JAY-JAY'S POV
I want to punch something. I want to punch a horoscope. I want to punch Aries, the horoscope, right in the face.
You cut me off.
I don't know if he was proud that the car from my father was now his or if he was embarrassed because we were all gathered around him, gawking at his new ride.
And not just any car. A luxury car—the kind I see in telenovelas. The ones that rich people drive.
"Nice car," Kuya Angelo said sarcastically while holding the car's paperwork.
It was complete—properly registered, with my brother's license plate already attached.
"W-what about Aries' old car?" Aunt Echo asked.
"I'm still going to use it—" Aries started.
"Don't. It would be a waste not to use your new car," Kuya interrupted.
Aries scratched his head, as if he had failed to anticipate his own fate today.
Serves him right.
"Can't it be returned?" Mom asked.
"Even if we wanted to, where would we return it? To the buyer or the seller? Either way, neither of them would accept it," Kuya replied.
I sneezed after seeing my own reflection on the car's glossy surface. It was that shiny. It almost made me want to burst into song—like Lea Salonga.
Who is that girl I see?
"Maybe it's better if we talk about what to do with the car later. They'll be late for school," Aunt Gema said, and Kuya nodded in agreement.
"I'll talk to you later," Kuya warned Aries before finally letting him approach his new car.
Kuya noticed that I hadn't moved from where I was standing. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Take me," I pleaded.
He pointed at Aries' car. "This car is from your dad. Don't you want to smell your dad's money?"
He was obviously teasing. I scowled at him, but he just laughed.
Not funny.
"I don't want to ride in that car," I said.
"Then how do you plan to get there?"
"If you don't drive me, I'll walk. I can run, crawl, or roll—whatever option is available."
Kuya playfully raised his hand as if to hit me, so I quickly stepped back and crossed my arms.
"Take me instead," I insisted.
He glanced at Aries, who was already sitting inside his new car. Kuya shook his head before turning around and walking back into the house.
I thought he was ignoring me, but my face lit up when I heard him say, "I'll just get the keys."
I clapped my hands in excitement, only to see Aries staring at me. He shook his head before driving off.
Wouldn't mind if he got a flat tire.
Kuya returned soon after and let me into his car. I quickly fastened my seatbelt.
As we drove, I kept glancing at the cars around us, especially Aries' new car, which was visible in the distance. Some motorists were eyeing it—it was obvious it was brand new.
"How long are you going to stay mad at Aries?" Kuya asked as we stopped at a red light.
"I don't know. Jowa has been having seizures for years. Will Dad still be seizing too?"
He chuckled slightly. "You're so childish, Jay-jay."
"You can't blame me, Brother."
"I know, I know. You've been looking forward to seeing your Papa for so long, only to find out he's talking to your brother instead."
He always controls the conversation.
I just gave him a thumbs-up and forced a smile. He shook his head before turning his gaze back to the road.
We were in the middle of our flight when my cellphone rang. I grabbed it immediately, and Yuri's name flashed on the screen. I was a little surprised—he was calling me.
I quickly answered.
"Hello—"
["Keifer! Help me! Someone's in my house!"] he shouted from the other end.
I covered my mouth in shock as I heard a gunshot. Not just one—it sounded like multiple shots fired from different distances.
"Y-Yuri! What's going on?"
["Jay? Is that you, Jay-jay? Oh, fuck!"] he cursed before abruptly hanging up.
"What was that, Jay?" my brother asked, but I ignored him.
I tried calling Yuri back, but he didn't answer. Panic gripped me. I called again. No response. I tried several more times, but still nothing.
"What's going on?" my brother asked, now irritated.
"We need to go to Yuri's place. I have a bad feeling. Please!" I pleaded, my voice shaking with fear.
"Tell me what's happening first."
"He was asking for help... T-then... then... there were gunshots," I explained frantically.
"I'll drop you off first, then I'll go check on him."
I shook my head. "No, Brother! We need to go now!"
He cursed under his breath before sharply turning the steering wheel. I told him exactly what Yuri had said—someone was in his house.
The first place that came to my mind was his rooftop apartment. My brother sped toward the location, overtaking cars recklessly. I silently prayed for Yuri's safety—and ours—because, at this rate, I might die before even reaching him.
I closed my eyes and waited for the car to stop. When we arrived at the parking lot of his building, I wasted no time and rushed toward the elevator. My brother followed closely behind.
As we rode up, I noticed the black bag he was carrying. I hadn't seen him take anything from the car earlier, so I wasn't sure when he grabbed it.
The moment we reached Yuri's floor, I was met with chaos—broken furniture, shattered glass, even scorched bonsai plants.
I ran inside, but a man dressed in black appeared before me. He lifted his gaze for a moment before aiming a gun directly at me. I froze in place, unable to move. My breath hitched as I shut my eyes, bracing for my end.
But then, someone pulled me back and wrapped their arms around my waist. In an instant, I was turned around and shielded.
Everything happened too fast.
Gunshots rang out one after another. I screamed and clutched my ears with both hands.
What?! Tofu is a child?
"Escaped!" my brother muttered in frustration when the shooting finally stopped.
I turned to him, utterly shocked—he was holding a gun. Not just any gun. It looked exactly like the ones used in SWAT movies, fully loaded with ammunition.
"What is that? Where did you get it?" I asked, suddenly remembering the black bag he had earlier.
"We'll talk later. Go back to the car. I'll handle things here," he said, already moving forward.
But I refused to leave. I immediately followed him, causing him to curse under his breath. He tried to push me back, but before he could, another round of gunshots echoed through the space. I screamed, but he quickly covered my mouth.
I didn't even realize when he pulled me into a corner.
"Stay here. Don't go out until I'm gone," he ordered but didn't wait for my response.
I sat down as he instructed, but I could still hear gunshots. Not far away, things were breaking. Even if I wanted to stay, I couldn't. I felt an urgent need to find Yuri—before something bad happened.
I took a deep breath and stepped out of my hiding place. My first thought was his room, so I ran there, ducking whenever I heard gunfire.
Please don't hit me.
After sprinting through the chaos, I reached his room, but it was empty. I looked around and noticed that everything was gone—it was spotless.
Did thieves break in? Maybe they were robbing Yuri and got caught, which led to this shooting.
They must be thieves. That would explain why the person we saw earlier was dressed in black. There were probably many of them, and I had no idea if Yuri was alone in the house. I briefly thought of their butler, the one in a kimono, but he was nowhere to be seen.
If he were here, Yuri wouldn't be the one shooting. I need to get help immediately. I froze at the thought. Why does Yuri have a gun? And speaking of guns, my body stiffened when I heard one cock behind me.
"Hands up," a voice ordered. I obeyed.
"Turn around."
I hesitated but did as I was told, slowly turning with both hands raised. My whole body was trembling.
I was shocked to see the person pointing the gun at me—a woman with colored hair. It looked like the ginger-red shade I'd seen on the internet.
I suddenly thought of the girl Yuri had teased at the mall. I stared at her, but because of the mask she wore, I couldn't see her face properly. Only her brown eyes and sharp nose were visible.
"What is your name?" she asked, her English noticeably struggling.
"I said, what is your name?" she repeated, pressing the gun closer to my face.
Panic took over, and I stammered. "What! Name! Name!" I blurted out. "Name! Kokey—I mean, Jay-Jay!"
She glanced at something in her other hand. A phone. She raised it and pointed it at my face, scrolling steadily with her thumb. When she didn't find what she was looking for, she sighed and lowered both the phone and the gun.
"Sorry, I thought you were an ene—"
Before she could finish, I kicked her hard in the stomach. She lost her balance, crashing against Yuri's bedroom door before collapsing to the floor.
"'Sorry, sorry'? You pointed a gun at me, lol!" I snapped, kicking the gun away from her.
She quickly stood up, glaring at me.
"I guess you are an enemy," she muttered before charging at me.
She threw a punch, which I barely dodged, but another one followed, landing hard near my jaw. Pain exploded through my face.
She fights aggressively.
Even though she was still recovering from my kick, she was strong. I lunged for her leg, yanking it to throw her off balance. She fell, giving me the chance to run.
I can't fight her—she looks like she knows karate.
I was almost at the door when she grabbed my leg, making me crash to the floor. I tried to get up, but she was already on top of me, punching my face—once, twice, three times.
"Fight me, bitch!" she shouted.
"You bitch! Shut up!" I yelled back, grabbing her hair.
She screamed in pain as I flipped us over and slapped her repeatedly.
She wanted a fight? She got one.
She slapped and punched me back. If she hadn't blocked with her arms, her nose would have been bleeding by now.
I screamed when she punched me in the side, and she quickly twisted me around. She managed to pin me down again and punched me in the face repeatedly. Since her hair was long, I immediately grabbed it again.
Our fight escalated into a full-blown brawl, including punches and slaps. Then, she suddenly said the word "afternoon," but I didn't understand what she meant, so I cursed at her in Tagalog.
"Damn you! Keep pointing the gun!" I shouted in shock.
I managed to push her away from me and quickly got to my feet, and so did she.
She straightened her hair before raising both fists. I fixed my own hair and raised my fists as well. It felt like we were in a video game, just waiting for the player to press the controller.
"Who the fuck are you?" she asked.
"Guess what, silly!" I replied, though she clearly didn't understand.
She looked even more annoyed and immediately launched an attack. I thought she was going to punch me, but instead, she sent a flying kick my way. I raised my arm to block it, but it wasn't enough—I fell to the ground anyway. She quickly advanced toward me, but I managed to kick her in the stomach.
She doubled over, gagging. I quickly got up, and she did the same—but this time, she was holding the gun that I had kicked earlier.
Damn it! Defeat!
Before she could point it at me, I rushed at her and tackled her to the ground. Our fight turned into a wrestling match. Exhausted and breathless, I didn't even realize how close she was to overpowering me.
She had the gun and was about to aim it at me—until someone suddenly struck her on the back of the neck. She collapsed beside me, unconscious. I quickly scrambled to my feet and turned to see who had intervened.
Yuri.
"It's good you're safe," he said, pulling me into a hug.
"What's going on? Who are these people? What do they want from you? Did they steal anything?" I bombarded him with questions as we separated.
He grabbed my hand, and I noticed that his other hand was holding a gun.
"There's no time to explain. Let's go," he said, tugging at me, but I stopped in my tracks.
I smelled something burning.
"Do you smell that?" I asked, and Yuri sniffed the air.
"It smells like something's burning…"
We both froze as the scent grew stronger. Smoke was already creeping along the ceiling and walls.
"Shit! They're burning the house!" Yuri shouted, making us panic.
We were about to run when I suddenly remembered the girl. My heart pounded.
"What about her?" I asked, my voice filled with worry.
Yes, we had fought fiercely, but I wasn't cruel enough to leave her here to die in the fire.
Yuri didn't hesitate. He rushed over to her, checked her pulse, and lifted her onto his back. He also grabbed the gun and a cellphone from the floor.
I helped him steady the unconscious girl as we hurried out of the room. Then, I suddenly remembered my brother. What if he was still inside? What would happen to him?
"Kuya! Kuya Angelo!" I called out while moving forward.
I coughed several times as thick smoke filled my lungs. I bent down and stopped momentarily, but I couldn't afford to waste time.
My eyes widened in horror as I saw the other side of the house engulfed in flames. Since the building was made of wood and paper, the fire was spreading rapidly.
"Kuya Angelo!" I called again, and relief flooded me when I saw him running toward us.
I threw my arms around him, and he hugged me back. I quickly checked him for injuries, but he seemed unharmed. He was still clutching the gun he had earlier.
"Let's go!"
We ran toward the exit. We were close to the elevator when a deafening explosion erupted. The next thing I knew, I was hitting the floor—Kuya's body shielding mine from the blast.
I heard another explosion, and the house was engulfed in flames. Kuya immediately stood up and picked me up. I couldn't move, confused about what to do.
"The elevator isn't working anymore. Let's take the fire exit," Yuri said, taking the lead as we ran.
Before the fire door closed behind us, I couldn't help but glance back at the house. I knew how important that place was to Yuri's family. Anger surged within me toward the people who had stormed in, stealing and setting the house on fire.
The ground floor was still far away since we had started from the rooftop. I could see how exhausted everyone was, but they didn't care. The only thing that mattered was getting out alive.
"Damn it! When we get home, you're going on a diet, Jay!" Kuya grumbled in annoyance.
I didn't reply, afraid that answering would only irritate him more.
It took a long time before we finally reached the parking lot. As soon as we got there, we jumped into Kuya's car, all of us gasping for breath.
Outside, I could hear the blaring sirens of the fire trucks and ambulances.
"Care to explain?" Kuya asked Yuri.
Yuri adjusted the unconscious woman lying next to him before responding.
"Let's get out of here first."
Without hesitation, Kuya started driving. I had no idea where we were headed. I was still too shaken to process everything that had happened.
We had just come from a shooting, I had gotten into a fight, wrestled with a girl I didn't even know, and almost got caught in a fire. Everything was happening too fast.
The ringing of my phone snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked at my bag, relieved that I had left it in the car earlier—otherwise, it would have been lost in the chaos.
Keifer's name flashed on the screen. I hesitated before answering, but I knew he must be worried.
["Jay-Jay!"] Ci-N's voice greeted me. ["Where have you been? Keifer is worried sick!"] he said, laughing.
"Ci? Can you give the phone to Keifer?" I tried to sound normal, but the exhaustion in my voice was unmistakable.
["Ukie."]
I heard him hand the phone over.
"Tell Keifer to meet us. Maybe at Alvin's house," Kuya muttered, catching my attention.
["Jay? Is that Angelo? Where are you?"] Keifer's voice came through the line.
"Yes, Yuri is with us too. We'll meet at Sir Alvin's house."
There was silence on the other end before I heard Keifer whispering to someone, followed by Felix's response.
["I'm on my way now,"] he finally said before hanging up.
I relayed Keifer's response to Kuya, and we all sat in silence for the rest of the drive. But as I started to take in our surroundings, a strange feeling crept up on me.
Why does it feel like we're heading into the jungle?