Carrie Summers
First appearance: Retribution, chapter 1
Last appearance: Crucible, chapter 18
Appears in: Retribution, CrucibleLatest status
Unchanged; remains in the control room after the stampede
Carrie Summers is a high school lacrosse teammate of Riley’s who leads a real-world harassment campaign against her, using staged accidents, public humiliation, and eventually a physical confrontation to assert dominance over her. Her cruelty backfires when Riley, hardened by experiences gained elsewhere, turns the tables on her. She later resurfaces in a very different capacity, working behind the scenes as an unseen operator running control-room logistics for a shadowy faction, her cheerful demeanor unchanged even amid chaos she helps unleash.
Book 2.5: Retribution
Carrie is a lacrosse teammate who targets Riley for public humiliation, using deniable “accidents” during practice and sexually shaming remarks in front of the group. Her harassment escalates to a technological attack, broadcasting explicit photos of Riley through the school and mocking her publicly at lunch. Late in the book, acting on Alex’s instructions, she leads three accomplices in ambushing Riley outside school, confronting her over having to wait in the cold before the group closes in. Riley, now drawing on combat instincts developed in Awaken Online, turns the confrontation around and defeats Carrie and her accomplices, ending the campaign against her.
Status: Alive — aggressor, dominant in the school social hierarchy → Alive — defeated by Riley in the ambush
Riley: Goes from unchallenged tormentor to defeated aggressor after Riley overpowers her and her accomplices in the confrontation.
Alex: Acts as Alex’s agent, carrying out his instructions to torment and drive Riley away.
Key quote: “Well, that was an entertaining advertisement. There’s nothing like lunch and a show, is there?”
Book 8: Crucible
Working remotely with Finn and Eliza during the Carousel’s launch, Carrie opens its floodgates before Finn finishes his instructions, triggering a stampede among the waiting travelers; she reacts to the resulting chaos with cheerful excitement rather than alarm.
Status: Stationed in a hidden control room, coordinating Carousel operations → Unchanged; remains in the control room after the stampede
Key quote: “Oh wow! Look how excited they are! This is amazing! Do you think they’ll give the Carousel a five-star rating?”
Appears in
- Retribution — 3 chapters
- Crucible — 1 chapters