With a few mumbled curses, Arius shot a glare at Lucius and then took off towards the area he had left Jaida in. He flew hard, not caring if someone saw him right now. His wings could get him to her a lot faster than his legs, no matter how strong he was. Flying was always faster, and now that Jaida's life was on the line, it didn't matter if a passerby saw him or not. His current mission was far more important.
Arius landed on the park path and ran towards the flowerbed he had left Jaida standing by. What he saw froze him to the spot. Lying on the pathway was Jaida, her body completely limp and deathly still.
"Jai!" he called as he broke into a sprint towards her, but she didn't respond at all. When he reached her, he nearly choked as the smell of blood stung his sensitive nose. There was blood all over her, leaking from two bullet holes. One was near her right shoulder, the other through
"Exactly what happened?" Mr. Carlson asked again, wanting a clearer answer."She was shot," he said softly. "Twice. I should've been there for her. I could've done something…there was so much blood." Mr. Carlson could see that there were quite a few blood stains on Arius' clothing. It was undoubtedly Jaida's. This was more serious than he had thought, but before he could ask another question, one of the nurses walked up to him and Arius."Excuse me," she began, addressing them both. "You're here for Jaida Carlson, right?""Yes," Mr. Carlson answered, knowing that Arius wasn't anywhere near the proper state of mind to say anything. His answers didn't make a lot of sense, so it was only natural that even a simple response wouldn't come out right either. "She's out of surgery," the nurse said. "
Jaida's eyes slowly opened, her eyelids feeling like lead. She just couldn't keep them closed anymore; it felt like she had been resting for days. Once they were fully open, she blinked a few times, clearing up the blurry images before her. She could see light filtering into her somewhat dark room, but she wasn't paying attention to that. She could see the window ledge, and sitting on it were an assortment of cards, flowers, candies…and her snow globe. She smiled as the light hit it just right, making the angel inside glow a soft golden color. She would someday have to explain to Arius what their kinds of angels were like. Maybe he would eventually be able to associate the term with something other than the monster that Lucius was. That's when it hit her. She quickly remembered what had happened, and now she knew where she was. This was a hospital. She had been shot. Jaida found that she couldn't
She suddenly felt ashamed, knowing that when he had found her, he had probably been horrified. He hated just the sight of blood, even the smallest amount. How had it felt to see so much? How had it felt to see hers splattered everywhere? She couldn't help but feel bad about that. Arius hated the crimson liquid, his fear of it being rather strong.I hope I didn't scare him too much. It's not like I meant to bleed or anything.One had to admit that his fear was a bit strange considering what he did and how he did it. His job was to kill the angels and anyone who got in his way, and yet he feared blood. Maybe angels didn't bleed. Perhaps that's why he was able to kill them so easily. She suddenly wondered how he'd react to something as small as a paper cut. Perhaps that would also make him uncomfortable, and also…what about his own blood? Was he afraid of that as well?"You
Arius and Jaida walked out of her hospital room, Arius leading her down the hallway. He was carrying all of her things for her. The only thing she had in her hands was her snow globe. For being something so simple, she really seemed to like it. She clutched it tightly so as not to drop it. She'd cry if she did. It was so beautiful, plus it was from Arius. She had to keep it close.When they got outside, Arius and Mr. Carlson loaded the car as Jaida got into the backseat. Arius came and sat in the back with her. As soon as everything and everyone was situated, Mr. Carlson started the car and took off, hoping that he wouldn't have to see the hospital again anytime soon. They all probably felt that way. It didn't take long to get home. Even though her father had driven safely for a change, he still sped quite a bit. It was only natural. With a sporty car like his, who could resist? However, he
They ran for quite a while, making sure to keep out of sight of most people. After a while, Arius had taken to using the building tops. No one really looked up high enough to be able to see him. He was able to clear every gap between the buildings, the heights not making any difference to him. But that was Arius or you. Unfortunately, his companion wasn't at all as comfortable. "He's close," Arius stated, his eyes shifting around the area. He quickly snapped them to a rather tall industrial building. He stopped running, setting Jaida down on her feet. In one fluid motion, he spread his wings and grabbed her around the waist, being careful of her injuries. "Ready?" he asked, not wanting to startle her. As soon as she nodded, he took off into the sky, heading for the building he knew Lucius was on. The second he reached the top, his eyes met the angel's.
"What's wrong, Arius?" taunted Lucius as he made his way over. Arius was just starting to get up, but he wouldn't be able to stand before Lucius reached him. The angel was currently playing with something in his hand. He rolled what looked like a marble in his fingers. It looked like nothing more than a bead of white and green jade, but Arius knew that it was far from a simple object. "That stone…" he started, but he began coughing before he could finish. Talking obviously didn't agree with him right now as his lower abdomen began throbbing. Lucius really packed a punch in his fists."I know you've seen this before," Lucius stated. "Your precious council leader gave you one a long time ago." He tossed it up carelessly, catching it without any real effort. "However, I've discovered a better use for it. A sealing stone…they're very appealing things. Maybe your race isn't completely useless af
"Arius!" she called, getting down on her knees. She reached out, her hands trembling. She gently slid her arm under him, lifting his upper body. She held him gently, being careful of his wings. She shook him a bit, calling out to him, but he didn't respond at all. "Arius, wake up!" she called, shaking him a bit more. His head only lowered involuntarily after she stopped. "Come on Arius! You gotta wake up! Where's Lucius? Say something!" She shook him again, but still he didn't do anything to give her the assurance she needed. She wanted him to say something, to wake up, just to twitch, but he was deathly still."Arius," she began, her voice shaking a bit. "You're scaring me. Please, say something." She reached out and touched the side of his face, his skin like ice to her warm hands. "Say something…" She could feel tears coming to her eyes. "Please wake up…" She hesitantly moved her hand and placed tw
Arius still found himself falling in the darkness, unable to determine where he was heading or which way he was falling. He couldn't see anything around him, but at least he could hear things. However, all he heard was the voice of his council leader and his own. Nothing else was there, not even the sound of his heart beating. But he was dead, wasn't he? Then of course his heart wouldn't beat. If he truly was dead though, then just what kind of state was he in now? "Arius, have you figured it out yet?" the council leader, Jaron, asked him. "N-no," he answered, his voice still trembling, echoing in the empty distance. "I d-don't remember…how to b-break it. Last t-time it just…happened."There has to be someway to get outta here. Technically I'm not dead, just sealed. It's only magic."I never knew…you were so weak," said Jaron, a smil