Abandoned

Carrie is a very shy girl who don't talk much and has no friends at all. She is about 5 feet 6 inches, skinny girl who weight 100 pounds, and had really bad acne. In high school she was a loner. No one talked to her unless they were making fun of her. She knew she wasn't as pretty as the other girls and didn't have the things that they had. Growing up, it was just her mom and her and they were struggling on a day to day basis. Her mom turned to drugs when her dad left when Carrie was 8 years old so Carrie basically had to fend for herself everyday. Carrie was now 17 years old and when she was 15 she got a job down at the local pizza palace waiting tables to try and keep the lights on and food on the table. She also tried to get her mom some help one day but she refused.

"Mom, if you dont do it for yourself please do it for me. I need you!" Carrie begged her mom.

Her mom looked at her and she can see the sadness in her daughter's eyes. She got up from the couch and hugged Carrie.

"Tomorrow we can go wherever you want me to go. I'm sorry!" her mom said to her.

Carrie was excited. She went to bed happy that night.

The next morning she got up, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and got dressed. She went into the kitchen to grab some breakfast and noticed a letter on the table.

"I'm so sorry to be writing you this letter instead of telling you face to face but when I saw the look on your face I knew I couldn't tell you that I was not going to go with you last night, so I lied. I'm no mother and at this point I don't want to keep letting you down. You are a strong young girl and you can do so much better then having to worry about me. Be safe baby girl. I love you!"

When Carrie was finished reading the letter she finally came to realization that her mother had left her once again to fend for herself but this time she was never coming back. She was still a child. How could she do that to her, she thought. She just broke down crying not knowing who to turn to because her mom was the only family she had left.

Carrie stayed home all that day drowning herself in tears until she finally realized that she had to get it together and be better then her mom because she refused to go down that same path. She had to grow up fast.

She contemplated the whole weekend on whether she should tell an adult but she didnt want to be pulled away from her comfort zone and she also knew that she couldn't stay by herself.

Monday came and she got up to go to school like she did every week day. She had made her mind up and was going to go to the principal office and tell them her mom left but on her walk to school she thought about it some more and decided that in another 7 months she would be 18 and graduating high school so she decided to not say anything to anyone.

When her mom was there it was like she was on her own then and within a few more months she would be going off to college. She was a smart girl aside from the difficult circumstances she faced at home and school. She was going to be somebody.

Through the months Carrie had the same routine everyday. She went to school, went to work, and then home just to do the same thing the next day.

The months had flew by so fast and it was time for her graduation. On the way to get her cap and gown she stopped by the library to return a book and just as she was about to leave the librarian called out to her.

"Carrie, I'm glad I caught you. Someone came in earlier and left this for you." The librarian told her.

She handed her a little black book with a ribbon wrapped around it. Carrie looked at it and was confused.

"Who was it?" Carrie asked.

"I don't know, he didn't want to leave his name and just said to make sure you got it." She told her and walked off.

Carrie didn't have friends and no family so she didn't know who it could have come from. She walked over to one of the tables and sat down to open the book up.

The first page read....

"I know what you have been going through and I want to help you out. In this book you will find 5 clues that you should solve and at the end if you win is a $20,000 prize and my identity.

Carrie thought it was all a joke so she put the book in her bag and left to get her cap and gown before work.

After work she went home to get ready for graduation the next day and decided to take a look at the book again.

"I know someone is playing tricks with me but I do love a mystery so although I know there is no money it wouldn't hurt to see what these so called clues are." She use to play games like this with her dad when she was a little girl.

She looked in the book and saw the first clue: After graduation go to row 7 seat 4 and look under the seat. There is a envelope taped to the seat. She thought this was weird but was excited anyway.

The next day she got up and got ready to be a high school graduate but also couldn't wait to see if this first clue was real.

Graduation was good but bittersweet because she had no one there for her. To see everyone around with their families made her really sad.

After everyone had left out of the auditorium, she went to the 7th row and 4th seat to see if this clue was there. She reached down and sure enough there was an envelope there.

She sat down in the seat and opened it and it was a card saying congratulations about graduating. She was really confused now. She took the black book back out and went to the next page.

"Now that you're playing the game head home there's a surprise waiting for you on the steps." The next clue read.

She had no other plans today so why not go on this silly goose chase. She left school and walked home and the closer she got she seen a big brown box sitting on the front porch. When she got closer, she stopped and looked around but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary so she picked the box up and headed in the house.

She sat the box down, went to get out of her cap and gown, and went to open the box. When she opened it was a bouquet of flowers with a note that read, "I'm making this easy for you, the next clue won't be as easy."

At this point she was scared because that meant that someone has been watching her. She got up to make sure the doors were locked and once she was sure she was safe she went to get ready for bed but before she laid down she pulled out the black book to read the instructions for the next clue.

"You are finding clues and feeling bold, go to the place where you first got this book and find the book number HA 126 .F59 1989." the third clue read.

She smiled and layed down to go to sleep.

She got up the next day to get ready for the next clue, so after she got herself together she headed to the library.

When she got there she knew which section to go to because the library was her safe haven and she was also a book nerd. She went to find the book but it wasn't there so she went to the front desk and asked if it had been checked out.

"It was just returned and I haven't had the time to put it back yet." The librarian told her.

"Cool, can I see it, I'll read it here so I won't need to check it out." she said grabbing the book and heading to a chair to sit down. She opened the book and flipped all the pages until she seen a quote highlighted.

"You must face the thing you don't want to face. Until you can do that you are vulnerable." She read that over and over again but couldn't grasp the meaning so she took the black book out and read clue 4.

"Go to 527 Spillway Road and knock on the door." the clue read.

"I don't want to go to no ones home and not know what I'm getting myself into." She said to herself but decided to go anyway since she had come this far.

She got up and put the book back on the front desk and left. As she walked she had a lot of thoughts going through her mind. Her mind was going in circles that she never realized she had made it to her destination. She got to the house, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

After a couple knocks no one came to the door, so as she was turning to leave the door opened and when she turned around she seen the lady who had left her many months ago. Her eyes got big and watery because the lady that stood in front of her did not look like her mother. She looked bad and to be honest I don't think she noticed who she was.

"Mom!" Carrie said in a soft whisper.

Her mom looked up and finally realized that it was her daughter.

"Carrie, baby girl, you're here. I miss you so much." her mom said as she tried to come and hug her but Carrie blocked her.

Carrie thought about that quote and now knew what it meant. She has thought about what she would say to her mother if she ever saw her again and now she couldn't rememeber any of it.

"Can I have a few dollars baby girl?" her mom asked.

Carrie snapped out of it then.

"Can you have a few dollars? You left me to fend for myself with no adult help and you ask me for money. You were so selfish and only thought of yourself after dad left. You wasn't the only one suffering, I was too but you didn't notice that because you only thought of you. I love you but I always said if I see you again I would show you that despite all I made it on my own and I will continue to protect myself and my heart. I will never do my kids the way you did me. You're sick and you need help, I tried but you can't help someone who doesn't want to help themselves." she blurted out.

"Well forget you then you little selfish bitch." her mom screamed.

Carrie turned and walked away. Although she was hurt she did feel like a weight had been lifted off her shoulder. She felt better but felt like it was her against the world and that she could accomplish anything she put her mind to.

She went back home and regained her composure, she got the black book out again to read her final 5th clue.

"You have worked hard to find every clue, to find the last one look under the flower pot on the front porch and follow the directions." The last clue read.

Carrie stood up and went outside to look under the flower pot and there was a key with a note.

She got the key and looked at it and then opened the note. It read, "Go to the local post office around the corner and use the key to open the P.O. Box number 4710.

It wasn't too late so she decided to go head and end this scavenger hunt because although it has been fun it has also been very emotional and not knowing who is behind this is scary, too.

She made it to the post office and when she walked in she followed the number to find the right one. When she finally found it, she took a deep breath and put the key in. When she opened it up there was a thick brown enevelope. She grabbed it and opened it up right there.

When she got it open she saw two stacks of $10,000 in all 100 hundred dollar bills.

"Oh my God! This was all real. Where did this come from? Is this a joke? She looked around to see if anyone else was in there, but she was the only one. She didn't know what to do. Should she take it or leave it?

While still in shock and trying to decide what to do she heard the door open. She turned around and was again in shock. She saw the man who walked out on her mom and her 10 years ago. He looked older but she knew her dad when she seen him.

"Hey Carrie, I know this is not the way to do this but I remembered when you were little and we would play a scavenger hunt game every birthday, Easter, and Christmas. I didn't know how to approach you after leaving you. I was embarrassed." her father said.

"Has this been you the entire time? You knew what I been going through and yet you left me and knew I was alone and still didn't step in to help me. You show me where mom is but you are just like her. You both left me and now you want to come back and the first thing you do is create a game. I was a child, on my own since I was 8 years old. You left us, you left me." she screamed at him.

"I'm sorry, I found out your mom was doing drugs and cheating on me and when I asked her to stop and get help she told me she didn't want me there anymore and told me to leave. I should of took you but she wouldn't let me and honestly you were the one that helped her to not go to the deep end." he told her.

Carrie put her back against the wall and fell to the ground crying.

Her father walked towards her and wrapped his arms around her. She tried to push him away but he held her tight and wouldn't let go. She gave in and just cried in his arms.

"I want to make this right. This money is for you to go to college and whatever else you need I will be there every step of the way. I have been here just not in visbile form. I will never leave you again if you just give me the chance to start over from here on out, please." He pleaded with her.

As much as she wanted to say no, she had to admit that it was good to have someone in her corner as long as he was doing things to make it right, at least he was willing to try.

She lost her mom but she gained her father back and to her that was a step in the right direction.

THE END!