Jay-jay's POV
This is the end for me!—That was the first thought that crossed my mind. The smell of burning rubber and a slight haze of smoke filled the air. I was so shocked by the sudden appearance of the car that I almost couldn't move.
I was sitting on the road, just beside the front of the car. My body was frozen in shock, and I felt like my entire system had been shaken by what had just happened. It was the same feeling I had when someone pointed a gun at my head—except this time, the situation was different.
"Shit!" I heard someone yell. "...Are you okay?!"
I looked up at the person who spoke. He was now standing in front of me, looking at me with concern. My body still refused to move, but even so, I recognized who he was.
"P-Percy?"
He crouched slightly to meet my eye level and scanned me from head to toe. I didn't know what shocked me more—the things I had just learned, the fact that I had almost been run over, or the fact that Percy was now right in front of me.
He came back...
What he said was true. He really did come back. Was he finally going to face me and answer my questions? A lump suddenly formed in my throat, and before I knew it, tears started to well up in my eyes again.
"B-bakit? May masakit ba? Dadalhin kita sa ospital!" he said in a panic.
I grabbed both of his arms. Even though tears kept falling down my face, I forced myself to speak clearly.
"I-ilayo mo k-ko d-dito!" I begged.
I couldn't stay in this place any longer. I knew they had been following me earlier, and at any moment, they would find me.
"S-sige." Percy replied, supporting me as I struggled to stand up.
He helped me into his car, and I continued to cry. My eyes burned so much that I wanted to stop, but I couldn't.
He got into the driver's seat and immediately started the engine. He kept glancing at me before turning his eyes back to the road.
"May masakit ba sayo? Sa ospital tayo." he said.
I shook my head while desperately wiping my tears away. "A-ayoko."
"Ha? Baka----."
"BASTA DALIN MO KO SA TAHIMIK NA LUGAR!" I shouted, making him flinch.
"O-oo... E-eto na..."
The car sped up even more. I had no idea where we were going. I just wanted to get away—far, far away. Away from Mama, away from Aries, away from those damn snakes, and most of all, away from their so-called King.
I used you...
Those words hit me like a slap. All the sweet things he had told me. The days we spent together, holding hands. The way he told me he loved me.
"I love you until scientists find the end of the universe."
LIAR! It wasn't true! He deceived me! They all did!
And I was the fool who believed them. I was such an idiot. Why didn't I realize it sooner? If only I had believed Aries when he first told me. Now I understood why he accused him like that. Because he knew they would take revenge. Because he knew he was guilty and that that bastard Keifer would come after him.
This was his fault! None of this would have happened to me if it weren't for him. Those bastards wouldn't have played with me like this. I wouldn't have...
...fallen for him and his trap!
"Jay..." Percy called out to me while still driving. "...Did something happen? Why are you crying like that?"
I didn't answer. I kept my gaze outside the window, absorbing everything that had happened. Their reactions. The words they said.
Family?!
I was the only one who saw them that way. I was the only one who thought we were friends. I was the only one who believed I was part of them. It was just me, just me.
I should have had doubts. Who would accept someone like me? Who would want to be my friend? Even back then, people would pretend to befriend me but would leave the moment they had nothing left to gain from me.
No one wants to be around someone like me!
My mind and body were completely exhausted from everything that had happened. My heart felt battered and bruised. My chest tightened every time the events replayed in my head.
But nothing hurt more than what Keifer told me. I wish he had just physically hurt me instead—it would have been easier to accept than this.
Just when I was sure that I loved him.
Just when I had started to depend on him little by little.
Just when I felt like I couldn't bear to lose him.
Just when... I had risked everything.
I couldn't get the image of his eyes out of my head as he spoke those words to me.
"Of course, it's part of my plan."
My chest tightened even more at those words. I punched my chest multiple times, hoping it would ease the pain, but it was useless. This was too much!
I looked outside and noticed that we weren't moving anymore. We had stopped near the shore. I turned to Percy, but he was no longer in the driver's seat. I quickly opened the door and stepped out.
A strong wind greeted me as I wiped my tears away. The pain still swirled inside me, but my urge to find Percy was stronger.
Did he leave again?!
"Are you done?"
I turned around. He was walking toward me, holding a bottle of water. His expression was serious, and I couldn't tell if he was angry or annoyed.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "S-sorry... I-I didn't realize w-we had stopped."
He handed me the bottle, which I took. "Yeah... It was obvious you didn't want to be disturbed."
I lowered my head at his words. I had been so lost in my thoughts about them that I hadn't noticed anything around me.
"Oh." He said, handing me a handkerchief. "...Your nose is dripping with snot. Disgusting."
Huh?! My nose?!
I quickly grabbed the handkerchief and wiped my nose. A wave of embarrassment hit me all at once. Of course, I had been crying, so obviously, I would have a runny nose. I hadn't even thought about how I looked this whole time.
How embarrassing! So annoying...
I looked at Percy again when I noticed he was walking toward the shore. I glanced around. There was a small store near where we had parked. The beach was empty except for a few kids playing in the distance. It was quiet, and the sound of the waves was soothing.
I took off my shoes and socks, leaving them beside the car, then quickly followed Percy as he continued walking.
"You've lost weight..." he said once I caught up to him. "...Are you eating properly?"
"O-oo..." I answered hesitantly.
This was what I had been waiting for all this time—to finally face him again. But my body and mind had no energy to ask him anything.
What mattered to me now was that he was in front of me again.
I just hoped... he wouldn't leave again.
I drank the water he gave me. I finished it quickly, partly because of how thirsty I was—I felt completely dehydrated from all the crying. My eyes stung from the tears, and the sea breeze only made it worse.
"Do you really not want to go to the hospital?" he asked. I quickly shook my head. "...You have scrapes and bruises."
I looked at my arms and legs. "T-they've been there since yesterday."
He stopped walking for a moment and looked at me. "What happened yesterday?"
Honestly, I didn't feel like telling him anything, so I just shook my head again. He let out a defeated sigh and continued walking. I followed him, watching the fine sand beneath our feet.
This feeling was so frustrating. I had so many questions when he was gone, but now that he was in front of me, I had nothing to say. There were so many things I wanted to know, but since I was struggling to even speak, I decided to ask just one thing for now.
"H-how is P-Papa?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
He stopped walking and looked away. "He's still in New York..."
"When is he coming back?"
He took a deep breath. "I don't know yet."
Why did it feel like he was avoiding the topic? He was right in front of me, but it felt like he was distancing himself. I couldn't understand! He wouldn't even look me in the eye, as if he was trying to hide something.
Tears started welling up in my eyes again, threatening to fall at any moment. He resumed walking, but I didn't follow. Instead, I sat down on the sand and stared at the ocean.
Maybe I should just drown myself. That way, everything would finally end.
Damn it! Did everything really have to happen all at once? Couldn't it have been spread out over the next few months? Did it have to be one blow after another? Was it fun to see me cry, so they just had to keep going? And why the hell did this idiot Percy have to add to my misery?!
This must be my karma. I was a troublemaker before. I wasn't a good grandchild to Grandma. I was a headache at school, and the Guidance Office was basically my second home. My classmates hated me because they thought I was a terrible person.
And now it was all coming back to haunt me. Just when I was trying to change. Just when I was finally trying to do better—even just a little.
Now, I was the one paying the price.
"This is hard for me too," Percy suddenly said. I hadn't even noticed he was sitting beside me. "...Mind telling me what happened?"
What happened?!
Instead of answering with words, my tears spoke for me. Damn it! Every painful moment started flashing back in my mind.
The night Keifer got mad because of what David did.
The day he pushed me away right in front of Aries.
And then I found out—we were brother and sister all along.
And now... I realized they had all just played me.
"Please... Say anything." Percy pleaded.
I looked at him, biting my lips so hard they almost bled, just to stop myself from breaking down.
"K-Keifer..." I took a deep breath. "...he lied to me. H-he just used me." My voice trembled like a child making a complaint.
Suddenly, he pulled me into a hug, pressing my head against his chest. Instead of pushing him away, I let it happen.
And that only made me cry even harder.
Everything that was happening to me was just too cruel. I didn't even get a chance to fight back. I wasn't even given the chance to defend myself.
I was so weak.
I was nothing but weak.
"I feel like... e-everyone close to me is just fooling me." I said.
"Ssshhh... Don't think like that."
How could I not? One truth after another kept hitting me. What if there was more? Just come out already.
"A-Aries... he's actually my brother." I burst into tears again.
He's my brother, but he's also the reason for all of this. THIS IS HIS FAULT!
I suddenly froze as a memory came back to me. I pulled away from Percy's embrace and looked at him. He knew Aries was my brother. And he also knew about Keifer's plan. Could it be…
I clenched my fist and threw a strong punch at him.
I quickly stood up and took a step back. I saw how he winced from the hit, his eyes shutting as he shook his head.
"You knew..." I said, pointing at him. "...You knew Aries was my brother, and you also knew about Keifer's plan."
He stood up, clearly disoriented. It looked like my punch landed on his jaw since he was holding that area.
"...Tell me! Were you in on Keifer's scheme too?!" I demanded angrily.
"Damn it!" he suddenly shouted. "...That punch freaking hurt! Are you even a girl?!"
I felt irritation bubbling up at his words. Was he deliberately stalling, avoiding my question?
"Answer me!" I ordered.
He took a deep breath. "I knew Aries was your brother because of your father. I found out about Keifer's plan through David." He explained. "...Believe me, I tried to come back as soon as I could to save you from Keifer. If I hadn't run into some problems, I would've shown up much sooner."
Shit! I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling like I was losing my mind.
I was struggling to trust anyone around me. Because what if they were just deceiving me too? What if he had his own ulterior motives?
"S-sorry... Sorry..." I couldn't even finish my sentence. The sobs came first. "...M-maybe... Maybe—"
"Maybe I'll hurt you? Maybe I'll betray you? Maybe I'll make you cry just like they did?"
He completed my sentence for me.
He was right about everything. The fear wouldn't leave me. I was finding it so hard to trust anyone because suspicion always came first.
"S-sorry..."
"Jayjay..." I felt his hand rest on top of my head. "...Let them hurt you. Let them make you cry. Let them deceive you..." I felt his other arm wrap around my back, and only then did I realize that he was embracing me. "...Because after all of that, I will come to you. I will stay with you and make you feel that you're not alone."
His words were something I wanted to hold on to. I wanted to believe them, but I was scared. I didn't want to gamble with my trust again.
"P-Percy..."
"If you're scared, that's okay."
I was so scared...
If only he knew how much I wanted to believe him. But if it would help ease the weight in my chest, I was willing to give him a chance.
"...I'm willing to prove to you that I'm trustworthy."
At that moment, my tears stopped on their own, even though I did nothing. His words felt like medicine to my wounds.
He let go of me and looked into my eyes. Our gazes met, and he smiled.
"W-who exactly are you in my life?"
His smile widened, and he let out a small laugh. "I'm glad you asked that... I am none other than your..." He raised his hand near my face and flicked his fingers as if scattering confetti. "...conscience."
He whispered it like some kind of demon.
What the hell?!
I feel like smashing my head against the rocks right now. The conversation was so serious, and I had almost drained all my energy from crying, yet here he was, grinning like some lunatic who just pulled a prank.
Should I start crying again? Because aside from being surrounded by liars and deceivers, I feel like I'll never have a proper conversation with anyone ever again. It's like everyone around me escaped from a mental asylum.
Do a backflip, Jay...
"Should I be sad that I have yet another crazy person in my life?" I asked innocently.
He laughed loudly while shaking his head. "Just joking... I just wanted to make you smile."
I shook my head and looked away. "Tsk! I want to know who you really are. I don't have time for your jokes."
His expression suddenly turned serious. "I know you want to know who I really am. But after everything you've been through, it's better if we talk about it later."
I felt a wave of frustration. Here he goes again, leaving me hanging. If only a plane were coming to pick me up, but no.
"What if there's no 'later'? What if you leave again?" My voice almost gave out as I asked.
He shook his head. "I'm not leaving anymore..."
I took a deep breath. My body felt so exhausted, even though I hadn't done anything.
I'm not leaving anymore...
What if that wasn't true? What if he was only saying that to gain my trust? What if he was already planning to disappear again? What if...
"Just tell me, please..." I lowered my head and closed my eyes. "...I'm so, so tired."
I felt his hand rest on my head. "If you insist... Fine."
The hand on my head moved to grab my wrist. I opened my eyes just as he pulled me along. We headed back to his car. He pressed something on his keys, unlocking the door.
I looked at him when he didn't move. He was waiting for me to get inside.
I grabbed the shoes I had left earlier and climbed in. He shut the door, walked around the car, and got in the driver's seat.
Once the door was closed, he started the engine to turn on the air conditioning. The cool air felt nice, but my eyes stung.
Argh! Fuck! I think I'm going blind.
"I hope you're ready for this..." I heard him mutter.
He reached for a black bag in the backseat and pulled out a brown envelope.
My heart started pounding. There wasn't any real reason to be anxious, but something about the way he was acting made me feel like I was waiting for a movie to start.
Despicable Me 3!
"Oh..." he said, handing me a photo.
It was a picture of Papa with Mama and a baby. The clothes he was wearing looked exactly like the ones in another photo we had taken in front of a church.
"I-is this us?" I asked in almost a whisper.
"Yeah, and that baby with the squished-looking face... That's you." He answered.
He handed me another photo. A beautiful woman with smooth skin stood next to a foreigner with blue eyes—his father! I had seen him at Felix's house before. They were holding a baby as well.
"That's us... Our family picture. And that freakin' handsome baby is me." He explained.
Wait, what?!
Why did I look like a squished potato while he looked freaking handsome as a baby? That didn't seem fair at all! Before I could protest, he handed me another picture.
"And this is... Their family." His voice was laced with sadness.
It was a picture of Papa and Percy's mother. They were dressed formally, as if they had attended some high-class party. Unlike my family pictures, they weren't smiling. The only thing I didn't understand was what he meant by their family.
I looked at Percy, waiting for him to continue. His eyes were filled with sadness as he stared at the pictures in my hands.
"We're the same..." he began. "...We're both illegitimate children."