Bloody Mary.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN , BLOODY MARY

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Flashback

Everything happened so fast.

Athena just wanted all the yelling to stop. But she knew it wouldn't end, not anytime soon. Her eyes shift between Sam and John as they continue to argue. She knew Sam just wanted to live a normal life. He wanted to go to college and he has made it clear to everyone that he was ready to leave.

Athena was happy for Sam, Dean was annoyed. He was the mediator--like always. He wanted to make sure the argument didn't escalate to anything more. Athena looks down at her book and continues to read. She thought that they would argue, Sam would leave for a couple of hours and come back like nothing happened. That was the routine until John spoke again.

"IF YOU WALK OUT THAT DOOR. DON'T YOU EVER COME BACK!"

"Dad, come on," Dean says.

Silence settles in the Motel room. Athena looks at Sam, who was running on anger. Her eyes shift to his duffel bag that was already packed on his bed. Her eyes widen when Sam scoffs and grabs it. Without looking back, Sam grabs the doorknob and opens the door.

"Wait..." She barely manages to get out.

Sam steps out of the Motel room and slams the door shut. Athena's breathing quickens and she pulls her brows together. He's gonna come back...right?

"Sammy!" Athena runs toward the door. She goes to grab the doorknob.

"And where do you think you're going?"

Athena freezes and her eyes fill with tears.

"Is he gonna come back?" Athena asks, turning to Dean and John. "He's gonna come back, right?" she looks at Dean, who looks away from her; not able to tell her the truth.

"He's not coming back, Athena." John scoffs. "Serves him right." he walks over to the mini-fridge, grabbing one of his beers. He looks back at his daughter, who was on the verge of crying.

"Stop crying. He was gonna abandon use sooner or later."

"Abandon?" Athena slowly shakes her head. "N-No, no, no, no..." her breathing becomes quick and she opens the door.

"SAM!"

She looks around the parking lot, not seeing her brother. The tears in Athena's eyes run down her face.

Dean steps out of the Motel room, seeing Athena sobbing. "Athy, it's cold. Come back inside."

"He promised me..." Athena whispers.

Dean pulls his brows together. Athena turns to Dean, tears staining her face. His chest tightens seeing Athena in pain. "He promised he would take me with him!" her voice trembles with every word.

Dean felt bad. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was about her being left behind. Dean slightly turns his head, seeing his dad still standing there. He inhales a deep breath and pushes down his sympathy.

"It's one thing having to go to College." Dean starts. "Taking care of a kid is just adding onto the stress. You're supposed to be smart, Athy..." he shakes his head. "...you should've known he wasn't going to take you with him."

"Maybe you're next training session should be telling when someone's lying." John voices.

Dean walks back into the Motel room, leaving Athena alone outside. She grips at her chest, her heart beating at a rapid pace.

Present

Athena's eyes skim across the pages in her book. She was quietly mumbling to herself, while chewing on a piece of licorice. The girl started to slowly become more comfortable eating in front of others. Anytime she would hear a voice in her head telling her to stuff her face until she felt disgusting, Athena would close her eyes and breathe.

But just because she was trying to get healthier with her eating, doesn't mean her other internal issues were going to be solved so quickly.

The car door opens, catching Athena's attention. Dean gets in with a sigh. He looks at Sam sleeping. He turns to his sister and she looked frustrated. "What?"

"You made me lose my spot!" Athena huffs, looking back at her book.

"No one told you to look up." Dean shrugs.

"I had to make sure a bad person wasn't getting in and taking the car for a joyride and harvest Sam and I's organs," Athena explains. "And...I can't focus on more than 1 thing."

Dean pulls his brows together, he tosses the bag in the bag seat; next to the girl. "Then how do you listen to music while tinkering?"

Athena purses her lips, "I dunno, it beats listening to you click-clacking on the laptop."

"It beats you click-clacking on the laptop." Dean mocks Athena in a nasally tone.

"Someone's moody. Do you need a nap?" Athena pouts her lip. "I'll drive!"

"No," Dean growls. "Just by looking at you, I can tell your driving would get us killed."

Athena's mouth hangs open. "You're joking!"

"Nope." He pops the 'p'.

"Nope." Athena mocks Dean in a raspy voice. "I'm Dean and I'm scared of airplanes."

Dean's eyes widen. Two can play at that game.

"I'm Athy and I'm scared of everything! But Sloths oh my god! Sloths are soooo scary!—"

"They are!" Athena puffs her cheeks.

"Mmmm—no. You're just a weirdo." Dean flicks her nose.

Athena rubs her nose.

"What are you guys doing?"

Dean and Athena look at their brother, who was stirring awake.

"Discussing something very important," Dean says. "And I won."

"No, you didn't." Athena wrinkles her nose.

"Uh—yes. I did.

"Oh, yeah? How do you know?" Athena raises her brows.

"I'm the oldest. I know everything." Dean answers with a shrug. He starts the car and Athena squints her eyes, but she sits back in her seat in defeat.

Over the past week, Athena and Dean's relationship has been slowly becoming stronger. Never in the 10 years that Athena has been alive, did she think that she would have a good relationship with her eldest brother.

But there was always a part of her that would be worried about their relationship when they find their dad.

Dean's going to choose John.

Athena sinks into her seat, her jaw clenching. Sam shrugs them off, going back to sleep.

After driving for a few more hours, they arrived at the location of their next case. Athena was so busy reading she didn't even notice Dean was talking to her about the case. Until Sam started to stir in his sleep.

Dean looks over at his brother, noticing him whimper in his sleep.

"Sam, wake up!" He slaps his hand on Sam's arm.

"I take it I was having a nightmare?"

Athena shifts her eyes from her book to her brothers.

"Yeah, another one."

Sam lets out a breath, "Hey, at least I got some sleep." He tries to lighten the mood.

"You know, sooner or later, we're gonna talk about this." Dean states.

"Are we here?" Sam changes the subject.

"Yep. Welcome to Toledo, Ohio."

Sam looks at the newspaper. Athena peaks over Sam's shoulder, her eyes skimming over the newspaper.

"So what do you think really happened to this guy?" Athena asks.

"That's what we're gonna find out," Dean says.

Athena rolls her eyes, "So mysterious. Just answer the question..."

"I did...kinda."

Athena goes to leave the car, but Dean closes the door before she could leave.

"Not again!—"

"Yes, again," Dean says.

"It's a dead body, Athy," Sam speaks. "You're too young to see that."

Athena's guilt rises, she sinks back into her seat. "O-Okay." She gives them a small smile.

Sam and Dean walk away from the car and Athena's chest tightens. Her mind goes back to the humid basement that made her feel unsafe. Athena's life almost slipped through her fingers and it was all because of him.

☆

"Are you sure we should be here?" Athena looks around the house. "I mean...you guys don't feel uncomfortable at all?"

"Nah, we're fine." Dean ruffles Athena's hair and she groans, patting her frizzy hair down. They make it to the backyard, walking over to the women sitting down together.

"Do you think that's them?" Dean points at the girls.

Athena looks at each of their faces. Her eyes land on one of the girl's faces. "Her picture was in the newspaper."

They all walk over to the women.

"You must be Donna, right?"

Donna inhales, "Yeah."

"Hi...we're really sorry." Athena approaches gently.

"Thank you." Donna nods.

"I'm Sam. This is Dean and Athena." Sam points to his siblings.

"Dean and I worked for your father." Sam states.

"You did?"

"Yeah. This whole thing—I mean, a stroke."

"I don't think she wants to talk about this right now." One of the girls speaks.

"It's okay, I'm okay," Donna reassures.

"Were there ever any symptoms?" Dean inquires. "Dizziness, Migraines?"

"No."

"That's because it wasn't a stroke." The younger girl speaks.

"Lily, don't say that," Donna replies.

Athena looks at the girl who was a few years older than her. "What was that?"

Donna turns to the siblings. "I'm sorry, she's just upset."

"No, it happened because of me," Lily pronounces.

"Sweetie, it didn't." Donna tries to reassure the girl.

"Lily, why would you say something like that?" Sam asks, crouching in front of the girl.

"Right before he died, I said it." Lily shifts her eyes to the ground.

"You said what?" Sam inquires.

"Bloody Mary, three times in the bathroom mirror," Lily informs them.

Athena raises her brows.

"She took his eyes, that's what she does," Lily says.

"That's not why dad died. This isn't your fault." Donna states.

"I think your sister's right, Lily," Dean speaks. "There's no way it could have been Bloody Mary. I mean, your dad didn't say it, did he?"

Lilly slowly shakes her head, "No, I don't think so."

Athena scratches her neck, "We should...go." She looks at her brothers, then back at the girls. "It was nice meeting you all."

Donna gives Athena a soft smile before the siblings walk away. They make their way upstairs to the bathroom where Donna's dad died. Sam peaks inside the bathroom, pushing the door open.

Athena swallows, her eyes trained on the dried blood on the marble floor.

"The Bloody Mary legend—dad ever find any evidence that it was a real thing?" Sam inquires.

"Not that I know of." Dean walks into the bathroom.

"If dad didn't say anything to Dean. He most definitely wouldn't have said anything to me." Athena steps into the bathroom, inspecting the area.

"I mean, everywhere else, all over the country, kids will play Bloody Mary." Sam states.

"Not this kid." Athena points at herself. "I know the legend. I know the real world. And I am not risking it."

"Well, as far as we know it. No one has ever died from playing it." Sam states.

"Maybe everywhere it's just a story, but here it's actually happening," Dean adds.

"The place where the Legend began?" Sam questions.

Dean opens the mirror cabinet.

"Well, according to the Legend, the person who says—" Sam stops speaking, noticing the mirror pointed in his direction. He closes it. "The person who says you what gets it. But here—"

"Shoemaker gets it instead, yeah." Dean finishes.

"Yeah."

Athena sticks her pinky in her ear. "I've never heard anything like that before."

"Still, the guy did die right in front of the mirror." Dean states.

"And Lily's right," Athena adds. "The way the legend goes... 'you know who' scratches your eyes out."

"It's worth checking into," Sam says.

Footsteps are heard approaching and Athena's eyes widen. "Hide!" She runs toward the bathtub, but Sam grabs her shoulder.

"We're fine."

They all leave the bathroom, meeting the blonde.

"What are you doing here?"

"We...we had to go to the bathroom." Dean states.

The girl looks at the young girl. "Together? With a child?"

"I was scared of the...Legend." Athena says. "You know...Lily really scared me—"

"Who are you?"

Athena's mouth hangs open, "I was talking..."

"Like we said downstairs, we worked with Donna's dad," Dean speaks.

"He was a day trader or something, he worked by himself." The girl states.

Athena presses her lips together. "No, he knows, what he meant to say was—"

"And those weird questions downstairs, what was that?"

Athena lets out a frustrated breath through her nose, puffing her cheeks out.

Nobody replies.

"So you tell me what's going on or I start screaming."

That's a threat. Push her down the stairs.

"All right, all right." Sam quickly says. "We think something happened to Donna's dad."

"Yeah, a stroke."

"Those weren't the signs of a typical stroke." Athena states.

"We think it might be something else."

The girl shifts uncomfortably. "Like what?"

"Honestly, we don't know yet." Sam answers. "But we don't want it to happen to anyone else. That's the truth."

"So, if you're gonna scream, go right ahead."

"Or just don't scream." Athena shrugs a frown on her lips.

"I'm not gonna scream." The girl reassures. "Who are you, cops?"

"Something like that." Dean shrugs.

"I'll tell you what." Sam unzips Athena's bag, grabbing her notebook. Athena frowns. He grabs his pen and writes on one of the pages.

"You think of anything. You or your friends notice anything strange, out of the ordinary, just give us a call." He hands the paper to her.

Sam and Dean start to walk away, Athena follows after them. "Did you zip my bag back up?"

Sam chuckles and tosses the notebook back into Athena's backpack, then he zips it.

"Thank you kindly."

☆

"All right, so what are we supposed to be looking for?"

They enter the library.

"Every version's got things in common." Athena starts, gripping the straps of her backpack. "It's always a woman named Mary, and she always dies in front of a mirror."

"So we've got to search local newspapers—public records as far back as they go, see if we can find a Mary who fits the bill," Sam adds.

"Well, that sounds annoying." Dean sighs.

"No, it won't be so bad, as long as we..." Sam trails off, seeing the computers are out of order.

Athena chuckles softly.

"I take it back." Sam sighs. "This will be very annoying."

Athena holds her hands up, fists in the air. "Research!"

"Yay," Dean says with all the unenthusiasm in the world.

"This is like shopping, but better!" Athena exclaims, running down the aisles of books.

"That's only because she wears overalls." Dean huffs. "We need to get her more clothes."

"Stop. She likes her clothes." Sam says.

"Guys, I can't carry all of this!" Athena walks over to them, her arms filled with books and folders.

Sam and Dean both sigh.

"She's gonna trip," Sam says.

Dean sputters, "Oh, come on. Have fai—"

Athena steps on her shoelace and falls forward. "Fiddlesticks!" She groans.

"Aw, shit..."

Sam and Dean run toward the girl, helping her up.

"I couldn't see over the books." Athena groans, she grabs both of their hands and stands up.

"I think you would've tripped either way." Dean voices.

"Next time, just ask us for help," Sam adds.

"I got excited." Athena huffs, grabbing the books off the ground. "Now, there's more research that I set out. Can you go get it?"

Sam and Dean both look at each other.

"Pleeease?" Athena presses her palms together and pouts her lower lip.

"Yeah, Sam'll get right on it." Dean sighs. "I'm gonna...pull the car up and...wait for you guys." He quickly leaves the library before either of his siblings could say anything.

Athena presses her lips together, she turns on her heel, and follows after Sam.

☆

Athena shifts her gaze from her work book to Sam sleeping. The girl hears a whistle and she looks at her eldest brother. "You didn't finish that question."

"I can't focus." Athena sighs.

"Wanna beer? That always helps me focus."

She squints her eyes at her brother. "I'm 10."

Dean shifts his gaze to the ceiling, a sigh leaving his lips. "That wasn't a no--"

"No."

Dean holds his hands up in a surrendering manner. Athena looks back at her work book and sputters out of boredom. "I wanna help you with research."

"You can help after that page." Dean says, his eyes on the newspaper.

"I already know this stuff." she pushes the book away.

Dean's eye twitches. Sometimes he forgets that Athena could be an annoying child.

"Well, next time tell Sam to get you a different book." Dean replies. "But until them...make your brain bigger." he pushes the book back towards her.

Athena frowns and looks at the book, she grabs her pencil once again. "My brain's bigger than yours." she mumbles.

"What was that?" Dean cranes his neck forward.

"I can't wait to increase my knowledge in addition and subtraction!" Athena gives him a cheeky smile.

"Smart ass..." Dean looks back at the research.

"Butthead..." Athena looks back at her math book.

They both look back at each other, glaring. Athena was the first to crack and she laughs softly. Dean soon joins her. The girl looks back at her book and starts to finish the problems. Athena quietly clicks her tongue together and Dean sighs.

A small gasp leaves Sam's lips, catching both siblings' attention. His eyes were staring dully at the ceiling, tears brimming his eyelids.

"Why'd you let me fall asleep?"

"Because we're awesome siblings." Dean answers.

Athena chews the inside of her cheek, "So, what'd you dream about?"

"Lollipops and Candy Canes."

"Funny." The girl deadpans. Her expression changes and she's left curious. "That was...sarcasm, right?"

Even in his current state of mind, Sam manages a soft chuckle. "It was sarcasm, Athy--yes."

The girl slowly nods her head, "Right. Just wanted to make sure."

"You two find anything?" Sam asks.

"Oh, besides a whole new level of frustration? No." Dean says.

Athena chuckles softly, "Probably would've found something if I was able to help."

"Did you finish the page?" Sam asks, sitting up.

Athena scratches the side of her neck, "No..."

Sam walks over to the table, "Then you can't help."

Athena frowns and it's Dean's turn to laugh. She quietly growls and continues to write.

"A few local women, a Laura and a Catherine, committed suicide in front of a mirror, and a giant mirror fell on a guy named Dave." Dean explains.

"In other words, no Mary." Athena says, still writing.

Dean flicks her pencil, causing the lead of her pencil to snap.

Athena lets out a gasp, "You...Nerf Head!"

Dean pulls his brows together, "What does that even mean?"

"It means stop messing with her so she can work." Sam grabs a pencil from the nightstand and hands it to his little sister.

"Thank you, big brother Sam!" Athena gives her brother a warm smile, she then looks at Dean and sticks her tongue out towards him. Dean wrinkles his nose and slightly pulls his face back. Sam cracks a small smile.

"Dean's been researching for strange deaths in the area." Athena informs.

"Yeah, like...eyeball bleeding, that sort of thing." Dean shrugs. "There's nothing. Whatever's happening here, maybe it just ain't Mary."

Sam lays back on the bed with a sigh. His phone starts to ring and he answers it.

It was Charlie from the funeral, she called Sam asking to meet at the park. Once they got there, Charlie was sitting on a bench; she looked like she had been crying for hours. She told them about Jill dying the same way Donna's dad did. And she said that Donna said...it (not gonna catch me saying it). Charlie snuck the three siblings into Jill's room to investigate anything that could give them a clue about what they were facing and how to find a way to put an end to the killing.

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Author's Note:

I wrote the last part of this chapter at 3 in the morning so if it's a little weird that's why <3