chapter 7

Arius stood impatiently by Jaida's door that Monday morning. He had a scowl on his face; his arms were crossed, and he was tapping his foot. He was waiting for her to get out of her room. They were going to be late for school at this rate. He knew she wasn't sick anymore, so he had no idea what was keeping her this time. He hadn't even heard her alarm go off. Maybe she had forgotten that it was Monday.

"Jai!" he shouted, banging three times on her door. "Let's go!" He stood there for a while longer, resisting the urge yet again to drag her out of there. He knocked once more. "Jess!"

The door opened slowly, and Jaida stood in the doorway, rubbing at her eyes. Her hair was a bit messy, there were circles under her eyes, and she was still wearing her cream colored nightgown. She yawned a bit, focusing her eyes on the angry scowl on Arius' face.

"What's with all the yelling?" she asked him tiredly, stifling another yawn. She could have sworn she had seen his eyebrow twitch a bit as he kept tapping his foot.

"We're gonna be late!" he told her. "You're not even dressed yet!"

"What are you talking about?" she asked him, now a bit more awake thanks to his loud voice. It then hit her as to why he was standing there, dressed in his school uniform with his backpack slung over his shoulder. "Oh…" she began with a smile. "I bet no one told you…strange, the teachers usually mention it." She then gave him a small, mocking glare. "You weren't paying attention in class on Friday, were you?"

"Not really," he answered, not seeming to care much. He didn't see what this had to do with why she wasn't ready for school.

"We don't have school today," she told him, watching as his expression twisted into one of confusion and then irritation. "You see, this is one of our school breaks. We don't have to go to school until Wednesday." She smiled brightly as Arius' expression got a bit darker. If he had known this, he wouldn't have bothered doing his homework last night. He also wouldn't have gotten up so early.

"Why didn't you tell me that yesterday?" he asked irritably.

"Sorry," she said with a smile. "I forgot you didn't know. You see, I'm so used to these breaks that I know when every single one is. Telling you just sort of slipped my mind." The more she smiled at him the darker his expression got. He obviously wasn't happy with her right now. This actually had been her fault this time. She hadn't meant to make him get up so early on a vacation day, and now that he had, he probably wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

Jaida just gave him a wink and disappeared back into her room. Arius just stood there, blinking in confusion. He wasn't sure what she was doing inside, but she wouldn't just leave him standing there, would she? She wasn't going to go back to bed without telling him, right? This was her fault. He didn't want to be awake and alone right now.

"What're you doing?" he asked, demanding an answer.

"Just wait a minute, alright?" she told him. He stood there for a few moments, his arms still crossed and his foot still tapping impatiently against the wooden floor. It didn't take too long for her door to reopen. She now stood there with her dark brown hair neatly combed out and a casual outfit on. It was another hot day, so she had gone with a light pair of khaki colored pants and a red shirt.

She smiled at Arius once again before walking out of her room, leaving it a slight mess. Her bed was still unmade, and there were different items of clothing strewn across her floor. She began to head down the stairs, and having nothing better to do, Arius followed. He wasn't sure just what she was up to, but he knew that it was only about seven forty-five in the morning. There really wasn't anywhere they needed to go so early in the day.

"Where are we going?" he asked her as she walked towards the door.

"Out," she answered as she slipped on her white tennis shoes, giving him a smile as she opened the door. "Since we're both up, we might as well make the most of it. We have a whole two days to just relax, so let's go." Arius only scowled as he followed her out the door, his hands now in his pockets. He really wasn't in the mood to go out walking, but it's not like he had anything better to do. Besides, the more places Jaida took him, the more familiar he would get with the city. That knowledge could eventually be rather useful to him.

They walked down the street in silence. There just wasn't a lot to say right now. For once, Jaida wasn't in the mood for talking, because no matter what Arius had said, she couldn't forget about what had happened on Saturday. The whole incident had been terrifying. She had hated it. Also, she just couldn't forget what Arius had said to her. He had been yelling it so loud. She knew that no matter what he said to deny it now, he hated her and their world. He wouldn't come out and say it now though, not after their argument.

"You know," Jaida began, letting the word hang until she knew she had Arius' attention. "I'm a bit hungry. Wanna get some breakfast?" She gave him a big smile, hoping he wouldn't object to the idea. He never ate very much for some reason.

"Fine," he sighed, not seeming too happy or disappointed about the decision. He wasn't about to deny her food though. They had once mentioned at school that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. He had to admit that he was a bit hungry himself. The only problem was that he didn't like a lot of foods. So far he only knew of four, and not one of them was very good for him. Ice cream was probably his favorite food next to pizza. He was also rather fond of chocolate, something Jessie had let him try a few days ago. The last thing wasn't even food. It was coffee. He wasn't sure why, but he liked it, so when Jaida lead him into a nearby coffee shop, he had not a single complaint.

They sat down at a small table, but as soon as Jaida knew what Arius wanted, she headed for the counter. He waited patiently until she returned with a few items. She was having a hard time carrying all of it. Not wanting her to spill his coffee, he got up and helped her. She had gotten two cups of coffee, one black and one latte. She was also holding a bag that looked like it had quite a few things in it. Once she sat down, she opened it and pulled out two donuts. The one that looked like it had been dipped in chocolate she gave to Arius. She kept the plain one, deciding to dip it in her latte.

Jaida watched as Arius began to drink the cup of black coffee. She couldn't believe that he liked it that strong. Not only was it strong coffee, but he hadn't even allowed it to cool off. He was just drinking it when the cup alone had nearly burned her fingers. He didn't seem to mind the burning black liquid in the least.

They ate in silence for a moment until Jaida decided that this was as good a time as any to ask him a few questions. He knew a lot about her race, but she didn't really know much about his. He seemed to be in a good mood today, or at least as good as a mood got with Arius. He wasn't scowling, so it was an improvement. It was probably because he had two of his favorite edible items in front of him.

"Arius, can I ask you something?" she questioned while dipping half of her donut into her latte.

"It depends on what it is," he told her before taking a sip of his coffee. Jaida looked a bit nervous as she looked down at the table.

"I…I wanted to ask you about y-your home," she said, hoping he wouldn't get mad at her. She had learned over these past two weeks that he was easily irritated. Just the smallest thing could get him angry. Not only that but he loved arguing with her about anything and everything he could. She glanced up and watched as his crimson eyes darkened a bit. He probably wouldn't answer a single question, knowing him.

"What about it?" he asked, trying to decipher the look on her face. She seemed a bit nervous, almost like she was afraid to ask him anything. It's not like he could blame her. He knew he was far from easy to approach. He preferred it that way. The less he was involved with anyone or anything, the better.

"Um…what's it like?" she asked curiously, hesitantly.

"It's dark," he answered before taking another sip of his black coffee. "The sky is red, the clouds are usually black…people live mostly in huge buildings like the ones here."

"Are there a lot of you?" she asked, wanting to know if the entire planet was populated by Deslyans.

"Not as many as there should be," he answered, and she couldn't miss the small trace of spite in his voice. She began to wonder if his answer was maybe because of Lucius. It seemed that Arius really hated the angel, so maybe the other Deslyans hated him just as much. He had mentioned that he wanted revenge, but she wasn't sure why.

"Why do you hate Lucius so much?" she asked softly, not wanting anyone else to hear their conversation. She saw him flinch before taking a sip of his coffee. He was silent after that, and she figured he wouldn't answer her question. Maybe she'd ask him again someday then. He obviously wasn't comfortable enough to discuss it yet.

"Okay then…" she began. "What about the Deslyans? Are they all like you?"

"What do you mean?" he asked skeptically.

"Do they all look like you?" she asked. "You know…black hair, red eyes?" He leaned back in his chair a bit before nodding his head and sipping more coffee. "What about the council?" Arius quickly got to the edge of his chair, shooting her a threatening glare. He looked about ready to strangle her.

"How do you know about that?" he demanded in a reprimanding hiss, not wanting the other people around them to get suspicious.

"I heard Lucius mention it once," she told him while shrinking back in her chair. She really didn't like it when he was that close to her. He made her nervous enough the way it was. He didn't need to be up in her face like that.

Arius relaxed a bit and sat back comfortably in his chair. He calmed down enough to at least answer her question.

"The council is a group of Deslyans who decide what the rest of us do," he told her calmly. He shot her a small glare, and she got the hint that he didn't want her asking anymore questions about him or the other Deslyans. She wasn't sure why it mattered so much, but she quickly remembered that she wasn't even supposed to know about him. When she had first mentioned his wings, he had nearly killed her on the spot. Right now though, in exchange for her life, she was helping him. She wasn't sure what the point was if he was just going to have to kill her anyway once Lucius was dead. At least if she hung around Arin, she could live for a little longer, right?

As soon as they were finished, they left and continued wandering the city. There wasn't too much to really do if you didn't have money, and Jaida was really running short. Her two weeks allowance wasn't that much (maybe about ten dollars). She had already spent about half of that on their breakfast. There had to be something that they could do that didn't involve money.

"What now?" Arius asked her, obviously getting bored of walking.

"Um…" began Jaida, glancing around a bit. Her eyes caught sight of the park, and she smiled. "Let's go this way." She began to speed up a bit, and Arius easily fell back into step with her.

"Where are we going?" he asked her curiously.

"To the park," she responded as she headed towards the huge and always open park gates. She heard Arius give a small groan in protest, so she quickly turned to him. "It's not like we have anything better to do," she told him. "Would you rather go back to my house and just sit around?" He scowled and looked away from her stubbornly. Jaida just smirked, knowing she had won this time. They were going to the park, and he wouldn't complain now.

Jaida and Arius spent a long time in the grassy fields and walkways that were the park. Jaida was thoroughly enjoying herself as she marveled at all of the plants and trees that grew in the miniature gardens. It was a gorgeous day, the sun hanging high in the blue sky above them. She was starting to get just a little annoyed though at all of the people staring at her and Arius. They stared at Arius for all the obvious reasons, but she wasn't sure why they were staring at her. The looks she got from some girls were jealous ones. That was understandable. She just had to think about her current companion and she could understand their detest for her.

Jaida had learned by now that Arius really didn't like it when people stared at him. He always looked a bit nervous when he noticed that people were watching. He would glare more and hunch over a bit, trying to avoid their wandering eyes. He still didn't feel comfortable around humans, which was understandable to a certain extent. He only spoke to Jaida. He'd speak to Amy, but only when he had to. It was strange though. Even though he was always yelling at her, he never raised his voice to her mother. It was something that had been bothering her for a while now.

"Arius?" she asked, drawing a small glance from him. "I was wondering…why are you always doing what my mom says? You never snap at her like you do me."

"Because it's her house," he told Jaida. "I don't want her to kick me out. Plus I have nothing better to do, so what's a few chores? I'm only paying her back." He crossed his arms, raising his head a bit, perhaps out of pride. "I always pay back favors. She has to cook more because of me, and I know you don't have a lot of money." He was suddenly struck with a question of his own, one he had wanted to ask her since day one when he had first come to live with her. "What about your father? Is he rich?" Arius asked, unaware of how dark her expression had gotten just by asking that much.

"Yes," she answered in a low voice, not really wanting to talk about this topic.

"Then why not live with him?" he asked out of pure curiosity. Jaida just lowered her head a bit, hiding her expression from him.

"I just didn't want to, alright?" she told him, her voice holding a certain sad tone to it. "I'd rather not talk about it, okay?" Arius just scowled and turned away from her. He had answered her questions, so why couldn't she answer his? However, he had caught the sound of pain in her voice. Talking about her father obviously brought back a few bad memories. If that was the case, then he wouldn't pry. He had some of those kind of topics as well, and he knew he didn't want to talk about any of them, not even with Jaida. He would respect her wish just this once and not question her anymore about her father.

They were walking out of the park, heading back down the streets. It was already ten o'clock in the morning. They had spent longer in the park than they had thought. Soon enough it'd be time to eat lunch. Jaida wasn't sure how that would work out. She only had five dollars left, and Arius was a very picky eater. True, he would eat just about any food, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. He'd eat because he had to or else her mother would start to worry about him. For some reason, her mom liked Arius.

They passed a few stores before Arius abruptly stopped, leaving Jaida to keep walking until she noticed. It didn't take long. She stopped and turned to him, raising one eyebrow at his odd behavior. He began to head to the store next to him, pushing open the door. He quickly turned to her as she began following him.

"Just stay here," he told her. "I won't be long." And with that said, he left her standing in the streets alone.

Jaida waited for a while, but Arius wasn't coming back out. She had originally thought that he was just taking a bathroom break, which had probably originally been the case. However, she also remembered how fascinating he found a lot of their department stores. If that was the case, it would end up being another twenty minutes probably before he'd come out. She wasn't going to wait that long, so she decided to wander around the area for a bit. She didn't get very far, however. Her eyes quickly caught sight of someone dressed all in black sneaking into an alleyway. However, what had snatched her attention were the things that had looked like wings folded around him. They were black too.

Jaida slowly approached the alley and then slipped into it, stepping cautiously. She didn't want to make it look like she was stalking this person. She didn't exactly want whoever it was to see her just yet either. She needed to see if this person really did have a pair of black wings or if she had only been imagining it. Now that she had met Arius though, either option was likely.

Jaida was going to turn the corner when she suddenly went back behind it, peering around the side. The person was just standing there, back turned. She could tell it was a guy just by his build and height. She watched in awe as he spread a pair of large black wings, as if he was just stretching them out a bit. It was only moments later that he folded them, and they shrank down into his back. Jaida was about to retreat when she tripped over a discarded pop can, stumbling into the alley. The man instantly turned to her, and she just stood there, staring at him in slight fear. If all Deslyans were like Arius, then she had every reason to be afraid.

"You," he demanded as he walked briskly over to her. "Did you see that?"

"See what?" she asked, not sure exactly what he was talking about but having a pretty good guess. "Um…can I ask you something?" When she received no response at all, she decided to continue. "Are you…a Deslyan?" She could only watch as the man's eyes suddenly got much wider.

"Jai!!" called Arius as he looked through the crowd of walking people in front of the department store. His sharp eyes couldn't even see hide or hair of Jaida. She wasn't anywhere in the area. Damn that girl. I told her to stay here. I wasn't gone that long. Truth be told, he had actually been in the department for well over a half an hour. He had been looking at a few things, fascinated by the different styles of clothing and the accessories. He had never been in that store before, so he had wanted to check it out.

Arius walked around a bit more in the area, knowing that Jaida wouldn't have gone too far. She knew he didn't know the city that well. She wouldn't just abandon him. However, he just couldn't see her, and no matter how many times he called out to her, she never answered. He walked back to the department store, looking around a bit more.

"Damn it," he cursed softly. "Where'd she go?"

"Are you looking for someone?" asked a voice beside him. Arius glanced over and then downwards, seeing a relatively old man sitting against the brick wall of the store. He looked a bit poor, and he had a tin can in front of him. Arius had seen these people before. Jaida had told him that they were unemployed men and women who were too poor to afford a house. They usually collected money from sympathetic passersby.

"Yeah," said Arius, not wanting to say too much to the strange old man.

"Is it the girl you were with earlier?" he asked Arius, who only nodded in response. "I saw her head down this alley here. She was following someone." Arius glanced over to the alleyway, wondering why Jaida had gone down it alone. It was dangerous to do so without someone else. Gangs lurked there, having nothing better to do than attack the people who were just passing through.

"Thanks old man," he said to the guy before heading down the alley, glancing around. "Jai!" he began calling out, hoping he could find her. It wasn't like Jaida to just leave and wander down a dark alley. He began to wonder if maybe she had gotten herself in trouble. He sped up a bit, wanting to reach her faster. "Jai!"

Of all the stupid questions she had ever asked, that had definitely been the epitome of all of them. She remembered Arius' initial reaction when she had mentioned his wings. History was about to repeat itself. Just as the word "Deslyan" left her mouth, the man reached out and grabbed her by the throat. He didn't lift her off the ground, though she knew he was able to. Instead he just squeezed her neck a bit.

"How did you know that?" he asked her, glaring into her green eyes. She could see that Arius had been telling the truth when he said that all Deslyans had red eyes and black hair. This man's eyes were actually a bit softer than Arius' were, but he was nonetheless threatening.

"I…I've met one," she managed to squeak out as he squeezed tighter.

"You're lying," he told her. "No one is allowed to live after finding out about us."

"But I swear…" she began. "I know Arius." At the mention of that name, he squeezed so hard that she could no longer breathe. He was really going to kill her.

"You can't," he told her seriously, angrily. "Arius wouldn't be caught dead in the company of a human." He released her throat a bit, letting her speak.

"You'd be surprised," she choked out, instantly wishing she had chosen a better response. His eyes flared dangerously, and she was sure he was going to snap her neck.

"You've been tricked then," he told her. "The Arius I know isn't the same as yours." He tightened his hold yet again, and Jaida reached up to try and pry his hand away a little. "You're probably working for Lucius."

"I'm not," she told him. "Please believe me. I know all about what's going on here. I know about Arius, about Lucius…about how he wants to destroy the planet." It seemed like the more she said the angrier this Deslyan got. He really was suffocating her now, and he didn't seem to care as she struggled to get free, to take in just one breath of air. She was sure she was going to die.

"Jai!" shouted a familiar voice. There was only one person who called her that. She managed to glance back enough to see down the alley. She could see Arius walking into it, looking and shouting for her. His eyes quickly met hers, but he didn't seem to notice her predicament just yet.

"Arius…" she rasped, but she knew he couldn't hear her. Surprisingly, the Deslyan's grip on her throat had loosened a bit.

"Jai, damn it, there you are," said Arius as he shoved his hands into his pockets and casually began to walk over to her. "Man, I'm gone for a second and you just disappear. I've been looking everywhere for you." It was then that he noticed someone with her. This someone happened to have a firm grasp on her throat. Arius could see the pain in Jaida's eyes, and her face was rather pale. He clenched his fists and growled a bit out of either anger or annoyance.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked both of them. He then snapped his full attention to the man hurting Jaida. "You'd better let her go…or else."

"Or else what?" the Deslyan asked, not recognizing Arius. "What could you possibly do?" He tightened his hold severely on Jaida, and she gasped in pain, her eyes slamming shut.

"I said let her go," growled Arius as he ran towards the man at an impossible speed for a human. He quickly grabbed the man's arm with one hand, his grip being enough to break a normal human's wrist. However, he already knew that this man wasn't human. His crimson eyes were proof enough.

The man was a bit shocked at Arius' strength. He hadn't thought that any human was that strong or that fast. He was starting to wonder just what was up with the boy.

"What are you doing?" he asked Arius, trying to pull his arm away. He was still choking Jaida, so Arius just tightened his grip a bit.

"I told you…to let go," said Arius darkly. His fingernails quickly grew into claws, cutting into the Deslyan's wrist only slightly. "That is…" he continued as a pair of wings extended from his back, his eyes seeming to glow a deep crimson. "…If you want to live."

The man released Jaida, and Arius released his arm, which he quickly began to nurse. Arius' claws were just tinted with blood, but he didn't seem to notice. He was too busy watching Jaida as she tried to gain back the air she had been deprived of moments ago. She was sitting on the ground, holding her neck and coughing.

"Just who are you?" asked the man, glaring at Arius.

"I'm surprised you don't recognize me," said Arius with a smirk as he crossed his arms. "After all, I saw you just two months ago."

"Arius?" the man questioned, as if seeing a long lost friend or relative.

"The one and only," he responded proudly, allowing his claws and wings to disappear. He didn't need to be seen like that. "It's been a while Nero."

"That it has," he responded. "The last time I saw you, you were leaving to go on another mission." Arius just smirked a bit, remember that time. He had hated that mission. He had been sent to a freezing cold planet very opposite of his own.

"So…" began Nero after a while, looking down at Jaida who was now just sitting there, still rubbing her sore neck. "What's with the human?"

"Her name's Jai," said Arius, also looking down at her. She could see that he was still smirking, but there was a bit of playfulness in his eyes, something she had never seen before. "She's a real pain, always getting in trouble…" Jaida frowned a bit, but Arius wasn't done yet. "But out of all the humans I've met, she's by far the most useful."

Jaida sighed mentally, her frown turning into a small smile. She had been sure he would just insult her a bit more. It's not like what he had said was much of a compliment anyway, but she decided that that was as good as it would get. There were only two types a humans in the world according to Arius. There were those who were useful and those who weren't. She was happy to be in the first category. After all, if she wasn't useful, Arius would just get rid of her.

"So tell me," began Arius, looking to Nero. "Why are you here?"

"I have a message from the council," he began, his expression becoming quite grim. Whatever he had to say, it probably wasn't very good. "They need you to kill Lucius this time. He can't be allowed to escape again."

"I know that," said Arius with a scowl. "Who does the council think I am?" Nero just smiled a bit. Jaida was happy to see that not all Deslyans were just like Arius. Some of them had more than three facial expressions.

"That's right," said Nero. "I think they sometimes forget how many times you've done this. I mean, you've succeeded in over forty missions." Arius' expression dimmed a bit as he heard that number.

"Yeah…" he said softly, almost disappointed. "But don't forget…I've lost about half that number…and every single one was because of that damn angel."

"I know," said Nero sadly. However, he quickly perked up a bit, remembering the other part of the message he had to give. "One more thing. Once you kill Lucius, you need to come back right away."

"Why?" asked Arius, wondering why the council wanted him back so soon.

"Because we've found their planet," Nero answered with a large grin, one that showed just how big of a deal this was. "We're gonna attack them as soon as Lucius is removed from the picture. He's the only one who could wipe us all out. Once he's taken care of, we'll kill the rest of them."

"Finally," sighed Arius, a very pleased yet demonic grin on his face. "It'll finally be over…as soon as I kill Lucius that is. Talk about pressure."

"You'll win this time," Nero said confidently. "But I should probably get going now. After all, I'm just a messenger." Arius only nodded as the other Deslyan turned and began to walk away. He stopped, however, and glanced back at Jaida as she began to get to her feet. "Sorry about the misunderstanding. Any friend of Arius is a friend of mine."

"Who ever said she was a friend?" snarled Arius irritably, but Nero just broke into a run, getting far away from the two of them. Jaida could have sworn she had heard Arius growl a bit. "Let's go," he said at last, and they turned to leave the alley.

They walked in silence, not having too much to really say. It was around eleven o'clock now, and they had run out of things to do. They could always stop and get something to eat…if Jaida could pay for it. Hopefully that wouldn't be a problem.

They made it back onto the streets and just started walking for a while. Both of them were still remaining silent. Jaida was still a little shaken from seeing another Deslyan. She'd remember his reaction in case she ever saw another one. She didn't want to get herself into anymore trouble. The Deslyans obviously didn't want anyone to know about them. She glanced up at Arius, wanting to ask him about the conversation he and Nero had. She hadn't understood too much of it, but by the look on his face, she knew it was best not to ask him.

They walked for a bit more, and Jaida felt her stomach grumble a little. She was getting hungry. They had eaten breakfast pretty early, and they hadn't had anything since. She knew Arius probably wasn't hungry. He was never hungry, but he'd eat if he was given something. Maybe just to guarantee he'd eat something, she'd take him out for pizza. That was one thing she knew he'd eat. He liked all the foods that weren't good for him. Then again, that was relatively normal. She was like that too.

"Let's go get some lunch, okay?" she said, giving him a small smile.

"I'm not hungry," he told her without glancing down. He kept his eyes completely on the street.

"We can go out for pizza," she taunted, knowing that that would ensnare him.

"…Fine," he said indifferently, but she knew that he was probably somewhat happy about the decision, even if he didn't show it. After all, they had only had pizza once at her house, and that was because her mother was working late. They had ordered it, and Arius had eaten over half of it by himself. For someone who rarely ate, he had a huge appetite.

As they walked a bit more, someone passed by them, bumping hard into Jaida. The man was dressed in a faded brown cloak and hat, and it looked as though he had purposely run into her. He shoved her so hard that she would have fallen over if not for Arius. He had used one arm to catch her and then reached out with the other, snatching the man in the cloak by his arm. The man had just been about to run away.

Jaida was surprised to say the least. She glanced up at Arius, noticing the firm look on his face. He was holding onto the man so tightly that it looked as though he'd break his arm. The man was struggling to pull away, using his other arm to try and pry Arius away. It was in vain though. Not even another Deslyan was able to get away from Arius' grip.

"Give it back," Ariu demanded, directing his voice to the man he was holding so tightly.

"What?" questioned Jaida, unsure about what was going on.

"This man's a thief," stated Arius, glaring at the frightened man before him. "When he bumped into you, he took your money."

"He…did?" asked Jaida, now also looking at the man. She hadn't seen anything. She hadn't felt anything either. However, when she reached into her pocket to check for her money, she couldn't find it. It really was gone.

"How'd you know?" asked the thief angrily as he tried yet again in vain to pull away from them. "I never get caught. Your eyes couldn't possibly have picked that up."

"You'd be surprised," snarled Arius with a victorious smirk on his face, his crimson eyes gleaming. "Now give it back." Reluctantly, the man reached into his pocket and handed the money back to Jaida, who was still a little shocked. She had never been robbed before.

"Here," the man said as he slammed it into Jaida's hands. "Take it. I don't need it anyway." Arius released the man's arm, and he sprinted, trying to get away from them as fast as he could. Jaida only watched him leave and then looked back down at the money in her hands. It wasn't much, but it was all she had. It was enough to buy lunch at least.

"Arius?" she began, glancing up at him as he began to walk away. She followed after him, easily falling back into his pace. "Thanks. I never would have guessed that man was a thief."

"No need to thank me," he told her. "I didn't do it for you."

"What?" she asked, confusion flooding her features. If he hadn't done it for her, then what other reason was there?

"If you didn't have any money," he began, "you couldn't buy me pizza."

The day was finally coming to a close, and Jaida and Arius had spent the majority of it out in the city. After lunch, they really couldn't do much more. One pizza had used up the rest of Jaida's money, and then she hadn't even gotten much of it. She had two slices and had allowed Arius to eat the rest. She figured that there was plenty of food she liked at home, but this was one thing that Arius would actually eat. She had originally been a bit concerned about him since he rarely ate anything. She had thought that perhaps he had one of those eating disorders. However, he wasn't human, something she had to remember. It was only natural that he didn't like their food, after all, since he hated everything even remotely related to humans.

Jaida had spent the rest of her day reading in her room while Arius was either lying in his bed, pacing the hallway, or watching television, something else that greatly fascinated him. He was always saying how primitive their technology was compared to what was in his world, yet he was always so fascinated with everything, especially the electronics. Strange as it was, he spent a lot of time watching the news, learning about the rest of their planet along with the things that went on in their city.

It was currently around eleven o'clock, and both Arius and Jaida were exhausted, considering the fact that Arius had gotten up at around six thirty and got Jaida up an hour later. They were both in dire need of sleep, and they'd be able to sleep in tomorrow for a few hours at least. They didn't have to go back until Wednesday, so they'd make the most of it.

Jaida's eyes opened, but she was met with nothing but darkness. She wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not, because this dark world felt real. She looked in every direction, but there was nothing. There was no one. She was completely alone without sight and sound.

"Mom?" she called, her voice echoing in the never ending darkness, having nothing to stop it from fading away. "Arius?" She glanced around a bit more, turning around completely. "…Somebody?"

The darkness disappeared in an instant, as if she had only been in a dark room and someone had just flipped a light switch. She looked around a bit more, noticing a few lights shining brighter in the distance. She was going to run towards them, but a chill ran down her spine, freezing her to the spot. She glanced around nervously, her mind suddenly very aware of everything around her. She thought perhaps she was being paranoid, but she could have sworn that there was someone else there with her.

"Hello," said someone, their voice sounding highly amused. "You're Jaida, aren't you?"

"Who are you?" she asked the voice, spinning around to try and see who was there. However, all she could see were the blinding lights in every direction.

"You know me quite well, actually," claimed the voice, and if she had seen this person's face, there would have been a smirk on it. Jaida, however, quickly analyzed the voice. She had heard it quite a few times in the past few weeks. It was hard not to recognize it. It was enough to strike fear into even the fiercest of hearts.

"Lucius…" she whispered in fear.

"You sound so…terrified," he said, his voice echoing all around her. "I wonder why…"

"Just leave me alone," said Jaida as she began backing away.

"You can't escape," he told her, his voice appearing behind her. She froze, realizing that no matter where she went, he would follow. "Just relax. I mean you no harm. I'm actually here to warn you."

"Warn me?" she questioned skeptically.

"Yes," he began. "I came to warn you…about Arius. He's hiding things from you. He isn't who you think he is." Jaida didn't say anything as she stood there, unwillingly interested in what Lucius had to say. "He's deceiving you. He's only using you."

"Shut up," she demanded. "You're wrong."

"My, my, did I sense a hint of doubt in your voice?" Lucius questioned, his voice flowing almost as if he was right there next to her. "You doubt Arius, don't you? You're afraid of him, and you should be. He hates you. He hates your planet, and as soon as he's through with me, he'll destroy it himself."

"No!" she shouted, putting her hands over her ears. "Just shut up! He's not like that!"

"He's a Deslyan," continued Lucius. "He's a demon, a man who destroys planets. He's only after me for revenge. Believe me Jaida. I'm not your enemy. I'm your friend."

"Then why did you try to kill me?" she asked angrily. "Why did you attack me?"

"You're a follower of him," claimed Lucius, his voice reaching her even as she blocked her ears. "I thought he was using you to regain his strength."

"To what?" asked Jaida as she pulled her hands away from her ears. "What are you talking about?"

"So…" smirked Lucius as he released an arrogant laugh. "He hasn't told you."

"Told me what?" she asked curiously, now interested in exactly what Lucius had to say.

"The Deslyan race…" he began as his figure appeared in front of her. His cold, sky blue eyes were shining, his golden hair blowing even without a breeze. "They feed off human emotions." Jaida's eyes widened in shock. That couldn't be true, could it? Sure, Arius never ate much, but was that really the reason? Was that the only reason why he kept her with him? Because he needed something to eat?

"You're lying," she told him, but her voice gave away how uncertain of this she was. "He wouldn't do that."

"Haven't you ever noticed how he rarely eats?" began Lucius. "Have any of your emotions ever seemed more extreme when you're around him? Do you feel angrier? Do you cry more? Are you sometimes in excessive emotional pain? Are you more afraid? These are the kinds of emotions that Deslyans like the most. They love seeing a human cry. Their sorrows are a delicacy among that race of demons."

"You're lying," she stated again, backing away slowly, her voice and body shaking. No matter what she said though, she had a deep suspicion that Lucius was telling her the truth.

"He's only using you," smirked Lucius. "He'll kill you once he's gotten sick of your presence. He hates you. He hates your planet. You're nothing to him."

"Shut up," she pleaded as she felt tears coming to her eyes. "Just shut up. Leave me alone." She put her hands over her ears to block out what he was saying next.

"There's a way to get even with him," began Lucius. "There's a way to just make him leave you alone, to keep him from consuming your emotions." Jaida didn't say anything, but in her mind, she knew she wanted to know how. The more Lucius spoke, the more she doubted Arius. She could feel her mind altering…changing. She had no control over it at all. It was as if all of the doubts she had had were resurfacing, consuming every part of her character, of her better judgment. It was that judgment that told her not to trust a word from Lucius's mouth. However, it was quickly washed away.

"How?" she heard herself say as everything she had tried to shove back came flooding forward, and her subconscious, her good judgment, was pushed away completely.

"The necklace he wears…the keystone," began Lucius with a sickening smirk. "Take it."