(a/n : sry guys to inform you this but i will be uploading 1 or 2 ch daily due to tight schedule . hope you all understand )
The next morning felt… lighter. At least, on the surface.
Section E was buzzing with energy, loud voices echoing through the fernandes mansion. Everyone had gathered in the living room — planning decorations, fighting over playlists, arguing about cake flavors, and of course, teasing Jay about turning eighteen in two days.
"Okay, okay, hear me out!" Percy shouted, waving a notepad. "We go with an elegant midnight theme—"
"Boring," Rakki cut in. "We need chaos. Sparkles. Fireworks. Something that screams Jay Mariano, certified menace."
Jay laughed, flopping onto the couch. "Menace? Excuse you. I'm a delight."
"Delight in causing heart attacks," Keifer muttered from behind her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.
"True," Yuri agreed, scrolling on his phone. "She's the only person who can make a teacher quit mid-semester and still get top marks."
"Talent," Jay said with a proud smirk.
Everyone laughed — the kind of laugh that made the mansion feel alive again. But somewhere behind that cheer, something else lingered. A quiet weight that only Jay seemed to feel.
As Percy and Aries argued over balloons, and the girls began sketching décor ideas, Jay's mind was elsewhere — replaying that message over and over.
He's coming back. Be careful.
Her fingers tapped restlessly on her knee. Raefael.Her godbrother.Her protector once… and her shadow now.
He wasn't just anyone. When he appeared, things moved. Secrets resurfaced. Alliances shifted. The League stirred.
And if he was coming back, that meant one thing — something big was about to unfold.
"Jay?" Keifer's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He was watching her with that quiet intensity again — the one that always saw through her smiles. "You spaced out. You okay?"
Jay blinked, quickly faking a grin. "Yeah, just thinking… can we survive this party without burning the house down?"
"Doubt it," Yuri said without looking up.
"Then it's perfect," Jay replied, laughing softly.
But when her phone buzzed again, her laughter faltered for just a second. Another coded ping. She slipped it into her pocket before anyone could see.
"Everything fine?" Keifer asked again, eyes narrowing slightly.
Jay smiled up at him — the same smile she always wore when she was lying. "Yeah, Watson. Everything's fine."
That night, after everyone finally drifted off — Percy still snoring on the beanbag, Ella and Freya sprawled on the floor — Jay sat by her window again. The moonlight washed her face pale as she reread the last message.
I'm almost there.Stay sharp, little one.
A small smile tugged at her lips. "Still calling me that…" she whispered, her voice soft with both affection and worry.
She closed the message, locking her phone beside the League insignia. The reflection of both screens danced in her eyes — one warm, one dangerous.
"Welcome home, kuya," she murmured.Then, barely audible —"Let's just hope this time, you didn't bring the storm with you."