Arius entered the park and began to head to the same place he always went to when he was looking for Jaida. Sure enough, as soon as he got within seeing distance, he could make out her figure sitting there. She was dressed in a light yellow sundress today. Even though it was the middle of December, the city was far enough south so that it didn't get cold during the winter. Even now it was warm outside as the sun blared down on them from the sky. He slowed down a little as he approached the bench she was sitting on. She looked to be deep in thought about something, a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand. She was just staring at the ground, her green eyes seeming just a bit dim right now. When he got in front of her, she only noticed him after his shadow blocked out the sunlight. "Arius?" she questioned. "What are you doing here?" "I still don't ge

She was so out of it that she almost didn't hear the footsteps coming from behind her. She didn't bother to turn and see who it was. She really didn't care. She was too deep in thought right now, too lost in her own sorrows to care about some stranger at the station. She didn't even care what the person was there for or what they wanted. There was nothing she cared about right now at all. A shadow soon fell over her, and she recognized the sound of the footsteps. There was only one person she knew who could step that lightly and soundly on the hard ground below. She raised her head and slowly glanced back, her green eyes meeting red. She found herself staring into the face of Arius, his lips pursed in an indifferent line and his eyes staring right into hers. It looked like he was trying to read her, and she knew she looked horrible right now. Her face was stained with tears, and she was sure her eyes were a bit wide at the shock of seeing

The day had passed by all too quickly, but Jaida and Arius had both gone to bed incredibly early nonetheless. After all, Arius had just flown the entire way, having to stay awake through the night. He deserved a break for a change. So currently the two of them were asleep, both in rooms that were next to each other. Jaida's father's house was very different from her mother's. It was huge, probably as big as three of the city houses. There were three floors and a basement, and every single room was huge. Half the rooms were unnecessary since he lived alone, so there was no problem at all having Arius stay there. He had taken a room next to Jaida's, and when she had asked him why, he had refused to answer. Jaida's father was obviously very trusting of strangers since he had left Arius to choose his own room in the first place. He had even let him sleep in the one next to Jaida's without so much as a question. And more to the point, his own r

Jaida felt tears building in her eyes. She didn't want to see him like this. Sure, he wasn't her best friend and maybe he was a bit cold and arrogant, but that didn't mean she didn't like him. That didn't mean she had wanted something like this to happen. The Deslyan didn't deserve such a horrible fate. He hadn't deserved to die like this. He hadn't deserved to die. "Do you like it?" asked a sickeningly smug voice from behind her. Jaida quickly wiped her tears away and turned around. She saw Lucius sitting casually on the remains of a building. He had a smirk on his face, his sky blue eyes focused solely on her. His snow white robes were splattered in crimson. The angel reeked of blood…of Arius' blood. "You…" began Jaida angrily, her eyes full of fire. "You monster! You did this?!" "I asked if you liked it," he reminded her. "Do you? I worked so hard on

It was already two days before Christmas, and Arius soon found out that this holiday was a big one. Everywhere they went they saw people flooding stores, pushing and shoving to pick up gifts, decorations, food, etc. It was mayhem. Pure and simple mayhem. It's not that he minded much. Crowds didn't bother him that badly, but he had to admit that he hated the eyes that followed him. It was a new city and a whole new flock of following stares. He noticed how most of them were once again women, some staring at him and talking with friends. Others gave Jaida a few jealous glares. This is pathetic… "Okay, just a few more stops," said Jaida's father with a bright smile. He was carrying most of the bags, but Arius had a decent amount in his hands too. Strangely enough, whenever Mr. Carlson had tried to hand Jaida a few bags, Arius had taken them from her. He seemed to still think of her as a weak little girl. It's not like she minded