"Believe me I am."
________The car stopping in front of the hospital paused Carmen for a moment. She was only in town for one reason and even that reason didn't sit right with her mother.
Getting out of the taxi with her backpack she looked up at the hospital and felt a chill run through her body. The last time she stood in that exact same spot she was seven years old holding her fathers hand. But now she was alone visiting a childhood friend from when she used to visit her aunt and uncle.
Taking a deep breath she stepped through the doors of the hospital while slipping out her phone typing a message to her mother telling her she was there.
Stepping up to the nurses desk Carmen tapped her finger on the marble, a nervous tick she had. "Excuse me, what room is Tara Carpenter in?" She asked sweetly which caused the nurse to look up at the girl.
The nurse looked at her computer typing the name in. "Room 213 sweetie." Carmen gave the women a tight lipped smile and walked away towards the elevator.
Hitting the button the girls foot tapped on the white pristine floors while tapping her fingers on the side of her leg. The elevator doors opening snapped her out of thoughts and she stepped in watching the doors shut.
Her phone pinging alerted her and she pulled the phone out of her pocket seeing a message from her mom telling her to stay safe and go straight to her uncle's house.
Writing out a reply Carmen put the phone back in her pocket and took a shuddering breath. Truth be told the girl was nervous and afraid to be in the hospital and just in the town itself. When she came all those years ago she at least had her father with her along with her mother and aunt but now she was alone and hasn't seen her uncle.
The town wasn't in favor of her mother or of one of the last names she carried. Being in the town left her feeling cold and cautious of everything. The elevator coming to a pause snapped her out of the thoughts once more and the girl forced her legs to carry herself out of the machine.
Gripping on to the handle of her back pack straps she walked down the hall looking for room number 213. It wasn't hard to find considering the amount of light that was admitting from the room. Reaching the door Carmen hesitated slightly before pushing the door open.
The voices stopped at the sound of the door opening but soon came with a gasp of one person. "Carmen?" The soft voice of Tara spoke.
"Hey T," Carmen spoke with a little smile.
Tara let out a small laugh and a smile graced her lips. Carmen saw it as a good smile and took her back pack off placing it on the floor heading towards the hospital and giving the girl a hug.
"I can't believe you're here," Tara said through a hoarse laugh.
Carmen smiled but hid her fear of being there. "Believe me I am." Pulling out of the hug the blue eyed girl sat down in the chair beside the bed. "How are you feeling?"
Tara shrugged the best she could, "I'm okay in a lot of pain but the drugs are helping." She looked tired with bags under her eyes and pale skin.
Carmen snorted and shook her head. "I bet they are." The door opening again caught Carmen off guard and in walked the older sister of Tara. "Sam?" Carmen asked a little shocked by seeing the older girl. The last time she had seen the sister it was a year before she has left Tara and her mother.
"Holy shit Carmen?" Sam was equally as surprised.
The blue-eyed girl stood up from her seat and dashed towards Sam pulling her into a hug. "Wow, you're actually here?" Carmen let slip through her lips but she didn't care.
Sam looked down ashamed and nodded her head looking back up at Carmen and to her sister. "I am."
"Good." Carmen nodded then proclaimed her seat once more. "So how has it been lately?" Carmen asked. "You know other than this." She added with a slight wince.
Tara and Car still kept in contact whether it was through FaceTime or texting but they were always caught up on each other's lives. They kept a promise to each other since the last time Carmen was in Woodsboro.
"Things have been alright." Tara shrugged. "Moms been away a lot recently but other than that you already know." She said cryptically not wanting her sister to know. "How are your sisters?"
At the mention of Carmen's younger siblings she smiled. "They're doing good, Bailey is hating school and still begging me to do her homework." She chucked. "And Cassandra is a wild three year old. She thinks that just because she can walk she has to run everywhere." Carmen smiled at the memory of her youngest sister running through the house trying to get away from her mother because she didn't want to take a bath.
Tara smiled picturing Cass running all over the place not listening to the family. Sam was confused she didn't know that Carmen's mom had more children she didn't think the woman would have wanted anymore especially with the life she leads.
"Your mom had more kids?" Sam asked, Carmen and Tara looked over at the older girl.
"Yeah my sisters Bailey and Cassandra who are nine and three." Carmen told her, tapping her fingers on her thigh.
Sam smiled, "your dad must love having three girls."
Carmen winced remembering her dads reaction to another girl. "Oh he loves it." She droned sarcastically and the three girls laughed. "When mom showed him the ultrasound I thought he was going to pass out." Her father had to sit down before he collapsed.
Carmen was an easy baby for her father. She wasn't fussy like other children, she was calm. As she got older though he didn't like it as much because she drew attention from boys her age and the detective didn't like it very much especially when she started highschool. For his middle daughter having a second daughter was tougher. Bailey stuck to the stereotypical wild child of a second born. She would always fought back and test her parents' patience even Carmen's. So when Mark saw that ''it's a girl'' on the ultrasound he froze and almost passed out. Sure he didn't mind his three daughters because he loved them with all his heart but he also wouldn't have minded a boy
"How is you mom and dad?" Sam asked after the laughing ended.
Carmen sighed to herself softly. "Mom was a little worried about me coming," worried was the understatement for Sidney. "Dad he was too but he knows I can protect myself so it helped them relax more."
Tara bite her lip trying not to feel guilt for what she was keeping hidden from her friend. But as Carmen talked about her mom she couldn't hold it in any longer.
"Carmen," Tara spoke up hesitantly causing Carmen to look over at her childhood friend. "There's something you should know about the attacker." Carmen's eyes widen quickly before going stoic. The only hint to her nerves was her throat bobbing as she swallowed. She nodded her head for Tara to continue. "They were wearing a ghost face mask."
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. This is just the beginning to Carmen's story.
[Word count 1,257]
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Bloody History
Mystery / ThrillerA legacy child ventures back to her mother's hometown to see her childhood friend after they've been attacked. What happens when the killer wants her to come back. There had to be a different story for Stab 9 and besides anything can happen in a req...