chapter 4

Jaida glanced across the kitchen table at her current companion. Her mother had left for work early, deciding to put in more hours. This left her alone with Arius, who was sitting at the other end of the table, playing with his food. He was just poking at it with his fork. The expression on his face gave the impression that he wasn't there, like his mind was wandering and wasn't about to return anytime soon. Jaida noticed that he looked exhausted, as if he hadn't slept at all last night.

"Aren't you hungry?" she asked. He only shook his head and pushed his plate away. She couldn't help but notice that he didn't eat a lot. Maybe Deslyans weren't used to human food. Maybe they ate something else. She couldn't imagine what, and to be honest, she didn't really want to ask him.

After breakfast, Jaida decided that it would be good for them to get out of the house for a while. Arius was being abnormally quiet, so she was hoping that by going out into the city, he'd talk a bit. He always seemed to ask her questions about one thing or another. He was a very curious person, questioning every little thing, even if it was rather insignificant.

As they walked down the street, he remained quiet, but he was continuously glancing around. He was watching the people around them, noticing that their eyes tended to follow him. He couldn't help but admit that it was a bit unnerving. He was trying to blend in, but it felt like everyone was staring at him.

"You know," he began, making sure that Jessie was listening. "I really hate it when people stare at me."

"You're being paranoid," she told him. "There aren't that many people staring, and most of them are girls. I'd be more concerned if too many guys were looking at you."

"Why?" he asked, sounding a bit confused. Jaida looked a little flustered from his oblivious comment. This was one thing she really didn't want to explain.

"I'd rather not say, alright?" she told him, deciding to change the subject. "And the only reason the girls are staring is because they like the way you look."

"Why?" he asked again. Jaida began to get frustrated with him. Was he asking all of this simply because he liked embarrassing her, or was he just that naïve? With Arius it was a bit hard to tell. "I asked you a question," he told her, using the line she often shot at him. "Why do they like the way I look?"

"Well, because," she began, fumbling a bit for an answer. "You're…well…you're…" She was pretty sure she was blushing by now. This was rather embarrassing. She knew Arius was by far one of the best looking boys in the city, but she really couldn't tell him that, could she? "Just…because, okay? They just like how you look."

"Do you?" he asked out of pure curiosity, and she missed the smirk that followed. Jaida slapped herself mentally. Why, out of all the questions he had ever asked, did he have to be so persistent with this one? The honest answer would be yes, but she couldn't tell him that. I need a way to get out of answering. Anything will do! She glanced around quickly, and her eyes caught a street vender who was selling ice cream.

"Look!" she shouted with fake excitement. "Ice cream! Come on!" She streaked off, leaving Arius a bit confused, but he followed nonetheless. He couldn't wander around by himself after all. He didn't know the city all that well yet. He watched in interest as Jessie paid for two ice cream cones made with chocolate ice cream. She smiled and handed him one.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"It's food," she told him. "Eat it."

"I'm not very hungry," he stated. He thought that had been obvious enough during breakfast when he hadn't eaten.

"Just eat it," she told him. "It's not very good for you, but it does taste good. Besides, you didn't eat anything for breakfast. You need to eat." Not in the mood for arguing, Arius began to lick at his ice cream as he walked with Jaida down the street. She hadn't been lying when she had said it was good. He decided that he liked ice cream, but he really wasn't in the mood for eating. He just wasn't in the right mindset for too much of anything right now. He was tired, and the images from his dream still wouldn't leave him alone. Had what Lucius said been true? Was he really never going to be safe from the angel? How had Lucius even gotten such a power? Probing someone's mind couldn't be very easy, could it? If he could do so, then there was no telling what he'd find out. If there was one thing Lucius was good at, it was mind games. Eventually Arius wouldn't be able to counter him anymore. This power was dangerous. Lucius needed to be destroyed as soon as possible.

Arius suddenly froze in place, and this didn't go unnoticed by Jaida. She stopped and turned to him, just now finishing her ice cream cone.

"Arius, is something wrong?" she asked, but the bewildered look on his face easily gave away the answer.

"He's here," Arius stated, glancing around a bit anxiously. Jaida was about to ask who, but then realized she didn't need to.

"Lucius?" she asked in a whisper. Arius nodded once and then quickly shoved the small remainder of his ice cream cone into his mouth. He began looking around a bit more. He knew he had sensed the angel. It wasn't hard to. Lucius made it easy enough, almost as if he wanted Arius to find him.

"This way," stated Arius, turning his attention to the alleyway on their side. Jaida glanced down the dark alley, knowing that it was dangerous to go down them. Gangs liked hiding out in them, but she figured that if she stayed with Arius, she'd have no problem. However, if Lucius was really there, then anyone who had been in the alley was most likely already dead anyway.

Arius broke into a sprint, heading down the dark passage. Jaida followed after him, struggling a bit to keep up. She was a fast runner, but Arius was faster. His body was a lot stronger than hers was. It didn't take long for him to nearly disappear from her sights. Eventually he turned a corner, and she began to fear that she had lost him in the alleys, but when she turned the same corner, she froze. Arius was standing there just as still as she was. Before them were what looked like burnt corpses, probably about ten of them.

"W-what is this?" asked Jaida, her eyes wide with disgust and sheer horror. Arius glanced back at her, watching as her body trembled a bit from the sight. This was repulsive, even to him. There was only one person who could have done this, and both of them knew it.

"Good of you to come," spoke a disgustingly smug voice. "I was wondering when you'd show up." Arius quickly turned his attention to the descending form of Lucius. He glared deeply at the angel, his eyes reflecting his pure detestation for the creature. He quickly released his black wings, allowing his nails to grow to claws. He wanted to destroy the angel right here and now. He was sick of the monster's horrid games.

Lucius smirked widely as he set his eyes on Arius, seeming very smug about something. He always seemed to be smiling, but it was such a cruel smile. It was as if he was constantly enjoying some private joke, as if all of this was nothing more than a game to him.

"Do you like what I've done here?" he asked both of them, his smile spreading into a smirk. "Bring back any memories?" Arius clenched his fists so hard that his palms almost began to bleed. He was having a hard enough time dealing with the reminder last night. He didn't need this.

"Just shut up Lucius," he snapped angrily, cracking his claws a bit. "You won't get away this time." Lucius just laughed and extended his arm. He pointed his finger at Arius, and his arm began to glow. Soon enough, a small tendril of what looked like fire began swirling around his extended arm, forming a spiral. All of it soon gathered before Lucius's pointed finger. He smirked before the large ball of swirling fire tendrils was released. It went right for Arius, but he didn't bother moving. The flames hit him full force, and Lucius just smiled, assuming he had won. However, the flames divided, going off on either side of the Deslyan. What looked like a golden light was shining in a curved area around him. He was completely unharmed. There was a smirk on his face.

"Guess your trick didn't work," he said confidently. The light faded, and he just stood there smirking at the man before him. It was a bit unnerving, however, when he saw that Lucius looked rather smug, as if he knew something Arius didn't.

"Don't be so sure," he said wickedly, his eyes now drifting to a place just behind Arius. The Deslyan boy's smirk dissolved, his eyes widening a bit. He had a sneaking suspicion that he hadn't been the only target.

"Arius!" he heard Jaida shout, proving his suspicion. He whirled around, seeing why she had screamed to him. There was a ring of fire around her now. It was too high to jump over, and it seemed to be rising by the second. She started coughing as the smoke filled her lungs. "A-arius…please," she begged him as she began to lose her voice. Her eyes were starting to close.

Arius cursed under his breath as he ran towards the ring of fire, but it shot up dangerously as he got closer. Behind him, Lucius was smirking. He prepared another one of his fire related spells and threw it at Arius. However, the same thing happened. It was deflected by a partially invisible force. The golden light was all he could see of it.

"Damn," he cursed softly. "Why can't I hit him?"

Arius shielded his face with his arms and jumped through the flames, ignoring the way they tried to nip at his feathered wings. He pushed through them and soon reached the middle. Jaida was lying on the ground, still coughing, which brought about a sense of relief to Arius. At least she wasn't unconscious. Without a word, he picked her up, not being half as careful as he probably could have been. There wasn't time though. They had to get out of the fire, which had now formed a dome around them.

Arius spread his wings, and in one smooth motion, he shot up into the sky, breaking through the dome without taking any damage. He seemed perfectly fine, and he hoped that Jaida would be once she cleared the smoke from her lungs. He turned to face Lucius, but the angel only smirked before disappearing into a mass of cloud matter. Arius just growled in annoyance before taking to the skies. He flew to one of the nearby buildings, landing on top of it. He set Jessie down, and she kept coughing, slowly filling her lungs with fresh air.

"I'm sorry," she told him hoarsely. "I shouldn't have followed you. He got away because of me." She began to cough harder, her body trembling a bit. Arius had the urge to yell at her, the urge to blame her for all of this, but as he watched her frail body shake with each cough, he lost his voice. She felt bad enough already, and he really didn't need to make it worse.

"It's alright," he assured her through clenched teeth. "I'll kill him next time." He watched as Jaida shakily got to her feet, forcing a smile onto her face.

"Um, Arius?" she asked him. "How do we get down?" She walked over to him and looked over the edge of the building. It was a rather long way down.

"We jump," he told her. She just stared at him with a shocked expression on her face, and before she could say anything to his conclusion, he had wrapped his arm around her waist. He jumped from the building top, taking her with him. She stifled a scream and threw her arms around his neck. Their descent slowed, however, thanks to his wings.

They touched down gently, and Arius released her. However, she had yet to let go of him. She was clinging tightly to his neck, still a little shocked from what he had done. There was a rather amused smirk on his face when he saw that her eyes were still closed from fear.

"You can let go now," he told her, and her eyes shot open, an embarrassed blush spreading across her face. She pulled away from him, refusing to meet his eyes as he stared at her with his smirk. He then allowed his wings to disappear and his nails to shrink. The last thing he needed was for someone to see him like that.

"Let's go," he told her as he began to head down the alleyway. Jaida followed behind him quietly, a soft blush still painting her cheeks. That was the first time any boy had held her that close, and Arius was a cute boy. She couldn't help but feel just a little flustered.

Arius suddenly stopped walking, causing Jaida to stop as well. He glanced back at her, his eyes a bit bewildered. This sensation… He had felt this before, and if he remembered right, it wasn't good. He quickly turned around and ran towards her.

"Look out!" he shouted, but he knew the second he saw the ground beneath her turn black that she wouldn't be able to dodge in time. He quickly locked an arm around her and pulled her away just as a gusher of what looked like golden fire erupted where she had been standing.

Arius spun around, watching as the geyser continued to erupt. He was still holding onto Jaida. She was locked firmly at his side, his strong grip being enough to hold her off the ground. Her feet dangled just inches from it. She glanced down and noticed that the ground was turning black.

"Arius…" she said in fear, drawing his attention downward. He cursed and broke into a run, letting the geyser erupt behind him. That wasn't the only one though. Every time he tried to stop, another would appear, and they were beginning to explode more rapidly. He streaked down the alley, and the geysers began to erupt from the walls. He ducked and swerved, not allowing a single one to hit him. He was starting to get sick of this, so he quickly jumped up and pushed off the side of a nearby building. He launched himself into the sky, spreading his wings and taking off.

Jaida finally gave a relieved sigh, thinking that they were safe. However, a white blur streaked by, slamming into them. Jaida noticed that Arius' grip tightened around her as they rocketed towards a nearby building. He held her close, turning a bit just as his back came in contact with a huge window that resided on top. The sound of shattering glass echoed in the abandoned warehouse, filling Jaida's senses. She was only distracted when she felt their descent stop abruptly. She noticed that Arius was no longer holding her in a vice grip. His arms were lax as they began slipping off of her when she moved.

"Arius?" she questioned, finally looking down at him. His eyes were closed, and he wasn't moving. She then realized that they were at the bottom of the warehouse. He had slammed into the cement floor, now lying atop a bed of broken glass. She quickly got off of him and began to see if he was injured. Other than being unconscious, he looked alright.

Jaida took in a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart, but no sooner had she inhaled did she cover her mouth and nose. A burning smell had stung her delicate senses, and she quickly recognized it as smoke. Just as that thought had registered, the building burst into flames, spreading rapidly from wall to wall. She glanced around in shock, watching as the only exit was now blocked off by the raging fire. They were trapped, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"What an interesting predicament," stated a rather amused voice. Jaida turned and shot a glare at Lucius as he walked towards them. The angel wore a smirk on his face, but Jaida just kept glaring at him, trying not to show that she was afraid. She was hoping against all odds that Arius would wake up before Lucius decided to kill them.

The angel said nothing as he held out his palm, facing it directly towards Jaida. This time her glare did falter, and she was petrified with fear. Fire began gathering in the form of a sphere, which she knew he'd use on her, even at such a close range. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end, but all she heard was the sound of the fire slamming into something. It had never even reached her.

She opened her eyes to see Arius kneeling in front of her. She hadn't even heard him get up; he had moved so fast. The fire was being sent out in every direction, but none of it managed to touch them. The barrier that surrounded him was protecting her too. Lucius, for once, seemed angry at the interference.

"Deslyan," he snarled in disgust. "Why can't I hit you?" He eventually stopped the attack, looking infuriated. He obviously wasn't used to this many interferences. With a small growl, his body began to disappear, and soon enough, he was completely gone.

The second Arius was sure that the angel had left, he collapsed to his hands and knees, panting. There was sweat beading on his forehead, running down his neck. He looked exhausted, and the heat of the surrounding flames really wasn't helping any. He had almost forgotten that Jaida was there until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on," she told him gently. "We need to get out of here. The fire department is coming. They might see us." Arius only nodded before weakly getting to his feet. He nearly fell over, but Jaida quickly got to his side and helped him walk through the burning room. They had to step carefully to avoid the fire that was eating away at the building. It was then that they realized there was only one exit, and it would be the one that the firemen would come through. They were trapped.

Jaida looked on in worry before asking "what now?" Arius only glanced around the room, realizing that the wall before them was the only option. He couldn't fly in his current state, so he'd have to rely on what was left of his strength to break the wall.

"Stand back," he told her, and she moved away from him. She watched in worry as he tried to stand up straight, trying to keep his legs from shaking. She guessed that his barrier probably relied on some of his strength, and that was why he looked so drained. He had used it quite often today.

Arius extended his arm, pointing his palm at the wall. Jaida watched in awe as black light began gathering just centimeters from his hand. His whole body went stiff as the sphere of light shot towards the wall, exploding on impact. It left a hole that was large enough for them to walk through. However, Arius looked ready to collapse as he staggered forward through the hole, followed by Jaida. Once they were through it, Arius' wings and claws disappeared, and he nearly fell over. Jessie positioned herself at his side, allowing him to rest on her as he walked.

"Come on," she coaxed gently. "We should get out of here." There was a pang of panic in her voice though, no matter how calming she tried to sound. She was worried about him. He wouldn't stop gasping for air, and the more he walked, the more his feet dragged. The boy was obviously drained of energy. She wasn't sure just what it was that kept him going.

Jaida was nearly pulled to the ground when Arius suddenly gave out completely. She eventually got him balanced, but she seemed just a bit frustrated.

"Hey Arius," she began. "Come on, I can't carry you like this." She looked down at him, and her frustration quickly drained when she saw that his eyes were closed. "Arius?" she questioned, sounding a little worried. "Hey Arius? Come on, wake up." She shook him a bit but eventually realized that he wasn't going to snap out of it anytime soon.

With her mind made up, she began to half drag half carry him down the alley. Her house wasn't too far away. She figured she could make it there like this. If she used the alleys, then no one would see her, so she wouldn't get questioned. After all, this situation was anything but normal.

Arius' eyes slowly opened, and he was met with a dark ceiling. It took his mind a while to register just where he was, but he soon realized that this was his room, the one back at Jaida's house. He abruptly sat up, wishing he hadn't. His head began pounding, and he knew there was something he was supposed to remember. He grabbed at his head, trying to figure out how he had gotten back here. His mind seemed to be a jumble of images. He remembered seeing Lucius. There was fire, a warehouse, but how had he gotten out? He faintly recalled using his magic, and then after walking a bit, he gave out. He quickly remembered that someone else had been with him, someone who seemed to constantly be with him.

"Jai," he whispered.

"What?" he heard a voice respond, and he shot his attention to the door. Jaida stood there with a soft smile on her face. She walked into his room and took a seat in the desk chair near his bed. "I'm glad you're alright," she told him. "I was beginning to worry."

"How long was I out?" he asked her, feeling the last remains of a headache fading.

"Um…about a whole day," she told him, having to think about it. "It's already Sunday afternoon." Arius looked a little shocked to say the least. He hadn't known it had been that long. He didn't usually collapse for such long periods of time.

Jaida quickly noticed the emotions running across his face and flashing through his eyes. She bit her lower lip, unable to help it anymore.

"Arius, I'm so sorry," she told him, earning her his full attention. "I'm not very helpful, am I?" Arius watched as her eyes began to shimmer. "You got hurt because of me. I'm sure you would have been fine on your own. I do nothing but cause trouble." He noticed that she was sniffling a bit. Being a Deslyan, this would have been the perfect opportunity for him to lay it on thick, to tell her it was her fault, that she was nothing but a burden. The emotion she was giving off would have satiated his hunger, but as he watched a tear drop roll down her cheek, he changed his mind. Just this once, he would refrain from feeding off of human emotions. He wouldn't use her like that.

"It's…it's alright," he told her, unable to think of anything else to say. A few more tears rolled down her cheeks, and he became a bit nervous. He hadn't been around too many girls before, and he had never been around a crying one. He wasn't sure what to do, and he started to panic just a little.

"Come on Jai," he coaxed, trying not to sound too worried. "Don't cry. You've…you've been…helpful." He couldn't think of anything else, and no matter how much it pained him to say something like that, he had to. He was sick of hearing her sob. He just wanted her to be normal again.

Jaida stopped sobbing, resorting to just sniffling a bit. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, putting on a weak smile.

"Really?" she asked him. He just nodded, afraid to voice his opinion. If he didn't speak, he could keep up his indifferent act. He didn't want to let on that he may have cared a bit, that he might actually be disappointed if she died, especially by Lucius's hand. Besides, if it hadn't been for her, he may not have been able to wake up in such a comfortable room. She was useful…for a human, anyway.