Amadeo looked at himself in the mirror. He reached over, grabbing the needle from his dresser and leaned in close to the mirror. Carefully, he slid the needle into the flesh of his lip. He winced at the pain and could taste blood. Pulling the needle all the way through, he set it down on his vanity, picking up the small, silver ring next to it. Sliding the ring’s clasp through the hole in his lip, he twisted it together through the flesh. He licked the blood away, running his tongue over the new piercing. Amadeo looked at himself in the mirror, his new lip piercing flashing in the light from the candle flickering on his desk. He liked it. Now, Life didn’t like it when angels had more than their ears pierced. Amadeo had always been somewhat of a rebel, so this little rule didn’t bother him. Picking up the needle again, Amadeo duplicated the process, ending up with a pair of identical piercings through his lower lip. Amadeo smiled at himself in the mirror, liking the look of the piercings. Amadeo always did his own piercings. He had 10 in one ear and 9 in the other, a ring through his eyebrow, a small ring through each nipple and an emerald stud through his bellybutton. He never wore anything in most of his piercings in order to avoid trouble from his parents. Amadeo generally only wore a pair of onyx earrings in his ears. Wiping away the small amount of blood from the lip rings, Amadeo put away his tools, blowing out the candle.

The next morning, Amadeo rose late, as was his custom. Lazily he tumbled out of bed, stretching lithe limbs. Pulling on an emerald green blouse and a pair of white trousers, Amadeo walked over to his mirror, brushing out his platinum hair and putting on a pair of silver earrings that twisted through three of the holes in his ear and ended in a pair of red roses. He slid a pale pink stud into one of the other piercings in his left ear. Modeling in the mirror for a second, Amadeo grinned at his rebellious appearance. Striding from his room, Amadeo felt on top of the world. He had gotten away with murder, enjoyed it, and was now able to walk around the palace like he owned the place. He winked at a pair of maids as he passed them, sending them away giggling.

“Claude! What are those horrid things on your mouth!?”

Amadeo turned at the voice. One of his younger brothers, Rosario, stood a few metres away. Amadeo frowned at him.

“They’re not horrid. They’re gorgeous,” sniffed Amadeo haughtily.

“You’re going to be in so much trouble,” grinned Rosario.

“Hah! As if!” snorted Amadeo.

“You think you own the world, don’t you,” huffed Rosario, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Might as well, what with all the attention our dear papa gives me,” said Amadeo, batting his
eyes.

“You wish.”

“You’re just jealous because I’m prettier than you are,” smiled Amadeo.

“I wouldn’t look like you for the entire human realm AND the underworld,” laughed Rosario.

“Ha ha. Very funny you little brat. One of these days I might just off you like I did with Michael,” hissed Amadeo, stormy eyes narrowing.

“What?” Rosario’s mocking tone was gone, replaced with horror and shock.

“You heard me. Now bugger off, brat,” snapped Amadeo, sliding his hands into the pockets of his trousers and moving away from his younger brother.

“I’m telling Life!” exclaimed Rosario, turning tail and running down towards the center of the palace.

“I don’t care, ya little tell-tale!” yelled Amadeo down the hall at the retreating form of his brother.

Amadeo turned away, smiling slightly at how well his plan was going.

Rosario ran as fast as he could towards his father’s office, throwing the door open when he got there, panting. Life looked up from his work at his youngest son standing in the doorway.

“Rosario! What is wrong?” asked Life, standing up.

“Claude! He- he killed his charge! He told me he did!” gasped Rosario.

Life’s clear blue eyes darkened with fury, narrowing to threatening slits.

“Where is he?” he growled.

Somewhat taken aback by his father’s sudden transformation, Rosario stepped back through the door.

“Our in the gardens I think,” Rosario stuttered.

Life pushed past his son, anger boiling within him as he stormed down the marble hallway. His long strides took him down a shallow flight of stairs and out onto the patio overlooking the royal gardens. A small maid was sweeping the steps that led down from the patio to the garden.

“Did you see Claude come past here?”

Life’s voice was like sudden thunder, making the maid jump.

“Yes, my lord! He went down to the roses,” said the maid quickly, fearing Life’s wrath.

Life swept down the stairs and out over the grass. Soon he was in the maze of tall rose bushes he had created some years earlier. Instinct led Life through the maze and it took him only a few minutes to reach the center. Amadeo was lying on the stone bench in the clear area at the center of the maze, hands laced in his hair behind his head, legs crossed and hanging off the end of the bench, eyes closed and face turned up to the sun. He looked so relaxed that Life almost didn’t want to bother him.

“Claude. I need to talk to you.”

Amadeo cracked an eye open, looking up at his father confusedly.

“What is it?” he asked, sitting up on one elbow.

“I never thought you would turn that way.”

Life’s voice made Amadeo shiver. The severity sent shocks up his spine. He knew exactly what his father was talking about, but decided to play coy to see if he could get away with it anyway.

“What way?” he asked innocently, his blue eyes widening.

“Death’s way. I’ve been under the impression that you were my perfect son, and now you’ve gone and murdered your charge in cold blood,” replied Life, ignoring Amadeo’s pretended innocence.

“Ahh. Yeah. Pretty much,” replied Amadeo, tossing his hair over one slender shoulder.

“You know the punishment for killing, don’t you Claude?” Life’s voice sounded as though he was calling Amadeo to execution row.

“Of course,” replied Amadeo, relaxing back on his elbows.

He’d been waiting for this for the last few minutes. He finally had a chance to leave heaven and go adventuring!

“Come with me,” said Life, dragging his troublesome son to his feet.

Amadeo sauntered along behind his father, his hands tucked away into his pockets, one fingering the glassy surface of his seeing stone. He was led through the palace and down a flight of stairs to a large hall Amadeo had never been in before. The floor was roughly cut marble and the walls lacked any decoration. The only real object in the room was a large table with a seemingly occult symbol carved into the top.

“Go,” Life instructed, motioning to the table.

Amadeo sauntered over and sat back against the edge of the table. Before Amadeo could even react, a flash of pale blue light lit up the room, rocking him backwards, a searing pain ripping through his left eye. Life watched as his son began to dematerialize, blood dripping from beneath the hand he had clamped over his left eye. As Life watched, his face impassive, he thought he saw a flash of change overcome Amadeo. He thought for a second that he had the impression of long, curling dark hair and a haughty, aristocratic face. Then it was gone. Amadeo slowly began to disappear, cuss words slipping from between his lips. Soon, nothing was left in the Upper World of Life’s prince.