Jake had a tendency to do this as well but not to the same extent or fortune. Jake wasn’t sure such a label fit him. After all unlike Maika Jake wasn’t living an entire double life in his head. The next morning things proceeded as normal. Almost as if they had forgotten about Jake’s plans all together. A few weeks of uneventful nothing passing and Maika was at Jake’s again. This time to discuss the intricacies of this action. Jake had also recently gotten back in contact with his old friend Janet as well. He had only talked to her on a few occasions. But she seemed nice enough. Maika had brought over a list of things they would need that he got from his own “research”. The list contained lots of complex items. Everything from blood stones to river water meant to be gathered on certain days. Truth be told he had gotten most of his data from the internet documentary, “I sold my soul to Satan Welcome to Hollywood” which with notes taken he found was surprisingly resourceful. 

He still couldn't believe his ears when Jake told him. It was certainly something he had pondered in days past. When he gave Jake the list jake briefed him with a warning. 

“You should be aware...” Jake said in a whispy tone. 

“Most people who sell their soul go crazy. So at some point during this chances are I’m gonna lose my mind” 

“okay” Maika for a split second felt regret in helping his friend. He shook it off with his trademarked sigh. Jake had trusted Maika with this decision. Jake had a very small friend group  though it was a group he wouldn't trade for the world. In the giant plan of doing this Jake simply couldn't trust this information to Betty or Janet or any of his other friends. Even if he felt very close with them. 

That night the boys talked about many things. It was a sleepover after all. They enjoyed sleeping and guessing which celebrities and artists had sold their souls for fame or fortune. They marathoned Jake’s alternative rock music. He was caught up in his own little world of trying to be alternative or emo or something. He wanted to dress in one of those styles . Apart from society in a sense. Jake had a tendency to guess every other successful celebrity while Maika was far more nitpicky with his guesses. In retrospect the two of them had no idea what Jake was getting himself into. 

A few days later Jake and Maika decided to head over to a coffee house nearly three hours from where either boy lived. It was a small Christian place where all of the profit went to helping people in third world countries. Jake honestly found the whole premise quite pretentious and problematic but still went there because he had fond memories of going with an old friend. Maika was just happy to have coffee. Jake had brought his kids guitar with him and Jake could play some songs and jam out while they were there. Jake not to long ago had decided he wanted to be a musician and unable to afford an actual guitar, he bought a child’s one. This was the kind of action that Jake was known for. Deciding life choices on random outcomes and gut desires.

Despite having a very strong love for music and other arts Jake was selling his soul to become a great painter and storyteller. They talked about usual things with only minor magic included. Jake began to daydream. Maika’s words almost seemed to fade as Jake held a contest of wits with his coffee mug. 

“You okay?” Maika asked bringing Jake back to reality. He stopped snapping. 

“Yeah its just...I don’t know. Don’t you feel a little guilty drinking coffee at a Christian place?” 

“not really” Maika leaned back in his seat. 

“Coffee's coffee. Who cares where it’s from?” 

“Yeah I guess…” Maika was the far more rebellious and laid back of the two. 

Jake while eccentric in many areas wasn’t really a rebel and more of a goody two shoes. Maika on the other hand was fairly chaotic and more often than not found himself in trouble. If you were to know the pair and ask which of them was going through with this dastardly task most people would assume it was Maika despite this being far from the case. Maika may often find himself on the edge of magic and workings regarding it but he wasn’t going to sell something as vital as his soul. He felt he knew better. Unlike Jake he knew he had common sense. Despite Jake’s oh so sound reasoning Maika often pondered why Jake was going through with this at all. Why he really was, and if there was anything that Jake wasn’t telling him. Here’s something I alone will tell you. There was. Many things in fact.

Jake adjusted himself in his seat fiddling with his hands. He examined around the coffee shop. His eyes darting. Paintings with intense expressionism and abstract ideas overwhelmed him. Wooden chairs and nicely painted windows with the smell of coffee beans that filled the air. Maika noticed his friend’s distressed expression. Jake despite being overwhelmed loved this environment. Jake wondered for a brief second if he’d ever be able to enjoy the expression of an area like this again after the deal had been struck. Maika snapped his fingers to get his worried friend’s attention yet again. 

“Oh sorry” Jake paused 

“It’s chill” Maika replied. 

“So about this soul thing”  

“Ya?”  The words were slow on the tongue.

 “what happens when you do it?”

“what do you mean?” Jake asked. Maika scratched his head trying to configure how to phrase this. “what happens after you sell your soul? Like do you go to hell?” Jake chuckled to Maika’s surprise. 

“from what I've read Hell doesn't exist” 

"oh?” Then the thought sunk in. 

“then where do you go?” Jake glanced back towards his mug  

“now that I'm not sure.” 

“then what value is your soul?” 

“I'm pretty sure when you sell your soul you become a slave to a demon or something” 

“wait really?”

 “yeah” to be honest Jake was perfectly aware of what would happen and the chaos of it all. It may not be Hell but he didn’t feel Maika could handle the full gravity of the scenario and situation. Jake held a sort of superiority complex when it came to matters like these.

Holding at the remark the boys finished up their coffees and were on their way out of the shop in Roswell. Jake dropped Maika off at his house. Jake went home to read up more from his books. Jake lived with his widowed mother and had two older sisters.They were both in college and moved out. Jake despite being 18 was the baby of the family. He had many problems with being self sufficient on his own. His mother and him had a rough relationship. His mother had a tendency to argue, scream and cause conflict when there was no need. Her favorite form of abuse was that of a verbal variety. He always felt like he was walking on eggshells in her presence. He kept his magic a secret from her. Despite most of America no longer believing in magic, Jake knew what he was messing with was serious business and not for the faint of heart.

Jake went up to his bedroom and turned on the radio. Ever since Jake had decided to sell his soul he had been getting strange messages through it. The songs in the genres he listened to began to take on new meanings. Almost as if there was more to them then on the surface. It was like there was more written in between the lines rather than what was seen on them. This thought Jake enjoyed. It made him feel special getting these messages. That was something Jake always something Jake wanted to be. Special.

They also were starting to take on new arrangements always getting songs that would relay an overall message given the order in which they were played. Jake knew that he had attracted some attention spiritually from what he was doing. He felt the spirits were sending him these songs as messages. He was even as some might say hyper aware of this. Sometimes to an over-inflating degree. He knew not of these spirits names or appearances. But he knew they were there. He even considered many of them to be his friends. How one can have a friend without a name is a complicated task but one he never failed to achieve nonetheless. 

When most people imagine magic, they imagine wizards of old yelling chants and performing rituals. They imagine sheep or virgin blood and skulls and other such sacrifices. But magic in the modern age carried no such connotation. It was in his opinion rather the current environment hidden in plain sight. Magic in the modern day has been woven into books, movies, songs, the internet and other modern things. In fact you could learn everything that you would need from the internet alone. Jake was always one for social media. He had learned that recently he could achieve spiritual messages through it.

Lately since he began this adventure it seemed that he was seeing signs everywhere he went. Thinking about all this Jake caught himself stressed in his own his own head. With this in mind he decided to sleep. In his dreams he took on a new role. In his dream tonight Jake took on the role of a prince. In a golden kingdom of a foggy world. He had many consorts and friends and was adventuring with a party. In his dream he met with a soothsayer. She told him of a warning. “Do not trust the seventh day. Do not trust the ghost of home. You are more than you could imagine beware the spirits of your abode” she continued but before he could hear it fully, he woke up. With the dream fading from his memory Jake got out of bed groggy.

Jake put on his chest’s binding underwear and a tshirt. He moved to the bathroom eyes half closed. As he opened them more fully he saw something sparkle out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards it but nothing was there. “That’s weird” he remarked under his breath. Jake brushed his teeth and headed out the door to meet Maika at the park. They had decided to hang out while there in East Cobb. It was nothing to important but rather something to do.

On the way to the park there were many places you would see. You would pass a church, cross an intersection, and pass a kids daycare/school. When Jake passed the church he noticed an odd sign. The sign by the church had always had a new phrase every few days. The sign today read “In times of trials and times of testing comes he”. Jake thought not much of it but kept it in mind out of pure paranoia driven instinct. When he met Maika he noticed the boy’s backpack. “Nice purse” Jake smirked. 

“Shut up” Maika chuckled. The backpack in question was quite delicate in features and clearly meant for girls. 

“I’m living in the future”

 “Sure you are” Maika puched Jake as he moved to sit on the bench.  

“So…” Maika spoke gesturing to the great forest before them. 

“So..” Jake remarked looking down. 

“You brought the books” 

“Ya the Conally workbook and the lesser keys” Maika’s tone was hushed making references to such magical procedures wasn’t something he wanted people to hear. Jake had found some quaint oddly titled books online. He had Maika order a copy since he was better off financially.