The 2 Million Subscriber Special (JaidenAnimations fanfic feat. theodd1sout)

Chapter 4 - Ari almost kills a human

"That'll be 12.90 please."

After our awkward introductions, I decided to buy a little bird toy shaped like a ball along with a bag of bird seeds. I went for my purse, but James stopped me.

"I'll pay for you," he offered.

Before I could protest, he handed Claire a 20 dollar bill and grabbed the products from the counter.

"Was that really necessary?" I asked when we left the store.

"Everything for my favorite bird. And of course for my favorite person."

I averted my gaze from him, not knowing how to respond while being flustered. Part of me really enjoyed this 'pretend-dating', but the other part was having doubts. It didn't feel natural, it felt too rushed. Perhaps I was just new at this flirting. James didn't act very natural either, I could see from a mile away that he was putting up his "Youtube attitude." He strode confidently out of the store carrying the supplies dangling from a plastic bag. Yep, he was definitely trying too hard, since he always was very stingy with his money.

I was probably overthinking the problem again. I couldn't really picture us together, no matter how much I tried.

Our friendship wasn't like any other friendship I've ever had. The moment we got to know each other, I knew we would have a strong bond. We shared so much in common. He always managed to cheer me up in my darkest times. Even though he may come over as arrogant or overconfident in his videos, he actually hides a sweet and caring person who only appears to his closest friends.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to let go of that friendship.

"Jaiden?"

I jumped up from my thoughts, not realizing I had walked towards James's car. He frowned in concern as he opened the door.

"You seem even more spaced out than usual today, which is already a lot, but still. Is something wrong?"

"N-no, I just realized that I forgot to close Ari's cage door. Who knows what that bird is up to now..." I lied. Technically, it wasn't a lie, since I really did forget to close the door. I hoped that Jaxen would take care of Ari while I was gone.

He looked at me skeptically, but decided to ignore it.

"Anyways, now that you've got your supplies, I want to show you my surprise. It'll be quite a drive, but I'm sure we'll be fine."

"You really don't have to-"

"It's fine. You've finished your work right? You deserve a little reward from time to time."

We stepped inside the car.

"Don't forget to wear your seatbelt."

I rolled my eyes, unable to suppress a smile and did what I was told. As soon as we hit the road, James remarked, "You haven't even flirted with me once."

Caught completely off guard, I barely managing to say, "Huh, wh-what are you talking about?"

He smiled. "Remember, we're still 'pretending.'"

"But Claire isn't here anymore, what's the point?"

"It was for fun, remember?" His smile faded away when his eyes pointed at the road again.

"But it seems like I'm just making you uncomfortable. Maybe I should just shut my mouth already,"

"N-no, it's not like that! I uh... just need some time to adjust, that's all, and uh..."

I heard myself making flimsy excuses. I tried to stop, but I just rambled on and on. Once I realized I was spouting nonsense, I fell silent and James continued to drive in the awkward silence.

Great. I had ruined another conversation. Maybe I shouldn't have talked that much, or maybe I shouldn't have thought too much about things. Maybe I should follow James's lead, and just try to do things without thinking too much.

Ans so I did. Before I knew it, I placed my hand on James's hand. I looked away as our fingers laced together. I did not dare to look at his expression. Did he mind? Did he think it was strange? Did he like it?

Then I felt a reassuring thought ease my worries. I had never held hands before with someone, but it felt oddly comforting. As if his touch could stop my thoughts of spinning out of control.

Before I knew it, we arrived at the location James was talking about.

Not letting go of my hand, James said, "We've arrived."

ARI

I flew up and down, left and right, my impatience growing with every heartbeat. I knocked over some of my furniture, but I couldn't care less. She might be coming home any second now. I needed to find a way to get out. Screaming didn't work anymore unfortunately, as the residents here promptly ignore my calls of desperation.

Perhaps I could get their attention in another way.

I picked up one of the bells that came off from my favorite swing, and threw them with all my strength at the bars. As expected, the noise wasn't as loud as my majestic shrieks, but it gave the result I was hoping for. An unnatural change in my routine always concerns humans for some reason, and I learned to take advantage of that.

To enhance the effect, I let out an earpiercing shriek, then let myself go limp as I laid down on the floor.

According to my predictions, the human showed up. I slowed my breathing and closed my eyes for extra effect. I couldn't see its expression on his face sadly, but it must've been frozen in terror.

I carefully opened one eye and shrieked softly.

He picked me up and examined me very closely. Of course he wouldn't be able to find anything, so the next course of action would be-

"Crap, Jaiden's not going to be happy."

He ran off after placing me back into the cage. In his hurry he left the door open. This is what I've been trained for my whole life.

I veered up, waved Ducky goodbye and flew towards freedom. I perched on the shelf above the human communication system, where the male human was standing. He held the black communication device in his hand as I heard him speak frantically into it.

"Jaiden, Ari's not doing well... I just hear him flying against the cage wall. He's breathing heavily and lying on the ground, what should I do?"

Remembering the cactus training I did in the morning, I hopped over to the flowerpot next to me. All I needed now was for him to stand still.

"Okay, I'll call the vet-"

But he couldn't finish his sentence as I shoved the pot off the shelf. It landed straight on his head, and with a grunt he collapsed on the floor.

I went to the black thing in his hands, and pressed the red button to turn it off.

I lost too much time already. I probably couldn't execute my plan perfectly, but I would have to improvise.

Hey readers,

Sorry I haven't been updating lately, I just didn't have any motivation. So here's an extra long chapter, yay :D

Thanks to xXsasha-babygirlXx for the tips and advice!