The Trickster God, Bloody Mary

“Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary.”

There was silence in the room for a moment, which given that said room was dark and lit only by candles made the atmosphere only more eerie. But when that moment ended, the candles went out, leaving the room in pitch black darkness.

And the teenagers in the room didn't have time to freak out about that, because the mirror they were standing in front of suddenly showed a shadowy figure that was none of their reflections.

One of them screamed as the shadow came closer and closer, and pressed herself against the glass, her bloody fingers leaving prints on the mirror. She looked at them with eyes hidden under unruly hair, and opened her mouth.

“WHY HAVE YOU SUMMONED ME?!” Bloody Mary screamed, a blood-curdling sound.

The teenagers screamed some more, and a boy standing in front turned pale and fainted. Once his body hit the floor, Bloody Mary looked down at him for a moment, and the other teenagers tensed.

Then she snorted, and gave a great big laugh.

It wasn't the kind of laugh that gave people the chills, either. It was the laugh of a mother who was snickering at her own cringeworthy jokes. The teenagers stared at her for a few seconds, before she actually wheezed, and then looked at them.

“What? Did you actually think I was going to kill all of you?” she asked, still laughing a bit. “Did I scare the wits out of you lot?”

“...What?” One of the teenagers asked.

“Oh, that reputation I have of being a bloodthirsty spirit who goes around killing people?” she began. “That's a lie. I only play tricks on humans and other spirits.”

“...You play tricks?”

“Yes.” Bloody Mary spoke as if this were the most well-known fact in the world. “Though I'll never live up to Loki, that magnificent trickster.”

“Then...” Another teenager pointed at the knife sitting at her hip. “What's that?”

She picked up the blade. “Oh, this.” She poked the tip lightly. “It's a prop. To be a realistic trickster, you need a few props.”

The other teenager looked confused. “You're just a big prankster, then?”

Bloody Mary scoffed, as if taking offense. “You say that as if trickster gods are not dangerous. I do give some people the occasional heart attack every now and then, even if it wasn't my plan to kill them. But I do relish taking part in bigger hijinks every now and then. Remember the Ever Given ship? That was only possible with my little touch. Though since magicians never reveal their secrets, I can't tell you mine.”

The teenagers were lost for words, just as their unconscious friend slowly came to. He rubbed his head a little, and then blanched when he saw Bloody Mary once more.

“She-she's...” he mumbled in fear.

“Real? Yes,” she said nonchalantly. She put the prop blade back at her hip, and then looked around. “You can turn on the lights, by the way. I've never been much a fan of the dark.”

The person at the back was just as bewildered as the rest of them, but she did as she was told, and soon the room was illuminated.

“That's better,” Bloody Mary said, sighing. She put her hand on her hip. “Well, this looks like a job well done. I think I shall take my leave, then.”

“Uh...huh.” the previously fainted teenager said.

She was about to turn around, before she started, as if she forgot something. Then she looked at them, and said, “Oh, right. I forgot to tell you that you're all under a curse now.”

“What?!”

“A curse?”

“Are we going to die?!”

Bloody Mary looked at the panicking teenagers, and then waved her hands. “Calm down, don't look so scared. Nothing bad is really going to happen to you lot. You're too young for that sort of punishment, anyhow.”

“But...” The first teenager asked, “what's the curse going to do to us, then?”

She smirked. “Now that you know I'm a trickster god, no one will believe you if you mention it to anyone else. Consider it one last trick from me.”

And with one last cackle, she was gone, leaving a bunch of shocked youths in her wake.

She entered the mirror realm once more, humming as she went. Then she emerged from the mirror realm into another room – and this one was full of more mirrors. Then she walked over to the door to the room, and was confronted with the large funhouse full of even more mirrors that was her home. She yawned, and then checked out her appearance in another mirror.

“Are you going to wipe that fake blood off your face, now?”

She sighed, and then turned around to face her only companion in her house. “Have a little more respect for your mentor's methods, why don't you?” she asked, sounding a little sour.

“I do respect your methods,” the boy behind her said. “I just want you to be careful with that stuff. It could get in your eyes.”

She smiled. “I'm touched that you're concerned about me.”

Alden stared at her for a moment, before smirking. “Hi, Touched-That-You're-Concerned-About-Me, I'm Alden.”

She laughed. “That's my boy.” She then rubbed her hands together. “So, what do you say we treat ourselves to some human food tonight? It's my treat after being out for so long.”

“Sure, whatever you say.”

She wiped the fake blood off her face with her sleeve, and then walked towards Alden, before patting his back. “What do you say? We con some rich people out of their planned dinner tonight?”

“Come on, everyone deserves to buy dinner. We don't even need food.”

“The rich can buy all the dinner they want.”

“Can we steal their money then?”

“Only if we use it to buy from small restaurants.”

“You're the boss, Mary.”

“I know I am, I know.”

And she did know she was, especially when it came to tricks.