Jay's POV
It had been a month since that night — since Cole's blood on my hands, since Keifer's last glance before he disappeared into the dark.
The funeral felt like it happened in another lifetime.
The sky that day had been heavy, swollen with unshed rain. Stella clung to David's arm, her eyes red but dry — she'd cried herself empty by then. Cole's parents stood at the edge of the grave, both silent, both aged ten years overnight. When the priest spoke, no one listened. All I could hear was the dull thud of earth hitting the coffin.
It was the sound of finality — heavy,suffocating, unforgiving.
Stella broke down when his name was etched onto the marble. David held her close, but even his eyes were rimmed with tears.
That image — the two of them trembling beside the grave — was burned into me.
After the burial, everyone left in silence. No one spoke of what happened that night again.
Stella and David had left as they needed space and I didn't stop them not once because I was breaking real bad and I didn't want them to carry my grief along side theirs knowing they are suffering just as much as me because we didn't lose a friend
We lost our Keeper Cole Wilson....
Our keeper, our best friend and my kuya...
Keifer had vanished soon after, leaving without a word. No message, no call.
Yuri too — gone, chasing the remnants of whatever war Cole had died in.
And then there was me.
Still here.
Still trying to pretend that school bells and hallways could drown out the sound of gunfire that replayed in my head.
---
A month later, everything had shifted.
Section E and I had fallen back into a rhythm — not quite normal, but close enough that it fooled people who didn't look too hard.
Felix was loud again, cracking jokes he thought would make me roll my eyes.
Eren always had something smart to say, even if it ended with me throwing a pen at him.
Cin, the idiot, had started bringing extra snacks to class "just in case you forget to eat again," as if that was his version of being gentle.
And David....he didn't talk much. He didn't have to. A nod from him was enough to know he was keeping watch.
Cole's death had built a quiet wall between us all, but it also tied us together tighter than before.
His name came up rarely, but when it did, we spoke of him like a story — like someone we'd seen in a dream and couldn't forget.
There was still an empty seat in the corner of the classroom. It wasn't his — he'd never studied here — but I'd started leaving it untouched anyway. It felt right, like a small rebellion against forgetting.
That morning, sunlight hit the desk just right, warm and golden.
Cin leaned back in his chair. "You're spacing out again, Jay. Thinking about algebra or ghosts?"
"Both," I said flatly. "You're one of them."
Eren snorted. "She's recovering. The sarcasm's back."
I rolled my eyes, but I didn't mind the laughter that followed. It was light, careless — a sound I hadn't realized I missed.
When the bell rang, Yuri nudged me on the way out. "Hey, lunch's on me today. No arguing."
"Fine," I said, pretending not to notice the worry in his tone.
For a moment, standing in that hallway, I let myself breathe.
It wasn't peace. Not really.
But it was quiet enough to believe, for a second, that maybe we were learning how to live again.....
Back at the Fernandez house things were well quiet....
Well my mom and I were on a bit of speaking terms, tita gema made sure I was happy Aries with his horoscopic skills always barged in with a snack plate to cheer me up and then there was kuya angelo... He just looked said a few words like "study hard Jay, or take care of yourself" but his eyes the way he saw me made feel he cared and wanted to say more but he kept restraining himself.....
The next day I woke up to the shrill ring of my alarm and Aries shouting from the hallway,
"Jay! If you don't get up now, I'm eating your breakfast!"
I groaned, dragging the blanket over my head. "You can choke on it for all I care," I muttered, voice muffled against the pillow.
"Say that louder!" Aries shot back. "Mom's downstairs!"
That got me up. I stumbled toward the bathroom, eyes still half-closed, water running, steam curling against the mirror. For a second, I caught my reflection — pale face, faint shadows under my eyes. I touched the scar near my temple, a souvenir from that night. It didn't hurt anymore. But it never really stopped aching either.
By the time I made it downstairs, Aries was already halfway through his toast, grinning like he hadn't been yelling five minutes ago.
"Morning, zombie," he said around a mouthful.
"Morning, nuisance," I replied, stealing his second slice.
Tita Gema smiled faintly from the kitchen. "You two will fight your way into old age if you keep this up."
I offered a small smile back — the kind that didn't reach all the way but tried to. Mom sat near the window with a cup of coffee, eyes tired but softer than before. She didn't say much, just nodded toward the plate she'd set aside for me. It was more than enough.
Outside, the air was cool, the kind that smelled like rain even when the sun was out.
Aries walked beside me to the gate, his usual chatter filling the silence I couldn't. When we reached the end of the driveway, he stopped.
"Hey," he said quietly, "you're doing better, you know that?"
I blinked at him. "You spying on my emotions now?"
He snorted. "Please. You're about as subtle as a fire alarm."
I laughed — a small, startled sound that felt strange in my throat. He grinned wider, ruffling my hair like an annoying older brother before jogging back toward the house.
Just when I turned to the section e building yuri called out "Jay wait up!! Let's go in together"
Yuri walked beside me all the way up to the classroom, rambling about something I barely processed — something about late homework or Eren forgetting his notes again. I nodded absently, still half-asleep, until he suddenly reached over and ruffled my hair.
"Hey!" I yelped, swatting his hand away. "Seriously?"
He just laughed. "You were too quiet. Had to fix that."
Now half my hair was sticking into my face, strands falling right over my eyes. "Great. I can't even see now," I muttered, pushing the door open with my elbow.
The moment I stepped inside, I froze.
The room was silent. Too silent.
No teasing from Cin, no sarcastic comment from Eren, not even the usual sound of chairs scraping against the floor. Everyone just… stared.
I blinked, hair still covering half my vision. "What, did someone die again or—" I caught myself, biting the inside of my cheek. Wrong words. Stupid.
No one answered.
Their eyes weren't really on me — they were on something behind me. Or someone.
I frowned, trying to shake the weird feeling off, brushing the strands out of my eyes and moving to my seat.
I turned and saw David... Not sleeping.. I clutched my chest dramatically "you are awale, was there an apocalypse I didn't know about!! "
He just smilled and looked me like he wanted to tell me something just as he was about to speak I tapped his hand several times...
"David David you know since last night I'm literally only listening to this amazing song you should hear it too here wait.. " I took out my earbuds and gave him one he looked behind smirked and then put it in,the song was from my I mean our favorite singer Shawn..as soon as the music burst we vibed like really hard because it was a adrenaline romantic song we gestererd each other eye to eye like I know we love it but gotta keep it lowkey cuz we in class type but yeah...
As soon as it ended I started to literally rant to David while constantly playfully hitting him commenting like "he's so hott, I loveee him, like how can a person be sooo hot and have angels voice.. " I was going on and on, David just kept looking at me then turned to my back a few times giggling and smirking
and then started some whispers started "Turn aroundddd", " Let's call her maybe she'll turn around" I ignored them because they do this everyday saying stuff to make turn and see his empty seat but not today, I turned to David asked for his notes and started to scrible them down and then sir alvin entered and he said "complete" Yeah sir totally complete just don't count the ones sitting in London doing God knows what..
Sir started to take the attendance one by one then he called out "Mariano" without looking up I spoke "present sir"
There was a sudden silence I looked up sir alvin looking at me with a small smile on his face huh what is wrong with him...
He continued to take the attendance and i could feel a sudden shift in the air whispers surrounding, a feeling like something big was gonna happen I ignored and when I completed the last word about to close my book then suddenly sir spoke and boy did my life was about to change...
"Welcome back," Sir suddenly said.
The words sliced through the quiet hum of the classroom, freezing me mid-breath.
I didn't even realize I'd stopped writing until I felt the pen trembling in my hand.
Then came the name—soft, casual, but heavy enough to shatter me.
"Watson."
For a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe.
The name echoed in my mind, stretching time itself. Every syllable replayed, slower, deeper, until my pulse was all I could hear.
Watson?Emma Watson? Watson Pharmacy? A person? A place? A prank?A joke? A ghost? A snake?
No. No, no, no. That couldn't be.That shouldn't be.
It was impossible—more impossible than floodwater turning crystal clear.
This was a joke. It had to be a joke.
Sir was messing with me, just like they always did.He was one of them—an Ulupong through and through. That must be why he became a teacher here, because he fit right in.
Perfectly.
They were probably waiting, watching, grinning—just to see if I'd turn around.
If I did, they'd tease me. Say I missed him. Say I still cared.And I'd snap. Again.
Well, not today.
I wasn't turning around. Not this time.
They wouldn't get me.
I clutched my pen tighter, knuckles white, staring straight ahead.
But then—
That voice.
A deep one.
Different, maybe. Rougher around the edges. But still… still his.
And it was clear as day.
"Present."
That single word detonated in my chest like a bomb I'd been trying to bury for months.
My grip on the pen faltered. My heart stuttered.
Even though I didn't want to—My body moved on its own.
My neck turned, just as they wanted.
Their cheers blurred in the background, a haze of laughter I couldn't hear clearly anymore.Everything slowed.
And there he was.
Leaning back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest, staring directly at me—as if he'd been waiting for me to look.
He tilted his head slightly, a small, knowing smirk ghosting across his lips.
That smirk.
My heart twisted, caught between anger and something far more dangerous.
Every emotion I'd locked away—rage, disbelief, hurt, longing—all collided inside me, rising to my throat until I could barely breathe.
I wanted to slap myself, hard, just to make sure this wasn't some cruel illusion.
Because if this was real—if he was really here—
That the King of the Ulupong was sitting right in front of me.
And with that my world had just started spinning again...