2: What Once Was

As soon as the last bell rang, I rushed out of the school building. I didn't want to be there for longer than I had to.

I began my walk home, thinking over my day.

I didn't see Madeline since when she had first spoken to me. She was really strange. Though, her behavior made sense, knowing who she was related to. Ms. Widdle had always been a strange person too.

Ms. Widdle had strong beliefs in the occult. In her home, she had multiple symbols relating to her beliefs riddled around the house. I remember the first time I truly saw the inside.

~~~

I was ten years old. Ethan and I had decided to visit Ms. Widdle. She let us in the house, baking us cookies while we explored. She had multiple strange figurines. Ethan would often touch them while she wasn't looking. We even decided to play with them like they were toys. When Ms. Widdle caught us, she was really angry.

"Those aren't toys!" She exclaimed. "They are very dangerous! Monsters will attack you the more you play with those!"

Ethan and I, being the kids we were, were startled by the thought of monsters attacking. We sat down and behaved afterward and whenever we went over, we made sure to stay away from those figures.

~~~

I smiled at the memory. I was so young then. I was happy. I wished I could go back to those days. I was still close to Ethan back then.

I looked up from my walk home, passing by my favorite cafe. My stomach growled. From where I stood, I could smell fresh pastries.

It was my birthday. One bite wouldn't hurt, right?

I took a step inside the cafe, immediately smelling the strong scents of coffee and sweets. The aromas filled the air, greeting my nose from the moment I stepped inside. The nostalgic and familiar smells calmed me, bringing a smile to my face. I walked up to the counter, looking at all the options I could choose from. As I looked through, I heard a familiar laugh.

I looked in the direction of the voice, seeing none other than Ethan. He wasn't alone, either. Seated next to him was a girl with long dark hair. She was leaning, her head resting onto his shoulder. She wore a similar jacket to the one he wore, a plain blue one. As I watched, I began to recognize the girl a bit more.

It was a girl from school named Nia.

They were dating, obviously.

Thinking about it, I understood why he chose Nia rather than me. She was pretty, with crystal clear blue eyes, a sweet and cute face. Her personality was astonishing. She was known for how sweet she was to others. She did charity work, volunteered, and organized events for the school. She was on the student council. She was known as the model student for the entire school due to her high GPA.

She was admirable.

She was beautiful.

She was lovable.

She was... perfect for Ethan.

I felt my eyes well up with tears again. I left the cafe without buying anything. I couldn't stand to be there any longer.

That cafe held so much sentiment for me. It was the place where Ethan and I had our first date.

~~~

It was a bright, hot summer day. I was around 14 years old.

We walked into the small cafe. I grinned ear to ear, excited. I felt my hand become enveloped in Ethan's. I looked up at him, blushing. His face slowly became flushed too. I giggled softly. He was so cute when he got shy!

We walked up to the counter, ordering fruit smoothies. I got strawberry, while he got watermelon. Our favorites!

We sat as we waited for our drinks. Ethan didn't let go of my hand. I squeezed him softly, but he refused to let go.

"Now that I finally have you, I don't want to ever let you go." He had explained to me. We both looked away shyly.

When our drinks came, I drunk mine slowly. Ethan watched me with a soft look in his eyes. "What..?" I muttered. Ethan brought himself closer to me, kissing me on the cheek. I looked at him, startled. When I did, he kissed my lips softly. "I've always wanted to try that..." He said kindly.

My first kiss was like that. It filled me with butterflies.

~~~

That wonderful moment had made my heart race. That wonderful moment had filled me with bliss. To think that he took someone else to the place that moment belonged to broke my heart.

Before I knew it, I had arrived home. I spotted a package on the ground in front of the door. I took it in, noticing it was addressed to me. I left the package by the front door, running to my room. My eyes blurred with tears as I sat on the floor, sobbing to myself.

After a while, I heard my phone go off. I wiped my eyes and walked toward the sound. I found my phone in my backpack. Checking my notifications, I noticed I had missed a call from AJ. All I saw across my screen was a small text message.

"Happy birthday, muffin. I'll be coming back home for a vacation soon."

He had the nerve to text me after being gone for two years. Even though it made me angry, it was nice to even see a small trace of him was still there.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a faint red glow coming from my backpack. I investigated the light, tracing it back to the large book that Madeline had given me. Curiously, I opened the book. The writing on the inside was weird. It was written mostly in a language I couldn't decipher. I could only understand a small bit of it.

There were names written within the book, each page dedicated to one person. Each seemed to have a job description written about them. I looked at some. Each name was foreign to me.

"What in the world is this?" I said.

As I flicked through the pages, a small bookmark flicked out. It was on the page titled "Bari."

I read through the information on the page.

~~~

Human Name: Bari Lucas Jackson

Demon Name: Baricious

Preferred Age Range (estimated): 18-25

Use: Romantic Partner

How to summon:

~~~

I didn't bother to read the rest. At that point, the book seemed ridiculous. It had to be some kind of joke. I turned the book over, looking for some kind of description for its madness. All I found was a small note taped to it. The note read:

"Girl, summon the demon that I have chosen for you. His name is Bari. He is a good friend of mine and will help you through your struggles. Use the contents of the package I sent you."

I cracked a smile. A note from Ms. Widdle. Sweet.

The book was weird, but this creature seemed like it would be useful in some way. I continued to read on, going more in-depth on the different summoning rituals. The book became more and more compelling as I read. I found myself considering committing myself to a ritual.

Suddenly, I remembered the bookmark that had fallen out. I picked it up, examining it. It appeared to be a piece of paper folded over a few times. I unfolded the paper and read what was written on its surface.

It read in spindly handwriting:

"Bari. This is a girl that I have specifically chosen for you to deal with. She is all yours. Thank me later, kid.

Widdle"

My brain began to bloom with thoughts. I glanced over at the package, coming to a decision.

I'm tired.

I'm so tired.

How long do I have to feel like this?

The days are getting longer.

I come home alone every day with nothing to look forward to.

The loneliness is becoming too much for me. I need someone.

Anyone.

To Hell with this. Literally.