as possible. Lauren nodded and gathered up her courage as best she could. "I feel like I am not as strong as people think I am. Like sometimes I believe I took away part of mom's life."

Yakko was surprised to hear this coming out of her. "Lauren, you know you're an essential part of this family. Without you, our comeback wouldn't have come as strong. People really look up to you and your story." Lauren lets out a small little laugh. "Yeah. That's true dad.. There was that one time though where I did lash out when I was at a low.." She began to think back to that day

(Flashback: Lauren is 8, Carrie is 23.)

Lauren got back from her day in kindergarten and looked almost sad. Carrie was doing work when she looked up at her. "Lauren, hey!" She smiled and then noticed her sad look. "Lauren, dear, what happened?" She asked and knelt down. Lauren sniffed. "A kid at school called me a freakshow." Carrie was angry inside at the insult that was thrown at her daughter but on the outside, she was trying to be reasonable. "Honey, You know you're not a freakshow. I care for you." Lauren pulled away. "That's the thing. Momma, they brought up how I basically stole the rest of your teen years." Carrie stood up a bit. "Sweetie, no. You didn't steal anything from me. Sure I became a teenage mother through drawing you, but You've given me a motherly instinct. That's all." Lauren sheds more tears as she finally lets it all go. "I was never asked to be drawn! I didn't ask to be made! Sometimes I feel our fans would have been better without me!" She goes up to her room in tears.

Carrie stood there in silence before sitting back down. 'God.. this is such a mess.. What do I do?' She calls up her mom and laid her head down. Amelia answered. "Carrie, what's going on?" She asked almost worried and Carrie looked at the wall. "Lauren thinks that she is a mistake that took away the rest of my teenage fun.. A kid from her school brought that up after calling her a freakshow." Amelia was silent for a moment before they talked back and forth of ideas. Just to try and show Lauren that she is worth everything the world has given her.

(Later that night.)

Carrie came up with her favorite dinner on a cute tray table. The door was open a little so she made her way in carefully. "Lauren?" She whispered quietly to her daughter. Lauren looked up from her pillow and she wiped her tears away. "You ready to talk to me now?" She asked her daughter in a calm tone and Lauren nodded slowly. "Yes mom." Carrie gave her the tray and sat at the end of her bed. Lauren ate a bit before talking to her about her feelings. She listened to her every word. "Darling, you're a brave little girl. You're such a sweet little thing. If dad was here, he would be proud of you." The two hug each other and felt much more happy.

(End)

Lauren stood up and looked at the sun setting in the distance. She lets her hair down from it's ponytail as the dusk started to come, and she began to sing. "Here comes a wave meant to wash me away. One tide that'll sure take me under. Swallowing sand, left with nothing to say. My voice drowned out in the thunder.." Lauren climbed down from the tower as the world froze around her. "But I won't cry.. and I won't start to crumble, when mean kids try.. to shut me or cut me down... I won't be silenced, They can't keep me quiet. Won't tremble when they try it, all I know is I won't go speechless!" Lauren walked out of the studio and made her way to the outside forest. "Cause I'll breathe, when they try to suffocate me, don't you underestimate me. Yes I know that i won't go speechless!" She smirked and went through the forest as the wisps surrounded her now, acknowledging that she was their new leading guardian.

"Written in stone, every rule and each word. Centuries old and unbending. 'Women stay in their place, better seen and not heard.' But now that story is ending!" Lauren heads up the mountain as she began to change into her new angelic outfit. "Cause I!! I will not ever crumble! Now come on and try, try to shut me and cut me down!" Then she spreads her wings and began to fly. "I won't be silenced!! You can't keep me quiet! Won't tremble when they try it. All I know is I won't go speechless! Speechless!" She soars through the air as the other family members sees her go through the air. "Let the storms in! I shall not be broken! No I won't live unspoken, cause I know that I won't go speechless!" 

Carrie's toon spirit joins her in hand and Lauren smiles at her mom, knowing she made her proud. "They tried to lock me in a cage! I won't, just lay me down and die! I will take mom's broken wings, now watch me burn across the sky!!" Lauren gets in front of the sun, castng her shadow before flying down. "Hear my echo saying 'I won't be silenced!!' Though you want to see me tremble when you try it. All I know is I won't go speechless! Speechless!! Now I'll breathe, when they try to suffocate me! Don't you underestimate me! Yes I know that I won't go speechless! All I know is I won't go speechless!! Speechless!!" She lands on the grates of the water tower and smiles at the moon coming up. Now she knows that she isn't weak and is perfect for who she is.