Aries's POV
*ContinuationOfFlashback...*
Jay-jay… w-why?
"Aries!"
Slowly, I opened my eyes. My vision was blurry, and I felt dizzy. I couldn't feel anything, and it was like my body refused to move.
"Wake up! Aries!"
Someone shouted angrily.
Only two people I knew spoke English when they were mad—Keifer or Percy.
I tried to move my hands, but they wouldn't cooperate. Then, my gaze drifted to the front of the car.
W-why does it look like—?!
Where am I?! No! Where are Keifer, Yuri, and Percy?!
I looked behind me, but only Percy was there—bloody and trembling in fear.
What happened?
Pain pulsed through my entire body. The windshield was shattered, the back door was gone, and everything was a mess.
"P-Percy." I called out to him.
"Aries... C-can you move?" he asked, and I tried.
My hands shook, barely responding. I reached for the seatbelt, but as soon as I let go of it, the car suddenly shifted.
"W-what was that?!"
Percy took a deep breath. "W-we're on the edge of a cliff."
A cliff?
I glanced out the window beside me.
The front half of the car, including the front wheels, was hanging in the air over the cliff. The car could fall at any moment.
I didn't know what to do. My mind went blank. Was this it?
I survived what Jay did to me, only to die like this?
"W-what do we do, Percy?" I asked.
He looked at me, his eyes saying there was no hope left.
"Open the door beside you," he instructed.
I did as he said, but I gasped when the door detached completely from the car. The sudden movement made the vehicle shake even more.
I gripped the steering wheel and the seat tightly. The car stopped moving.
I took deep breaths to calm myself. I wouldn't be able to do what I needed to if I let myself panic.
"P-Percy." I called his name, about to ask what I should do next, but I froze when I saw him smiling at me.
"Y-you… have to jump… out," he said in a broken voice.
"W-what?"
I looked at him fully.
He hadn't moved at all since I woke up. That's when I realized what he meant.
H-he's planning to—no!
"N-no! No! No! I can't! I'm not leaving you here! No!" I cried as tears streamed down my face.
I couldn't.
I couldn't just leave him here.
"You have to. T-this is the only way," he said as tears slipped down his cheeks. "...My siblings, please. And Freya..." He gave me a bitter smile. "...Tell her her boyfriend thought he was a superhero."
"No, Percy! Ask anything else!"
He shook his head and wiped his tears.
"You have to leave now," he said seriously.
"Percy! No! I can't!"
"Get out! Leave me behind!"
"No! I'm not leaving you here!"
"Do it! Leave me here!"
He grabbed my collar, his tears still falling. I held onto his hands.
"O-only one of us… can survive this. Don't waste this chance."
"I-I can't."
He smiled at me again.
That smile. The same smile he always gave us.
"I'm happy that I met you." he said.
"Please—Percy!"
In an instant, he used all his strength to push me out of the car.
I hit the muddy ground hard.
I tried to get up, ignoring the pain in my body, but all I saw was the back of the car as it slid down the cliff.
"NO!"
There was a river below the cliff—raging, murky waters. I watched helplessly as the river swallowed the car in seconds.
"P-Percy…"
End of Flashback…
Slowly, I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was light peeking through the window. I turned my head to the side, and the sight that greeted me was… Jay-jay snoring.
Her mouth was wide open, drool dripping from the corner.
I couldn't help but smile at her ridiculous face.
Yup. She's definitely my sister.
I flicked her forehead to wake her up, but she didn't even flinch. I tried getting up, but I stopped when I felt something heavy on my stomach.
Jay's leg—her foot was practically in my face. I pushed her leg off and gave her a little shove, but she still wouldn't wake up. She was sleeping like a log, even though she went to bed before me last night.
"Haay... I can't believe this," I muttered to myself.
I got up from her bed and grabbed my phone from the bedside table.
My brows furrowed when I saw an unread text message from an unknown number.
From: +639********
Message: Please... wait for me. I will return as soon as I can.
I deleted the message immediately.
I knew exactly who this was. There was no way I could be wrong.
How did Keifer get my number?
I looked at Jay as she shifted positions.
She was the last one who used my phone, but I remember she was talking to someone else last night…
Could it be?
Jay-jay's POV
Holding my fork, ready for battle. I quickly stabbed the hotdog on my plate—but I had an opponent. Another fork was also stabbed into the hotdog I had set my sights on.
There was another contender. I could already play that music from the movies, the one that plays when the hero and the villain face off, complete with intense eye contact in the middle of battle. Hehehehe, this feels so cinematic.
"This is mine," I threatened.
"No, this is mine," my opponent responded. None other than Perena—er, I mean, the horoscope.
"This is mine! I was here first!"
"Jay! You've already eaten seven hotdogs!"
"Wow, seven? It was only five." I defended myself while slowly pulling the hotdog towards me.
"You lost count, you ate seven." He replied, stopping me from pulling it away.
"You, on the other hand, have your own hotdog, but—OUCH!!"
Someone suddenly smacked me on the head, causing me to let go of the hotdog, and he managed to snatch it away.
I turned to see who did it. It was my older brother, holding a cup of coffee. He was glaring at me, so I immediately looked down.
"Where did you learn those things?" he asked with authority.
Still holding the back of my head, I looked at him in confusion. "Learn what?"
"The things you're saying—about the hotdog." He replied, widening his eyes at me.
"But he really does have his own hotdog! It's right there on his plate!" I pointed at his plate, where two untouched hotdogs sat.
Aries feigned ignorance as he continued eating. I looked back at my brother, who seemed embarrassed. He pretended to read his newspaper—but it was upside down.
I think my brother's brain is rotting.
Since the hotdogs, eggs, and bacon were all gone, I had no choice but to settle for bread. I was still hungry. I really wanted to eat more.
"By the way, where will you guys be staying?" Aries asked casually, making me freeze.
I glanced briefly at my brother before answering. "P-probably in the gymnasium or the school's open auditorium."
I heard the newspaper beside me fold. I knew he was going to ask. He didn't know yet that we had been permanently kicked out of our room. We were practically homeless.
"What do you mean? Why are you staying in the gymnasium?"
His question made me nervous.
I didn't want to answer him because he might suddenly storm into the school and cause trouble. He might start another fight with the guidance counselor.
"U-uh... w-well..." I looked at Aries for help, but the jerk was too busy texting.
"Jay-jay," my brother called, his voice seemingly coming from the depths of the underworld. "Answer me."
"Because......" I scratched my head.".......We'veBeenKickedOutOfOurRoom." I blurted out quickly, but he still understood.
"WHAT?!"
I pretended to look at a clock—even though I didn't even know where the wall clock was.
"Oh wow, look at that! I'm going to be late! I need to get ready."
I stood up quickly and didn't wait for my brother to respond.
I ran straight to my room and locked the door. Hopefully, he wouldn't rush to school and make a scene again.
I grabbed my phone and checked for any messages from him, but there were none. Frustrated, I threw it onto the bed and lazily grabbed my towel before heading to the bathroom.
Even ghosts know how to make their presence felt.
Meanwhile, that King of Snakes—he really has no intention of coming back, huh?
As I stood under the shower, a thought suddenly entered my mind.
What if that idiot already had a girl? He's in another country. There are plenty of beautiful women there—tall, big-chested. It wouldn't be surprising—damn you, King!!!
He better not be flirting with anyone. If I find out he is, I'll get on a plane, even if I have to cling to the wing or the wheels, just to get to him. I'll make him taste the pain of revenge.
His eyes won't be the only thing bruised.
Even his groin will have whip marks. He'll crawl through the mud, and I'll beat him senseless.
"You better not be cheating," I muttered and continued showering.
After finishing up in the bathroom, I got dressed. I was almost done when I heard a knock. Absentmindedly, I opened the door, and there stood today's Horoscope.
"Hurry up a little. We're going to be late." He said irritably before walking away.
I blinked.
Wait, what?!
Did he just say "we"?!
Wow! "We"! Is this real?! Is this actually happening?!
I know I'm overreacting, but I feel a little giddy.
Naks! Is this it? A sign that we're okay now? That there won't be any more fights? That we're finally on good terms?
Smiling, I grabbed my bag and ran out of my room. That feeling when you're happy over the smallest things. A shallow reason, but for me, it's happiness.
Confirmed! Everything's alright between me and my brother, the one who can predict the future.
When I stepped outside, I saw him standing by his car. He gestured for me to get into the passenger seat beside the driver's seat.
I was so excited that I jumped in and almost face-planted into the seat.
"We're going to school together?" I asked, grinning.
He looked at me weirdly, as if I was the strangest person in the world. Sorry... I'm just excited!!
He started the car. He was silent at first, but he kept glancing at me occasionally.
"You're weird," he muttered, but I still heard him.
"I'm just happy," I replied.
"And why?"
"Because we're okay now. You've finally accepted my beauty."
He suddenly laughed and shook his head. I just let him be, thinking maybe he was also happy that we had reconciled.
We arrived at school, and surprisingly, he didn't let me get out of the car right away. I stayed inside until he parked in the lot. I was grinning as I unbuckled my seatbelt.
"Thanks," I said to him.
"For what?"
I shook my head. "Nothing. I just felt like saying it."
He smiled and gestured for me to come closer, and I did. I thought he was going to do something sweet, but suddenly, he pinched my cheek.
"Aaahhhh... O-ouch! I-it hurts!"
"Straighten up! Stop getting into fights!" he scolded while tugging at my cheek.
I was on the verge of tears when he finally let go. I was expecting him to kiss my forehead like they do in TV dramas.
"Behave," he added before opening his car door.
I did the same, and I immediately noticed the students around us whispering and staring.
So early for gossip!!
I just rolled my eyes at them and walked toward our building, but I stopped when I saw Edrix.
"Jay," he called out. "...we're meeting at the gymnasium."
I looked at him seriously and nodded. I turned toward the gym, and he followed.
"Jay-jay," he called again, but I didn't look back. "...I have something to give you."
I stopped and quickly faced him. My eyes landed on what he was holding—a flash drive with a small connector. From what I knew, it was for a phone.
Food was the first thing that crossed my mind.
I took it and examined it. "What's this for?"
"I wanted to apologize for what we did. To make it up to you, I tried to recover all the files from your old phone."
My eyes widened at what he said. My old phone—the one I threw at the face of that Idiot King, but he dodged it! It was destroyed and shattered on the floor.
If he recovered the files, that meant all the pictures and videos—o-our memories.
"I'm really sorry, Jay. I was just loyal to Keifer, so I followed all his orders," he said, looking down.
I suddenly grabbed Edrix's hand. I didn't know why, but my heart felt so happy at that moment.
"You're lucky I'm in a good mood today," I said with a smile. "...so I'll give you a chance."
He smiled at me and was about to hug me, but I immediately blocked his face with my hand.
"Wow, you're pushing it. I only held your hand, and now you want a hug?" I said sarcastically. "...You're really something."
"Sorry, I just got excited," he replied, scratching the back of his head. "...let's go to the gym."
He walked ahead, and I quickly followed. I felt like today was full of good things. I held onto the flash drive, knowing it contained pieces of my past.
I couldn't stop smiling. I felt like nothing could ruin my day.
But I was wrong—because the moment we stepped into the gym, we were met with the punishment of the world.