chapter 10

It was Saturday morning, and both Arius and Jaida were 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 rung three times by now, so Arius made a decision and picked it up.

"Hello?" he asked, trying not to sound as annoyed as he was.

"Um…hi," said the voice on the other line. He quickly recognized the voice. It belonged to Amy. "I'm calling for Jaida…this is the right number, right?"

"Yeah, hold on," he told her, taking the cordless phone with him. He walked across the hallway and towards the bathroom. He made sure to cover the bottom part of the phone before banging loudly on the door.

"Hey Jai!" he shouted.

"I'm busy," she responded in a singsong voice. He banged on it a bit more.

"Come on Jai!" he yelled again, hoping that Amy couldn't hear any of this.

"Go away please," she said in the same voice, nearly popping a vein in Arius. He made up his mind and grabbed the doorknob. Without warning, he opened the door, and the second Jaida laid eyes on him, she ducked down so that her head was the only thing showing.

"Jaida, the phone…" he began, but he was cut off as her face went red with both anger and embarrassment.

"What's your problem?" she shouted angrily. "Don't you know better than to barge in on someone? This is the second time!" Arius only glared at her before holding out the phone.

"Here," he told her harshly. "It's for you." She quickly grabbed a nearby towel and dried her hands before taking it. As soon as she had it, he turned around and abruptly left the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

"Hello?" asked Jaida.

"Hey Jaida, it's Amy," began her friend in a rather cheerful tone. "How've you been?"

"Good," answered Jaida, wondering what the point of the call would be. "And before you ask, Arius will be back in school on Monday."

"That's a relief," she heard Amy sigh. "By the way, who was that?"

"What do you mean?" Jaida asked, but she quickly realized what Amy wanted to know. After all, the only people who were supposed to live in her house were her and her mother, and Arius had been the one to answer the phone. Arius, you idiot! How am I supposed to get out of this one?

"You know," began Amy. "That guy who answered your phone…who was he?"

"Um…" began Jaida, looking for a logical answer. She began to get out of the bathtub, and she turned on the drain to empty out the water. However, she had accidentally bumped into the lever that turned on their shower.

"He's um…" she tried again, and the running water quickly gave her an idea. "He's our plumber." She smiled at the genius of her idea when Amy quickly shot it down.

"But aren't you taking a shower? I can hear the water," she pointed out. Jaida mentally slapped herself, now trying to come up with another idea.

"Well, he…he doubles as an electrician," she began. "H-he's working on our phones."

"Then…how are you even talking to me?" Amy questioned, and Jaida racked her brain for another idea. "And another thing…why would your plumber answer your phone?"

"Amy, why did you call?" asked Jaida, hoping that this would get them off of the topic. She couldn't very well tell the truth after all. That'd be great. "No Amy, it was Arius. He answered the phone and then walked in on me when I was taking a bath. Oh, by the way, did I mention he lives here?" What a perfect conversation that would be.

"Actually," began Amy. "I called because Seth and I decided to come over today." Jaida nearly dropped the phone. "It's been a while since we've visited your house, so we picked today. I just called to tell you that we'll be over in a few minutes, so see you soon!"

"Wait, Amy, I…" she began, panicking. However, her only answer was the soft beeping on the other side. Amy had already hung up.

Jaida quickly wrapped a towel around herself and ran from the bathroom, sprinting towards her room (not before turning off the shower). She got there and slammed the door, making sure to lock it. She didn't need Arius coming in again. She quickly got dressed, pulling on a simple sundress, and then ran from her room to Arius' room. He was lying on his bed, staring at his ceiling.

"Arius," she called, and he sat up, glaring at her. He was probably a bit mad at her for yelling at him. "Amy and Seth'll be here any minute, so you have to stay out of sight. It'd be best if you just stayed in your room."

"Whatever," he told her as he lied back down.

"Arius, I'm serious," she said, sounding rather annoyed.

"Don't worry, you won't even know I'm here," he told her as he closed his eyes and relaxed a bit. Hopefully he'd stay true to his word, because Jaida wasn't sure how she'd explain his presence there. Amy would ask her a ton of questions and Seth would just be angry. He really didn't like Arius that much.

The doorbell rang, so Jaida began to leave the room. She took one last glance at Arius before closing his door, hoping he'd just stay there. Arius was stubborn though. There was no telling what he'd do.

Jaida ran down the stairs and threw open the door, putting on a smile. Seth and Amy returned it as they walked into her house. They all began to make their way upstairs, and Jaida instantly led them to her room. She wasn't going to let either of them out of her sight. She didn't need one of them accidentally discovering Arius in what once was their guest room.

"So Jaida, what's new?" asked Amy with a smile.

"Not much really," she responded, which was somewhat the truth. She couldn't very well tell them what really had been going on lately.

"How's your mom?" she asked.

"Fine," Jaida responded. "She's been working a lot though. Everyday she seems to come home later. She's really been putting in a lot of hours, because she thinks we need some extra money."

"What about your dad?" questioned Seth. "Have you heard from him?"

"Yeah," responded Jaida, looking enthused for the first time at the mention of her father. She had a shy smile on her face as she grabbed a letter off of her dresser and sat down. "See? He sent me a card the other day. He said that he wants to spend Christmas with me this year, so I'll be leaving at the beginning of winter break."

"You know," began Amy, deciding to change the subject a bit. "I wish it would snow here. This place is just too warm."

"It doesn't snow where my dad lives either," said Jaida as she put the card away. "I think the only time I ever saw snow was on that family vacation when we took a trip up north. It never snows down here, and I don't think it ever will."

"Never say never," quoted Seth. "It snowed here before…just not in our lifetime. It might snow here again someday."

"That'd be cool, wouldn't it?" asked Amy as she sat down on Jaida's bed, her eyes getting all starry as she imagined the setting. "We could build snowmen, have snowball fights, and maybe school would get cancelled…"

"I doubt that," said Seth. "You know what our superintendent's like." Jaida laughed a bit at the thought. They joked about their superintendent quite a bit.

"Yeah," she began. "He'd tell us 'oh don't worry kids. The snow isn't too high (even though it's blocking the doors). Just go through the windows. You can do it'." Seth and Amy just laughed at her impression, because once a few years ago when their doors had been blocked by a semi truck, that's exactly what they had been told to do. However, school had ended up getting canceled because the semi had lodged itself into the front of the building. School had commenced normally the next day though, but that one day had been worth it.

"I hope it snows this year," said Amy. "That'd be great."

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.

"I guess the plumber decided to start working on my bathroom," she told Amy, deciding to go with her story about the plumber again. "You can use the one downstairs though."

"Okay," said Amy, not seeming bothered at all. This left Seth and Jaida alone to talk for a while.

"Hey Jaida, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," he began.

"What is it?" she asked with a smile.

"I wanted to know why you're always spending so much time with Arius," he said very seriously, and Jaida's smile fell a little. Now she had to think up another lie to tell. She had to come up with something that was believable.

"Well," she began as she twirled her thumbs absentmindedly. "You see, his family and my family are friends, and he recently moved here." She smiled a bit as she continued fumbling with her fingers. Lying was starting to get a bit easier. "He doesn't have any friends, so I try to spend as much time with him as I can. He's a bit…lonely, I guess."

"But do you like him?" asked Seth. "You know…as more than a friend?" Jaida looked like someone had just shot her.

"Of course not," she told him sternly. "I'll admit that he's alright to hang around with, and he's kind of cute, but…he's just not my type." She watched as Seth sighed out of relief. Maybe Amy hadn't been kidding when she had said that Seth liked her. Perhaps he really had been jealous of Arius. After all, when it came to looks and strength, no one could compare. Arius would be able to play any sport he wanted, plus he could basically get into any school. He had it all. He was strong, smart, and cute. He would be the perfect boyfriend if only his personality were different.

"I'm back!" announced Amy happily as she sat down on Jaida's bed, a smile on her face.

"Did you guys want anything to eat or drink?" Jaida asked as she stood up, deciding to head down to the kitchen.

"Water would be nice," said Seth.

"Same here," agreed Amy.

"Alright," said Jaida as she walked out of the room. "Wait here and I'll be right back." She closed her door behind her, hoping that they wouldn't find the gesture a bit strange. She didn't need them to see Arius in case he walked by.

Just as she began to leave, the door to the bathroom opened. She turned around, wanting to scold Arius for leaving his room. It's not like she minded if he took a shower or not, but he could have waited until Amy and Seth had left. She was just about to tell him off, but as he walked out the door, her breath caught in the back of her throat. He was still dripping wet, his messy hair now matted to his head, beads of water clinging to each strand. He was a gorgeous boy, there was no mistake in that. He was just now pulling on his shirt as he walked across the hallway, not caring that his clothing was partially wet.

"What?" he asked her softly when he noticed how she was staring at him. She blushed a bit and avoided his eyes, feeling nervous under his intense gaze.

"N-nothing," she told him quietly. "Just be careful, okay? Can you please just stay in your room?"

"I'm being quiet, aren't I?" he asked as he finished pulling on his shirt. "Don't worry so much."

"Just stay in your room," she pleaded. He just growled a bit in response and went back to his room, closing the door softly so as not to disturb Jaida's friends.

She went down and got some water from the kitchen. She returned to her room, opening the door back up. Since Arius was hopefully going to remain in his room, she'd have no reason to really worry. At least she hoped she wouldn't. There was just no telling with Arius.

They talked for a bit, the subjects changing randomly like they always did. They could always find something interesting to talk about thanks to Amy and her amazing talent at changing the subject. She would lead them on tangent subjects all the time. She did the most talking out of all of them. Jaida was glad that Amy never got the chance to talk much to Arius. She'd end up asking him a ton of questions, some he would answer and others he probably wouldn't, but he'd probably quickly get annoyed with her for talking too much. Speaking of Arius, she hadn't heard anything for a while. Maybe he had fallen asleep, although that was highly unlikely.

"Um, I'll be right back," said Jaida as she got up. She left the room and made it look as if she was heading for the bathroom. However, instead she went to Arius' room and slowly opened the door. She was greeted with an empty bed, the window fully open, and the wind sending a chill through the room. Jaida suddenly felt a strong sense of annoyance wash through her. Arius, why don't you ever listen?! Where could he have gone anyway?

Jaida wanted to go to the window and look out to see if he was anywhere nearby, but she decided against it. She really didn't like the idea of Arius being out there alone though. She knew he'd be fine unless he ran into Lucius. However, he still needed to be careful. If he really was wandering the city, it would be easy for him to get lost. After all, he didn't know his way around too well. I swear…he's gonna be the death of me…one way or another.

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 only one problem. She had no idea where he was.

Jaida went back upstairs and walked into Arius' room. She went over to the opened window and looked out it. The streetlamps were already turning on, and the sky was a midnight blue against the bright city lights. She began to wonder just where the Deslyan had gotten to. He wouldn't stay out this late, would he? And by now, if he had gotten lost, he could always just fly home. The night would conceal him.

"Arius?" she called out her window, glancing around for him. She leaned out a bit more, trying to get a better view above her. "Arius?" she tried again, not wanting to call out too loudly.

"What?" asked a rather annoyed sounding voice as Arius appeared in front of her, hanging upside down in midair. Jaida was startled, and somehow she managed to lean too far forward. In doing so, she fell from the window, but she didn't get very far. Arius had locked an arm around her waist and was now pulling her up with him. Before she knew what was happening, she was standing on solid ground. She was on the roof of her house.

"Is this where you've been?" she asked him as he sat down.

"Yeah," he said. "I don't like being in that room for too long. It gets boring after a while." Jaida just smiled as she sat down on the roof, watching as Arius leaned back, his hands behind his head. His wings were spread out as well, so Jaida was only allowed to sit within a certain distance of him.

"Do you like it here?" she asked him curiously. "On Earth, I mean."

"No," came his honest reply, and she just frowned a bit. "I like my planet. I…" He hesitated for a moment, his voice falling just a bit. "I kind of miss it. I hate this place. I hate the Earth, and I hate the humans that plague it." Jaida looked down at the dark tiling of her roof, feeling just a little disappointed. Even though he had been here for nearly a month now, he still hadn't changed his opinion. It's not like she had thought he would though.

"I suppose that can't be helped," she said with a sad smile. Arius only spared her a glance before asking a question of his own.

"Why don't you want them to know?" he asked her curiously. When she gave him a confused glance, he elaborated. "Your friends…you didn't want them to know that I live here. Why?"

"Well…" she began, wondering just how to explain this. "It just isn't normal. If people knew, they'd start getting ideas."

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked, obviously not understanding the issue. Maybe they didn't have that problem where he came from, or maybe it was even considered normal.

"Yes," she told him. "You see, a guy and a girl who are close in age and not blood related shouldn't live together. It just isn't right. If the kids at school knew, they would start to talk. They would start to assume that we were…" Before she could finish, Arius began laughing. His voice was always so arrogant, and his laugh wasn't any different.

"Never," he told her with a rather conceited smirk. "No way, not me. I don't ever plan on being intimate with anyone, especially a human." Jaida didn't quite understand why, but that statement really seemed to hit her. She should have expected that though. Arius hated all humans, and that didn't exclude her. Then again, it's not like she wanted it to. She could care less if he hated her. I don't like him anyway, so it doesn't matter.

They sat in silence for a while. Both of them were just staring at the sky and the city. Jaida was wishing that she could see the stars, that she could look beyond the bright city lights to see the natural ones. She couldn't even see the moon tonight. Its bright face was being blocked from her senses by the ever towering cityscape around her. It was times like these when she wished that she could live in a small town instead. She wanted to be able to look at the stars.

"Arius…" she began, sounding somewhat sad. "Can you see the stars from your planet?"

"No," he told her. "I've told you before that the sky is red where I come from, right? Well, it never changes. The sky is always a bright crimson, so it never gets dark enough." He sighed a bit as he stared at the dark sky above him. "That's the one thing I like about Earth. Here you can see stars."

"No you can't," she said, pulling her knees up against her chest. It was starting to get cold, and she was only in a sundress. "The city lights are too bright. I never get to see the stars." Arius quickly sat up, seeming to stretch his wings a bit as he did. He appeared to be thinking about something.

"Do you want to?" he asked her after a while, drawing her eyes to him.

"Of course," she said with a smile. "It would be nice to see them for a change." She watched in curiosity as Arius got to his feet and glanced down at her.

"…Stand up," he demanded.

"Why?" she questioned, which obviously seemed to annoy him.

"Don't ask questions, just do it," he commanded her, and with a small scowl, she obeyed. Before she knew what was going on, Arius grabbed her around the waist and took off into the air. She stifled a surprised scream and closed her eyes, not wanting to look down.

"What are you doing?" she asked, obviously afraid. "I don't like heights."

"Just open your eyes," he told her as he kept flying higher. "How are you gonna see the stars with them closed?"

"What?" she asked him, opening her eyes and glancing up at the serious expression on his face.

"You're such an idiot," he told her. "Don't you get it? Look up!" Jaida did what she was told and gasped at what she saw. They were high above the city now. They were so high that the artificial light from the buildings couldn't even reach the velvety black sky. It really was black now instead of a midnight blue, and the best part was how much she could see. There, floating in the sky as if they were trapped in time, were the stars and the moon. They were beautiful, twinkling in the dark sky above. The moon was nothing more than a sliver of silver light, but it was indeed beautiful as it shined its light down on the city below.

"Amazing…" she whispered as she glanced around. "I had forgotten how cool this is." She then glanced at Arius, noticing that he also seemed to be watching the stars. "Hey Arius?" she asked. "Which one's yours?"

"What?" he asked, sounding a little confused.

"Which star? Which one's close to your planet?" she asked, clarifying the question a bit for him. He began to search the sky, looking over every star he could see. He was actually going to answer the question for her. He suddenly stopped looking, his eyes focusing on one star in the distance.

"It's that one," he told her, pointing towards the distant stars. "It's the one that is a bit dimmer than the others over there." Jaida narrowed her eyes a bit and soon saw the one he was pointing to. It was strange to think that each star out there harbored other planets, other forms of life. Arius' home was so far away from here, but she knew he hadn't come by spacecraft. The sky had opened up, and he had fallen from it. Perhaps that was how he would have to return too.

"Arius, are you homesick at all?" she asked him, wanting and hoping for an honest answer.

"That place isn't my home," he said under his breath, but she had managed to catch some of his words.

"What?" she asked, hoping for him to clarify his answer.

"Nothing," he told her, a rather forced glare now on his face. "Forget I said anything." Jaida just remained quiet as she focused on the stars and the moon. They really were beautiful, and she wanted to thank Arius for taking her to see them. If someone like Arius could take the time to appreciate the beauty of something like a starlit night, then maybe there was hope for him after all. Perhaps he wasn't a lost cause. Maybe there was a bit of humanity in him, even if he wasn't human.

"We should get back," he told her. "Your mom will worry."

"Okay," she said in a sigh, not wanting to leave just yet. True, it was a bit cold at the altitude they were at, but she didn't care. She had been enjoying herself.

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 sigh. I almost let something else slip. Why is it so hard to keep secrets from her? He rolled onto his side, staring at the numbers on his digital alarm clock. Jaida'a mom would be home soon, and then they could eat. I would be so much easier if I could just use their emotions…but for some reason…it feels…wrong. He sat up and shook his head a bit, trying to force the thought out. Since when have I cared about what's morally right and wrong? They're just humans. They aren't good for anything.

"Jaida! Ariis! I'm home!" he heard Jaida's mother call out as the door to the house slammed shut.

"Hi mom!" he heard Jaida shout out as she ran down the stairs. "Did you have a good day at work?" Arius' cold expression faltered a bit. He couldn't help but feel comfortable here. Jaida had already gone out of her way to make sure that he was accommodated for, and her mother was always so kind to him. She treated him as if he was a part of their family. Not that he wanted to be, but it was kind of nice for now. It's because of humans like them…that I have to kill Lucius. He's not going to get away again. I'm not about to stand by…and watch as another world dies by his hands.