Jaida staggered a bit as she walked, her legs starting to hurt from supporting Arius. She wasn't going to be able to make it to her house. Maybe if she hadn't had to run up all of those stairs and then go back down them, this would be easier. She had carried him like this before, but this time it was difficult. She was starting to wish that one of the cars speeding down the street would stop and offer her a ride. However, everyone in the city minded their own business. No one cared to stop in their routine to help out a stranger. It just wasn't heard of. It just wasn't normal. That's probably why no one ever noticed Lucius. He was abnormal. No one in the city was perceptive enough or willing to recognize anything even remotely out of the ordinary. They were all so naïve.
Jaida could hear the sound of a car approaching, and she figured it would just speed by like all of the others. However, as it got closer to her, it sl
The next few days were the slowest ones Jaida had ever experienced. School seemed to last forever, and hours ticked by like days. She found it rather difficult to focus in any of her classes, and she was currently thanking God that it was the end of the week. It was Friday, but there was still no sign of Arius in school. Jaida had already answered a ton of questions about where he was, and she only said that he was sick in bed. She couldn't very well tell the truth. Only Mr. Owens knew the real reason why he wasn't in school, or at least part of the reason. Currently it was sixth hour, her English class with Mr. Owens. He knew she wasn't paying attention. She hadn't been for a while now. It was hard, because she found herself staring at Arius' empty desk in every one of her classes. For some reason, it was weird not seeing him there. It was worse because she knew it was all her fault. However, she had to keep some sense of focus. She neede
Just as she expected, he gave her a very skeptical look. She wasn't sure if it was because he didn't believe her or if he found this strange. He could always ask her mother about it, and she'd give him the same story. Strangely enough, the next thing he said wasn't even related to the lie she had just told him."He needs medical attention," he told Jaid. "Those wounds look pretty bad.""We can't," she stated. "He's…he's under our care for now. We can't afford a medical bill, you know that. Besides…he'll be fine. Just take us home, okay?""Whatever you say," he sighed. "You've never been wrong before, so I guess I shouldn't doubt you now. I assume he won't be in school tomorrow though." Jaida nodded, knowing that Arius probably wouldn't wake up for a few days. At least it would be easy to keep this from everyone else. She would just tell them all that he was sick in be
Arius didn't say anything to her as he stood up and went to his closet. He quickly got out a pair of pants and a shirt and pulled them on. He shoved his hands into the pockets, sparing Jaida another glance. She looked disappointed as she just sat there, refusing to look at him. He sighed before walking towards her. He stopped just as he passed her, his back now to hers. "I hope that…" he began a bit softly, keeping his voice indifferent, "you can believe me…when I say that I've never once used you for that." Jaida's head shot up, and she glanced back at him. He was heading for the door, but he paused again in the doorway. He glanced back, meeting her shocked expression. He just smirked a bit. "I'm not the monster you think I am, Jai," he told her before he left the room, leaving her there on his bed to think about the conversation they had just had. Jai
Jaida just nodded dumbly, seeming a bit confused. She had never looked at it like that before. She had never known that Arius was so dangerous. Of course she had always known he was a threat to anyone and everyone who crossed him, but this was indeed a shock. She really had done her city a favor by meeting him. She began to wonder if the Deslyan boy enjoyed destroying things. She made a mental note never to push him that far. If he got angry enough, he would probably go and destroy a few buildings or maybe a mountain just for kicks. Arius was indeed a threat to society, and yet he was living under her roof. What have I gotten myself into?"Hey Jai?" began Nero with a nervous smile on his face. "Um…I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention any of this to Arius. I'd kind of like to keep my body fully intact if you don't mind.""Of course," she told him with a smile and a small laugh. She wouldn't say a word to Arius, because she was sure he didn't want her knowing about him. After all, he
It was Saturday morning, and both Arius and Jaidawere already wide awake. Arius was busy lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling. He had nothing better to do after all. He couldn't very well bother Jaida right now. She was currently taking a bath, and she had told him that unless it was important, he couldn't interrupt her. Jaida's mother was working, so the two of them were home alone, and Arius was bored out of his mind. He wasn't used to doing nothing. This was one of the longest missions he had ever been on. Usually he could finish off an angel within two weeks. Then again, he had to remember that this was Lucius. He always took his sweet time on a planet.Arius was just about to doze off when the telephone began to ring. He turned and glared at the machine, annoyed that it had disturbed him. Jaida had had to explain its use at one point. She was usually the one to answer it, but she was a bit busy right now. It had run
As they sat in Jaida's room, they talked about a variety of different things. They talked about school, about their home lives, and basically whatever tangent Amy led them on. Everything was going fine until Amy had asked if she could use the bathroom. She came back two seconds later telling Jaida that the door was locked from the inside."Hold on," she said as she stood up. "I'll go check it out. Just stay here, okay?" She left the room and went to the bathroom. The door was indeed locked, and if she listened closely, she could hear the sound of the shower running. She scowled a bit and then quietly walked over to Arius' room. She opened the door only to find that he was gone.That idiot! What's he trying to do?Jaida closed the door softly and then walked back to her room. She smiled to Seth and Amy, planning out her lie.
She closed the door and returned to her own room, acting as if nothing was wrong. In a way it wasn't. If Arius wasn't home, then he couldn't mess anything up. However, he picked a really pathetic time to leave. Seth and Amy would be going home soon, since it was getting rather late. The sun would fully set soon."We should probably get going," suggested Amy as she watched the sun sink below the buildings. "My mom will start to worry if I'm not home by dark.""Okay," said Jaida as she walked them to the entry. "It was great talking to you guys. It really has been a while.""Yeah," agreed Seth as he and Amy walked outside. "We'll see you Monday.""Bye!" Jaida called as she waved to them, watching as they both began their journeys home. She closed the door afterwards and gave a relieved sigh. She had managed to keep Arius' presence in her house a secret, but now there was onl
Arius began to descend, going a bit slower than he usually did. Maybe he was taking into account her fear of heights. She had to remember what Nero had told her. Arius wasn't honest. He would always say the opposite of what he really felt. She would have to take this into account and pay attention to how he said things. She knew he was homesick, that he missed being around people who were like him. But what home was he really longing for? Did he want to go back to that planet that was so far away, or was there another home he missed? They flew down to Jaida's house, and Arius helped her get back through his window. He then came through as well, quickly getting rid of his wings. He instantly went to his bed and lied down, now staring at his ceiling."I'll call you when dinner's ready, okay?" she told him as she left his dark room. He only nodded, even though she couldn't see. Once she had left, he closed his eyes and let out a deep si