Fall Foretold

Evil Glitters Too

"I'm coming!", Albert shouted from his bed. He was reluctant to stand up. The kids were at school, already, and his wife had taken sleeping pills. He remained there, on his bed. The visitor was pretty persistent with his knock, slamming his hands on the door, repeatedly. "I'm coming!!!"

The knock continued. Albert doubted if the visitor would even hear him shout with the persistence of the knock. The door wasn't even given a one second break. He stood up, angrily, and opened the door swiftly. "What?!"

"Hey. You summoned me", an old man replied. He had a long white hair, dressed in the clothing of a monk. "May I come in?"

"Sorry. May I know you?"

The old man rolled up his sleeves and stared at something on his wrist. "You are Albert Romero. Am I mistaken?"

"Who are you and what do you want?"

"The game master, greatest diviner of all time, called unto me and said some repentantly rich folk, named Albert Romero, wanted to see me. I am the master key"

Albert stared at the man, suspecting an attempt to dupe him. "Come in, please", he faked a smile.

Immediately the man entered, he slammed the door and locked it. "Wait here", he said and walked into his room where his wife slept. "Honey?", he called, gently and repeatedly. "Honey?!"

He nodded, left the room and locked the door behind him. Then, he pulled out a gun. "Hey, old man. Who are you?"

"What? I am the master key. I have all sort of keys for the beast lock. Blue, black, green, yellow, indigo, strawberry, cocktail, rainbow-"

"Shut up!", Albert yelled. The man pulled out a small sack from his robes and emptied it on the ground. "All other these works?"

"Yes. One of my master keys can do all and more than the beast's key can. There are a million master keys. Why would you kill yourself over one?"

"Give me one. I'm tying you up in my basement, in case it fails to do my bidding"

★

Laura had prepared her backpack, already, walking out immediately, as though she was desperately waiting for the closing bell.

Davis was waiting outside the school for her. She walked to him and hugged him. Joe's eyes fell on that. He moved his eyes, quickly.

"O! M! G! I think your girl has a boyfriend", Felix said, staring at Joe.

"I figured... Just yesterday"

"Joe! Jackson!", Laura called, from where she stood, putting a hand on Davis' shoulder. "Come over"

They walked to them. Joe hid his feelings from his face. He had missed his chance. 'There is only one way to know if she would reject you or do otherwise', Jackson had told him that. The words kept echoing in his head, after many weeks of dying with the wind.

"Hi", Joe greeted them first, putting on a fake smile.

"Hi, partners", Laura said. "Meet my boyfriend. He's Davis. The guy who helped me when you guys got me kidn*pped"

They laughed. "Nice to meet you, Davis. I'm Joe", they shook hands.

"I'm Jackson"

"I'm Felix", Felix didn't smile. He stared at Davis, like he would punch his face if he got the chance.

"I wouldn't say I saved her", Davis said to them. "All thanks to John, Cedric and the Shadowmask. The masked man really did a lot"

"Hmm I sense modesty", Joe played along. "I also heard the story of the knockout punch you threw... and the risks. Thanks, man. ",. Joe hugged him. "If something bad had happened, it would have been my fault"

"Thank God you know that", Laura commented and nudged him. He smiled at her, his eyes laced with tears. The nudge would have been sweeter if it didn't come with heartbreak. She probably noticed the nuance in his voice and look but... she had a boyfriend.

Joe's fake smile slowly faded, as he walked away in the middle of his two friends. They stared at him, expecting him to make a comment.

"Making a comment would mean letting it go", Jackson said. "I remember I warned you. She probably liked you but we'll never know, now. I wonder whose fault this is, Joe. Who are you going to blame it on?"..

★

"Little Billy has been taken by the government. He no longer has the key", Titus, the diviner, said.

"Well, who cares about the boy if he's not with the key?!", the devil's daughter replied.

"That's the problem. I've lost track of the key. it just disappeared", Titus replied, confidently, hiding his fear.

"You want me to call another diviner to replace you?"

"You can't replace me. I have the best divining power"

"Then, find me the key. Mario is just a few blocks away. I'll throw you in the dungeon and get him to replace you", the devil's daughter threatened.

"You can go a thousand blocks from here. You can't find any better diviner"

"We shall see", she said and sat up. "Bring me the split pill"

Titus brought a small box to her and opened it. She picked one of the huge pills from the box, with her long nails. She put the pill in her mouth. It melted on her tongue and she swallowed it.

Her eyes glowed and she stood up from her seat, leaving an exact copy of herself on the seat.

★

If the punching bag had the ability to feel, it'd be jumping down from the hook. All he had on his head was the scenes of Davis and Laura, playing over and over in his mind. Whatever feelings Laura was having for Davis, she might have had it for him, earlier?.

"Get! Out! Of! Here!", he fell, pulling the bag. He cried out. "I should have talked about it. I want to talk about it, dad!".

His yell had turned out louder than he expected. The vault should be soundproof enough to keep it from getting out.

"We can still talk about it", a voice came in. He looked up. His dad's head was right over him. "Felix called. He told me everything and he guessed right, I guess."

"She just got a boyfriend, already", Joe said, stood up and sat on a chair. "A guy she met at Cyrus Martinez's den. He helped her escape by knocking out his partner. She thinks of him as a hero. She doesn't even know I'm the one in the mask".

"Never think of yourself, that way", his father said. "I understand how you feel but you should have been earlier, faster. Even if she liked you, there's only close to a ten-percent probability that she'd come to you, first. Your powers were given to you to save the world, not to win a girl's heart. Besides, if she likes you, only because of your powers, then she fell in love with your abilities... Not you"

"How am I supposed to deal with it, now?", Joe said in a depressing voice. "Going to the same school and staying in the same class. Watching my crush fall for another guy, everyday."

"Do you want to drop out?", his dad joked. "It's no problem. You're destined to save the world and win girls' hearts."

"Stop it", he nudged his dad. "What should I do? You were going to talk about it, with me, right?"

"Yes but we are too late, already", his dad said. "I would have told you to talk to her. I would have given you ways to get over your nervousness. You could have easily gotten her attention and everything. Then, you let her know you. That's what you would have done."

"How can I get her back?"

"Even if you can, you shouldn't strive to take her from a guy like you. When you do that and she breaks up with him, he'll be hurt... more than you are, right now. Just take a minute and imagine how you would feel if you asked her out and she said yes, and when you are already jubilating to the few beautiful days you've spent with her, she comes to you with an excuse to break up and she says Felix is who she always desired."

"So I'm supposed to get over this and let her go?"

"Yes, son", Mr. Ryan rubbed his son's back. "Punch the bag but put it aside, quickly. Make sure the anger doesn't take over when you're at war."

"It won't", he smiled.

"Heartbreak may come again and again. But when you choose to have a love story again, know her, let her know you, show her all of yourself, don't be clingy, help her, then, let her know. If she says no, move on. At least, you'd know you have almost no chance$

"I'll do just that, sir", he stood up and continued punching the bag. The glowing lines from his veins showed up again. They grew brighter and hotter, emitting an aura of fire. He stopped punching and opened his palms, pulling all the fire from his veins into a fireball. He clenched his fist, again, quenching the fire.

"Now, that's what I'm talking about. You're good to go"

★

"I was hoping you'd come", Lucifer said, as John and Cedric approached him.

"We're here now, just as you hoped", Cedric replied.

"I was hoping you would be earlier", Lucifer said and brought out the key.

"This is the key? This is what it looks like?", John commented, astonished. "They probably want the gold"

"It's a facade", Lucifer replied. "The gold you see is an illusion. Gold glitters, too.... You only realize it when you let this get to your heart"

Cedric collected the key. "I'll protect this with my life"

"Don't", Lucifer said and turned his wheelchair. "You may lose both. She'll come for you and the key. Don't struggle. It would be a waste of time"

★

"I hate alcohol, assault, smoking", Laura told Davis, as they walked slowly to her home. "It irritates me"

"Really? I used to take alcohol but I stopped it, already though", he replied. "Before Cyrus took me, I had these two friends who did crazy things. I was with them so I did it too. Different brands of alcohol and cigars. We picked pockets, a lot of times, then. Craig and Luis"

"Wow! That's a pretty dark past", Laura commented. "I just hope you've stopped all that. It freaks me out"

"I've stopped it. When Cyrus took me, we had stolen from him and when he caught us, he just picked me. Then, he sat me down and told me I wouldn't be returning to my friends. I had wanted an out so I was almost glad to hear that".

"Well, I'm definitely glad that happened", Laura said as they stopped in front of her house. "If they return, how would you push them away"

"I would just say it", Davis said and kissed her cheek. "I'm guessing I would have to pick between them and you"

"Yes... and you have no choice but to pick me", Laura joked.

"And why would I necessarily do that?"

"Because I'll bite your ears off if you don't"...

★

"Your destiny is a lined up one", the always drunk man said. He had always told that to Davis, since the first day they met.

"You've told me that, already. I'm already working on it", Davis replied, standing on the same building, outside Sterling. Whenever he was out of the city, it used to be because of his service of Martinez. Now, it was to see the drunk diviner.

"Remember! If you will take the burden on your shoulders, the chosen Mystique must leave the way. When the chosen Mystiqu leaves the way, remember! There is a long line behind you... A prophecy will not be shaken. You can be"

"Just watch out. I'm getting closer to victory", Davis pulled out his phone, from his pocket, and dialed a number. 'Craig' showed up on the screen of the phone.

"Hello"

"Hi, Craig. I need you in Sterling, now. And Luis, too"

"Is there money? Plenty money?"

"Something more than that", Davis replied and smiled. "When the money starts rolling in, you won't even remember a bank account."

★

A lady in a black dress and a black hat walked into Mario's shop. It was the devil's daughter. "Mario!", she called. "Come out! I have a job for you".

"I am Mario", the diviner appeared behind her, dancing around like he always did. "Whaaa!". He exclaimed and staggered back, afraid. "What has the daughter of the humble living devil come for in my disdainful diggings"

"I have come to find something", she said to him.

"And Titus cannot do that? Or you underestimate the power of the man?"

"Don't you dare question me!", she yelled at him.

"Don't you dare yell at me!", he yelled back, making his voice echoed loudly, like it'd cause an earthquake.

"Don't break down your habitation just to scare a woman without fear hormones"

"Say the word, Melissa”

"The key to the beast lock"

“You failed”, he jumped, dancing around like he had won a lottery. The weird beats started again, as he danced around the devil’s daughter, fearlessly. “You have one last chance. You fail again? Then, you’re gone!”