Jay's pov:
"Why," I asked slowly, pointing at them, "are you people in my house this early in the morning?"
Felix grinned first. Of course he did.
"Oh relax," he said. "We came to bless you before exams. Emotional support. Moral strength. Visual motivation."
Aries crossed his arms. "You look terrible."
"Good morning to you too," I replied sweetly.
Angelo gave me that look. The one that says I know things but I'm choosing silence.
Before I could interrogate further, David stepped forward, calm as always.
"We just came to meet you," he said simply. "That's it."
I squinted. "That's suspiciously normal."
Ci en gasped. "Wow. So now meeting our own Jay-jay needs a reason?"
"Yes," I said. "Always."
They laughed, teased me about exams—
'Don't faint in the exam hall'
'Don't write emotional essays instead of answers'
'Try not to hug the invigilator'
Rude. All of them.
Breakfast happened like a battlefield ceasefire.
Plates clinked. Percy stole food. Aries scolded him. Angelo pretended not to see. Keifer barely talked—just watched, quiet, unreadable.
After breakfast, one by one, they started leaving.
And that's when I noticed something.
Aries.
Percy.
Angelo.
Keifer.
Rory.
Edrix.
All four of them got into the same car.
Same direction.
Same silence.
Same serious faces.
That meant one thing.
Something was going on.
I stared after them for a second.
Then shrugged.
"Nope," I muttered. "Not my circus right now."
My brain was already full—
Exams. Trauma. Pakode. Life.
I turned back inside.
Elara was already at the table, books open, pen in hand, calm like a storm that had decided to wait.
"You ready?" she asked.
I sighed and sat down. "Define ready."
She pushed a book toward me. "Define focus."
And just like that—
Breakfast done.
Drama postponed.
Another review session began.
Whether my brain liked it or not.
Reviewing finally ended.
Not because I understood everything.
But because Elara closed the book with final boss energy.
"That's it," she said, standing up. "I'm leaving."
My heart dropped.
"Where?" I asked, already suspicious.
"Home."
"Why?"
She picked up her bag. "Gym."
And that's when my survival instincts kicked in.
Before she could take even one step, I dropped dramatically and hung onto her leg like my life depended on it.
"Me too."
She looked down at me. Flat expression. "No."
"Why?"
"You'll distract me."
"I'll motivate you."
"No."
"Please."
"No."
"Pretty please."
She tried to walk.
I slid with her.
"Jay," she warned.
I tightened my grip. "Plzzzz."
She sighed. A long, tired, defeated sigh.
"…Fine."
I instantly released her leg and jumped up. "HURRAY!"
She stared at me. "You didn't even wait one second."
"I trust you," I said proudly.
She shook her head, muttering something about adopting a problem instead of a friend, and walked toward the door.
I followed, smiling like I had just won a war.
Gym with Elara.
Another victory for Jay-jay.
We went to the gym.
Correction: Elara went to the gym.
I went to suffer.
First 45 minutes: exercise.
I don't know what she did.
I only know what I did.
I died.
Came back.
Died again.
I was on the floor, staring at the ceiling, questioning every life decision that brought me here—especially the moment I said
"Gym? Me too!" with confidence.
Elara wasn't even breathing hard.
We finished the workout—by we, I mean Elara barely warmed up and I almost met my ancestors again—and then she turned toward the shooting range like it was a casual evening walk.
I froze.
My brain went: Oh. This place again.
Last time, I was all nerves and chaos.
This time, I told myself, Jay, you've already done this. You survived. You didn't shoot your own foot. Growth.
I stood straighter. Confidence mode: ON.
For exactly three seconds.
Elara handed me the gear and said, calm as always,
"Same basics. You remember?"
I nodded very seriously, like a professional.
Inside my head: Do I remember? Do I? Why does my brain suddenly feel empty?
I took my position.
This time, my hands didn't shake as much.
That itself felt like a personal achievement worth a medal.
Elara stood beside me, not too close, not too far.
"Don't rush," she said. "You already know what to do."
That sentence alone did something to me.
Already know.
I aimed.
Breathed in.
Breathed out.
Shot.
It wasn't perfect—but it wasn't bad either.
I blinked, surprised.
Then shot again.
Better.
I turned to her, eyes wide. "Did you see that? That one was definitely better, right?"
She nodded, very casually. "Yes. Much better than last time."
MUCH BETTER.
I wanted to cry. Or hug her. Or frame that sentence and hang it on my wall.
We continued. She corrected me when needed, praised me when I improved, and didn't once make me feel stupid for messing up.
And the strangest thing?
I wasn't scared anymore.
The noise didn't overwhelm me.
The weight didn't feel foreign.
My body remembered what my mind wanted to forget.
At one point, she said,
"See? Second time is always easier."
I smiled.
Because for someone like me—
someone whose past keeps sneaking up without permission—
second times aren't usually easy.
But here?
With her?
They were.
We were still inside the shooting range.
My fingers were sore, my arms felt like they didn't belong to me anymore, and I was about to complain—again—when something outside the glass wall moved.
Fast.
I frowned and stepped closer to the window.
Someone was running.
Not jogging.
Not exercising.
Running like his life depended on it.
My eyes narrowed, following the figure as he crossed the open space.
And then—
My breath caught.
"Yuri…"
The name slipped out before I even realized I had spoken. My heart jumped so hard it almost hurt. It was him. His messy hair, his long strides, the way he ran slightly tilted forward like he always did.
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't joking.
He wasn't looking around.
He was running straight ahead.
Then my eyes moved behind him.
"Jay," Elara said calmly beside me, her voice low, sharp.
"Look carefully."
I did.
Behind Yuri—
"People…" I whispered.
A group of men.
Running.
Same direction.
Same speed.
Chasing.
My chest tightened. "Why are they—"
"Elara?" My voice cracked. "Why are they running after him?"
She didn't answer immediately. Her gaze sharpened, scanning the scene like she was counting pieces on a chessboard.
"They're not random," she finally said.
"And they're not friendly."
Before fear could fully settle in—
"Wait—" I leaned closer to the glass, my palm pressing against it. "I see someone else."
Another figure entered from the side.
My heart skipped again.
"Keifer."
My voice was louder this time.
He was running hard, jaw tight, shoulders squared. I could recognize that posture anywhere. He wasn't confused.
He knew exactly what he was running into.
And just behind him—
"…Kuya."
Angelo.
Even from this distance, I could feel his presence. The way he ran wasn't rushed—but controlled. Like someone who had already decided what needed to be done.
My pulse thundered.
"That's not good," I muttered.
Elara's eyes kept moving.
"Not done yet," she said.
And then—
"Oh my god," I breathed.
Two more figures appeared.
"Edrix."
"Rory."
Then
"Percy"
"Aries"
They were running together, slightly behind Keifer and Kuya, but still fast enough to tell this wasn't coincidence.
My brain struggled to keep up.
Yuri first.
Then people chasing him.
Then Keifer.
Then Kuya.
Then Edrix and Rory.
Then aries n percy.
Like dominoes falling in the worst possible order.
I swallowed. "Why does it feel like everyone I care about is—"
"Jay," Elara interrupted.
Her tone changed.
I followed her gaze again.
And my stomach dropped.
Behind Edrix and Rory—
More men.
Different from the first group.
More organized.
More spaced out.
Running.
"Again?" I whispered. "There's… another group?"
"Yes," Elara said quietly.
Keifer's POV
(It's keifer's pov at morning time)
I was walking down the hallway when I heard laughter.
I stopped.
It wasn't the loud, careless noise Jay usually makes when she wants everyone to believe she's fine. This one was… real. Loose. The kind that slips out when you forget to be guarded.
I followed the sound.
Jay was on Elara's back.
Just like that. Arms looped around her shoulders, legs hanging without a care in the world. Elara was walking anyway, muttering complaints she didn't really mean.
"I'm not a free taxi," she said.
Jay laughed, completely unbothered.
They stepped out of the room like that—Elara pretending to be annoyed, Jay enjoying every second, both of them laughing like yesterday hadn't tried to tear her apart.
Something in my chest eased. Just a little.
Halfway down the stairs, Elara slowed.
"If we fall, I'm blaming you."
Jay replied instantly, confident as ever.
"If we fall, we fall together."
I almost smiled.
Almost.
The last step betrayed them.
Jay's foot slipped.
Elara lost balance.
Gravity did the rest.
They didn't fall.
They collapsed.
Onto the floor in a clumsy heap of limbs and laughter, dignity clearly abandoned somewhere above.
For a second, they just stared at each other.
Then they laughed.
The real kind. The kind that bends you in half and makes your eyes water. The kind that makes the world quiet for a moment.
Jay wiped her eyes.
"Best ride ever."
Elara groaned.
"Never again."
They stayed there, still laughing.
And then—
Angelo.
I didn't even get time to react.
Jay's ear twisted.
"Ow—OW—KUYA!"
Elara's ear followed instantly.
"Sir—!"
Jay was about to protest—dramatically, of course—when she noticed us.
All of us.
Section E.
Watching.
Her laughter vanished in an instant.
Percy burst out laughing.
"Oh my God. Is this ear yoga?"
Aries shook his head, amused.
"She really can't survive a single morning peacefully."
I turned my face away before anyone noticed the smile I couldn't stop.
Jay's embarrassment hit hard. I could see it in the way her shoulders stiffened, how she stopped laughing altogether.
"Kuya—please," she said, struggling. "People are watching."
Angelo glanced at us.
Then twisted her ear a little more.
"Good," he said calmly.
Elara leaned closer to Jay, voice low.
"Jay… they're staring."
"I KNOW," Jay whispered back. "THIS IS HOW I DIE."
Percy clapped.
"Encore!"
Jay glared at him.
"You're next.
"
Angelo finally let go.
They both grabbed their ears instantly.
Angelo straightened.
"Show's over. Go do something useful."
No one argued.
We scattered.
Percy didn't miss his last chance.
"Smile, Jay! Best morning ever!"
Angelo walked away like nothing had happened.
Jay stayed on the floor, visibly wishing it would open and swallow her.
Elara leaned toward her, calm as ever.
"So… unforgettable morning?"
"I hate this family," Jay groaned.
I spoke without thinking.
"Liar."
She didn't look at me.
But the corner of her mouth lifted.
And that was enough.
*Spoiler for upcoming chapters:
- Yuri exposed.....