Mirror

"Do you believe in Bloody Mary?" Sure, it's a question I've been asked a lot of times, but do I really believe? I've known of kids who claimed that they had tried it, chanting the witch's name thirteen times in the mirror, and had come back with all kinds of stories, from seeing her mangled face, all the way to witnessing the angered spirit claw the eyes out of another in the room. I don't believe at all, but I'm not sure about trying it. The thought of having my eyes scratched out...unpleasant.
         So why did I decide to try the myth? I can explain in one word: Emma. Emma's my best friend, but we're total opposites. Emma is obsessed with paranormal things, but unless there's hard evidence, I won't believe it. Emma also has dark brown hair, almost black, and my hair is so blond it's almost white.
         Anyway, my story starts on a Friday afternoon after school. I had just gotten to Emma's house, and I immediately sat down and started to brainstorm for a project that Emma and I were assigned for extra credit, which we both needed. Emma literally collapsed into a beanbag chair and opened her book.
         "Emma, we need to start on this project if we wanna pass. Get your nose out of that book." I said. Emma glared at me and slammed the book shut. She hated being told what to do.
         "Fine. What do we have to do anyway? I didn't hear; I was caught up in my book."
         "Start listening Emma. We have to research an urban myth, prove if it's real..." I didn't get any further than that before Emma sprang up out of the beanbag and flew across the room to her computer. She opened an internet page and began typing furiously. I groaned. I knew it was going to be something paranormal, and she'd go way overboard with it.
         "What'd ya find?" I asked when I noticed that the sound of Emma's lightning fast typing had stopped.
         "Holy cow! You won't believe the amount of urban myths here! Come on Nicole; get your butt over here!" She said, clearly astonished. I lugged myself out of the chair I was sitting in and walked over to the computer, dragging my feet all the way. There was a small amount of pictures clustered together. Some of them gave me the creeps, but there was only one picture that didn't scare me. Wouldn't you know it was the Bloody Mary myth.
                   "So, which one do you wanna test Nicole? I really don't care, but I've always wanted to test the Bloody Mary myth."
         "Fine then. We'll go with the Bloody Mary myth. Those thumbnails for the other myths creep me out and I don't wanna look at them any longer."
         "Alright. We'll need a video camera to record evidence, a candle, a tape recorder for EVPs..." Emma went on and on, and I decided I was tired of hearing it.
         "EMMA! SHUT UP!" I yelled, frustrated. Emma gave me the worst glare possible, and I took a step back from her.
         "Fine. We'll get a camera, and that'll be it. I'll be back shortly." She said, and walked with long steps toward her closet. She opened the door and pulled a video camera off the shelf, along with the smallest tripod I've ever seen. She explained how to use it, and then added that the camera had night vision. I nodded.
         "I know how to work it now. Thanks for the 5 second briefing." I said. Emma smiled a smile I knew anywhere. She wanted to test the myth now.
         "Oh no, not now. I'm tired, I wanna go home, and... and..." I stammered, and Emma raised one eyebrow.
         "Nicole...are you scared?" She asked accusingly. I was sure my face went fire truck red.
         "NO! I'm not scared! Like I said before, I'm tired!" I defended. I stuffed my things back in my backpack and proceeded out the door. Emma caught my shoulder in a vice-grip, and I could've sworn that she had caused a fracture. 
         "Nicole, we're testing the myth tomorrow. I don't care what your mood is, and I don't care if you're tired or not." Emma said. The look on her face said that she really meant it. I sighed and walked out the door as she took her hand off of my aching shoulder.
         "Saturday's a horrible day to work on a project, but when your friend's being stubborn..." Emma replied, apparently to no one, when I trudged into her room and chucked my backpack half way across the room. It landed with a thunk in the middle of the floor.
         "Emma, get your camera. We're testing the myth." I said.
         "I'm not going with you. 99% of the legends say that it has to be done alone. And since you're not scared..."
         "Idiot. If I'm not back in five, call an ambulance. I'll probably be on the floor going insane from all this stress." I replied as I walked into the bathroom adjoining Emma's room. I

         shut the door behind me. The camera was already set up facing the mirror, and it was in night vision mode. I flipped the light switch and I watched while everything on the camera went dark, and then a ghastly green color. I took a deep breath and sighed. 'Alright, let's do this.' I thought as I lit the lone candle. The mirror was illuminated softly. I began to chant.
         "Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary..." I kept chanting, until I reached thirteen. Nothing. I did a bit of research on my own, and all of the legends stated that bells would be heard if Bloody Mary decided to appear. A thump would be heard too. The only thumping I heard was the sound of my racing heart. I still heard nothing.
         THUMP! I think I jumped about fifteen feet in the air. I felt a wet substance on my pant leg, and looked down. A bottle of shampoo had fallen off the sink, and the cap had opened, sloshing my favorite pair of blue jeans in strawberry-scented shampoo. Darn.
         A small, subtle thump sounded, and I heard the faint sound of a bell. Now I was frozen in fear, but I had just enough guts to turn around.
         I nearly had a heart attack at the sight that awaited me in the mirror. She had appeared, and her face was indescribably horrible, so the description you're about to hear is simplified.
         Her hair was matted, and hung down to her shoulders in clumps. Snow-white parts of the skull showed through. There were no eyes in the empty sockets. There was no nose. Her teeth were bloody and broken. She opened her mouth and screamed silently. A waterfall of blood fell over her lips. I fell to the floor, terrified now. I was stupid for not believing in this. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was the arm of the witch, nothing but bloody bone and rags, penetrating through the mirror and reaching toward me. I blacked out.
         Emma ran into the room ten minutes later to check on me. Turns out, she was the one who went insane when she saw my lifeless body lying on the floor, which was now red instead of white. My parents moved away and smashed every mirror they owned. Emma's parents committed suicide after Emma was admitted to an asylum. I can’t bring myself to leave the bathroom where I died. I enjoy scaring others as they walk in by screaming loudly. This is a fun afterlife.