Halloween Mystery

Carter

     "Carter Santiago Diaz! Get down here right now!", his mom yelled from the garage downstairs.

"I'm coming!", Carter answered her and quickly stuffed his things into his backpack, "Ok, got my Chewbacca action figure, basketball jersey, a couple pairs of shorts, the Switch, and that's it."

He brushed his long blonde hair behind his ear and searched the room for anything else he might need. He felt like he was forgetting something. Finally, Carter spotted his worn-out black baseball cap. He never had been a fan of baseball, but it was the only thing his dad had left him.

Memories came flooding into his head: he and his dad at a Phillies baseball game, getting ice cream each Friday after school, his Dad's weak body after weeks and weeks of chemo. But he refused to think about all that. It was in the past. There was no point in worrying about it now.

"Carter! If you don't get down here right now, we'll leave without you!"

"Sorry, mom! Be right down!"

Carter quickly grabbed his cap and bag as he rushed out of his room and down the stairs. Wham! He ran straight into his 12-year-old sister, Ariana.

"What are you doing?", he asked.

"What are you doing? Mom wants you. Everyone is in the car already", she answered.

"I know she wants me. Hasn't she heard me yelling back?", Carter said, resuming his run down the stairs.

He reached the garage and was met with loud screams coming from his three other sisters in the car. Jessie and Mariah were fighting over a stuffed Elmo toy, while Jamie was screaming at them to be quiet so she could hear the movie on her iPad. Carter knew he was in for a wild ride.

"How long is the trip again, Mom?", he asked as he got into the passenger seat.

"Wouldn't be half as long if you were quicker," she mumbled under her breath, "Where's your sister, anyway?"

Carter looked around, realizing Ariana was no longer with him, "I dunno. She was right behind me and then-"

Ariana burst through the garage door, holding Bubba, her pet hamster. She ran to the car and buckled herself up, explaining she'd almost forgotten to bring her prized pet.

Mrs. Diaz stared into the rearview mirror, counting all 4 girls in the back. Mariah, the youngest, was already passed out in her car seat and Jessie was happily playing with her newly acquired Elmo. Jamie and Ariana were intently watching Tinker Bell for the tenth time that week.

Then she looked over to her only son. He'd grown up so much this past year that she barely recognized him. He was now taller than her and looked more and more like his father than ever. She felt bad that Carter had to grow up so fast this year. His big brown eyes always melted her heart. He had taken on the role as man of the house after his father died last December. No one had asked him to, but he did. He was constantly looking after his mother and sisters and had even found a side job mowing lawns, to help the family's financial situation. Mrs. Diaz wondered what she would do without him.

Carter looked up, feeling that someone was watching him. It was his mom again. She'd been doing that a lot lately.

"Are you okay, mom?"

"Huh? Yes, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. I just thought- never mind."

Mrs. Diaz looked at her son questioningly as she turned on the radio. Country music always had a way of lifting her spirits. Everything will be fine this weekend, she thought, The kids will have a great time at Sunshine Campgrounds. They always did.