Call me, If you Dare! √

"A glass of blood." "Check." "Three candles." "Check." "And the symbol of Lucifer." "All done, Mika." I frowned at the eerie setup my friends had prepared. "Is this really necessary?" I asked, trying not to sound like a whiny baby—even though deep down, I already knew the answer. Damn this stupid truth or dare game. Why did I pick dare? I could’ve just chosen truth. Ugh... This was the first time my middle school friends had invited me to a party—Mika’s party, no less. The most popular girl in our class. And then there’s me—Luna Mckingsley. Shy. Quiet. Twelve years old. Never been one for parties. They never bullied me, but I was pretty sure they'd given up trying to be my friend a long time ago. That was until Mika showed up at my house and convinced my mom to let me come to her party. My mom had agreed way too fast. "Luna, you agreed and chose dare, so this has to be done, okay?" Mika explained. I glanced at the glass of blood, the candles, and the carefully drawn symbol on the floor. I sighed and nodded in defeat. "Yeah," I whispered, bowing my head. "Yay! Let’s go, girls!" Mika squealed, bouncing excitedly as she moved behind me. "You need to stand in the middle of the symbol, Luna." I nodded again and did what she said. I heard someone giggle behind me. Great, this is probably a prank. I sighed and knelt down, lifting the glass of blood with both hands. "Oh... great evil..." I began to chant the familiar words we'd all heard before—jokingly, in stories, in games. But now, the others fell silent, watching as I continued. What they didn’t know was that something didn’t feel right. My skin prickled, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. I paused, glancing around nervously. Mika caught my eye and gave a small nod, urging me to continue. What am I doing? Oh God, something’s coming. I could feel it. "Come to where I am, take what is yours, and let me be with you... always. Lucifer, Lucifer, Lucifer... Lucifer." I whispered the last name, and then— Darkness. I gasped and scrambled to my feet, carefully setting the glass of blood back down on the floor. "Hello?" I called out. No response. Where are they? "This isn't funny, guys!" I tried again, louder this time. Still nothing. No laughter. No whispers. "Please, turn on the lights! Stop messing around!" I shouted, my voice cracking as panic rose in my chest. My heart pounded, and the air around me grew colder by the second. "HELLOOOO!" "Luna..." I froze. A deep, velvety voice whispered my name. What? "Wh–who are you? This isn't funny!" I stammered, spinning around, but there was only blackness. Tears rolled down my cheeks. "I am here as you requested, Luna." My eyes widened. No. No way. "I am Lucifer, and I am here to claim what is mine... and take it with me. Always." A scream ripped from my throat—and suddenly, I was back. Back with my friends. They stared at me, stunned for a heartbeat—then burst into laughter. "Oh my God, you should’ve seen your face, Luna!" Mika laughed, slinging her arm around my shoulders as she led the group outside, all of them still giggling. What... what was that? A dream? Sighing, I wiped away the tears that clung to my lashes, set the glass of blood on the ground, and walked past Mika and the others. "Luna, it was just a joke, c’mon!" one of the girls called, reaching for my hand. I pulled away. I was still shaking. Something about that voice felt real. "Hey, look—the symbol is gone!" someone said. I stopped walking. "What?" I whispered. "I guess Luna wiped it away with her jeans," another girl joked, and they laughed again. But I knew one thing now—the voice I heard wasn’t just a dream. Oh God... was it—Lucifer? "You called, my love." I gasped and clapped a hand over my mouth, then bolted from Mika’s house. No. This can’t be happening. Lucifer is just a myth. A tale meant to scare children. "You hurt me, my love." No. No. No. "Luna," the voice came again, calm and cold. "I am Lucifer. And I will return to claim what is mine... when the time comes." "What do you mean?!" I screamed, not caring who might hear or if they thought I was crazy. "I'll come again when you're ready." No... "When you turn eighteen, dearest Luna... you will be mine. Do not give your innocence to another. I am watching, my love. You are mine." Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of me. A tall man cloaked in black. He walked slowly, deliberately, toward me. I couldn’t move. My body was frozen. "Do not try to run, dearest Luna. You cannot hide from me. I will follow you wherever you go. You will be mine." He took both of my hands, leaned down... And bit into my neck. I couldn’t scream. I couldn’t move. It was like being paralyzed. My strength drained from my body as I slumped into his arms. "You are mine." Those were the last words I heard before the darkness swallowed me whole. -------------------------------