I can't believe I'm going to do this, but I'm geniunely curious. I've never really believed in demons or ghosts or anything like that but hey - a few foreign words and a fire party might be a good way to get extra credit!

-Mark 

"In conclusion, Isaiah the Serb was more than just a fifteenth century heiromonk and chant writer. His work continues to be studied today throughout mostly Greece and Israel, and most of his works are on display in the National Library of Greece in Athens."

"Very well done, Youngjae." Mrs. Jung praised. "That was a very thorough and well executed report. Mark, who did you do your report on?"

Mark stood up and took a deep breath, walking to the front of the class, a box of candles and chalk in his hands and a flash drive hanginf from a ribbon around his neck. "I don't have much, and I can only hope to be as good as Youngjae's," Mark said quietly, avoiding eye contact with the rest of the class. "but I did manage to put together a visual demonstration."

He took the flash drive from his neck and put it into Mrs. Jung's laptop, pulling up his animation of Joachim. "This is Joahcim Wu. The son of a wealthy Chinese silk trader and his French misstress, he's most infamously known for his practice of witchcraft during France's persecution of witches." he instructed as a large, 3D model of what he thought Joachim looked like loaded onto the projector.

Gasps and wide eyes littered the classroom, giving Mark the slight confidence boost he needed to continue.

"Most of his life and backstory was lost to history due to the circumstances. However, according to many scholars and historians, Joachim was neglected by his mother and forced on more than one occasion to watch his mother as she entertained her male company." Mark went on to tell of the stories his mother had told him, slowly bringing out the candles and chalk. "Today, it's believed that you can summon him using the materials I've brought with me." Mark took the chalk, looking to Mrs. Jung. "May I?" he msiled as Mrs. Jung nodded.

"Just clean it up after you're finished. I don't want administration asking why I have a pentagram on my floor." She joked.

Mark smiled as he drew a mathematically pristine pentagram on the floor. "Thank you." he placed the candles on each point and proceeded to light them, turned off the lights, and opened his journal. "I nunc amit me te amare simul Joachim quoque sicerit in me ex caritate." he chanted.

The class clapped enthusiastically, some students stood as Mark smiled.

"Well done, Mark!" Mrs. Jung cheered. "Very very well done!" she smiled, handing him a small slip of paper. "Well, that's everyone for today. Tomorrow we'll wrap up this assignment and go backwards a bit and go more in depth with the Middle Ages. Mark, please stay afterward and clean the chalk off the floor. Class dismissed."

Mark smiled as some students shook his hand or patted his shoulder, praising his seemingly impressive presentation. "Thanks guys. I really need to clean the floor now though, so I'll see you tomorrow." he waved goodbye, grabbing the cleaning supplies from a small closet.

"I'm very proud of you Mark." Mrs. Jung announced, smiling at Mark from her desk as she collected her belongings. "No panic attack this time, and you seem relatively calm. Has dance class been helping?"

"Sort of. We're learning dances right now and it's kinda hard," Mark confessed. "but Mister Kim put me with Yugyeom, so it's not as bad."

"Good. Well, I hope all turns out well. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She smiled, putting on her jacket and leaving Mark to clean.

 

It didn't take Mark long to clean the pentagram off the floor. He looked around the room, flipping his hair out of his face."Might as well clean the rest of the room." he sighed, spraying Lysol on the desks and wiping them off with a rag before moving to clean the chalkboard.

"You missed a spot." A voice called.

Mark jumped slightly, looking behind him to see an empty classroom. "Okay...?" he breathed out, turning back to the board to resume cleaning.

"You missed another spot."

Mark looked behind him again. Nothing. He turned back to clean.

"Man you at this." The voice said again.

Mark dropped his sponge and turned completely around, walking to the storage closet, back up to the front of the class, and looked behind Mrs. Jung's desk. "Where are you?" he called out.

"Right here."

"Where is here?"

"Right in front of you?" The voice called, mocking Mark's tone.

"No you aren't. Where are you really?" Mark demanded.

"I'm right here. Right in front of you. Swear to Asmodeus, I'm right in front of you." The voice said as the lights flickered and pencils began to roll around Mrs. Jung's desk. "Right here."

Mark blinked, analyzing what was happening around him. "...Joachim?"

"Nope."

"Then who are you?"

"You know who I am, you just spent fifteen minutes talking about me!"

"That was Joachim!"

"The hell? Is that my name now?"

"So it's you?"

"Sure."

"I'm talking to Joachim?!" Mark exclaimed in a whisper.

"Stop calling me that, that's not my name!"

"Then what is your name?" Mark demanded, his voice cracking slightly.

The room went cold, the lights turning off as a dark mist appeared in the middle of the room, bursting into a magnificent kaleidoscope of dark purple and blue butterflies, flying off to reveal a pale boy with tanzanite eyes. "My name's Jackson."

 

Author notes here.