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 wi
Jaida just stated at it for a while, marveling at how beautiful it was. She then realized that she had no idea why she was holding it. How had she gotten such a thing? Whose was it anyway? It was then that she remembered her dream. Lucius had spoken to her. He had told her to take something. He had called it a keystone. She had a sneaking suspicion that that was what she was holding. She also knew who its owner was."Damn it!" she heard Arius yell, his voice breaching the wall between their rooms. Jaida quickly got out of bed and pulled on a housecoat, tucking the keystone deep in her pocket. She then ran to Arius' room to see what he was so angry about. He was always angry, but this seemed a bit serious.Jaida reached his room. He was still dressed in his school uniform, which he had worn yesterday. He was currently tearing his room apart, throwing things everywhere. He seemed to be searching for something, and searching frantically at that. Whatever he had lost was obviously of great
"Arius?" she questioned. "Is something wrong?" She watched as he looked to the building next to him. They were currently in a rather unpopulated area where the buildings were a bit more spread out. Hardly anyone walked these streets anymore unless they were just passing by or heading to the residential area. The fact that it was supposed to rain had chased even more people away from the streets.The building Arius was looking at was abandoned and had been for a few years now. It had currently been bought out and was going to be turned into an apartment. It was definitely large enough, spanning at least forty floors."He's here," whispered Arius, drawing Jaida's complete attention. She already knew who he meant. There was only one person that Arius became this rigid about. Lucius was nearby, and from the direction Arius was looking, he was either in or on top of the abandoned building. Arius seemed incredibly nervous this time though. Damn you Lucius…why now? What am I supposed to do?"
Jaida suddenly felt sick to her stomach. If this was what had given Arius his barrier, his protection against Lucius's magic, then by taking it, she had nearly killed him. She glanced up at him, instantly regretting doing so. He looked shocked, hurt…betrayed. He was staring at her as if she had just taken a knife and stabbed him in the back. She couldn't take it. Never had anyone looked at her like that, and Arius had been the last person she had thought would. "So you understand now," began Lucius. For a moment, she had forgotten that he was even there. "You know what the keystone is for.""You…" she began, suddenly feeling scared again. Scared and a bit angry. "You tricked me. You made me take it…you made me take it so you could…kill him." "A little slow are you?" he asked with amusement drippin
"Human," he growled lowly. "You won't be able to keep that up for too long. Eventually your body will succumb to the demand of the keystone. You don't have the energy to use it properly." Jaida pulled Arius closer, allowing his head to rest on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest.Arius, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If only there was someway I could make it up to you.She could feel the heat of the flames start to soak through the barrier, but she just held the keystone tightly in her hand. She had to keep this up. Their lives depended on it.Ever since this all began, you've been protecting me, and I've never done anything for you. Just this once, I wanna be the one to save you. So please Arius…don't die now.Suddenly, Lucius's attack stopped. The barrier fell, and Jaida opened her eyes to see what was going on. She was
Jaida staggered a bit as she walked, her legs starting to hurt from supporting Arius. She wasn't going to be able to make it to her house. Maybe if she hadn't had to run up all of those stairs and then go back down them, this would be easier. She had carried him like this before, but this time it was difficult. She was starting to wish that one of the cars speeding down the street would stop and offer her a ride. However, everyone in the city minded their own business. No one cared to stop in their routine to help out a stranger. It just wasn't heard of. It just wasn'tnormal. That's probably why no one ever noticed Lucius. He was abnormal. No one in the city was perceptive enough or willing to recognize anything even remotely out of the ordinary. They were all so naïve.Jaida could hear the sound of a car approaching, and she figured it would just speed by like all of the others. However, as it got closer to her, it sl
The next few days were the slowest ones Jaida had ever experienced. School seemed to last forever, and hours ticked by like days. She found it rather difficult to focus in any of her classes, and she was currently thanking God that it was the end of the week. It was Friday, but there was still no sign of Arius in school. Jaida had already answered a ton of questions about where he was, and she only said that he was sick in bed. She couldn't very well tell the truth. Only Mr. Owens knew the real reason why he wasn't in school, or at least part of the reason. Currently it was sixth hour, her English class with Mr. Owens. He knew she wasn't paying attention. She hadn't been for a while now. It was hard, because she found herself staring at Arius' empty desk in every one of her classes. For some reason, it was weird not seeing him there. It was worse because she knew it was all her fault. However, she had to keep some sense of focus. She neede
Just as she expected, he gave her a very skeptical look. She wasn't sure if it was because he didn't believe her or if he found this strange. He could always ask her mother about it, and she'd give him the same story. Strangely enough, the next thing he said wasn't even related to the lie she had just told him."He needs medical attention," he told Jaid. "Those wounds look pretty bad.""We can't," she stated. "He's…he's under our care for now. We can't afford a medical bill, you know that. Besides…he'll be fine. Just take us home, okay?""Whatever you say," he sighed. "You've never been wrong before, so I guess I shouldn't doubt you now. I assume he won't be in school tomorrow though." Jaida nodded, knowing that Arius probably wouldn't wake up for a few days. At least it would be easy to keep this from everyone else. She would just tell them all that he was sick in be
Arius didn't say anything to her as he stood up and went to his closet. He quickly got out a pair of pants and a shirt and pulled them on. He shoved his hands into the pockets, sparing Jaida another glance. She looked disappointed as she just sat there, refusing to look at him. He sighed before walking towards her. He stopped just as he passed her, his back now to hers. "I hope that…" he began a bit softly, keeping his voice indifferent, "you can believe me…when I say that I've never once used you for that." Jaida's head shot up, and she glanced back at him. He was heading for the door, but he paused again in the doorway. He glanced back, meeting her shocked expression. He just smirked a bit. "I'm not the monster you think I am, Jai," he told her before he left the room, leaving her there on his bed to think about the conversation they had just had. Jai