Creating a Life of Trends and Make-Believe

“Shit. Kellin, listen- I love you, and you have to go, now.”

I fixed my hands down on Kellin’s shoulders, hoping the plan I had in my mind would be successful. Truthfully, I had never tried anything like this before- it really was a long shot. My eyes closed as I focused all the anger and energy that resided within in me outwards, as I pushed Kellin back. Momentarily, I felt my head spin as a striking white light filled my view. I almost lost my balance as I brought my arms up to my eyes, trying to shield myself from the luminous aurora- it was incredibly bright, but only lasted a fraction of a second.

Slowly, I opened my eyes to find Kellin gone. The absence of the pale boy’s body from under my fingers confirmed indefinitely that it had somehow worked, no matter how much I hadn’t wanted it to. I turned my attention to the door, where I was expecting someone to be stood. Instead, the door was wedged open slightly.

“Yo Vic, get your fucking ass down here, now!” Someone shouted from behind the door. I listened carefully to the voice, and recognised it as Jaime’s.

I huffed in an annoyed manner; I had been sent here about 15 minutes ago to go and stay out of people way for a bit, and he wants me back already? That’s strange.

“I’m coming.” I shouted angrily. “You fucking impatient ass.” I kept that to a whisper- Jaime was a little sensitive at the moment.

As I made my way over to the staircase, something caught my attention and stopped me in my tracks; something was shimmering in the corner of my eye. It’s not every day you find something polished and gleaming in Hell. This was a rare occurrence. Curiosity won me over easily, and I turned on my heel, deciding to go and see what this ‘thing’ was. Frankly, I didn’t care if I got a telling off- this was probably the most interesting thing that has happened to me all week.

As I approached it, I instantly recognised it. Oh fuck. I edged slightly closer the delicate piece of jewellery and crouched to pick it up. In my hand lay the eternity ring I gave to Kellin all those years ago. It was attached a thin and subtle sliver chain, which upon closer inspection, showed to have a broken clasp. It must have broken when Kellin somehow ended up here.

“Vic! You better hurry, he’s gettin’ impatient, dude!”

I groaned internally, and shoved the necklace into my jean pockets. I’ll deal with that later. Deciding to jog would probably be a good idea- I knew Jaime wouldn’t wait for me, and Lucifer would be getting ticked off with me. You can tell everyone loves me around here…

When I reached the top of the steps, I was greeted by the ever-happy Jaime. Literally, the dude never stopped smiling. How someone could be that happy in a place like Hell was beyond me. Still, Jaime’s constant happy vibe always brightened my day up, and the guy is hilarious. He’s a newbie, and by newbie, I mean a week of being here newbie. I was assigned the job of showing him how everything works around here, and basically keeping an eye on him. Yes, he was incredibly annoying, and never shut the hell up, but he was a great guy.

We walked down the extravagantly furnished hallway. It went on for quite a while, at least a 15 minute walk. An extensive, pure red silk carpet travelled up the centre of the corridor, standing out amongst the heavy looking grey stone walls. Torches of fire were ablaze, illuminating the way to the immense wooden doors that lay at the end of the hallway. They were extremely intimidating- pure black metal coated them in intricate patterns, and a line of spikes went across the centre of the door. Yes, it was all intentionally placed there- it was supposed to scare people shitless. It was supposed to make people feel inferior and apprehensive. I turned to Jaime, and judging by his bewildered and panicked expression, it was all working.

You see, since his arrival, Jaime had not left the small room he and I shared, so all this was new to him. It was strange at first- having someone share with me. I didn’t like it initially. For five long years, I had practically been stuck in the same room, staring hopelessly at the same four walls, praying (which is pretty useless in Hell) that I would see Kellin again. Over that space of time, I had become extremely introverted, and I hardly spoke to anyone, except for Lucifer, when he occasionally came into my room to see how I was. Those visits would make me temporarily happy, but they were brief, and rare. So, to the pass the time, I would write lyrics, most of them about Kellin, and sit there thinking about him. I had nothing else better to do. Anyway, I could have it worse. I could be a sentenced soul.

Opposed to contrary belief, Hell is not all screams and fire. It is very different- it has a clever system. The common phrase ‘That’s my idea of Hell’ was extremely relevant here, because that’s all it was. A sentenced soul is locked away in a small, empty room, and left with their deepest, darkest fears. No escape. You are left like that for eternity- left alone with the thing that plagues your mind with terror the most. Of course, it’s all a psychological trance that Lucifer puts on them, but it seemed incredibly real. However, it’s not all that bad.

A few souls, like me, impressed Lucifer and he took a liking to us. Instead of letting being driven insane, he lets us do what we want, within reason. We run a few errands now and again, but for the most part, we just sit around doing fuck all. Some mingle with each other, well most do, it’s just I chose not to. There are probably twenty spared souls in total, and in all honesty, we’re all pretty useless. We don’t contribute anything to anyone.

“Hey Vic, are you there? I’ve been talking to you for the last 10 minutes, and you’ve flat out ignored me.” Jaime huffed, and sounded a bit miffed.

“Urmm yeah, sorry Hime-Time, I was just thinking.”

“About Kellin?” I knew the question was intended to be innocent, but Kellin was a sensitive issue that I didn’t like to talk about- it would normally end with me in tears and consumed by guilt.

“What makes you think that, Jaime?”

Jaime looked slightly worried, and tore his eyes away from my own.
“I don’t know. You always mumble under your breath about him, and you talk in your sleep- you’ve mentioned him a few times then. Oh yeah, and your lyrics. They’re pretty good by the way” Jaime mumbled, giving me a small smile.

I simply shrugged my shoulders, trying to make out what he had said didn’t bother me. Was I really that consumed by the thought of Kellin? I knew for sure Kellin wasn't like that with me, and in a way, that broke my heart a little. In a strange, messed up way, I wanted Kellin to dote over the thought of me- I wanted him to fall apart every time he thought of me. God, that sounds messed up. Maybe that’s what loneliness did to you. I knew Kellin had to move on, but would it kill him to spare me a little thought every once in a while? I could tell that when he was with his band, I was just another piece of his past, lying under a layer of dust deep inside his mind- still there but never used.

As we approached the door that led into Lucifer’s ludicrous lair, Jaime was visibly nervous; he was fumbling around with the sleeves of his hoodie, occasionally chewing on them. When we stopped to knock on the door, his leg began bouncing up and down at quite a fast pace.

“Jaime.” I placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. “Just chill out, there’s nothing to worry about. He’s a pretty cool dude when you get to know him- and he’s quite funny.” My words did not make Jaime any calmer; however, it appeared that he wasn’t more stressed. Well, it was worth a fucking try, wasn’t it?

Moments later the two doors opened, leaving Lucifer standing there, with his arms open in an over-elaborate manor.

“Ahhh, Jaime! It’s good to see you again, my favourite thief. Come on in, come on.” He ushered Jaime through to his quarters, leaving me standing at the door. The Devil turned back around, and smiled at me like a proud father would.

“Victor, it’s good to see you again! I have missed our witty conversations! Please, make yourself at home.” His voice was tinted with something I couldn’t put my finger on. I mean, sure, he had an over-friendly attitude to people he was fond of, but it just seemed something was wrong.

I walked over to the pure black wooden bench Jaime had situated on, and smiled at him supportively, hoping he would become more comfortable around the Deity that was now walking up to me.

“Would you care for a cigar, my old friend?”

I couldn’t help but grin; cigars were a personal favourite of mine.

“You know me too well Lucifer. Thank you.” I took the cigar and rested between my lips, allowing Satan to light it with a click of his fingers. Confidence was the key with him- if you were witty and cocky, he liked it. If you were reserved and muttered everything, he would get annoyed. That’s why I was praying that Jaime would come out of his shell.

He sauntered over to a padded chair, with the wood being carved into symbolic patterns. It seemed quite grand, so I presumed this was his ‘boss’ chair.

“Now, Jaime.” His deep, deep brown eyes danced around in amusement. “I want you to know, that here, I am a friend, a companion. Think not of me as the evil being everyone makes me out to be- I’m really not that bad. This here is your home, treat it as your own, but treat it with respect. There are plenty of people for you to befriend here, Jaime. I’m sure with that outgoing personality of yours, you’ll make an acquaintance in a heartbeat… metaphorically speaking. You may leave now.” Lucifer gestured his hand towards the door, and Jaime scurried out as fast as he could.

“However, Vic, you aren't leaving until we have discussed an issue that I believe has arose.”

My stomach dropped. Oh my fucking God. In all my time of being here, I haven’t felt fear until now. Lucifer leant forward, staring straight at me menacingly. I kept a straight, emotionless face- the least I could do was pretend not to be scared. Remember Vic, confidence is the key. I tell myself that every fucking time.

“You know Vic; it has always fascinated me how nothing seems to faze you. Most people would be trembling with fear by now, yet you’re here, dead-panned emotionally. That’s why I like you, you’re not afraid of me.”
I quirked an eyebrow, it’s good to know he doesn’t despise me. Deep down, as vain as it sounds, I know I’m his favourite, and honestly, I wanted to try and keep it that way.

“Unfortunately for you, I do know what you are afraid of, Victor.” At that moment, his pure brown eyes darkened, turning into a deep, sinister ebony colour. This was bad news.

“Your deepest fear is that human you dote over being hurt, isn't it Vic? What is his name again? Kellin? Yes, that’s it, Kellin. You deeply fear for his safety, you fear him being hurt in any way, don’t you?”

I narrowed my eyes, and glared back at him, trying to stand my ground. Despite this, everything he was saying was true. Whereas other peoples fear may be drowning, or death, mine was watching the thing I loved the most being hurt.

“Now, Vic, I know what that little pest has been up to. How he thinks he can outwit me is amusing. What, he and a seventh daughter of a seventh daughter think they can bend the rules? It really is quite pathetic. But I am going to make this very, very clear to you Vic. If he dares to continue to meddle in my affairs, I will personally track him down, rip his soul out, burn it, and destroy him for the rest of eternity. Or even better, I could throw him to Cerberus to maul. I hope I’ve made myself very clear, Vic. I like you, but don’t push your fucking luck, understood? I made you a deal and I intend to keep it. So, if I find out he’s continuing his ‘rescue plan’, I will rip him to shreds.”

Lucifer’s eyes were gleaming with pure delight as he watched my confidence fail. The looked evil- an absolute black hue clouded over them. I could feel tears forming at the back of my eyes- and he loved every second of it. I couldn’t blame him; he’s the devil, it’s in his nature to enjoy watching other people suffer. I blinked back my tears, the last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of him.

“You’re free to go, oh, and take these with you.” He handed me a box of cigars, equipped with a lighter.

“T-thank you.” I faltered, and practically bolted for the door.
This was it; Kellin was going to end up killed- eternally. He was so incredibly stubborn, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He would pursue this until he had what he wanted, and that was me. I couldn’t even warn him of the consequences- I had no way of getting hold of him since I had the eternity ring.

A single tear rolled down my cheek at thought of him being tortured- his soul being lost for the rest of time.
And there was nothing I could do about it...