Aries's POV
*ContinuationOfFlashback...*
"Aries..." Jay-jay whispered to me.
I opened my eyes, but it was pitch dark—I couldn't see anything. My back was cold, and that's when I realized I was lying on the floor. I slowly sat up.
"Jay... Where are you?"
Someone touched my arm. "Aries."
I knew it was her. I took her hand and pulled her close to me. I hugged her tightly.
"Where are we?" Her voice trembled. "Where did those men take us?"
I couldn't remember much of what happened. Because of my resistance earlier, they knocked me out using a cloth with a strange scent. I had no idea what they had done to Jay-jay.
"Did they hurt you?"
"N-n-no..."
I was scared. Scared of what would happen to us. I could feel that Jay felt the same, but she was trying her best to stay strong.
It was eerily silent—the only sounds were our breathing and the loud pounding of my heart. I felt like I was going to lose myself in this place.
"There's a window." Jay-jay said.
I looked at what she was pointing at. There really was a small window, but it was too high—almost touching the ceiling.
Because of that window, light managed to enter the room. It was morning, and only then did I clearly see where we were.
It looked like the basement in our house—piled with stuff, an old sofa set that seemed older than me, boxes of clothes and random things, a full-length mirror, and an old TV that didn't seem to work.
"Can you reach it?" she asked me.
I tried climbing onto the boxes to reach it, but we suddenly heard a loud metal sound. It was followed by footsteps and the jingling of keys.
I quickly got down and moved closer to Jay. I hid her behind me and waited for whoever was about to enter.
The door opened, and the man who had been following me appeared.
He was carrying a tray full of food and a gallon of water.
"Your food." He said before closing the door behind him.
He placed it on top of the old coffee table and sat on the sofa, putting his feet up. Casually, he gestured to the space beside him, telling us to sit.
"Sit down... eat." He said lazily.
"Who are you?" I asked.
He smirked slightly and subtly pointed at the mirror.
I didn't understand. What was with the mirror?
"Why don't you take a look?" he said.
Jay-jay and I exchanged glances, but before I could take a step, she muttered something that made me freeze.
"You look alike."
My heartbeat grew loud and fast. Thoughts spun wildly in my head, and all of them pointed to this man.
Could it be... No!
"Aries." He called me as he stood up. "...We have the same name."
I stepped back, and so did Jay. He moved to a different spot and took a step closer to me.
"Your mom really took what she said seriously. She never introduced me to you."
I swallowed hard as his expression turned serious. Then, his gaze shifted to Jay-jay, who was still behind me.
I tried to keep her hidden, which made him chuckle slightly.
"I'll be back. Eat well." He said before turning away from us.
He stepped out the door, and once again, I heard the sound of keys, followed by metal hitting the wall.
I couldn't help but feel weak. Not once had I searched for my father because I always thought he was dead.
Days passed, and Jay-jay and I were still here. I didn't know if Mom was doing anything to find us.
"Stop that." I told Jay-jay.
She had probably opened every single box in the room. She used whatever she could find to try and break the small window or unlock the door. Our voices had gone hoarse from screaming for help.
But nothing happened. We were still stuck here.
"Jay! You're just making a mess."
I turned to her when she didn't respond. All I saw were piled-up boxes, but she was nowhere in sight.
"Jay?"
I got up from the floor and walked to where she had been.
"Jay? What are—?" I stopped when I saw her inside a large box.
She had fallen asleep. That's why she wasn't answering. Some clothes were wrapped around her like a blanket. No wonder she was exhausted—she had been making a mess for hours.
I kept telling her we'd get home, but it didn't seem like that was going to happen. I didn't want to lose hope.
As I watched Jay, an idea suddenly came to me.
I quickly fixed the boxes and returned everything she had scattered. I put everything back in its place. I just hoped this would work.
As expected, he came back with food again.
I covered Jay's mouth to make sure she wouldn't make a sound.
When the door opened, I heard his footsteps.
"Kids! Time to eat!" he called out like he was calling children from the streets.
He even whistled and walked around a bit. I also heard him open the bathroom door.
Then, his footsteps moved toward our spot. He pushed some boxes aside, and his movements gradually became faster.
"Shit! Did they escape?!" he shouted before running out.
I didn't hear him close the door, so I quickly stepped out, with Jay-jay following behind me.
Just as I had hoped, he thought we had escaped.
"Do you think... he left?" Jay asked me.
I nodded in response, even though, in truth, I wasn't sure.
I walked to the door and peeked outside. A concrete staircase greeted me.
"I'll go first." I said before stepping onto the stairs.
I moved carefully, and when I reached the top, I saw a metal door—it must have been the one we always heard whenever he brought us food.
It was open, too.
I peeked out first, and after making sure no one was around, I signaled Jay to come up. But I guess that wasn't necessary—when I turned around, she was already right behind me.
"Sorry, I couldn't wait." she said with a smile.
We slowly walked outside. We were in a wide hallway. I couldn't hear anything, so I felt confident enough to keep walking. I peeked through the nearest window.
"Where are we?" Jay whispered to me.
I shook my head. "I don't know."
All I could see was a vast sugarcane plantation. If I wasn't mistaken, we were inside a huge house, and the place where we were locked up was the basement.
I looked around. I wasn't sure where to go. I couldn't think straight. My heart was pounding so fast, and I felt like I was losing my mind with every second that passed. This was our chance to escape, but now, of all times, I couldn't think clearly. I was panicking.
Think, Aries!
"Aries... s-someone's coming..." Jay stammered, her voice shaking.
I panicked even more. I looked around for a place to hide, but all I saw were walls. Damn it! I had no choice but to run anywhere. I grabbed Jay, holding onto her tightly.
We turned at the first corner we saw, ran up the stairs, and rushed into the nearest room. I had no idea where we were anymore. Out of breath, I was forced to stop. My vision blurred from exhaustion and hunger.
"Aries! There's a door!" she said excitedly, pointing to a door not too far away.
Without hesitation, I ran towards it, but before I could grab the doorknob, Jay was yanked away from me. I turned back and froze.
He found us.
Jay was being held, a knife pressed against her throat. The man was glaring at me, furious.
"I've been looking all over for you!"
A hard slap sent me tumbling to the ground. My face went numb, and I struggled to move.
"You're a clever little brat! But you won't outsmart me!" he growled. "The people who adopted you are willing to pay a fortune for you, so why would I ever let you go?"
That was it? Money? He took us away from our family for money? Then why did he even bother introducing himself to me if this was all he wanted?
"And you!" he snapped, pointing at Jay, who was being held back by another man. "You're going to pay for what your mother did to me!" He grabbed Jay by the hair.
"Let me go!" Jay screamed.
"L-let her go!" I shouted as I struggled to stand.
He laughed. "I'll let you be for now. But once I get my money, you'll never see each other again. So enjoy your time together while it lasts!"
He shoved Jay toward me. I caught her, but we both collapsed from weakness. He flashed me a devilish grin before finally walking away with the other man.
We stayed silent after they left, but soon, I heard Jay sobbing. She was crying, and I couldn't stop myself from crying too.
I was so weak. I couldn't even protect Jay-jay. I was her older brother—I was supposed to be the one she could rely on. But I was the first one to give up between us.
I was worthless.
"I-I want to go home." she whispered.
I wanted that too, but I didn't know how.
"Sorry." That was all I could say.
"Sorry won't change anything."
I froze at her words. Slowly, I sat up and looked at her in confusion. "I know you're upset, but don't talk like that."
He sat up and glared at me. "What do you want me to say? 'Everything will be okay' even when it's not? Is that what you want?"
She wiped her tears. "I keep hearing that over and over, but things never actually get better!"
"Do you really want to hear the truth? Fine! 'WE WILL NEVER BE OKAY!' There! Are you happy now?!"
I didn't know how long I had been awake, but I couldn't stay still. Something felt off. I had been scared before, but now, I was even more terrified for a reason I couldn't explain. My breathing grew heavier, even though nothing was choking me.
It was dark, and the only light came from the window. There was a bulb on the ceiling, but the switch seemed to be outside.
Jay was sleeping soundly beside me. I envied her—she could still sleep despite everything we were going through. She hadn't spoken to me since our last argument.
I just wanted to get out of here.
What if he was serious about separating us? What would happen to us then? To Jay-jay?
I heard the metal door outside open. I knew he was coming, so I quickly shook Jay awake.
"What?!" she groaned, annoyed, and turned away from me.
"Jay! Get up—"
I didn't get to finish my sentence because the door suddenly swung open.
He was holding a pair of handcuffs and a cloth. He moved quickly toward me, and I instinctively stood up, backing against the wall.
Jay was still asleep, seemingly unaware of what was happening.
"It's time... That Angelo guy paid me a lot." he said with a smirk.
He was only taking me? What about Jay? I couldn't leave her behind.
"No! I won't go! I won't leave Jay here!" I screamed.
He suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me away from Jay. He was trying to cuff me. I struggled as hard as I could.
"Let go of me!"
"Stop fighting!"
"No! I won't!"
I screamed when he finally managed to lock one of the cuffs around my wrist. I panicked and shouted.
"Shit! Jay-jay!"
"Shut up!" he said and attempted to cover my mouth.
"No!"
We both froze when we heard the honk of a car. He looked at the door, and he seemed afraid.
I immediately realized that he wasn't expecting that car horn. It might not be from his accomplices.
There was someone else!
"Help! Somebody help us!"
"I said shut up!"
"Kuya Angelo! Mama!"
"You brat!" he shouted angrily and slapped me.
"Jay! Wake up, please!"
I ignored the pain. What mattered to me was escaping from this man. He reached for one of my hands to secure the other end of the handcuffs, but suddenly, someone pushed him away from me. It wasn't strong, but enough to separate us.
"What are you doing to Aries?!" Jay-jay asked angrily.
I thought she wouldn't wake up. I needed to think of a way to make sure she wouldn't be left behind.
He pointed a finger at Jay. "Stay out of this!"
Before he could approach me again, Jay pushed him once more, but it wasn't enough. He grabbed Jay's arm and shoved her like a rag doll.
"Jay-jay!" I screamed and rushed to her.
Before I could get close, the monster yanked me away. He was trying to lock the handcuffs on my wrist again.
"Let go of Aries!"
Jay-jay!
She threw herself at us, desperately pulling my hand away from the cuffs while also striking the man's hands repeatedly. I seized the opportunity to fight back, kicking him wherever I could, and he reacted with pain.
"What the hell?! Stop it, you brat!"
"I said let go of Aries!"
"Let me go! I won't leave without Jay!"
An idea struck me, and I kicked him right in his crotch.
He fell to his knees in pain but still held on to us. Jay didn't waste any time—she bit his arm.
The man screamed even louder from the double pain.
I managed to break free, but Jay didn't. Everything happened so fast that all I could do was blink. He slapped Jay so hard that she was thrown toward the door. Her head hit something, and I didn't know if it was bad.
"JAY!" I shouted, about to rush to her, but she got up on his own.
She was clutching her head and turned to me. Blood trickled down from her wound, and it didn't look good.
I didn't hesitate to run to her. She looked at her hand and suddenly trembled in fear.
"S-so much b-blood!"
I grabbed the handkerchief the monster had intended to use on me and pressed it against her wound.
"D-don't be scared... We'll treat it." I said, scanning the area.
The monster was still writhing in pain. It was the perfect chance to escape, but I was panicking. I needed to stop Jay's bleeding first.
The handcuffs were getting in my way, so I removed them first. They weren't too tight, so I managed to slip my hand out easily. I left them beside Jay.
I stood up and searched through the boxes, hoping to find something useful for her wound. I was tossing things around in frustration, unable to find anything. I even ran my hands through my hair.
What do I do? Jay might be in serious danger.
"Hey, kid." The monster called out to me as he slowly stood up.
I prepared myself to fight him. I wouldn't let fear consume me this time. I had to protect my sister. But then, I saw something behind her—Jay standing up, holding the handcuffs in her right hand.
The monster must have noticed what I was looking at because he turned around. Just as he did, the metal cuffs struck his jaw.
Jay punched him while wearing the handcuffs like brass knuckles.
Blood gushed from the monster's jaw and neck as he collapsed.
I stepped back. Something was wrong.
Why was Jay like this?
Her emotions were all over the place. She was angry, but fear was still in her eyes. Yet, her gaze was lifeless.
I cautiously stepped toward her. "J-jay?"
Her eyes flicked to me. I couldn't understand what was happening to her. Just moments ago, she was too frozen to move because of her own blood. But now, it was as if she felt nothing at all.
I was about to take another step forward when I heard the monster speak.
"Y-you little b-brat."
He struggled to stand up. Blood continued to pour from his jaw. He was turning pale, and it seemed like he could collapse at any moment.
We heard the sound of police sirens. I knew they were close.
I turned back to Jay, but to my shock, she attacked me with the handcuffs.
I stumbled backward and barely dodged it, but I lost my balance and fell to the floor.
"Jay! What are you doing?!"
She was crying, looking terrified of something. I scooted back as she slowly stepped toward me. She suddenly raised her fist to punch me again, but I dodged, and her hand struck the glass behind me.
The glass shattered, sending shards flying everywhere.
She dropped the handcuffs, and I saw blood on her knuckles. She looked hurt.
"Jay. What's wrong…?"
She was whispering something, but I couldn't make it out. She was muttering words I couldn't piece together.
"H-he'll hurt..." was one of the things I caught.
She fell to her knees, gripping her bleeding hand.
"D-don't..." she whispered again.
"Jay."
I tried to approach her, but her hand moved swiftly, grabbing a shard of broken glass.
Without hesitation, she tried to stab me with it.
I blocked it with my arm, and the sharp edge slashed into my skin.
"Argh!" I cried out as pain burned through me.
"You'll hurt me too. All of you." he sobbed.
"N-no. I would never." My voice was almost pleading.
She stepped closer to me again. I had nowhere left to retreat.
She raised his hand again to stab me, and this time, I couldn't block it.
The shard sank just below my left rib.
I let out a loud scream, grabbing her wrist to stop her, but I felt the glass sink deeper into my flesh.
"JAY! STOP!"
It felt like my skin and muscles were being torn apart. I couldn't take it anymore. As much as I hated to, I kicked her away from me.
I felt the glass being yanked out as she stumbled back. The pain was unbearable!
But that wasn't the only thing I felt. My breathing became labored, and I could taste blood in my mouth.
"J-jay! W-what's happening to you?! D-don't you recognize me?"
She was crying, gripping the glass tightly. She slowly looked at me.
I thought she would stop, but instead, she raised her hand again to stab me.
"Jay-jay! It's me! WAAAAGG!"
I couldn't block it in time, and I felt the sharp glass sink into my body again.
My vision blurred. I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't move. This was it for me.
Why did you do this to me, Jay?