Time's Up Mary

"Yes officer, I understand, you won't be seeing Lyam in here again for a very long time, I can assure you that," I smiled at the chubby man in blue, then shot a glance over to Lyam, he smiled innocently at me. The officer nodded, and we left.

Once outside of the station, I looked my best guy friend in the eye, "What? The girl was smokin' hot, how was I supposed to know she was underage? She asked for a beer, I couldn't turn her green eyes down."

I smacked him upside the head, hard, he rubbed the back of his head with a shrug, I smiled at him, venom in my eyes, "Don't ever flirt with a fucking sixteen year old ever again! I don't want to end up here on a Saturday morning when I look like shit ever again! Just going out in public like this is bad enough!"

Smiling at me, he wrapped his left arm around my waist, then his right arm around Jynx's waist, "Ladies, let's get some coffee."

Jynx looked over at me from behind his head, 'Do you wanna ditch and make him walk?' she mouthed over to me.

A devil grin spread across my face, "FUCK YEAH!" We both pushed him back onto the ground, busted out laughing and ran as fast as our legs would carry us to my black 2001 Dodge Ram, most people couldn't believe that I had the car, but I didn't care, I loved my truck, and my older brother had given it to me when I turned sixteen.

_

Looking over at Jynx, she smiled at me, I had been quiet the whole ride home, every time I remembered my brother I would get quiet and not talk for the rest of day, that was at the beginning of his death, I had gotten a bit better, but not much, "Mary, Mary, Mary, do you remember the stories of Bloody Mary?!"

I could feel my eyes grow larger, Bloody Mary, my favorite legend of Longwood ever, "Hell yeah I do, why?"

"Because, last night, my dream, it involved her!"

I grabbed her shoulders and shook her, her eyes had glazed over and looked distant, "JYNX!"

She snapped back to reality, "Dude, let's do the thing! Let's play B-Mary!"

"Are you fucking insane?!" the legend was only a legend, but being the huge believer in the stories I am, I couldn't do it, I mean the stories always spoke of instant death or near death or scars and then death, and blood and bleeding faces and scratches, it was impossible to read one story that didn't say something along those lines, "Dude, you know what the stories say!"

Jynx grinned and rubbed her long hands together, "It's perfect, we can do the whole ritual with Charlie and Carly and Lyam, we can do it here, in Ben's bathroom!"

My hand collided with her right cheek, she shot back a bit.

The silence grew out longer after about ten minutes of nobody speaking, Jynx was in shock, holding her newly injured cheek, I didn't feel sorry or sympathy, she had crossed the line. Suggesting my dead brother's bathroom as a place to summon the dead spirit of another person who could kill you. I wasn't wanting to do something so horrid in his bathroom.

Finally Jynx collected herself, "I gotta get going, I'm really sorry," she hugged me and kissed my cheek, I hugged her back and kissed her cheek.

"I'm sorry for hitting you."

"It's fine, I crossed the line, hey I'll call you later, I gotta run home and make dinner for my parents, it's Reese's birthday today! We're celebrating it!" she hugged me once more, I held her tightly.

"Have fun love."

She smiled, then left out of my room, I shut my door behind her, and laid back down on my bed, staring at my ceiling was calming, reaching around on the right side of my body my hand connected with a small rectangle, I grabbed it and looked at the silver buttons, pressing the triangle tilted to it's side, I listened as I'm Not Afraid engulfed me into its lyrics.

I hummed to the last few chords of the song, then sat up and looked at my shut door, all the memories flooded back to me.

_

"Dear Lord, we ask you nicely to please take up Benjamins' spirit up into the heavens and let him watch over all of us. Help him understand what happened to him, and Lord, watch him watch us all. And one day let us be rejoined with the great young man who has graced us all with himself, and with his good kind heart. Now some of his close ones would like to say a few words, starting with his younger sister; Mary," the preacher stepped off of the stand, I took his place and grabbed the folded up paper out of my back pocket.

I smoothed it out, and held it up, "Thank you all for coming today. Now my older brother Ben was the most amazing guy in this world. He was always there for me when I needed a shoulder to cry on about drama. I know some people say that older and younger siblings are supposed to dislike each other until they are older, but we never had an argument ever, so we never disliked each other. He was my best friend, he was the only guy in my life that wasn't my father, that I could trust with my life. He has been there for me through the roughest parts of my life, and has gotten me into the most weirdest things on earth," I took a long shaky breath, then continued, "My brother was a good guy, he was smiling almost all the time, and he treated people with the same respect they showed him. Nobody was ever below him, they were all on the same level. He believed in equal rights. I love my brother very much. Notice how I'm not using past tense, that is because I believe he is still here with me, so he can hear this all, and that he is sitting in my spot, looking up at me and smiling his big cheesy grin. I love him very much, and I know this is all jumbled and messed up, what I'm saying I mean, and probably not the best grammar, but hey it's hard to have proper grammar when you just found your brothers dead body no more than about one week ago."

Everyone became even more quiet, their faces showed no emotion, "Thank you all for listening. And Ben, keep on living through your spirit, and help me rock that mother fuckers world who fucked you over and made you a bloody mess."

Gasps escaped everyone's mouths, I just smiled, and got off the stand, and walked right out of the building.

_

I laughed at myself in the mirror, tears were streaming down my cheeks, but that memory was a funny one, my emotions always get mixed up when I think about Ben.

Throwing my legs over the edge completely, I hopped off my bed and headed towards my door, opening it, I popped my head out to check and see if any sign of parents was visible, none appeared to be. Tip toeing across the wooden floors though was a must just in case, finally I made it to the end of the hallway and saw the black and red door with signs plastered all over it, my brother was supposed to move out right before the death, he never got the chance. Turning the knob slowing, I pushed the door open and poked my head inside.

The walls were plastered with posters of chicks half naked, his bed was still unmade, and his clothes were still laying around everywhere. My mom and dad refused to enter the room in fear of upsetting me and themselves. But it wouldn't upset me one bit, Ben had died, and I understood it, sometimes I would sneak into his room and sleep on his bed when they weren't home, but I wouldn't fix the bed or use the blankets.

I walked in and went straight to his closet, and began digging through it, boxes and bags and socks and other random things were being thrown or placed beside me. Then I grabbed something larger and heavier than anything else in the closet. I pulled out a large black box with Bloody Mary written across the top in thick black sharpie. I opened the lids up and there it was, articles, and pictures, and stories from people all about the legend.

I began picking through the papers, there was one about a kings wife, another one about a small girl, and another one about a princess. But the one that stuck out the most was the longest one there.

Reading over the paper, I felt cold chills all down my spine, my arms hairs were standing at attention. I read it once more once I hit the bottom;

Mary Whitlock, the daughter of the blacksmith in the small town of Longwood was accused of being a witch. Just for she was able to take care of her younger brother and his illness. But that isn't what killed her, what killed her was the townspeople. The preachers son William Smith was found at his home with scratch marks from nails and a knife all over his chest, back, face and arms. Bruises were found on his neck. William said that the girl Mary had done it, she was possessed from what he could tell.

Mary was prosecuted quickly, and then tied to a cross made of a tree and a piece of wood nailed to it. She was scratched at and beaten terribly, the last one to do anything to her was William, he took a knife and stabbed it into her stomach. With one quick twist, Mary coughed up blood all over William, her last words were heard slightly by a bystander, "You killed our baby." Those words were thrown off by lies by William. Then Mary Whitlock was buried at the tender age of nineteen.

Those this story is just another one of the fables that many have said. But that is the story of Longwood, the town is located in The words were blurred out, but I knew I was in the only Longwood on all of earth. I continued reading, My great grandfather had told me this story for the sole reason that he had heard Mary say "You killed our baby", and I just had to share it. And one last thing, Mary was forced to look at herself in a mirror before she took her last breath, her blood was spewed all over it. Beware Mary, she is known for committing murder to any of those who look into a mirror at the stroke of midnight, and say 'B-Mary, B-Mary, B-Mary' in the mirror while it is shown upon by a single candle. Be careful though, she will follow you until she is avenged.

The paper ended, I heard footsteps on the stairs, folding the paper up and shoving it into my hoodie, I jumped up and shut my brothers door. And headed down the hallway.

"Hello sweetie," I jumped about ten feet in the air when my mothers melodic voice struck my ears.

I screamed, "Hey mom! You scared me."

She laughed, "Sweetie, have you been watching those horror movies again?"

"Yeah, but I won't for a while, hey you guys wanna go out for dinner? I'm in the mood for some Chinese!"

My mother smiled at my eagerness, "Sure, go get ready, and I'll call your dad and tell him to meet us at the buffet."

"Okay mom!" I hugged her and headed back to my room.

_

Grabbing my favorite pair of light blue skinny jeans, I pulled them on and grabbed my black t-shirt that had Money Bags scribbled across the chest in lime green, I looked myself over once more in the mirror. Slipped on my converse, touched up my makeup and grabbed the cellular device.

"Okay mom, I'm ready!" I shouted, bounding down the stairs.

She smiled at me, "Alright, let's get going."

We left, but my mind kept wandering back to the paper I had just discovered, 'Did Ben do the ritual?'