chapter 5

It was around mid week by now, and school was the same as it always was. For Arius, it was just boring. Sure, it was fun to show off how much he knew compared to the rest of them, but he hated the notes and the homework. It's not that it was hard, but it was just so time consuming. Of course, other than harassing Jaida and asking her questions, he had nothing else to do with his time. Lucius had yet to reappear.

Arius was pacing the hallway, walking back and forth in front of Jaida's door. He had the urge to just barge in and drag her out, because she was taking forever. They still had to walk to school. They would be late if she didn't hurry up. The strangest thing about this predicament was that she was usually up far before he was. She was usually the one who dragged him away from the house in a rush.

"Jai, hurry up!" he shouted in annoyance, now tapping his foot impatiently. There was a deep scowl on his face like there normally was. He really did want to drag her out of the room, but he refrained from doing so. He had barged in on her once before, and she had been furious with him. He had wanted to ask her something, but she had been undressing at the time. She had screamed a few insults at him and slammed the door in his face. He really didn't want to repeat the incident.

The door finally opened, and Jaida walked out carrying her book bag. She had a smile on her face, her green eyes as bright as always. However, Arius couldn't help but notice that she looked a bit flushed. She was also breathing harder than she usually did, but it wasn't all that noticeable. She coughed a few times, covering her mouth and making it look as if she had just been clearing her throat. Arius wasn't fooled though.

"You should stay home," he stated, and she just stared at him as if he was insane.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"You have a fever," he stated, starting to head down the stairs. Jaida just scowled a bit and walked after him.

"No I don't," she told him. "You couldn't possibly know something like that." She stopped when he abruptly turned around and placed a hand to her forehead. He placed his other one against his own, seeming to think for a bit. Jaida was startled at the sudden contact. His hand felt rather cool against her burning forehead. She knew she had a fever, but she wanted to go to school. Arius was obviously sure now, because he just scowled at her.

"You have a fever," he told her again, crossing his arms. He gave her a demanding look as if he was ordering her to stay home. She wasn't going to listen though.

"I'm going to school," she told him. "It's just a fever. It's not like I'm dying or anything." She walked past him and then proceeded to head to the door. They needed to get going or they would be late. She glanced back and watched as Arius followed behind her, a deep scowl on his face. It didn't help that he was directing it at her. She tried to convince herself that she wasn't sick, but it just wasn't working. All she had to do was last one day and then she could rest. Just one day.

During their third hour class at school, which happened to be Math, Arius had lost all interest. He already knew what the teacher was talking about, so he wasn't going to bother taking the notes. Instead, he kept most of his attention on Jaida. She was scribbling down the different terms and mathematical properties that the teacher had written on the board. He could see that she still looked a bit flushed. He wasn't exactly sure why he cared, but it just bothered him that she was being so stubborn.

When they got some time in class to do the homework, Arius turned towards Jaida's friend, Amy. He had a question to ask her, despite how hard he found it to talk to other humans.

"Amy," he began, catching her attention. "Does something seem…wrong with Jai?" He spoke in a whisper so that Jaida couldn't hear him. He watched as Amy took a glance at Jaida, but she didn't seem to notice anything.

"I don't see anything wrong," she told him. "I'm sure it's nothing. Jaida is tough. She's always at her best during school." Arius nodded once, but he didn't seem convinced. He would just have to keep an eye on her for the rest of the day. Next was gym class, and if he remembered right, they were running the mile today.

The whole gym class, consisting of thirty kids, stood on the track. They all looked ready to sprint. This was the only class that Amy and Seth were in with Jaida. Otherwise Amy was in her science and math while Seth was in her history. For the other classes, Arius and Jaida were alone. However, in this unit of gym, Jaida was basically alone for the most part. She was a lot faster than the rest of the class, something she took a lot of pride in. Arius had watched her run the four hundred, and she had smiled all the way through it, enjoying the feeling. He was sure she could run the whole mile in about five minutes and thirty seconds if she wanted to.

"Alright everyone," began the teacher, a woman who wore dark sunglasses and a baseball cap to hold up her long black hair that was often in a ponytail. Her voice was slurred a bit right now since she was chewing on a piece of gum. "When I blow the whistle, you can start. You will be graded on this, but only for participation. So remember, this isn't a race. Just run it and you'll be fine." She blew the whistle, and they were off.

Jaida began sprinting right away, pulling away from the other students. No one was surprised. She was their track star, after all. She could outrun anyone, even the boys. There was only one person who she couldn't escape from though. Arius was soon right next to her, and they were both pulling away from the other students.

"Carlson!" shouted the teacher. "Just remember, this isn't a race! You too Arius!" Arius just shot her a distant glare before returning his attention to Jaida. She still looked flushed, and her breathing was already labored. They had barely gotten three fourths around the first quarter and she looked exhausted.

"You heard her Jai," began Arius. "This isn't a race. Fall back a bit."

"No," she told him stubbornly. "This is the only unit I like. I'm going to break the record this time. I can't stop now." To Arius' surprise, she picked up her pace, slowly pulling away from him. However, he easily caught up to her again, determined to keep her pace. He didn't like the way she was breathing. The fact that her face was a soft red color didn't quell his slight unease. She had already broken a sweat, and they were only on the second lap around. Still she wouldn't give in.

"Just stop for a moment," he told her. "You don't have to break the record today."

"I can and I will," she told him, yet again picking up her pace. Big mistake. No sooner had she sped up did she abruptly slow down. Her face was a beet red now, and she was breathing very hard, gasping for air. Her foot caught on an upturned piece of the track, and she began to go down, her body begging for her to stop for a moment. She would have hit the ground, but Arius had been right behind her. He quickly caught her, and he instantly felt a bit of concern when he saw how red her face was.

He allowed her to sink slowly to the track, now resting on her back. He really wasn't liking the way she looked. She had really pushed herself beyond her limits. If she hadn't been running a fever, there wouldn't have been a problem, but with how hot it was outside and how hot her body already was, her collapse had been inevitable.

By now, the teacher was making her way over, cutting across the track. She got to Jaida just as the class had caught up with her and Arius. They all stopped, realizing that their timed session was over, seeing as how their teacher wasn't paying attention anymore. Arius listened as the students talked amongst themselves, seeming worried about Jaida.

"What happened here?" the teacher asked Arius, her voice demanding an answer.

"She collapsed," he told her, keeping his eyes on Jaida. "She has a fever." The teacher bent down and checked for herself. Arius' unease wasn't quelled much when the woman pulled her hand away, concern flooding her features.

"That's a pretty high temperature," she stated, but Arius had already known that. "She needs to be taken to the nurse's office."

Amy and Seth were about to volunteer, but Arius was just a step ahead. Before either of them could open their mouths, he had picked her up and began heading back towards the school. He was sprinting, and they were all shocked at how fast he could run. He was probably faster than even Jaida. His figure soon disappeared from their view as he made it into the school.

The teacher blew her whistle, and the class followed her back to the starting line. With all the commotion, they had almost forgotten that class wasn't over just yet.

Jaida's eyes slowly opened, and the first thing she noticed when she became aware was the pounding in her head. It felt like her body was on fire, spreading from her forehead. She wasn't sure if she wanted to try and get up or not. She was sure she'd be far too overwhelmed by a dizzy spell. Until her head stopped throbbing, she wasn't going to move.

"Hello Jaida," said a kind voice, and Jaida turned her head to see the school nurse there. She was an older woman with graying brown hair and soft blue eyes. A warm smile was on her face as she walked over to Jaida's bedside. "How do you feel?"

"A little better," she responded with a weak smile. "I'll be okay."

"Well," the nurse began. "I think you should rest here for the rest of the day. Besides, there's only one class left before school is out anyway." Jaida nodded, knowing that Mr. Owens would understand why she wasn't there. He'd probably end up coming down to check on her himself.

"By the way," the nurse began, standing up and heading towards the door. "You have a visitor." She left the room, and Jaida just sat there, wondering who it was. Probably Amy or Seth. She was a bit surprised to watch Arius walk in, his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. He silently sat down in a chair across from her, fixing her with a hard glare.

"I told you to take it easy," he told her, doing his best to keep any sign of worry out of his voice. "You could have hurt yourself." Jaida didn't say anything to him, but she did watch the way he was staring at her. He was glaring, that was for sure, but why was he angry at her anyway? Why did he care about what happened to her?

"There's no need to worry," she told him, which was indeed the wrong thing to say.

"Who said I'm worried?" he snapped, sounding angry at her. His glare only deepened, and Jaida shrank back. "Just remember that I could care less about what happens to you, but until I'm done with this planet, I need you to help me. Got it?" She nodded to him, feeling a bit nervous under his hard stare. It only faltered when the bell rang, signaling that school was over for the day.

Jaida smiled and threw off her bed sheets. She stood up and stretched a bit, trying to keep her mind straight. There was still a dull pounding in her head, but she'd get over it after a while. She had to at least walk home, and after that she could rest. She began to head over to her book bag, but before she could reach it, Arius had swiped it off the floor. He shouldered it along with is own backpack and then began to leave the nurse's office. Jaida just glared a bit but realized that the gesture was considered nice by most. She knew, however, that Arius was only doing it because he considered her as weak. Compared to him though, she was. Everyone was.

Jaida followed after him, jogging a bit to catch up, which was a little harder than she had thought it would be. She was panting a bit from just that, and she knew Arius had noticed, because he slowed his pace to one she could keep. He said nothing to her as they walked down the hallway. He received a few stares from people like he always did, but it was probably because he was carrying Jaida's stuff. It's not like he cared though. He wasn't about to let her carry it in her condition.

They left the building, now heading down the street. Arius kept one eye on the road and the other on Jaida. She still didn't look too good. Her face was still flushed, and he could hear her breathing irregularly. No matter what it took, he was going to keep her from going to school tomorrow. She needed to rest.

"You're staying home tomorrow," he demanded, and she gave him a disbelieving glare. She was about to say something, but he quickly cut her off. "You're staying home. I'll get the work for you, alright? Besides, tomorrow is Friday. It's just one day." Jaida sighed, realizing that he wasn't going to let it go. She knew he'd go far enough to lock her in her room or tie her to a chair to keep her from going. He'd probably even threaten her life, but then that would defeat the purpose, right? Still, she wouldn't run any of it past him. It was hard to tell to what extent he'd go to get his way.

They walked quietly down the street, neither one having anything to really say. She stumbled a bit but quickly regained her balance. However, she had caught Arius' attention. She was hoping he wouldn't do anything embarrassing like insist on carrying her the rest of the way. It's not like she was going to die from a cold or anything. He was taking this all far too seriously. Then again, maybe Deslyans didn't get sick. Maybe he had no idea what was wrong with her. He probably thought she was dying or something.

"I'm fine, really," she assured him. "Just a cold."

"A cold?" he questioned, raising one eyebrow. Strange, she had seemed a bit warm to him.

"I'm just sick," she told him. "My fever will go down tomorrow if I take medicine, and I should be fine by Sunday. No worries." She flashed him a bright smile, but he only turned away, returning his attention to the street flocked with people.

"Who said I was worried?" he asked her arrogantly, refusing to look at the smile on her face. Jaida just laughed a bit before returning her attention to the street as well. She couldn't wait to get home. All she wanted was a nice long bath and a good night's rest. Hopefully she'd get just that, but with Arius around, there was no telling what would happen.

On Friday, Jaida had spent all day in bed either resting or reading. She had obeyed Arius and stayed home from school. She still felt horrible and subconsciously was happy for the break from her busy school life. It was currently Saturday, and she was staying in her room just as Arius was staying in his. It was still relatively early, probably only about noon. She hadn't eaten yet today, so she decided to head to the kitchen. When she got there, however, she saw Arius sitting at the table. He was eating what looked like a bowl of soup left over from yesterday. His eyes followed her as she walked to the fridge and pulled out an apple.

She sat down across from him and began eating the red piece of fruit. To her surprise, he stopped eating and set his spoon down. He then gave the bowl a shove, and it slid forward, stopping in front of her. She looked down at the bowl and then towards Arius. He still wore a scowl on his face.

"Eat it," he told her. "It'll help you get better."

"How do you know that?" she asked him, curious since he hadn't known what a cold was in the first place.

"Your mom made it," he told her. "She said it would make you feel better, so eat it."

"Why do you care?" she asked, wanting to know why he was being so demanding of her. He just growled out of irritation and looked away.

"I don't," he stated. Jaida just giggled a bit before looking down at her soup.

"For someone who doesn't care," she began, "you sure do worry a lot." She received a hard glare from Arius.

"Let's get something straight," he told her. "I don't care about anything. I don't care about your planet, your family, and I'm sure as hell don't care about you!" Jaida snapped her head up, a hurt glare on her face.

"Then why even fight Lucius, huh?" she asked him, her voice having a rather harsh edge to it.

"Revenge," he answered, as if the answer had been obvious.

"That's so pointless!" she yelled exasperatedly. "Then why did you even bother saving me? If you don't care, then why didn't you let me die?" She was shouting now, and Arius quickly took up the challenge.

"Because right now you're somewhat useful," he told her, his voice also rising. "Until Lucius is dead, I need you to cover for me. After that, make no mistake that I will kill you." Jaida gasped in shock.

"What?" she asked softly in disbelief. His eyes were so cold right now that she felt a chill run through her just by looking at him.

"You heard me," he snarled, wanting to push this further. "You're nothing but a weak, pathetic, useless…"

"Don't talk to me like that!" she demanded, now offended. Hadn't he once told her that she was useful? Had he only been lying to her?

"I'll talk to you however the hell I want to," he snapped at her, his eyes the harshest she had ever seen them. He really did resemble a demon right now, his scowl deeper than she had ever seen it before, deeper than when he was talking to Lucius. "Once this is over, I'll gladly kill you! You're nothing more than a stupid, worthless human being!"

Jaida stood up abruptly, slamming her hands onto the table hard enough to tip over the soup bowl. Its contents splashed all over the wooden table, some of it burning her hands, but she didn't care. She refused to look at Arius as she fought back the tears threatening to fall from her green eyes.

"Arius," she began softly, but he could hear her as plain as day. "You're such a jerk." She ran from the room, but not before whispering "I hate you" as she passed him. He heard her throw open the door and listened to it slam as she left the house.

Arius sat there for a moment before he bent over and let his head hit the table. He gave an exasperated sigh as he then placed his head in his hands. Damn…why do I always get so carried away? If she just hadn't raised her voice, I wouldn't have…

Arius shook his head, realizing that that was no excuse. He had started this by lying about not caring. Things had just escalated from there. He had never had a problem like this on other planets. Then again, he had never been to a planet where the dominant species was so much like his own. Also, he was used to working alone, but for once he had a companion, someone who knew about what was going on. He really wasn't used to dealing with other people, especially a human like Jaida. She had gone out of her way to help him out, and he really wasn't doing much to return the favor.

An hour passed as he just sat there, deciding what to do. He wasn't sure when she would come back, and when she did, then what? Her feelings wouldn't change. She'd still be mad at him. She'd still hate him. Arius got to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets. He shuffled his feet as he walked, heading towards the door.

"Humans are such a pain," he mumbled as he left the house, remembering to lock the door behind him. Jaida would really hate him if someone broke into their house because of his carelessness. He walked aimlessly down the streets, deciding that it was best to look for her. However, he didn't have a clue as to what he would do once he found her. It would depend on the circumstances. If she was crying, maybe he wouldn't even approach her. Unfortunately, that was the most likely.

So without further delay, he picked a direction and stuck with it. The city was huge. He had a lot of ground to cover before it got dark. Damn you Jaida. I hate this…