**Chapter 1: The Dare**

It was a cold, misty October night in the small town of Remus. The air was thick with the scent of fallen leaves and the distant howl of the wind. The streets were deserted, save for a group of teenagers gathered in front of the old Whitmore House, an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of town. The house had been the subject of local legends for decades - rumors of ghostly apparitions, unexplained noises, and the tragic demise of the Whitmore family who once lived there.

Among the group was a boy named Ethan Carter, a tall, lanky kid with a mop of unkempt brown hair and a nervous smile. His best friend, Lily Monroe, was brave and fiercely curious, with piercing green eyes and an ever-present mischievous grin. Alongside them, their friends included Marcus Delgado, a sarcastic jokester with a quick wit, and Sarah Nguyen, a quiet girl with a love for the supernatural.

The plan was simple: dare each other to enter the Whitmore House and summon Bloody Mary, the infamous ghost said to appear when her name was spoken three times in front of a mirror. The legend warned that once summoned, her spirit would torment anyone who dared to call her, but tonight, the group was eager to test their courage.

"Are you guys seriously thinking about doing this?" Lily asked, her voice trembling slightly but her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Ethan shrugged, trying to hide his nervousness. "Come on, Lily. It's just a silly legend. We're not really going to summon her. We're just messing around."

Marcus snorted. "Yeah, right. But if we do, I get to say her name three times. I've been wanting to do this for years."

Sarah, silent until now, finally spoke softly. "If we're going to do it, we should do it right. No backing out now."

The group hesitated for a moment, then, with a collective nod, stepped through the rusted iron gate and into the house.

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**Chapter 2: The Summoning**

The interior of the Whitmore House was a shadowed labyrinth of rotting wood, peeling wallpaper, and broken furniture. The air was thick with dust and the scent of decay. They made their way to the grand hallway, where an ornate mirror still hung on the wall, despite years of neglect.

"Alright," Lily said, taking a deep breath. "Let's do this."

Ethan took a shaky step forward and looked into the mirror. The reflection was distorted and hazy, but he could see the faint outline of their faces.

"Bloody Mary," Lily whispered, her voice trembling. "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary."

The others hesitated, but Marcus, grinning mischievously, leaned in and added, "Bloody Mary."

Suddenly, a cold gust of wind swept through the house, causing the candles they brought to flicker wildly. Ethan's heart pounded in his chest. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the mirror's surface rippled like disturbed water.

A shadowy figure appeared behind their reflections - a tall woman with long, tangled black hair obscuring her face, her eyes glowing red. The group gasped and stepped back, but the figure didn't move.

"Did it work?" Sarah whispered, clutching her arm.

"Yeah," Ethan managed to say. "I think she's here."

They stared at the mirror as the figure reached out a hand, fingers elongated and claw-like. But then, the figure's face slowly turned toward them in the reflection, revealing a twisted, terrifying visage - pale skin, hollow eyes, and a wicked smile.

"Run," Lily screamed, and they bolted out of the house, stumbling into the night.

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**Chapter 3: The Aftermath**

The next morning, the group gathered at Ethan's house, shaken but trying to act normal. Ethan's hands trembled as he looked into his bedroom mirror. For a moment, he thought he saw a shadow lurking behind him, but when he turned, nothing was there.

That night, strange things began to happen. Ethan kept hearing whispers when no one was around. Lily found her reflection flickering - sometimes her eyes appeared darker, more sinister. Marcus joked about it, but even he looked a little uneasy.

Over the next few days, the sightings intensified. Each of them saw her - Bloody Mary - lurking just behind their reflections, her eyes burning with anger. They brushed it off as their imaginations, but the fear gnawed at them.

One evening, Lily's reflection in her bedroom mirror suddenly smiled - a wicked, twisted smile - and then she saw her reflection's eyes turn black.

Panic set in. They tried to forget, to go about their lives, but the presence persisted, growing stronger with each passing day.

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**Chapter 4: The Reflection's Revenge**

One by one, the teenagers' reflections began to act on their own. Ethan's mirror showed him reaching out, trying to claw his own face. Lily's reflection grinned wickedly as if mocking her. Marcus's reflection sneered, his eyes full of malice. Sarah's reflection remained eerily still, an ominous silence hanging over her.

Then, the worst happened. During a school dance, Ethan caught his reflection in a bathroom mirror. But this time, it wasn't him staring back. It was her - the woman with the long, tangled hair and glowing red eyes.

Before he could scream, her hand reached out from the mirror, grabbing his shoulder. Ethan felt an icy grip clutching his soul, pulling him closer.

"Help me," a whisper hissed in his mind.

He stumbled back, gasping for breath. His reflection was no longer just a mirror image - it was a gateway, a prison for her spirit.

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**Chapter 5: The Curse Unleashed**

As days turned into weeks, the curse spread. The reflections became alive, and Bloody Mary's spirit sought to escape into the real world. Every mirror in town became a portal, her consciousness lurking just behind the glass.

The teenagers, now terrified, knew they had to undo what they had done. But how? They searched for answers in old books, abandoned libraries, and even contacted a local priest, Father O'Connor, who believed the spirit had been trapped inside their reflections and was now seeking revenge.

"Once a spirit is trapped in a mirror, it's difficult to release," he said grimly. "The only way is to confront her directly and perform an exorcism. But if she escapes, she won't be contained again."

The group decided to return to the Whitmore House, armed with candles, salt, and Father O'Connor's blessings. They knew that facing her was their only hope.

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**Chapter 6: The Final Confrontation**

Inside the haunted mansion, the air was thick with malevolence. Shadows danced across the walls, and the mirror hung ominously on the wall - her prison.

Ethan, Lily, Marcus, and Sarah formed a circle, reciting prayers. Ethan stepped forward and stared into the mirror. The woman's face appeared again - more feral, more dangerous.

"Come out," Ethan demanded, voice trembling but firm. "You're trapped. You can't escape."

Her reflection's smile widened. "You summoned me. Now I will stay? forever."

Suddenly, her face shattered into a thousand pieces of glass, each reflecting her twisted visage. The mirror cracked, and a swirling vortex of darkness erupted from its core.

Lily screamed as the spirit tried to burst forth, her form flickering between mirror and real world. Father O'Connor shouted a prayer, and they threw salt and blessed water onto the mirror.

The vortex roared, and the spirit's voice echoed like a thousand screams. Finally, with a deafening crack, the mirror shattered, and the dark fog dissipated.

A heavy silence fell over the room.

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**Epilogue: The Aftermath**

The town of Remus gradually returned to normal, but the scars remained. The Whitmore House was demolished soon after, to prevent anyone from summoning her again.

Ethan, Lily, Marcus, and Sarah tried to forget, but they knew the truth: Bloody Mary's curse was broken, but her spirit still lurked behind every mirror, waiting for someone foolish enough to summon her once more.

And sometimes, late at night, when the house was silent and the wind whispered through the trees, they swore they saw her - lurking just behind their reflections, her red eyes gleaming with eternal rage, forever trapped in the curse of the mirror.

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*The End.*