The Unintended Summoning - Obey Me!

Lesson 00 - The Spirit

Another busy day.

The call from the office just ended a minute ago. Putting the phone back in her pocket, the woman searches for the keys to her little apartment. Dinner? Haven't planned yet. There's enough in the fridge to whip something up, so she's good to go.

The woman pulls out her keys, unlocking the door.

"Rado! Surprise!"

"Raede? What're YOU doing in here?!"

Rado, age 23. Working as a programmer abroad. Which is the reason for her confusion, seeing her twin sister in her apartment in the UK instead of being back at their home in India.

"To meet you, Rado! It's been a long time!"

True. They did study in different institutions at two different places. They rarely met after high school and went straight to their new jobs.

Rado laughs a little, filled with surprise, disbelief and a little bit of happiness. She did not expect to see her sister in her apartment that day. It was supposed to be another busy day after all. The elder twin smiles and goes inside, asking all about Raede's journey. It wasn't very pleasing to find out that she picked the lock to get in, though.

After freshening up and the chats to catch up each other's lives, Raede pulls out a small bottle of wine, enough to fit completely into her travel bag's little pocket. Rado seems skeptical at first, then frowns at the smirk her sister has.

"You drink now? That isn't wine, is it?"

"Correct. But only in moderation! I never got drunk, I swear!"

"Raede..."

"Trust me. The bottle is this small for a reason. And I know you don't drink. Besides, we're adults. Don't nag me like my boss does..."

"Alright, alright."

Rado chuckles quietly to herself at the comparison of herself to her twin sister's boss. Do the bosses in the graphic design industry really have her temper? Who knows.

Raede looks at Rado, as if she's inspecting her elder sister's looks. Same height as her, tan skin which looks a little pale (probably from the winter in UK). The differently coloured eyes, Navy blue on the left and ink black on the right. Straight jet-black hair which goes beyond her shoulders, yet always stays slightly messy.

"You're keeping your hair long now?"

"Hey, it's not that hot in here. Besides, look who's talking! You even dyed your ends blue... But it suits your messy hair."

Raede grins when that gets pointed out, when she finds what she's looking for. Oh, that pendant is still there around her neck. The blue stone, shaped like a rhombus, shining as bright as ever. Raede smiles, looking at her own variant of the necklace that she's wearing, a brilliant purple replacing the dazzling blue, just like their eyes. Rado notices the glance at the pendants.

"You kept it too..."

"I'm glad you did too. Say, I have our childhood stuff from home! Let's go through 'em right now!"

Raede excitedly pulls out a box from inside her travel bag. Rado's eyes gleam with excitement and nostalgia from the little things inside.

"No way! It's those Angry Birds cards we used to get from Kurkure packets! And those little cards we got to cut out from toothpaste boxes! Aaaaaah, my seashell box is in here too!! Damn you, Raede, you brought them all here for me?"

"I knew you'd get like this! Now you won't say no to something I want us to do, will you? It'll be fun!"

"Hm? What is it?"

"I have that old Ouija board too! Y'know, that foldable one of our uncles gifted us! The one we used to play with Josie!"

"Right, right.... You want to relive that moment? Candles, dark room, candle in inverted glass, chanting?"

"Yes! It'll be funny!"

"But don't we usually do four people for that? Or just Josie, if you're mentioning childhood."

"Couldn't get ahold of her... I did try. It's just for fun anyway, Rado. Let's just do it, no? What if we actually summon a ghost, hmmm?"

The elder twin laughs at that last joke. Oh, Raede's teasing ways never get old. She pretends to think, but the woman has already caved in to her younger twin's desires. Her playful grin while pretending to think already conveys it.

Lights turned off. Candles which Raede brought on the way, lit in the corners. The two women slowly unfold the Ouija board, the dust making them hack and sneeze.

"You didn't dust these?!"

"I packed in a hurry, okay? Just set up the rest!"

Rado brings a glass from her kitchen counter. Raede smiles and lights the candle on the centre of the board. The two of them sit in opposite directions silently, then covers the candle with the glass.

A soft sizzle, and the candle dies out. The ladies smile. Placing their right hands on top of the glass, they begin moving the glass in circles, exactly how they did as children. The call for a spirit starts.

In just a few minutes, the glass positions itself back at the centre. It's here. The twins grin at each other, thinking that the other is tricking her. They look at the glass and utter softly.

"What's your name?"

Silence. Absolutely nothing. The twins just smile to themselves. "She didn't think of a name yet? Why did she position the glass in the centre then?" Both had this thought on their minds, finding this funny.

A cold breeze, very faint. But the windows are locked, Rado had made sure of that. A few candles in the corner get snuffed out, while the rest glow brighter. The women haven't noticed that yet.

A sudden yank. The glass moves abruptly.

"Hey! Do it slowly!"

"It's not me! Aren't you controlling it?"

"What?! Isn't it-"

The twins freeze and look where the glass has landed. 'L'. It's answering. The spirit is giving its name.

"Don't play around, be honest. This is you, right?"

"I am honest!! You tell the truth!!"

Another sharp turn. 'I'. 'LI'. Rado quickly pulls her hand away. It must be Raede... That can't move by itself. It's just a glass. But to her horror, Raede has also pulled away. And the glass is still at it, making those sharp movements. The screeching sound it makes along the wooden board irks and terrifies them.

The glass returns to 'L'. 'LIL'.

"R-Rado... Spirits aren't real.... Tell me they aren't real.."

"I would LOVE to be the big sister again, Raede, but I can see it move too..."

"L-I-L, Rado! It's spelling its name! I just wanted a sister bonding moment!"

Raede's voice is trembling a little, to which Rado reacts immediately. Going over to her younger twin, wrapping her arms around her as she's equally petrified at the sight. The glass hasn't stopped moving though.

"L-I-L..."

Rado has her eyes fixed on the board. Whispering each letter the glass shows, her voice quivering. Raede holds her sister close, trying to comfort her.

The glass goes back to the centre of the board. The twins pull away from each other, frozen in shock. They look at each other, whispering the name they received as the answer to their question.

"Lilith."

A bright light flashes in the room all of a sudden, blinding the two adults.

"Aargh, what the hell?!"

Hell. Pfft. Humans use it as a curse, don't they? Do they ever believe in it though while using it to describe their inconveniences? Do they believe in spirits, demons, angels?

They may not. But who says they're right anyway?

"Welcome, to the Devildom."

That's what the humans hear upon opening their eyes again.