A Speck of Blood on the Mirror: A Bloody Mary Story

Horrors at Home

*Danni*

Julia, Janet and Danni peer over the side of the white bed. After what seems like ages, its occupant stirs. The three friends sigh in relief, as Rachel sits up and slowly focuses her eyes on her friends. Immediately, Janet, the softest and most emotional, erupts into tears. “We thought you were going to die! You...”

Julia, who can never tolerate Janet’s oversensitive behaviour, pushes her aside to be the first to get all the details from Rachel. “So what happened in there? Tell us! What-?”

Rachel’s eyes splays wide, as if a thousand memories of that dreaded moment are being poured into her head all at once. She squeezes her eyes shut. Danni could see that she was trying to forget it; all about it. But it seemed impossible. He puts his hand on Julia’s shoulder, and squeezes tightly to make her stop.

She turns around sharply to look at him. Danni shakes his head, and gives a look which says, ‘not now, maybe later...’

Julia draws back. Danni comes closer, and finds Rachel looking up at him, grateful. He smiles back.

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*Janet*

Janet turns around as she hears footsteps nearing. The school nurse comes beside the bed they were all surrounding, and lays a tray on the bed-side table. “Oh, you’ve woken up” she addresses this to Rachel, who turns to look at her.

The nurse doesn’t turn around, but continues talking. “We found you in the green room this morning. These kids were the ones to tell us you were missing. They had a bad feeling you would be there, and dragged us all the way-”

“She has a habit of sleep walking in that direction,” Julia interrupts, trying to save all their hides, “we’re used to it”

Janet wonders if that cover story is good enough. If the nurse only just checks with the matron, the matron will for sure tell her that Rachel sleeps like a log at night.  

“You were stiff and cold when we found you,” the nurse continues, ignoring the existence of the other children, “and your pulse was terribly weak” At this, she turns around, and takes Rachel’s temperature. “It seems to be a heart attack, but that can’t be, because you are so young...”

Rays of sunlight filtered through the trees outside the nurse’s room, shine inside, on the mirror, which reflects and illuminated the whole room. Outside birds chirp merrily. It is hard to imagine that just yesterday; a curse had befallen one of Janet’s friends. That was what had happened, Janet was sure. The curse had come upon Rachel, nearly costing her life! Thank goodness she is strong, Janet thinks to herself, or else.... She shudders.

...If only she knew....

“That means I get to stay home for a week?” Rachel’s upbeat voice breaks Janet’s train of thoughts.

“Half a week is quite enough, young madam,” says the nurse, leaving. Once she left, Rachel fist pumps the air. “I get to miss the Bio test!” She sounds so happy, they all had to laugh. Danni ruffles her short black hair. “I'll make sure you’re made to do the test later” he says.

“You’re evil” glares Rachel, throwing him a friendly punch.

Janet smiled. Rachel was gonna be just fine now.   

***

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*Rachel*

As soon as she got home, she jumped into bed and slept. This was rare, to get to sleep on a weekday. She decides that she’s going to enjoy this small break from school as much as possible.

After several hours of sleep, she wakes up, and heads to the bathroom. She keeps the tap running, and rubs the sleepiness out of her eyes several times. Mentally, she calculates the time to be around six thirty, judging by the light outside. Her dad should be home any minute now.

She washes her face once more, and closes the tap. Then she looks at her reflection.

...Her reflection....? She doesn’t see her own face in the mirror. She shrinks back with shock. She has seen my face again. I can see it reflected in her eyes, tinted with fear. Pretty- no beautiful, but distorted. And then a thick mist.

This time, the girl doesn’t faint. And so, she sees my message:

Now the unliftable curse is upon you. Suffer it, or join me!

Rachel feels ice fill the pit of her stomach. And then, a stab of sharp pain on her upper arm. A cut, a deep gash. From which blood flows like a waterfall. A raw wound, blood oozing from it.

The world swirls before her eyes. Blood. Wound. A message on the mirror. Her blood. Written in her blood.