Thea heard the bell ding at the front of her grandmother's shop, followed by the sound of her sister's yelling: "Thea, come here!" Thea sighed, putting down the ingredients she was working with. Her health potion would have to wait.
Blaise was leaning on the front counter, her expensive designer purse sitting next to her. She smiled mischievously.
"Oh no," Thea said. "I know what that look means. And I want nothing to do with it."
"Come on, this one's cool. And it'll be me doing all the work. I just need you to stand outside of the door," Blaise said quickly.
Blaise liked to dabble in dark magic. It wasn't that she was evil; she just found it more…interesting. And it made Thea nervous. Each time she found a new spell that captured her attention, she pulled Thea into it. And it ended terribly each time.
"Gram will be mad if she has to correct another one of our…mistakes," Thea stated.
"There won't be any this time. I've done my research. I found complete instructions- I even memorized everything. I won't need a spellbook or anything this time. Plus, it's a silly mundane legend. It probably won't even work. I found it on an old paranormal forum from like 2001." Damn, Blaise was good.
"Alright," Thea sighed. Most human myths and beliefs were false- it couldn't hurt. Plus, it would appease Blaise for the next day or two.
"I got the ingredients earlier today. I'm going to do it in the bathroom," Blaise said curtly. She was rushing toward the back of the store, obviously excited.
"Hang on, Blaise." Thea stood still. "What exactly are you about to do?"
Blaise sighed. "I'm about to summon Bloody Mary. You know, like the drink. Humans have this silly belief that if you say her name in a mirror three times at midnight, she'll appear. That's a bunch of shit, though. I was looking online at an old witch forum. Someone posted 'instructions' that are supposed to actually work."
Thea thought for a second. Had she heard of Bloody Mary? The drink, sure. Grams had one every so often. She didn't recognize the legend, however. "What do you need for the spell, then?" she asked.
"I got most of it on the way here, there's a few things I need from the back: a mixing bowl, a dark towel, some candles. I need milk from the fridge, too."
"Milk?" Thea asked slowly. "You're kidding."
"Nope," Blaise smiled. "I have to make a thick dye of dirt, blood, and milk." She began walking to the back of the shop to make her dye.
"So you do this in a room alone?"
"Yep," Blaise answered. "I have to be in a room with no light sources. I'll have a candle and some matches and a flashlight, but they'll need to be off. We have to unscrew all of the light bulbs in case this thing goes wrong."
"Okay," Thea said slowly, "so what am I supposed to do?"
"Stand outside of the door, just in case."
"In case of…?"
"In case she comes at me," Blaise said, and stopped. "I forgot something in the car, will you finish mixing this?"
Thea took control of the dye, working it from a paste to a smooth liquid. Blaise came back, a crowbar and a baseball bat with her. Thea's eyes widened.
"If this turns to shit, we have to smash the mirror or she'll come out and kill us," Blaise said.
Thea sighed. "Gram is going to be so pissed."
"Only if it goes wrong," Blaise sang at her, moving into the bathroom. She began unscrewing the light bulbs, placing them on the ground when they were out. She placed a large black towel on the floor, next to her bowl of dye. The crowbar was placed carefully, ensuring it was in a position where Blaise could quickly grab it if needed. She put a candle and a book of matches in the middle of the room, with a flashlight next to it. "It's 11:52," she said. "We do this at midnight."
"I thought you said the midnight thing was a bunch of crap," Thea said.
"No, the 'say her name three times and she'll appear' thing is a bunch of crap. Here, take the bat. Don't come in unless you hear me yell for you," Blaise instructed. "Absolutely do not come in unless I ask you to. If I do, make sure the mirror is completely smashed. Turn the hall lights off, no light can come in the room. If I yell for you, turn them back on before you open the door."
Thea sighed and watched Blaise shut herself into the bathroom. She leaned against the door, taking in the silhouettes of furniture in the dark hallway.
Blaise checked her supplies, ensuring everything was in place. She made sure the light bulbs were unscrewed, that her crow bar was within reaching distance, and that she had three light sources. Candles, matches, a flashlight.
She peered at her watch, just as time turned to midnight. She glanced at the full length mirror in front of her. "Let's do this," she said as she lit a candle.
She picked the bowl of dye up, dripping it onto her left hand. She walked to the mirror confidently.
Each corner of the mirror had to have four red dots painted on it. Blaise slowly dotted each corner, mentally going over the next set of instructions. The forum had said that Bloody Mary becomes present once the last dot is painted, but does not show herself in the mirror until summoned. After making the final dot, Blaise sighed a bit more nervously.
She washed her hands of the dye, placing the bowl in a far corner of the room. She put the towel beneath the sink's water, using it to scrub the red stains from her skin. She huffed out the candle. Blaise then turned to the mirror, holding the wet towel in front of her.
"This is the cleanser of the dead," she said. She placed the towel over her head, blocking her sight of the mirror. "I wish to speak with the fallen Queen." She immediately became silent, listening.
A soft voice spoke. "Queen of fallen blood. Queen of hatred."
Blaise shakily removed the towel from her head, reminding herself not to appear surprised or scared should there be a reflection in the mirror. The forum said that Bloody Mary mirrored your actions; if Blaise reacted negatively, so would the Queen.
She lifted her head up, looking at the mirror. A woman was peering through it. The figure was dark, too dark to distinctly make out details in her features. Blaise could see the outlines of her mouth, her nose, her eyes. Her hair was pinned beneath a bonnet. A large collar rose around her neck; it was obviously made of a high quality fabric. Her voice was rather loud.
"What would you like to know, my child?"
Blaise swallowed. As long as she remained polite, Bloody Mary would remain calm. "It's lovely to meet you, you Highness," she said. "Are you a witch?"
"I belong to Circle Midnight, much like you someday will," the woman spoke. "You're confused, aren't you?"
Blaise remained silent. The Queen raised her voiced. "Answer me!"
"I do not know where my loyalty lies," Blaise shakily answered. "My family has an extensive history with Circle Daybreak. I find light magic to be rather…dull."
"Your grandmother is the Crone, yes," Her Highness stated. "You don't want to be on wrong terms with her. But the magic of Daybreak bores you. You long for something…more."
Blaise smiled, becoming more confident. "You understand."
The Queen smiled back at her. "I was once like you. Lost, confused. Unsure of which path to take. You, my child, are entirely too gifted. You're intelligent. Intelligent enough to summon me with ease."
Blaise smirked. "I must admit that I was afraid whilst summoning you, miss."
"I can smell your fear. You still shake with it. I won't harm you, child. In fact, I want to help you."
"How could you do that?" Blaise asked.
"I want you to come with me. I can teach you all you need to know. I can show you what true power is," Bloody Mary spoke.
The mirror began to lift into the air, moving toward Blaise. "Come with me, my dear," the Queen said. "You'll be mine…forever."
Blaise slowly crouched to the ground, grabbing her crow bar.
"I must depart, your Highness," she said, just as the mirror stopped in front of her. The woman's image disappeared. She swung, putting her entire weight behind the weapon. The glass of the mirror crumbled to the ground.
Blaise quickly scrambled on the ground, finding her flashlight. She turned it on and grabbed the bathroom light bulbs. She needed to screw them in- and fast. If she didn't finish the ritual, Bloody Mary would be able to crawl out of any reflective surface in the shop. She'd certainly kill Blaise, and probably Thea as well. Maybe even Gram.
When the light bulbs were back in place, Blaise used her flashlight to sort through the pieces of mirror that littered the floor. She found each piece that displayed a red dot and wiped them off with the still wet towel.
She stood up, walking to the light switch. "Flee," she said as she turned the bathroom lights on.
As she exited the bathroom, Thea ambushed her with an enormous hug. "Are you okay? What happened? Did you see her?" Thea asked.
Blaise smiled. "Oh yes, I saw her. We had a nice little chat. Now let's go to the store and buy a new mirror before Gram comes in tomorrow morning."