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

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't normal. 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

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

Jaida just nodded dumbly, seeming a bit confused. She had never looked at it like that before. She had never known that Arius was so dangerous. Of course she had always known he was a threat to anyone and everyone who crossed him, but this was indeed a shock. She really had done her city a favor by meeting him. She began to wonder if the Deslyan boy enjoyed destroying things. She made a mental note never to push him that far. If he got angry enough, he would probably go and destroy a few buildings or maybe a mountain just for kicks. Arius was indeed a threat to society, and yet he was living under her roof. What have I gotten myself into?"Hey Jai?" began Nero with a nervous smile on his face. "Um…I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention any of this to Arius. I'd kind of like to keep my body fully intact if you don't mind.""Of course," she told him with a smile and a small laugh. She wouldn't say a word to Arius, because she was sure he didn't want her knowing about him. After all, he

As they sat in Jaida's room, they talked about a variety of different things. They talked about school, about their home lives, and basically whatever tangent Amy led them on. Everything was going fine until Amy had asked if she could use the bathroom. She came back two seconds later telling Jaida that the door was locked from the inside."Hold on," she said as she stood up. "I'll go check it out. Just stay here, okay?" She left the room and went to the bathroom. The door was indeed locked, and if she listened closely, she could hear the sound of the shower running. She scowled a bit and then quietly walked over to Arius' room. She opened the door only to find that he was gone. That idiot! What's he trying to do?Jaida closed the door softly and then walked back to her room. She smiled to Seth and Amy, planning out her lie.