Darkness engulfed Juan like an old friend. Like every night since he had become the skeleton ghost, he retreated to his unorthodox employer's residence right outside the outer edge of town. It was a forgotten place in the shadows of the forest and buried under the earthly ground of the covered hill. It was a castle built inside the Earth, making it as magical as everything inside of the fancy lair.

He arrived at the entrance, which was a huge golden double door with a grand amount of details finishing it off. The seemingly heavy door opened with ease and he entered as if he was an inhabitant of the huge house. He led himself through the halls towards a big underground place.

The plaza was the garden of the real house, a place the skeleton ghost was forbidden to enter. It was an oval area with little herb gardens on both sides. From the front to the back of the underground yard was a garden path that led to a huge white staircase that ended in another magnificent double door, even bigger than the one outside.

With just as much gold and even more details, the door was an attention puller. Though, it wasn't the most incredible piece of architecture; in the middle of the sandy garden path stood a beautiful porcelain fountain. It was a simple circular fountain with in the middle the masterpiece that always made Mario's eyes turn big in awe.

Three statues, all of them holding a mirror in their hands, were standing with their backs to each other and facing all a different direction. One was a child, the other a young adult man and the last was an elderly woman. Every single one of them was perfectly sculptured in the pink tinted marble stone.

The fountain was an interesting place for Mario. Sometimes he loved it greatly, other times he hated it with every molecule of his being. It truly was a love-hate relationship he had with the fountain of memories. Well, maybe not with the fountain but more so with his past. Those memories drove him to do all the actions that brought him to where he was now. They haunted him day in, day out.

Mario sauntered towards the centrepiece of the indoor garden. His feet were dragged with difficulty over the sandy ground. It made a shambling noise and little dust clouds followed in his footsteps.

When he finally reached the fountain his hefty legs collapsed. With his arms, Mario leaned on top of the fountain's soft edge. The porcelain contour was perfectly clean, not the least bit of dirt was accepted.

That was in contradiction to the rest of the 'room' where ivy covered the walls on all sides and the ground had morbid growth everywhere. Thistles, grass and dandelions made the otherwise sandy ground a colourful green. The ceiling was a mixture of stalactites and different kinds of hanging plants. Those were mostly surrounding the few openings in the ceiling.

Wrinkles made from his rough big hands, broke the smooth surface of the cold water. Just as the wrinkles, multiple vague scenes started to appear and dance inside the water.

The eyes that peered from between the bruises covering his face held a certain scene captive:

A teenage boy dressed in a black leather jacket was sitting on his motorcycle while a beautiful brunette girl about the same age was standing in a skintight skirt and a loose white t-shirt in front of him.

The boy had a smug smile on his face which turned the brunette's cheeks a shy pinkish colour. The teenager tilted the girl's chin before he took her slender hand and kissed it gently before looking up into the girl's baby blue eyes with the same smug smile across his lips. This only turned the girl into an even bigger nervous wreck. She had never been courted like this before. The boy took advantage of her inexperience and unexpectedly pulled the girl against his boyish chest. His right hand steady against her lower back as gentle support while his lips lingered only inches from the brunette's. He didn't touch them though ... no, he made the girl yearn for his touch. He would let her take the final step in crossing the little distance that was left between them. As anticipated, the girl's desire for the handsome teen in front of her became too big which made her press her soft lips against his thin, chapped ones.

The ends of Mario's lips curled up in pure memory. Those were the good times, when she loved him and stood by him. He needed more of that now. His fingers moved through the water, making more waves in the pond.

Previous scenes disappeared and new ones took their place. Just like before the water filled with moving scenes. Some had a child as centre point, a few others were with the same girl from before. A big fair during closing hours, bottles of alcohol while they laughed hysterically and yet another where the masked man was the protagonist.

His long fingers touched a vague little circle in the water. At his touch the memory seemed to grow. Like a movie it started to play and Mario watched with facial expressions that were unreadable.

Club music was heard in the lantern lit street. Night life was at full bloom at that hour of day. Multiple people swirled over the otherwise empty street, most of them already too drunk to walk properly.

A young couple, dressed up nicely in a tux and a blue skin tight dress, crossed the street that was the centre of Desamor's nightlife. They walked towards the dark alley where a huge bulky man was standing guard.

"-crazy," the same brunette from the previous memory spoke nervously. She was older now, perhaps a year or two. The boy who she had shared her first kiss with had grown into beginning manhood by now. The boy's shoulders were broader, his face looked more mature and he had a nice stubble. He kept walking, pulling the eighteen-year-old girl behind him in a nice grip around her slender hand.

"I love you, but this is insane, Juan," she tried again. "We could get killed for this, like for real," she genuinely sounded distressed.

"Es, relax. This is going to be fun. Just act less nervous, we need to sell this or this will fail miserably."

He had stopped walking and was now gently holding her face between his big hands.

"This isn't worth it, Juan. Can't we just break into the school and drink some alcohol on the rooftop or something? Crashing 'The Crimson Spiders' yearly ball isn't a good idea. It's completely insane and incredibly dangerous."

Esmeralda nervously turned around on her spot.

"Es, stop getting so nervous. There's no need. We're just here to have some fun, not to kill someone. If we keep a low profile, no one will notice. And are you willing to give up a chance to tell everyone that you were at the coolest party ever?"

The girl shrugged her shoulders in an unconvinced way. She couldn't deny that it would be the coolest thing ever in her mundane life. On the other hand, Esmeralda was smart enough to know that crashing the local gang's party was dangerous. But then again, Juan knew he had a way of making her walk on the edge of life. He knew that she couldn't deny how much she loved that rushing adrenaline, and he loved to use it against her.

"Baby, the danger is part of the excitement. Have I ever disappointed you when it comes to incredible adventures?" A smug smile and flirty eyes made the girl dimple and shake her head. "See? Nothing to worry about then. Also, I'll be at your side the whole time. No one is going to bother you, beautiful," his lips pressed a reassuring kiss on the brunette's cheek which brought a pair of pearly white teeth from behind the blood red lipstick lips.

Juan interlaced his long rough fingers with her slender ones and led his lover towards the guarded entrance of the local gang bar.

"Where do you think you're going?" One of the giants next to the door asked, while preventing them entry.

"Joining all the fun, mate," Juan's voice was so full of confidence that he almost believed it himself that he belonged to the gang.

"Only members can enter, move along kids, it's probably past your bedtimes anyway," the other bulky man grunted annoyed.

Juan's grip tightened around Esmeralda's hand. The brunette rubbed reassuring circles with her thumb, trying to calm him down. His shoulders tightened for a moment but eventually relaxed.

"Sir, I totally understand. We were just coming here because we're looking for a nice place to have some fun," he smiled smugly before he grabbed Esmeralda's butt with his full hand while he stared straight down her cleavage before looking back at the guards. Juan knew his act wasn't going to work the moment these two men rolled their eyes. They had been doing their jobs for too long.

"A tip 'mate', take a girl like that back home instead of a filthy alley. She definitely deserves a comfortable bed," the smallest of them said, his eyes checking the brunette out. "If he doesn't treat you right, I sure will."

Esmeralda visibly shivered at the man's words. Juan's temper was wavering, both from his misfortune and their looks. Like these ugly bastards could ever get a girl like his Esmeralda.

"Don't worry, he can take very good care of me. Also, comfy beds, not my thing," she turned around and walked away from the uncaring hungry eyes.

Juan followed right behind her. His heart soaring from his girl's response. She truly was a miraculous woman. And all he wanted right now, was her, and perhaps a nice dark alley.

Esme was boiling in anger. Young Juan hadn't even realised until she jabbed her finger against his chest. "Was that your great plan? Making me feel like some piece of meat?"

Juan tried to grab her hands but she kept pulling back, not wanting to be touched after that uncomfortable encounter.

"Of course not. It just didn't really go as planned. I hoped they would let us through or at worst, give us a direction to one of the alleys without raising suspicion. But it doesn't matter, you handled that. Now they think we're just looking for a hook-up place, while instead we look for a window or another entrance." His typical smug smile returned to his lips. Esmeralda rolled her eyes.

"Don't ever do that to me again. You can check me out, but those guys should keep their eyes to themselves. I don't ever want to feel that disrespected again, got it?" Her finger poked his chest once again. Juan's fingers trailed down the brunette's jawline before tilting her chin up and capturing her plump lips between his thin, chapped ones.

"Promise," he whispered between kisses in a loving way. "Come on, let's find a bathroom window, let's not let that bad idea be for nothing."

He kissed her again before pulling her in the alley, his eyes searching for a diverse entrance to the party.

The memory faded and a new one immediately started to play.

The couple was inside the party. Everyone was dressed in crimson red and black colours, few had yellow attributes on their fancy clothes.

Esmeralda's blue dress stood out between the rest of the guests, but she didn't seem to care. Her eyes were a bit foggy and red from the alcohol that was coursing through her body. She was closely dancing against Juan. She loved his strong muscular body, it always made her feel safe, she used to say. So, he had made sure it was trained.

The boy was having a great time as well. He had done the impossible: infiltrate 'the crimson spiders' most famous party. The victorious feeling and the feeling of his beautiful love dancing against his body was making his head spin. If he didn't get out of there to cool down, he was going to lose his self-control. And that had never ended well.

"Hey baby," he whispered in her ear. She silently hummed at his hoarse voice. "Love, I'm going to get something to drink, okay? You want something?" She shook her head while she kept moving her body in a seductive way. He really had to clear his head.

The boy walked towards the bar where he waited for his drink when four people surrounded him.

"Who are you?" A tall girl, most definitely the leader of the group, asked in a strong southern accent. She was standing so close to the boy that he could feel her hot breath hit his forehead.

"I'm taken and leaving."

The three other guys stepped closer and blocked all possible exits.

A dry laugh left the girl's mouth and it made the boy shiver. "I bet you are, but I can't let you. This party is private and you don't really belong here. Neither does your girl over there."

She pointed at the place where Esmeralda was dancing, only now she was dancing with a guy who angrily smiled at Juan. It made his blood boil. In a matter of seconds he exploded. His right fist swirled through the air and hit one of the men that was surrounding him. The man went down before realising what just happened. Juan didn't get far though, two other men took the now knocked out man's place. Juan got pinned down to the bar and he received a few nasty punches himself.

"Try touching one of us again and your day won't be very sunny, lad," the girl spoke again in the same authority. "But I've got to give it to yah, sneakin' in here is pretty bold. Not very clever of course, but brave nonetheless. Also, that hit was very clean. I could use someone like you, what'd you think?" The tall brunette carved her sharp nails in his left cheek, leaving four red lines across them.

"I'm not so sure," Juan huffed. The position these men were keeping him in, with his back completely extended against the counter, made it very hard to breathe.

"It wasn't really a question. You're going to work for me or else your life really isn't going to be that pretty anymore." The tall girl lay down on top of Juan before whispering in his ear, "and your girl, well let's just say she will feel the consequences as well. I'm sure a few of us would love to get a taste of that beauty." She turned her head towards the place where Esmeralda was dancing before looking back at him with a dark grin.

Juan fought with all his force against his restraints but nothing seemed to help. These men were just too strong.

"Fine! But touch her and I'll kill every single one of you," he grunted in an angry voice. The group that surrounded him scattered at a single wave of the brunette's hand.

"You'll hear from me, but for now: leave."

The scene disappeared again. Mario sat next to the fountain with balled fists, his jaw was clenched tightly and his eyelids were pressed together.

"Show me the last time I saw her in Desamor." He spoke to the fountain, his fists now angrily clenched around the edge of the fountain. The water started to get blurry and the scene started to unfold.

Before anything got clear enough, a cough made Mario turn his head in utter reflex.

"Break my fountain and I'll break your soul in a million pieces and curse you to relive that moment for eternity."

A fancy dressed man in a purple satin shirt, black trousers and expensive Italian shoes stood at the top of the big white staircase. His eyebrows were pressed in a frown. He didn't look too happy.

"Sorry sir, I was just -," Mario started, but the man in satin interrupted.

"I don't really care what you use it for, just don't let your obsession with the girl get in the way of your job. I've told you this before and I hate repeating myself."

Lucifer looked around the garden. "I don't see any girl here. Where is she? Where is Mykayla?"

"Sir, I-," Mario couldn't find the words. He had failed and the reality of that made him tremble in his place. He looked up at his master, standing on top of that majestic staircase. Power cascaded off him.

"JUAN! Bring that girl to me. Right now! Whether she is dead or alive, I don't care. You bring her to me, NOW!"

Lucifer's usual empty, black eye caskets started glowing a dark blue, and even though he didn't really have eyes like a human being, they were now shouting anger in every way.

"Sir, it's almost day," Mario whimpered in the smallest voice. He didn't dare to speak the words, but the reality was, he got beaten. Again.

"THEN GET HER WHEN IT ISN'T!" Lucifer shouted and something inside the house broke in the background.

Mario visually shrunk in his place. His shoulders were pulled up to his ears, his hands protectively took their place in front of his face and his pulled up knees pressed against his sore chest.

When Lucifer had left the room, a whimper left Mario's body.

It took him a while before he shook off his fear for his master and was able to move. He always managed to toughen himself up afterwards. This time wasn't any different. Each time he experienced that kind of fear and weakness, the need to become stronger arose.

One day he was going to defeat them all. He had done it with 'the crimson spiders' and he had done so with Esmeralda. Thomas and his new friend were next. No matter that the girl seemed to have some kind of power, he had plenty as well. He knew how to win, whether it was with cheating or not. And then, to top it all off, he was going to defeat Lucifer and take his place. One day, he was going to be on top, and everybody would fear him. Not the other way around. They would listen.

How could he not, when the possibilities to all of Lucifer's power were simply here in this house, begging to be taken and completely unprotected. It was almost as if Lucifer wanted him to take it.

He had lost so many battles in his life, always too weak compared to the other. Never quite good enough.

Never again.