The heat roused me out of a sound sleep. When my sleepy eyes could focus, I thought the fan had stopped working- the air was muggy, pillows damp under my face. A streak of condensation shone on the window as I slipped to the floor, only to scorch my heel.
"Heat wave or something?" I whispered, throwing open the curtains. I drank in the cool air, shirt sticking to my back. Time to clean off before I could doze.
I grabbed a towel from my cramped closet, wondering if the rest of the house was under the same spell. If anything, it was warmer in the hall, as if the dead thermostat were blazing. Annoyed, and maybe a little afraid, I flipped the nearest light and stopped dead.
There was an opaque mist hanging a few feet above the floor. It shimmered in and out of vision, clinging to my throat like smoke.
The linens fell from my hands and I was downstairs in three hasty leaps. The fog was thicker there, obscuring the few pieces of furniture I owned. Thick books depicting demons and instructions for rituals were strewn on my end table, glass symbols beaded with moisture.
But what held my attention was the orb of deepest black between them, shimmering darkly. It pulsed as I stepped closer, swelling with black light until I had to cover my eyes.
By the time I'd regained my sight, I stood next to a human-like figure. A foot taller than I at least, its features were almost invisible in the darkness. Something like a face lifted and a pair of glowing red eyes met my own, slitted pupils narrowing.
"You, human. Your call from this realm reached my ears, this is no mistake?"
I wanted to nod, sweat dripping from my shaking hands. The pictures in my books hadn't done this creature justice. It was unexpectedly close to human, aside from the yellow eyes, pointed ears, and its dark flesh, pockmarked with ridges and scars. When it lifted a hand, claws at the end of its long fingers, I recovered myself.
"Y-yes! Yes, I have, this is the right place!"
The words tumbled out in an elated rush, excitement bursting in my chest. "I've been trying for ages, but I never got it right. Oh, I can't believe it worked! What did I need to-"