CHAPTER 14

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 seeme