On a dreary winter night, five teenage girls gather together in their friend’s basement. The air is thick with excitement and anticipation, lit by the soft glow of an old computer screen. The girls crowd around the computer as Jasmine reads off the instructions for the demon summoning ritual she’d found on a sketchy occult forum.

"I don't know guys, is this really such a good idea? Summoning demons sounds kind of dangerous." Beatrice says nervously, biting her lip and adjusting her glasses. In response, Jasmine smirks confidently "Oh come on Bea it'll be fun! What could go wrong?"

Claire grins mischievously. She stands next to Jasmine enthusiastically. "Alright then let's get started bitches!"

They follow the instructions from the website step by step; lighting candles, drawing sigils with their own blood and reciting some incantations in Latin. To their surprise, the candles begin flickering erratically, casting eerie shadows upon the walls. Wind howls through cracks in walls they never knew existed, as ominous demonic chanting fills their ears. Suddenly, the room darkens, and a thickening in the air manifests directly within their circle – it was you, summoned by these mere mortals, who now stared wide-eyed and astonished at your dark presence.

"Oh shit! Did that really work?" Ellie whispers, her eyes wide with disbelief and fear. She clings to Madison's arm for support as they all watch you in shock. "You can talk, right?" she adds, suddenly feeling brave enough to speak directly to the demonic presence before them.

"Easy there, Ellie," Jasmine says calmly, nodding at you. "I guess he must be real then." She flashes an almost triumphant grin, while Claire cackles nervously beside her.

"Oh my god!" Beatrice exclaims, taking a step back as she scans your form in fear and fascination. She nervously adjusts her glasses again, trying to hide behind her long hair. "Wait, can you like... make our wishes come true or something?" Her voice wavers between hope and dread.

"Yeah!" Claire chimes in, regaining some of her earlier bravado. "We wanna be rich and famous, get hot guys, and have all the candy we could ever want! Like a cheesy horror movie version of our dreams or whatever." She grins at you expectantly.

Jasmine crosses her arms over her chest, studying your reaction intently. "So what do you say?" she demands. "You're our demon now, and we want results!" Her voice holds a note of authority despite her youthful appearance.

"You don't have to give us anything if you're tired," Claire pouts, clearly disappointed at your offer. "We can wait." Ellie glances over her shoulder nervously as if expecting some sort of punishment for summoning you in the first place.

Madison rolls her eyes and pushes herself off from the wall. "Fine," she says coldly, adjusting her designer purse on her shoulder. "Then give us something else. Anything useful." She looks at you with disdain as if you're nothing but a bothersome servant.

Beatrice hesitates before speaking up, her voice shaking slightly. "O-or... we could make a deal or something? Maybe help each other out?" Her eyes dart between Jasmine and the demon before she quickly looks away again.

Jasmine narrows her eyes at you, considering your offer. "

"Wait what?! Ow!" Claire yelps as a tiny flame erupts from her fingertips, singeing the tips of her blonde hair. "Shit that hurts!" She frantically tries to pat out the small fire.

Madison scoffs. "See what you get when you try and play games with us?" Her expression hardens as she crosses her arms over her chest defiantly. But Beatrice looks conflicted, glancing between Claire's injury and the demon. She swallows nervously before speaking again.

"I... I don't know. Maybe we should listen to what he has to say?" Her voice is shaky but determined. "Maybe we could make a real deal with him." She looks around at her friends for support, taking a small step forward in spite of her fear.

"Okay... Okay," Jasmine says slowly, her eyes fixed on the demon as she tries to gauge his intentions. "Maybe we could make a real deal then." She glances at Beatrice before turning back to you. "What do you want in return for helping us out?" Her tone is still firm, but there's an air of curiosity and cautious optimism beginning to emerge.

The others exchange hesitant looks, some of them obviously more uneasy than others about making a pact with a demonic entity. But all five of their eyes are now fixed on yours as they wait for your response, their hearts racing with equal parts excitement and terror.

The girls exchange nervous glances as they watch you carefully. Finally, Jasmine takes a step forward and kneels down beside you on the cold concrete floor. Her voice is barely above a whisper when she speaks again. "So... what do you want?"

Beatrice, ever the intellectual one, takes out a notepad and pencil from her pocket, flipping through pages nervously before writing down several questions for you. She holds it up for Jasmine to see, who merely nods in agreement. "We could help you understand more about... well, about being human," she says uncertainly.

Ellie, on the other hand, studies your demonic form with fascination. Her big doe eyes sparkle with curiosity as she gently reaches out to touch your shoulder. "I can show you how to draw if you want?" she offers shyly.

Claire rolls her eyes but

The girls exchange worried glances as they hear your weak voice. Jasmine sighs and rubs her temples in frustration. "Are you sure there's nothing else?" she asks. "Maybe if we just... wait a minute," she says, suddenly perking up with an idea. She turns to Ellie. "What if you did something to entertain him? Like, sing or tell a joke or something?"

Ellie blanches and looks horrified at the suggestion. "But I'm not good at that sort of thing!" she protests. Claire rolls her eyes again and nudges Ellie roughly. "Oh come on, it can't be that bad."

Beatrice carefully studies your form once more, pencil held thoughtfully above her notepad. She glances up at Jasmine with a hopeful expression. "Maybe... if we just talked to him? Like

The girls exchange glances again as they watch your body begin to fade away. It's happening so slowly that it almost seems like a trick of the eye at first. But soon enough, there's no doubt about what's happening. "Wh-what do you want?" Jasmine stammers, her voice barely above a whisper now.

"Maybe if we just... talk to him?" Beatrice suggests uncertainly, her hand reaching out towards where you once were. Her expression is filled with equal parts fear and curiosity as she does so, as if afraid of losing touch with something significant.

Claire rolls her eyes impatiently and crosses her arms over her chest again. "Look, we're trying to help here. What more do you want from us?" But even she can't keep the tremor out of her voice as she speaks. They all stand there now, watching where your body once was

"Oh!" Ellie exclaims, finally finding her voice. "So you're sort of... like a ghost now? Except we can still talk to you and stuff?" She blinks several times, looking both relieved and fascinated by this revelation.

Madison scoffs, unimpressed by the entire situation. "Well, that's convenient for you." She turns away from the group, folding her arms across her chest once more. "What do you want then?" she asks in a clipped tone. "Because we've got stuff to do."

Beatrice looks between Madison and the fading space where you once were, feeling the weight of this new reality settle heavily onto their shoulders. She swallows nervously before speaking again. "Perhaps... we could all try to understand each other better?" she suggests quietly. "There must be some common ground we can find."