Breaking Bloody Mary

by Stephanie Nichole

  “How?”

  “I’m observant. I’ll give you some credit. You followed far enough behind to not be noticeable unless you are following someone like me. So why were you following us?”

  I take a deep breath. I hadn’t planned on having to explain myself. “I wasn’t following you. I was following Olivette.”

  A sarcastic laugh falls from Chasity’s mouth. “Yeah, I got that one.”

  I run a hand through my hair. “When I saw her last night I knew she wasn’t okay but then again how could she be? She showed up at my house this morning and I don’t know, it didn’t go well, and I don’t know I feel this need to protect her.”

  “From what?” Chasity asks.

  I sigh. “That’s the problem, I have no clue.”

  Chasity closes the distance between us. “I think you do know but you don’t want to admit it.”

  I start to pace back and forth, not comfortable with how close we are standing. “Look, you know Olivette and I used to be best friends?” I ask and Chasity nods confirming she did know that. “Well, we were really into urban legends and stuff. Olivette always believed in them. In the magic of them. She believed in ghosts and what not but not me. I was the one that was always trying to find the logical explanation for how the story came to be. I never could accept magic or unexplained things. So, I don’t know how to admit it!”

  “So basically, Olivette is a Winchester.” I study Chasity for a moment. “You know from Supernatural?”

  I laugh. “I know the show. I’m guessing Olivette got you hooked on it?”

  Chasity shakes her head. “Nope, we have a mutual love for it. It started out for me because I had a thing for Sam but now I have a thing for Castiel.”

  “What? No, Dean?” I ask sarcastically, trying to figure out how we just got on this subject.

  Chasity laughs. “Only if I had a death wish. Dean is totally Olivette’s. I’m pretty sure that’s not changing any time soon.” An awkward silence falls between us. “Sorry, I kind of fangirl over the show. Anyway, she believes, and you don’t. Why does it mean you can’t admit it?”

  “Because that means that I really did see what I thought I saw last night. By this morning I had convinced myself it wasn’t real. It was all just a part of my overactive imagination, but then Olivette showed up, talking about the same things. I tried to play it off, but it unnerved me. That’s why I followed her,” I explain.

  Chasity’s eyes are as wide as saucers. “What did you see?” she asks, but I just shake my head. “Red lightning?” she whispers. My head whips in her direction and that’s the only confirmation she needs. “What legend does that belong to?”

  “I’m not sure. There’s been so many over the years. I’ve been trying to figure it out. I looked at some while at the Conjurer’s Apothecary today, but none of them had red lightning and blood rain. I remember those things, but I can’t place them to the correct legend,” I reply in one breath.

  “Bloody Mary,” Chasity says, and just like that the whole legend comes back to me. Bloody Mary’s legend had been on my mind, but I had never paid as much attention to her as Olivette did.

  “Why her?”

  “Olivette asked me about her this afternoon. If I had ever tried to summon her,” Chasity explains.

  I head for my truck without another thought. I look back over my shoulder at Chasity. “Follow me.” There’s hardly any traffic so we arrive at the door of Conjurer’s Apothecary within minutes. I’m already out of my truck and at the door by the time Chasity gets out of the car. I pull on the door, but it clangs in protest. The door is locked which is weird.

  “I think it’s locked,” Chasity tells me, but I keep trying.

  “Yeah, the thing is, it’s never been locked.” I start down the alley way to the back door but when I look back I don’t see Chasity. “Are you coming or what?”

  She appears at the entrance of the alley way. “I’m not exactly a fan of dark alleyways at night with strangers.”

  I scoff. “I’m hardly a stranger and trust me you’re safer with me than without me, but by all means stay right there.” As I start to walk off a clap of thunder fills the silent night air. Chasity screams and scurries to meet me. I can’t help but laugh.

  As we make our way around the back Chasity says, “I’m pretty sure this place is closed.”

  “First of all, this place has never been closed that I know of, but it’s never closed to me,” I tell her holding up a key that unlocks the back door. Oski gave it to me when I got my license because he figured I’d want to come and go as I pleased. I thought it was silly at the time since his front door never seemed to be locked, but right now I was thankful for it.

  I find the light switch and the dim lights come on above us. Chasity is scrunching up her nose. “It smells funny in here.”

  “It’s the old books and herbs,” I comment as I move toward the front of the store to try and find a book about Bloody Mary.

  “What are we looking for?” Chasity asks.

  I turn on the flashlight on my phone. “Any book that has to do with Bloody Mary.”

  “Don’t you have the legend memorized?”

  I sigh. “I have some of it, but I never read the whole book.” Chasity gives me a shocked look. “Yes, I know shocking, but I found a logical explanation before I got to the end, so I just stopped reading it.”

  “What do you remember?” she asks, and just as I’m about to answer she appears beside me with a book in her hand.

  I take the book and head toward the back again. “Come on I’ll make us some tea.” While the tea is making I turn around and face Chasity. “Okay, so the legend of Bloody Mary that Oski told us goes something like this: Back in the 1800’s there was a wealthy family in England, the Meyers. They found out they were expecting shortly after they were wed. Thomas Meyers believed it would be a boy, but they had a girl. At first, he adored the daughter but then things changed. He started to notice that Marina looked nothing like him or his wife, Jane. They were both blonde, blue eyed, and fair skinned. Marina had almost black hair, steel gray eyes and tanned skin. He remembered that his wife had loved another not too long before they wed. A tall, dark and handsome man and with that realization Thomas started to treat Marina differently. A couple of years after Marina’s birth they had another daughter, but Thomas never had to question this child. She looked exactly like them. Thomas favoritism grew as the girls did.”

  “The town where they lived often treated Marina who had also become known as Mary, differently too. They whispered about how she was illegitimate or even a witch. The only person that Mary had was her sister Elizabeth. Elizabeth loved Mary and couldn’t understand why people were so cruel. When the time came to place the daughters in society for suitors it came as no shock that Mary received none. Elizabeth had plenty but refused to consider anything until Mary had found someone. Enter, Henry Willsworth, he courted Mary, treating her with kindness and smothering her with attention for the month that he was in Surrey. When the time came for him to leave, Mary was broken hearted. Elizabeth went and begged the parents to let Mary go to London and stay with a family friend. They agreed.”

  “On the way out of Surrey her carriage wheel was damaged in the poorer part of town. The driver had to leave her in order to get it fixed. While she was waiting, she met a lady, an elderly shop owner, Cordelia. She owned a shop similar to this one. She seemed harmless and was kind to Mary. They shared a cup of tea and Cordelia promised to always be there if Mary ever needed her. Once the wheel was fixed Mary continued her journey to London. While there she fell more in love with Henry.”

  “They returned to Surrey and Mary was giddy convinced that they were returning so that Henry could ask her father for her hand in marriage. When she arrived, Elizabeth was overjoyed. Henry and Thomas disappeared into her father’s office while the girls got ready for the party being held that night. They dressed in beautiful white dresses which meant a marriage announcement was in store for both of them. How
ever, as Thomas called the party to his attention he announced some earth-shattering news. Thomas had promised Henry, Elizabeth’s hand in marriage.” Chasity’s shocked gasp is the only sound she has made during this entire story. It reminded me of Olivette and I when we were kids.

  “As you can imagine Mary was heartbroken. She hid away in her father’s office where Henry found her. He explained to her that her parents had paid him to court her since Elizabeth wouldn’t consider any suitors as long as she had none. Henry told her parents they could keep the money if they would give him Elizabeth’s hand in marriage instead. Once Henry left the room Mary grabbed her coat and walked back to Cordelia’s shop. Cordelia offered her refuge for the night. Cordelia shared she had suffered a similar history.”

  “The next morning Mary woke up with a newfound determination. She would win Henry back…. with a love potion. Cordelia sold them in the shop, but when she asked Cordelia about it she laughed. Cordelia explained that the potions in the shop were not real, but Mary believed Cordelia to be an actual witch. She was correct, and Cordelia offered to make Mary a love potion but warned that there would be consequences. Without a second thought Mary agrees without hearing the consequences.”

  “Cordelia gave Mary the love potion and a very risqué dress and Mary returned to her family’s home just before the wedding. She slipped the love potion into a drink and sent a servant with it to Henry. Then she went to see her sister. Seeing her sister standing in a wedding gown sent her in a rage. Mary began yelling and soon after so did Elizabeth. Henry soon showed up to see what all the commotion was. Henry told Mary that she didn’t look well, and Elizabeth confirmed his statement telling Mary that’s why she had started yelling. Mary had suffered some pain on her way to her sisters’ room but pushed it aside once it passed. At the sight of Henry and his words, Mary began to cry. However, her tears were no longer normal tears, they were blood. It frightened her sister so badly that she stepped backward, tripping over the wedding gown and falling into the window behind her-- which shattered sending Elizabeth to her untimely death.”

  “Henry became outraged, yelling and shaking Mary, until Mary lost control of her own temper and charged at Henry. She knocked them both into the mirror behind him. The glass shattered and cut them in the process. Henry got up to turn Mary in, but out of fear, Mary grabbed a large piece of glass from the shattered mirror. She stabbed Henry in the back, where his heart would be located and watched as he fell to his knees and died. Mary had intended to run after that but a young lady in the doorway stopped her.”

  “Cordelia had been restored to her youthful-self thanks to the spell she used on Mary. Cordelia knew that the spell would backfire for Mary, but gave her exactly what she wanted; immortality. She took Mary into the bathroom to clean her up where she sealed her in the mirror forever more and that is how the legend became to be.”

  “Oh, my goodness, that’s so sad. So that’s why you have to go to the bathroom to summon her,” Chasity comments.

  After taking a sip of my now chilled tea I nod my head. “Yes, it’s supposed to be a dark bathroom or candlelight, lock the door and stand in front of the mirror and call Bloody Mary three times.”

  “I only called her twice so maybe that’s why it didn’t work when I did it.”

  I shrug. “Maybe, but the again we are actually considering that Bloody Mary is real which seems ridiculous.”

  Chasity leans forward, resting her elbows on the table. “So, what happened to her family?”

  “What do you mean?” I ask, confused by her question.

  Chasity rolls her eyes at me. “Well, her parents, what happened to them? I mean you had to be curious right? They were wealthy with two beautiful daughters then all of a sudden one daughter is missing and the other and her fiancée are dead. You know something had to come of all that.”

  “Maybe, but I never looked into it. Remember, I believed in logical explanations.”

  Chasity laughs. “Okay then Mr. Logic, do you have a laptop?”

  Chapter 12

  Penn

  After a couple of hours, Chasity and I had figured out quite a bit about the Meyer family history. We both knew we needed to find Olivette so Chasity called her but she didn’t answer, the texts went unreplied to as well. “I don’t know where she could be unless she’s at Triv’s.”

  There was a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. It’s like I knew I had to get to her. “Come on we got to go,” I tell Chasity as I grab my book bag.

  As we’re jogging back around to our vehicles Chasity asks, “Where are we going?”

  “Back home, we need to get to Olivette. I don’t know why, but I feel like she’s in danger,” I explain.

  The look in Chasity’s eyes lets me know that I’ve scared her without meaning to. “Let’s just take one car, it’ll be easier and safer that way. You drive,” she tells me as she moves toward the passenger seat of my truck.

  We make it back to Newport in half the time. Chasity bounces her leg nervously in the passenger seat. We don’t talk because we don’t need to. Everything that we just discovered in our research just proved that magic does exist. That things of the supernatural are real. That there are things that can’t be explained for a reason.

  I decide to not go through downtown to get to Triv’s because that means I’d have to slow down. I take the outskirts of town. The streets out here are lined with trees on both sides. Usually, I love coming this way but for some reason tonight I find it unnerving. Another storm is brewing in the night sky. I’m sure this is all part of the curse. I begin to take the natural curve when the flashing lights of cop cars up ahead cause me to stop.

  There’s an ambulance at the scene as well. It reminds me too much of the scene I had seen last night outside of Triv’s house. I pull over to the side of the road since the other side is blocked. Chasity leans forward and squints into the darkness. A hand comes up to cover her mouth. “Oh, my goodness, that’s Leah’s car.”

  As we sit there on the side of the road one of the officers comes over to us. He’s friends with my dad. “Hey Penn, I’m sorry, but this road isn’t going to be clear for a bit. It’s probably best if you head back the other way.” He gets cut off by the walkie talkie calling his attention. He holds up one finger asking me to give him a minute. He walks away from the car.

  Once he’s far enough away I hear Chasity whisper my name. When I turn to look at her she’s pointing to Leah’s car. “What kind of car crash shatters every window, but barely dents the car? Did it flip?”

  I look and see what she is seeing. Both the front and back windshields are gone as well as all four windows, yet the car seems to barely have any damage. Mostly, just the front from where she hit the wall on the side of the road that was built to keep the driver from going off the road. When the officer reappears, I ask him. “Is Leah okay? I mean her car doesn’t look too bad except for all the windows.”

  The officer hangs his head. “I’m sorry, Penn. Leah didn’t make it which is sad because your right the car barely has any damage. Apparently, she was on the phone with one of her friends when the wreck happened. An officer is going to talk to her now to see what she heard. It’s a damn shame, two kids in two nights. You two be safe, you hear me.”

  “Yes sir,” I tell him as he walks back to the scene. When I look back at Chasity she has tears running down her face. I put the car in drive and make a u-turn.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she comments.

  I shake my head. “No, you don’t.”

  Chasity scoffs. “Yes, I do, and I won’t deny that my reaction is stupid. I didn’t even like Leah, but that wreck makes no sense and it if is Bloody Mary then why her? She didn’t summon her, and she wasn’t even by a mirror. I don’t understand what is happening and it’s scary.”

  I nod. “I know it is, but we don’t even know for sure what happened to Leah. I mean a car crash doesn’t really add up to Bloody Mary. They didn’t even have cars during her time so that doesn’t
really fit in.” Just as I finish speaking the thunder and lightning hit. By the time we make it to Trivitt’s house there is a full-on storm. Tiny hail is now starting to fall but I can still spot Olivette’s car. Trivitt and Olivette can be seen outside in the circle drive in the midst of the storm. I let out a sigh of relief that she is fine.

  Chapter 13

  Olivette

  After Chasity dropped me off at home I had went upstairs and rummaged through my room. I was on a mission to find a particular book. The Bloody Mary book that Oski had given to Penn and I all those years ago. I don’t know why I kept circling back around to that damn legend, but I did.

  As a kid it was easy to believe that legends were real. That they weren’t just stories that people made up in an attempt to scare one another. However, the older I got the less I believed in them. A part of me still wanted to believe in magic but it didn’t seem possible, at least not until last night.

  Now, I didn’t know what to believe. I kept trying to tell myself that what I had seen wasn’t real, but I knew it was. I could sit all day and deny it, but I knew I wasn’t crazy. I knew it wasn’t just an overactive imagination. What I had seen was real.

  After I finished turning my room upside down in search for the Bloody Mary book I decided to go over to Triv’s. I had nothing else to do and I was going insane with the silence of the house. Chasity was nowhere to be found and Penn wasn’t at home, not that I wanted to talk to him after this morning. I grabbed my jacket and keys then went downstairs to head for Triv’s. I felt like we had left things in limbo to an extent and maybe, I was slightly more attached to him than I thought. Maybe, I just liked having him around, so I wouldn’t be lonely. Whatever the reason I felt like I needed to go there and sort things out with him first.

  When I pulled up I was a little shocked to see Leah’s red VW bug in his driveway. I wasn’t sure why she would be at his house. They weren’t exactly friends. I got out of my car and made my way up to his door. His parents weren’t home, so I decided to be brave and walk into the house unannounced. I guess I should have suspected what I found inside.