JAY-JAY'S POV
"Why does this stove look like this? Something is black," Eman commented, noticing the burn marks.
"That's a design. Just ignore it," I replied, and he simply shrugged before starting to cook.
That's the trend nowadays—social stoves.
I turned my back on him and let him do his thing. Denzel was helping him cook, seemingly interested in following in his footsteps.
I headed straight to the terrace, where the others were hanging out. They had planned to swim in the sea but changed their minds after feeling hungry.
"We really didn't expect you to bring Jay-Jay here. I thought we'd meet at your mansion," Edrix said to Kei-Kwanan.
"And it even lasted a few days," Rory added.
"You're right, Aries. Jay-Jay came looking for Kuya because my brother didn't have a 'tukmol,'" Felix said, and I suddenly imagined Aries' face.
I might have uttered a silent curse. If I don't go back soon, those two will punish me.
Then again... maybe I won't go back.
I'm on my island now. Maybe I can live here forever—just build a signal tower and have the internet for life. I'll do all my shopping online and pay with coconuts. I'll even teach the fish how to use the internet.
Sometimes, I truly amaze myself with my own intelligence.
I noticed an exchange of glances between David, Yuri, and Kei-Kwanan. It was obvious they knew something the rest of us didn't. I couldn't help but be suspicious.
Whatever it is, I'll wait for them to tell me. I'll give them until today. If they still don't spill, I'll bury them alive in the sand.
"Knuckles!" Eren suddenly shouted, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Coconut!" The little boy yelled.
We turned to see a group approaching. Following them were Blaster, Josh, Mayo, and Kit, each carrying something.
"What are you arguing about?" I asked.
"Don't believe him! The one I'm holding is called buko," Eren insisted, setting the knuckle he was holding down by the terrace door.
"Is there even a difference?" Ci asked, clearly annoyed before turning to me. "Isn't that a coconut?"
"Knock on it. If it sounds hollow, it's a coconut. If it doesn't, it's a knuckle," I explained.
They did as I said.
Josh was just different. He knocked on Blaster's head with a little more force than usual. Blaster immediately threatened him with a punch, so Josh moved away, smiling.
"That's how it is," Yuri said, shaking the coconut in his hand. "I can hear the juice inside."
"Let's open it and drink," Kei-Kwanan said, looking at me.
"That's it. You're not climbing a tree anymore."
I was confused.
"Who climbed the tree?" Yuri asked, turning to look at me.
"She tried to climb it to pick a coconut," the shameless King of the Snakes replied scornfully.
"Gago! You climbed a coconut tree?" Mayo burst into laughter, making me glare at him.
"Wo-poise!" Felix teased, and the others joined in.
"The lupet!" Eren laughed loudly.
"You should've taken a photo," David added.
Traitor!
"You bastards!" I shot back, and they immediately fell silent.
"It's cheap," Ci muttered.
They glanced back and forth between me and Kei-Kwanan. Crossing my arms, I raised an eyebrow at them with a proud smile.
"Nothing's going to happen, no matter how long you wait," I said, fake laughing.
"It's really impactful," I heard Eren say.
I immediately picked up the nearest object, ready to throw it at him. The troublemakers ran away, laughing loudly.
"Let's open it before we kill each other," Drew said, taking the coconut from me.
Each of them grabbed a coconut and a knife. Keifer led them to the back, where they planned to open the coconuts. I, Yuri, and David stayed on the terrace, watching them leave.
"So, no more profanity rule?" Yuri asked, leaning against the terrace post.
"That's right. Don't worry," David added.
"Just here. He lifted it in exchange for his longer life on the surface," I said, making them laugh.
A brief silence followed until David excused himself to help Eman inside.
"How are you?" I asked Yuri right away.
He forced a smile. "I'm fine. Now that I've seen you."
I playfully kicked him, but he dodged and laughed. I preferred his natural laughter—the kind that wasn't forced just to convince people he was okay.
"I'm serious," he said, making me turn serious as well. "Because when I'm with you, I don't have to pretend that I'm okay."
I smiled. "No matter what your problem is, remember I'm here. Not just for family, but for sports too," I added, mimicking an old commercial.
He laughed loudly, recognizing the reference.
"I was supposed to visit you this weekend, but I ended up going to the island instead," I said.
That had been my original plan. I wanted to check if someone was taking care of him at home because, based on how he looked before, it was clear that no one was. Who knows—he might not even be eating properly.
"Too bad. I had a barbecue planned for Saturday," he said.
"Just barbecue? That's weak. I'm having salmon steak," I bragged.
He laughed. "What stik? You mean 'steak'?"
I snorted. "When you're rich, it's steak. When you're poor, it's 'stik.' Even fried fish is fine."
He laughed even harder, and I laughed along with him. At least I knew I could make him laugh with my wit. If nothing else, I could lighten whatever burden he was carrying.
"You really know a lot of things."
"Of course. I'm beautiful—just like my island," I replied.
"Your island?" he asked, looking surprised.
I nodded. "Yes, a gift from the King of Serpents."
"Wow," he said sarcastically.
My smile faded, and our eyes met for a moment. What's his problem? He quickly looked away.
"S-Sorry. I'm—"
"He didn't buy me, if that's what you're thinking." My voice was emotionless, detached from whatever he had to say.
"It's not like that. But why did you forgive him so easily?"
"I haven't forgiven him yet." I shook my head before turning away. "You underestimate me."
I walked inside the house, even as I heard him calling my name.
Is it wrong for me to accept his welcome? Does that make me a low person? Even if I work my whole life, even if I sell my soul or borrow all the money in the world, I will never have my own island.
And one more thing—judging by the behavior of that sneaky Kei-kwanan, it seems like I could refuse. When he scolded me, I stabbed him in the lung.
I went to the kitchen, where Denzel and Eman were.
"What can I help you with?" I offered.
"You just got here. Please clean the fish," Eman said.
The memory of yesterday came rushing back—the frozen fish, the flaming pan... and the kitchen fire.
"I wanna help too." Suddenly, Yuri appeared beside me.
I ignored him and stepped toward the sink where the fish were. He followed me. I picked up a knife, and he did the same, clearly just copying my actions.
"I'm really sorry, Jay," he whispered as he took a fish from the sink.
"It's okay. I understand." My response lacked any real feeling.
"I thought you forgave him because of the island."
"We had already finished talking before he told me the island was mine."
"If you two talked, then why haven't you forgiven him yet?"
I shot him an annoyed look. "Is that even a question? You act like you don't know what I've been through."
He nodded. "You're right. But… aren't you fragile?"
That's well known.
I heard the faint laughter of Denzel and Eman. They were obviously listening to our conversation.
"And what makes you say that?"
"You forgave us so quickly."
I smirked. "Can't I just be a good person?"
"More like a fool," Eman chimed in, making me turn toward her.
"They say it's called 'kind,'" Denzel pretended to correct him, but the hollow smile on his face betrayed his amusement.
"I'm going to hit you with a fish," I threatened, making them laugh.
Vipers.
I just continued what I was doing. We helped Eman however we could—cutting, cleaning, gathering ingredients, everything he usually did himself.
When he finally finished cooking, he called over his Ulupong friends. It felt like a feeding program had been announced, given how quickly everyone swarmed in like ants. Since we couldn't all fit in the kitchen, they grabbed their food and headed to the terrace.
I was surprised to see a low table with banana leaves spread over it. They arranged everything carefully, placing the food neatly before sitting on the floor around the table.
I did the same. Yuri and Ci-N sat beside me, while Kei-kwanan sat across from me. Before we started, I thought of praying and giving thanks. I smiled, noticing that they knew to do the same.
"Eat!" we shouted before digging in.
We passed around food and shared bites, Eman's long cooking process devoured in mere minutes. The meal was paired with refreshing coconut juice.
What a great vacation.
We rested for a while before getting ready to go swimming. The turtles—my friends—were like excited children as they ran toward the sea.
"Put on sunblock!" I snapped at Ci.
He always complained about his skin burning in the sun, yet he kept running back into the heat.
"Put it on my back! Come on!" he ordered me.
I winced but did it anyway. I increased it so that he wouldn't have any complaints.
"Me too! Put me on too!" Eren groaned, so Ci left immediately.
I hit him with a bottle of sunblock lotion.
"Oh... Why?"
"I hope you brought your girlfriendssss! And that you put sunblock on them!" I said, annoyed.
"They won't fit on Keifer's yacht," he answered, scratching his head. "Put it on first."
He turned his back to me and bowed slightly. I just applied it so I could get it over with. I thought he would be the only one behind me, but I blinked in surprise when I saw that they had already formed a line.
Son of a...
"What is this?"
"Supposed to," Rory said before flashing a wide smile.
Even though I wanted to hit them, I still did as they asked just to get it over with. Fortunately, the others had their own sunscreen, so the one Yuri brought—which I used on Ci and Eren—didn't run out.
The Serpents quickly ran into the sea, except for Kei-kwanan, who couldn't run because of his wound. It was good that he could walk well, though he still had a slight limp.
But he managed to lift me.
He separated me from the others. "Would you like me to put sunscreen on your back?"
"Would you like me to punch you in the face?" I mimicked him. "I'm not exposing my back."
His crazy laugh echoed, but it quickly faded, surprising me.
"So, what did you and Yuri talk about? It looked like you were having fun," he asked.
I couldn't tell if he was jealous or just worried that I had found something out. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Nothing important. Why do you ask?"
He cleared his throat. "He should've told you."
He really planned to tell me what they knew. I thought they were going to keep another secret from me. I didn't know why, but suddenly, I was looking forward to what he had to say.
"Wh-which one?"
"The reason Angelo wants me to hide you," he said, locking eyes with me. "Your dad is back."
I dropped the bottle of sunblock lotion. My eyes remained on him as tears fell on their own.
Dad is back? He's returned from another country. I can see him again.
"We have to go home." I didn't wait for a response and started walking, but Kei-kwanan immediately stopped me.
"Calm down. We need to find out why they don't want you to see him," he explained. But my eyes were fixed on the sea, my mind racing with ways to get home.
"I'm going home—"
"Jay-Jay!" he shouted right in my face, gripping both of my arms.
"Papa is here again. Maybe it's possible now," I murmured, almost pleading with him.
"Angelo will never allow it. Please, listen to me!"
"Why?!"
"I don't know… yet. But I will find out soon, and then we'll figure out a way for you to meet your dad without them knowing." He held both of my cheeks. "Trust me, please?"
He was right.
Kuya sent me away for a reason. It's clear that he doesn't want us to see each other anymore. What if I try? Kuya might become even stricter and prevent us from ever meeting.
Even if I don't want to trust the King of Serpents, I have to rely on him to see my Papa.
How many times has he done this? How many times has he helped me find and see Papa? He always finds a way. I shouldn't doubt him—because I believe he can do it.
"T-thank you."
He smiled at me and hugged me. "For your happiness."
I bit my lip for a moment. He seemed so different from the old Kei-kwanan, who always challenged me. Maybe he really had changed.
He did everything to change himself and make sure he wouldn't do to me what his father did to him.
When we let go of the hug, he quickly kissed my forehead. I immediately remembered the Snakes—they might see us. I lightly punched him in the stomach.
"Oh," he moaned softly.
"They might see us."
"So?"
"Maybe it's not us… and I haven't fully forgiven you yet."
He quickly looked sad. I felt guilty, but I had to be tough. I didn't want everything to be easy just because he explained. There were still things I didn't understand.
Math.
"I get it," he said, forcing a smile.
I just nodded before turning my back on him and walking toward the rumpled Snakes, who were obviously enjoying the seawater.
Ci-N also brought a banana with him and a donut for Eren—both taken from the villa's storage room earlier. Meanwhile, David was lying on his bed of sand, enjoying the warmth of the sun, though he looked more like he was sleeping. Josh was busy destroying the sandcastle that Blaster and Drew were building.
Eman was cutting a starfish into pieces when Felix hit him for being brutal. Kit and Mayo walked along the beach, still holding hands.
Countries.
Most of them were in the water, swimming. Even Yuri waved at me happily from the sea.
"Come on, Jay!" he called out.
I quickened my pace to get closer to them.
"Keifer! Swim!" they shouted while waving at the villa.
I turned to see what they were waving at and saw Kei-Kwanan following me. He waved back at his fellow Ulupongs before taking off his top and walking toward me.
I screamed as he picked me up and carried me toward the beach.
"Wait! Hey!" I protested, but he immediately jumped into the sea and let go of me.
The crooks immediately burst into laughter. Thankfully, we weren't in deep water yet. I quickly stood up and splashed water at him.
"Is that all you got?" he teased, and soon, a water fight broke out, with the Snakes joining in.
Water splashed everywhere, hitting anyone and everyone. Even those who had been playing on the sand came forward to join in.
Eventually, they turned their attention to David, who had been peacefully sleeping.
Rory and Calix approached him, placing themselves at his head and feet. Together, they grabbed his arms and legs and carried him toward the sea.
"What the hell?!" he shouted as the two suddenly swung him before letting go.
We laughed so hard until they started acting silly again.
Someone cheated in a swimming race. There was a competition to see who could hold their breath the longest underwater. Someone was teaching me how to swim.
Ci-N climbed onto David's shoulders, imitating Eren, who had jumped onto Josh's back. The two battled, trying to push each other off. Whoever fell first would lose.
Ci-N was small but surprisingly heavy.
"Ci-N! Ci-N! Ci-N!" we chanted.
Eren fell, but he wasn't the only opponent. Kit and Mayo took on Ci-N, with Kit on Mayo's shoulders, fighting against him.
But the boy didn't give up. Kit fell, and Blaster, who was on Drew's shoulders, took his place. Unfortunately, Blas was too heavy—Drew gave in after just one push, and they both fell into the sea.
I was busy laughing when suddenly something slipped between my thighs. I slowly stood up and screamed so loudly that everyone turned to look at me.
What was that?!
When I looked down to see who the culprit was, Yuri's red hair caught my eye.
"It's our turn!" he said. I smacked him on the head.
"Say it!" I shouted at him, but he started walking toward Ci.
"My bet is on Jay-Jay!"
"Slap Jay! He gets upset right away!"
"Grab Ci!"
"You're in!"
"In your face! Your mind is dirty!"
They teased with laughter. To be honest, Ci suddenly smiled foolishly while raising his eyebrows.
He looked like a panty thief.
"FIGHT!" they shouted, and it felt as if a bell had rung.
I quickly grabbed both of Batang Kumag's hands and pushed him with all my might. But he obviously wasn't going to lose.
Yuri stepped forward to resist my push, but Ci caught me. He let me push him so easily that I thought I was going to win—until he suddenly pushed me back. I lost my balance and fell straight into the water.
I felt my back hit the surface. My eyes were closed, but I started seeing a blurry image.
"RUN! RUN! DON'T STOP! DON'T LET OTHERS HURT YOU!"
Mama?
I knew it was Mama's voice, but I couldn't understand what she was saying. Her words felt distant, unfamiliar, almost unreal.
I quickly resurfaced when I felt myself running out of air. Wiping my face and eyes, I gasped and looked around.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Kei-kwanan asked worriedly, drawing the others' attention.
"Are you okay, Jay?" Yuri asked as he approached me.
I nodded. "O-okay. Just out of breath."
Yuri nodded as if he accepted my answer, though it was clear he didn't believe me. The King of Serpents was staring at me, watching closely.
The others went back to having fun, but I remained frozen, confused by what had just happened.
Was what I heard a part of my past?