(Jayjay POV)
The first rays of the sun slipped through my curtains, gently waking me from a deep sleep.
"Jayjay! Come downstairs, breakfast is ready!" Aries's voice echoed from the kitchen. I groaned, stretching and yawning. Mornings were never my favorite, but Iris's cheerful tone always made it bearable.
By the time I was dressed, we slid into the car, Aries driving with her usual precision. "Guess what?" she said, eyes gleaming. "We're picking up Ella before heading to school."
I chuckled, buckling my seatbelt. "Her? Again? You two really are inseparable."
The drive to Ella's house was filled with our usual teasing and laughter. Ella opened the door with a sleepy smile, her backpack hanging lazily over one shoulder. We piled into the car, making jokes about who had the worst morning hair, and soon we were off toward school.
Once we reached the campus, Aries and Ella split off to Section A. I made my way toward Section E, feeling the familiar flutter of excitement. On the path, I ran into Ci-N and Yuri, who were engaged in their usual banter.
"Jayjay, look at you," Ci-N said, grinning. "Late as always?"
"Please," I teased back. "You two just enjoy torturing everyone with your jokes."
Yuri smirked. "Oh, come on, it's fun! Admit it."
We laughed, but when I entered the classroom, the moment the door clicked shut, my heart sank. Kiefer wasn't there. Not a single sign of him.
I leaned over to a few classmates. "Has anyone seen Kiefer today?"
"Nope," one shook his head. "He didn't come this morning."
"Me neither," another added.
My worry grew. I fumbled for my phone and called him, putting it on speaker.
"Kiefer?!"
Instead of his calm voice, I heard screaming. "Help! Someone help us!"
It was Kegan and Kieran, his little brothers, terrified, their voices cracking.
"Where are you?!" I shouted, panic rising. "I'll come!"
The Section E members quickly gathered, curious and tense. They crowded around me, trying to see what was happening on the phone.
Kieran stuttered through his fear. "I… I don't know… but I'll send the location!"
As I tried to make sense of it, endrix jumped forward, taking the phone to hack the incoming location data. Within seconds, we had an address. It was an abandoned warehouse.
"Aries, Percy, Angelo… we need backup. Now," I said, my voice shaking but determined.
We arrived outside the warehouse. Screams and cries echoed from within. My stomach churned. "What's happening in there?" I whispered, my hands trembling.
Yuri, Percy, Aries, and Angelo entered first, moving carefully. "We'll call for backup," Yuri said.
I stayed outside, heart hammering. My fingers tightened around the phone, dread filling every inch of me.
Suddenly, a loud thud echoed from inside. I flinched. One of Kiefer's father's men raised a stick to strike Kegan…
"NO!" I screamed, throwing myself in front of him. The stick hit me instead. Pain exploded in my head.
I staggered, hand going to the back of my head. My fingers came away sticky… wet.
Blood.
My vision blurred, and I froze, terror flooding me.