Breaking Bloody Mary

by Stephanie Nichole

  Olivette takes the book slowly as if it’s a piece of glass, which it might be considering the condition of the book. “Here, she says once she’s flipped to the last few pages of the book. Mary’s curse is sealed through the mirror however, if she is ever summoned in the mirror of the curse’s creation then she could break free. Her freedom from the mirror would lead to blood spreading across the land, driven mad by her sister’s death and her years of servitude to Cordelia, Mary would be unable to control her thirst to kill. She must collect souls for Cordelia, to ensure her immortality.”

  “So basically, Mary has to kill, she has no choice,” Chasity comments.

  Olivette nods. “If Mary was ever able to gain her freedom from the mirror red lightning, blood rain, and unusual weather will occur. Unexplained deaths and murders will soon follow.”

  Bannen clears his throat. “Does it tell you how to get her back to the mirror or stop all of this?”

  Olivette closes the book. “Mary can only be stopped two ways, by killing Cordelia or by the hands of her sister.”

  “Sister?” I ask. “She’s dead and has been, so how could she kill her.”

  Olivette shrugs but Trivitt is unable to keep his mouth shut. “Because it’s all a bunch of crap. I can’t believe you guys believe this crap.”

  Trivitt stands up and begins to walk out when Olivette steps in front of him. “You think this is all crap then explain what happened last night to Terry. Explain what happened tonight with Leah or hell, explain what happened tonight at your house.” Olivette gives Trivitt a few moments to come up with an answer but when he doesn’t give her one she continues. “This is not crap! Glass is one of Mary’s weapons.”

  “She has a point,” Chasity says. We both got cut by the glass chandelier in your house. It just randomly fell from the ceiling after we saw some kind of image and the door magically locked by itself, yet you still don’t believe in this?” Trivitt sits back down looking defeated. Olivette begins to pace. “How can we find Cordelia?” Chasity asks.

  I smile. “That’s where Bannen comes in,” I tell them while pointing to him. Bannen is the master of tracking things down. If anyone could figure out a way to find Cordelia, it’s him.

  Chapter 16

  Penn

  We stayed at Bannen’s until nearly sunrise. We had all done some research without any luck. There was no sign of Cordelia. Eventually, we all decided to take a break. Chasity stayed with Bannen who promised to get her home safely. Olivette and I rode back with Trivitt to his house where we had left our vehicles. There was an awkward silence in the truck, but I tried to ignore it. As we pulled up to the house it looked as if nothing had happened, but all I could picture was the blood spurting from the fountain in the driveway. As we get out of Trivitt’s SUV Olivette turns to face him. “Can I leave my car here for the time being?” Trivitt just nods and walks away from her. Olivette turns to face me “Can I ride home with you?”

  I nod while fishing the keys to my truck out of my pocket. “Yeah,” I finally tell her as we head to my truck. As we make our way back it’s silent once again but it’s not awkward or uncomfortable; but it is heavy. Everything that has happened in the last twenty-four hours is starting to weigh on us. As I pull into my driveway Olivette whispers. “I’m scared, Penn.” I nod my head, pat her knee, then get out of the truck and make my way to her door. She slides out of the truck and straight into my arms. I hold her against me tightly. “Can I stay with you?” she asks against my chest.

  “What about your parents?”

  She shakes her head. “They won’t care. They’ll think that I’m with Triv and that will make my mom’s day. I just can’t be alone right now.”

  I wrap my arm around her shoulders and lead her into my dark house. As we make our way up the stairs my father’s snores can be heard from behind the closed doors. Once we’re in my room I go to my chest of drawers and pull out a t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts. “You can change in my bathroom.” I watch as she disappears behind the closed doors. As I sit on the bed, waiting for Olivette my eyes begin to feel heavy with sleep. I lie back, still dressed in my clothes. At some point I feel Olivette climb into bed with me, her head resting near my shoulder, but I can’t find the energy to open my eyes. For now, we’re alive and safe and that’s something.

  A few hours later I jolt awake from movement on my bed. When I open my eyes, I see Olivette sitting straight up. My worn t-shirt clutched over her heart. Her breathing is labored and sweat covers her body. I say her name over and over, but she doesn’t respond. When I look into her eyes they seem vacant. She stares straight ahead, not really looking at anything.

  Grabbing my cell phone, I call Bannen. “What’s wrong?” he asks sleepily.

  “Is Chasity still with you?”

  Bannen coughs. “Yeah, we fell asleep while researching.”

  “Get in the car and get to the Conjurer’s Apothecary,” I tell him.

  I hear him begin to move around. “Why?”

  “Something is wrong with Olivette. It’s like she’s in shock or something and I think Oski might be the only person who can help us,” I explain while wrapping a jacket around Olivette. I hang up the phone and manage to carry Olivette down the stairs and out of the house without waking up my parents. Once we are both in the truck I haul ass to Concord. I pull around back and park my truck.

  When I reach the back door, I bang on it with all of my strength. Oski appears, his hair in disarray and tying his robe shut. “Penn, what is wrong?” he asks, his English accent more noticeable with his voice still laced with sleep.

  “Olivette,” is the only thing I manage to get out before Oski is stepping around me, moving toward my truck. I watch as he opens the door of my truck and attempts to talk to her.

  “Bring her inside,” he tells me. I carry her from the truck to inside the store. Oski has me sit her in one of the mismatched chairs before he steps into the shop. He reappears carrying all sorts of herbs and spices. Moving to the stove he begins mixing them while mumbling to himself.

  “Is she okay?” I finally ask. Oski doesn’t get a chance to answer before the knocking on the front door starts up. “It’s Bannen and Olivette’s best friend, Chasity. I called and told them to meet us here. I know something is going on and I’m pretty sure you know it too.” I walk to the front of the store and let them in. We make our way back to the kitchen to see Oski forcing a glass of hot tea down Olivette’s throat.

  “Will that help her?” Chasity asks sternly while taking a step closer to Olivette. Chasity is different than I thought. To be honest, I assumed she’d just be another mindless cheerleader, but she’s much more than that. I can tell that she doesn’t care about her social ranking at school, she doesn’t really care about cheerleading. The one thing I can tell she cares about is Olivette. She seems protective of her, which I get. I’m glad that Olivette as had Chasity in her life if she couldn’t have me.

  There’s always been something about Olivette. She’s always seemed fragile in some way. The need to protect her is ingrained in me. Even in the moments when I wasn’t supposed to care I would watch her. I was always watching, always waiting to see if someone hurt her, always protecting her in any way I could. I guess that’s why I started hitting Trivitt yesterday. Olivette has always been special but he was throwing her to the side for just another girl.

  My thoughts are interrupted by a deep inhale coming from Olivette. Her eyes blink once, twice, three times before the stiffness in her back and shoulders visibly relaxes. She looks around the room as if she’s trying to decipher where she is.

  “Oski?”

  Oski smiles at her before patting her cheek. “Hello darling. How are you feeling?”

  “A little light headed. I had the strangest dream.”

  I move around Bannen and Chasity to kneel beside Olivette. “What kind of dream?”

  At first Olivette shakes her head like she’s having a hard time remembering. “I was dressed in white and my hair was longer, bu
t I was me. There was a large window that I was standing by, looking down at some sort of commotion then suddenly I tripped and fell against the window. I stayed still and prayed for someone to come help me. The glass was cracked, and it felt weak, I was afraid to move. Then the door opened, and you appeared, but you couldn’t save me,” she pauses as if the next part is more difficult to say. “The glass shattered and we both fell.”

  Oski runs his hands through his hair. He never does that unless he’s nervous. As much as I don’t want to believe it I think he’s hiding something from us. “What is it?”

  Oski stands abruptly then heads to the stove. “I’m going to make some tea and grab some pastries I picked up last night. You all need to take a seat. We did as he told us. While we sit we watch as Olski flutters around the kitchen. Suddenly, I feel Olivette’s hand cover my own that is resting on my knee. When I look up I see her watching Oski. I’m not even sure she realizes her hand is on mine, but I don’t move it. Finally, Oski comes to the table with a tray full of tea and pastries.

  Once Oski takes a seat he takes a moment to look each of us in the eye. “I’m sorry this is happening now, to each of you. I tried to stop it but I could never find her.”

  “Find who?” Olivette asks.

  Oski hangs his head for a moment. “Cordelia. She is my sister. We were very close growing up. All three of us were actually, me, Cordelia and our sister Charity. Then a young man, Lash, showed up and ruined everything. Lash played my sister’s for fools, but Cordelia had always been different. As gypsy’s we had a certain kind of power but what Cordelia had was much different and uncontrollable. When Lash showed up at one of our parties I knew it would end badly. I knew that neither of my sisters could see Lash for the kind of man he was. He sat down at the table between our father and Charity. In the middle of dinner Lash announced he had an announcement. He told our gypsy clan that he wanted Charity’s hand in marriage. Everyone around me rejoiced while I cringed. I was sitting next to Cordelia, but she was also sitting next to Charity. I could feel the anger and betrayal coming off her. It was scary to be honest.”

  “I reached for her arm and when she looked at me all I could see was how broken she was. Cordelia had never been adored over the way Charity had been. Lash picking Charity over Cordelia snapped something in her. She reached over and grabbed the knife from the pig in the middle of the table. Then she grabbed my hand and sliced it open and I watched as she did the same. Cordelia held my hand tightly as she whispered something I had never heard before. Before I could even ask what it was, she turned around and with the same knife, she killed Charity. Stabbed the knife through her heart. The next morning Lash was found dead outside of his tent and Cordelia was banished from our clan. I never saw her again.”

  “As time went on I adjusted, but I always wondered about her. I also found myself wondering what she had whispered that night at the dinner table when our hands were clasped together. Life passed by and before I knew it I was an old man. One late afternoon while I was doing dishes I felt something inside my body. It was different, I’d never felt anything like it. My insides twisted and turned. Finally, I collapsed, convinced I was dying then everything went black. When I woke up I was young again, well younger. I didn’t know how, but I knew I’d be banished if the clan found out, so I ran. After a few months I figured it had something to do with Cordelia, so I began to search for her, but I never had any luck,” he tells us. My head is trying to wrap around the fact that Oski is related to Cordelia, the same Cordelia that trapped Mary. I still can’t even begin to think about the fact that Mary as in Bloody Mary is real. It’s not just some story that someone made up.

  Oski takes a sip of his lukewarm tea. “I heard about the tragedy that struck the Meyers family, so I went to Surrey. I found the shop that Cordelia had owned, and I knew in my gut it was hers. I hear the story about Elizabeth Meyers untimely death, Marina Meyers disappearance and the murders of Henry Willsworth and Thomas Meyers. Everyone assumed Marina had killed both men and pushed her sister from the window, but I didn’t believe that fully. I went in search of Jane Meyers and found that she had left for America. I managed to get on the next ship over and tracked her down to New Hampshire. I was surprised though to see that she was pregnant.”

  “Pregnant?” Olivette gasps out.

  Oski nods his head solemnly. “Yes and a few months later when the child was born she looked just like Elizabeth, all blonde hair and big blue eyes. However, Jane fell sick shortly after the birth of the daughter whom she named Victoria. A few months later Jane passed away and Victoria was taken in by a local family. She eventually married, and the blood line went along.”

  Oski looks up from his tea and his dark, penetrating eyes land on Olivette. “Victoria is a great ancestor of your bloodline and I believe you are the reincarnated version of Elizabeth Meyers.”

  Chapter 17

  Olivette

  When someone tells you that they believe you are the reincarnated sister to Bloody Mary you have the tendency to freak out. I mean who wouldn’t? Oski saying those words to me sent me flying from my chair. I stood up so quickly that the chair fell to the floor. The sound of it sounded louder than normal thanks to the silent kitchen. No one was saying anything, but all eyes were on me. I crossed my arms over my chest defensively. “You have got to be kidding me?” I ask with anger in my voice.

  Oski shakes his head. “I kept up with Victoria and her family as the years went on. I knew who you were the day you stepped into the shop when you were seven-years-old.”

  “This is ridiculous!” I exclaim.

  Finally, Penn moves. He stands up and turns me to face him. “Just breathe, Olivette.”

  I glare at him and step out of his reach. “That’s easy for you to say. He’s not telling you that you’re related to the messed-up family, that you’re some reincarnated freak!”

  “No one thinks you’re a freak,” Chasity says, as she stands up and makes her way around the table to face me as well.

  I shake my head at how ridiculous all of this seems to me. I’m Olivette. I’m just a normal girl from Newport, New Hampshire. I’m a junior in high school. I love literature and I’m a cheerleader. My best friend is Penn, I can deny it but he’ll always be my best friend. Chasity is my best friend too though. I listen to Panic! At the Disco and Fall Out Boy way too loudly. I was Trivitt’s girlfriend. I am not Elizabeth Meyers.

  Then the dream I had earlier starts coming back. The white dress, the window, the falling…why did I dream that? It’s directly from the legend but it felt different. It felt real. It’s like I knew how it felt to fall from that window. I’ve never taken a fall like that, so I wouldn’t know how it felt. I wouldn’t know that fear, but I knew it this morning. I start to shake my head since my voice as left me.

  “How do we trap Mary back or kill her?” Bannen asks.

  “No!” I exclaim. “We aren’t trapping Mary back in that damn mirror and we’re not killing her, she’s suffered enough already. The last thing she deserves is to suffer more when none of this was really her fault. There’s got to be another way.”

  “Olivette…” Penn says quietly. He sounds like a parent trying to tell a child something difficult.

  “Don’t talk to me in that tone, Penn,” I tell him stepping back away from him again.

  Penn’s brows come together as a look of confusion comes across his face. “What do you mean?”

  “Like I’m a child.”

  Penn puts his hands in his pockets. “I wasn’t trying to do that. I’m just thinking that there may not be another way. I mean we don’t even know how she got free.”

  Oski raises one finger in the air. “I have the answer to that one. With every spell there is a loophole, so to speak.”

  “A loophole?” Chasity asks.

  “A way to undo the spell. Mary escaping from the mirror after being summoned is part of that. Everything had to fall in a certain order for her to be able to escape.”

  Penn clears his t
hroat while staring at me out of the corner of his eye. “What had to be in order?”

  “Well, the original frame of the mirror she had been sealed in was the first one. The only way she could escape after being summoned was if she was summoned to the same mirror. Legend says that Cordelia smashed the mirror, but she only smashed the glass of the mirror. The frame remained in tack and within the family for a few centuries. Then it was auctioned off and the Jacobs family purchased it as a wedding gift to Trivtt’s parents. They had glass placed back into the frame and I’m assuming it hangs in a bathroom now,” Oski says while moving his eyes to me. My mouth feels like cotton, so I just nod my head in reply.

  Oski taps his slender, ring filled fingers a few times on the table before continuing. “The other thing that had to be in order was you, Olivette. Rather you believe it or not a part of Elizabeth is in your soul and it calls out to Mary.”

  “Calls out how?” Pen asks.

  “Considering the relationship that Mary and Elizabeth shared I would imagine that originally Mary would seek her out wanting forgiveness for inadvertently causing her death. However, she’s been locked in the mirror for so long that she might not even know what she’s doing now. When Mary and Elizabeth made that blood oath it connected their souls. Regardless, of what plane they were on they can always find each other.”

  “So how do we stop whatever is happening?” Bannen asks. I can already see his brain working on a plan to save us all.

  Oski takes a deep breath before releasing it slowly. “Well, there’s only one of two ways that it can end. Either we manage to kill Cordelia which is difficult because her immortality is tied to Mary. Or Olivette finds a way to convince Mary she is forgiven.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask.

  “The best way to kill Cordelia is by taking away her supplier. When Mary is summoned she doesn’t always kill just when Cordelia needs a boost of youth. If Mary is removed from the picture that would mean that Cordelia is vulnerable, and we could either kill her or she would die of old age, but I believe that Mary thinks she deserves to be trapped. She needs forgiveness. With the forgiveness and her escape, she has a chance of breaking the spell herself with your help,” Oksi explains.