Aries's POV
*ContinuationOfFlashback...*
"Pre, are you circumcised already?" Percy asked, making me grimace.
I heard Yuri and Keifer burst into loud laughter.
"What the hell?!" was all I could say to him.
"Seriously, Percy? What went through your head?" Yuri asked, laughing.
"I'm older than you guys, so I should be taller." He compared our heights.
He was the shortest among us, while Keifer was the biggest. It was kind of unfair because, technically, Keifer was the youngest.
There was a two-year age gap between them, while I was only a few months older than Yuri. That made Keifer the youngest among us.
"Maybe you're just lacking sleep." Yuri teased.
"Maybe he's uncircumcised." Keifer added.
"Come on... Let's cut it now so you can grow taller." I invited, and he quickly covered his lower part.
We all burst into laughter. I didn't know why he was even worried about that when we were still in grade school.
"Fine. Go ahead and tease me. I may be the shortest among us, but I have the biggest—." He wasn't able to finish his sentence because Keifer pulled down his shorts and underwear.
Scratching his head, he looked away. For the second time, Keifer defeated him. We laughed even harder.
I wanted to introduce Jay-jay to them, but they didn't know I was adopted and that I had a sibling from my biological mother. I could say she was my cousin, but they would wonder why we were so close.
Especially Keifer, who was really good at suspecting things. He probably thought everyone around him was deceiving him. I also didn't want to introduce her to Percy because who knows what he might say or teach her. I had no problem with Yuri, though.
"Looks like I need to go home. It's late, and Hahaoya might get mad." Yuri said.
"What's Hahaoya?" Percy asked.
"That's 'Mother' in Nihongo."
He nodded and suddenly leaned toward me.
"Bet you, Yuri is a mama's boy." He whispered.
"I heard that." Yuri said, giving him a sharp look.
I just shook my head while laughing. We all went our separate ways after saying our goodbyes. Keifer lived the farthest since their palace was in a secluded area.
Yes, it was a palace—because it was enormous.
Yuri's house came next, located in the business district at the top of their own hotel.
Percy lived in a private subdivision. His father was a retired US Army officer who chose to settle here after remarrying.
Meanwhile, our house was in an ordinary subdivision. The first time I got there, I was stunned by how big the houses were. I didn't even know there were ones bigger than those.
When I arrived home, all the lights were on. That meant everyone was still awake, and I was in trouble with my older brother again.
I carefully stepped inside and saw Mama talking on the phone.
"Alright. We'll head there now." She said worriedly.
I froze, watching her. For some reason, Jay-jay was the first person who came to mind.
"Where have you been?" Kuya asked authoritatively. "...Go to your room and pack your things. We're going to Lola's house now."
"Did something happen?"
Mama was the one who answered. "Your sibling is missing."
I couldn't comprehend it.
There were a lot of people in front of Lola's house, and they were speaking to the police.
"That child has been getting hurt for a long time. Every man Jeana brings home lays a hand on them." An elderly woman told the police.
"There was noise, and then suddenly, the kid screamed loudly." A woman added to another officer.
"The child just ran off all of a sudden, their body covered in blood. Their clothes were torn, and they had no footwear." A man further explained.
Jay-jay was missing.
Mama was at the precinct, and I heard that her last partner—the one responsible for all this chaos—was already dead.
I felt like a worthless sibling to her.
I never even noticed that she was going through something. I should have spoken up earlier about the wounds and bruises on her body.
"Hey! Monkey!" Someone called me.
I didn't look back. I wasn't in the mood to talk. I was about to walk away when they grabbed me by the collar of my shirt from behind.
"Come with me." He said without looking at me.
We passed through the crowd of people and police outside. His steps were so big that I almost tripped.
"What the hell?! Let go of me!"
"Wait! We're renting a ride!" He said and hailed an approaching tricycle. "...Get in!" He pushed me inside.
"Where are we going?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he faced the tricycle driver.
"Bro... Take us to my sibling's house."
I was sure he was referring to Jay-jay's house. I stayed silent for the entire ride until we stopped in front of a house marked with yellow police tape.
Tita stepped down, and so did I.
"What are we doing here?" I asked.
"We're going to look for Jay-jay." He said, hands on his waist.
I frowned. Not even the police could find her. How could we? Sometimes, he really didn't think things through.
He scanned the surroundings for a moment before turning to the tricycle driver.
"Bro... Which way did the kid run?"
The driver pointed in the direction we came from.
"Maybe he planned to go to Nanay's." He was referring to Lola.
I scratched my head. He really thought he was such a genius.
Once again, he grabbed me by the collar and forced me into the tricycle. I felt like I was going to get sick because of my aunt.
We had probably gone to every nearby barangay and town. We almost got into a fight because of my companion's loud mouth.
The sky had already darkened when we decided to have a snack. Good thing I had money with me. It was embarrassing how my aunt confidently rented a tricycle without even having the money to pay for it.
We were now at the plaza, sitting on a plant box that seemed to be growing trash instead of plants. I really had no appetite to eat, but my companion was being too persistent. He even seemed intent on shoving a stick down my throat.
"Eat that! Eat!" he said, forcibly feeding me a fishball on a stick.
I just grimaced at his brutality. He had no mercy at all. Sometimes, I wondered if he was a spawn of darkness.
"Where could that kid be?" he muttered absentmindedly.
"...She's probably scared and curled up, crying."
If what he said was true—that Jay-jay had planned to go to Grandma's house—then why didn't she make it? Could it be—no! I hoped not.
We both turned our attention to a group of children playing tag. They were filthy and nearly looked like street dwellers.
"Could it be that Jay-jay has become a street child?" my aunt said, making me look at her.
She had already mentioned every possible scenario that could have happened to Jay-jay earlier. Now, she was considering her becoming a street kid. Frustrated, I just rubbed my face.
I heard her phone ring. She checked it and started tapping on the screen.
"Let's go... That idiot brother of yours is looking for you."
Idiot?
She stood up, and so did I. As we walked along the sidewalk, I happened to glance across the street. There was a child sitting by the trash bin, staring blankly and not moving.
I observed closely, and my shock and joy were overwhelming when I recognized her.
"IT'S JAY-JAY!" I shouted, pointing across the street.
I dashed across without waiting for my aunt. Car horns blared continuously because of what I did.
As soon as I reached her, I immediately hugged her.
"Jay! What happened to you? We searched everywhere for you!" I said, but she didn't move at all.
She remained motionless, staring blankly into the distance.
"ARIES! YOU IDIOT!" my aunt yelled angrily as she approached me. "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?"
She stopped in front of us and looked at the person beside me.
"It's Jay-jay! I found her!" I exclaimed.
She pulled out her phone from her pocket and called someone at home.
"It's clearly a sign of a traumatic disorder. Dissociative amnesia can sometimes be experienced by the victim." the doctor told Grandma.
We were all shocked when Jay-jay said she couldn't remember what had happened. Grandma even mentioned her name, but she didn't recognize it.
But according to the doctor, this seemed normal.
"How long will she be like this?"
"It depends on the patient, but I suggest bringing the child to a child psychologist for trauma treatment."
They continued discussing possible treatments. I chose to visit Jay-jay in her room. She was currently sitting down, reaching for something behind her back.
"What are you doing?" I asked him.
"What did they treat on my back?"
She had a large wound on her back. They said it was caused by her stepfather.
She had been burned with a hot iron.
"Y-you have a wound."
She kept reaching behind her. "Where did I get hurt? Why don't I know?"
I moved closer and took her hand. Even that was covered in scratches and bruises. She was really lucky that her frail body endured everything.
"You'll remember it eventually. Just rest so you can recover quickly and leave the hospital."
She lay on her side with a frown.
"Where's Mom?" she asked, making me freeze.
The truth was, I didn't know where she was either. Ever since we came home, I hadn't seen her. The last I heard about her was that she was at the precinct.
"I don't know. Maybe she's on her way here. I'll tell Mom to call her."
"Alright. Thanks." she replied, closing her eyes.
Wherever she was, I hoped she would come here and check on Jay-jay.
Because of the incident, Jay-jay started living with Grandma. She would take care of her to ensure she received proper attention.
I just hoped she would be okay there. I was still worried about her—especially since she would be living with our aunt, who seemed to be angry at the world.
"You're so quiet. Are you about to poop?" Percy asked, making me grimace.
Here we go again.
"No." I answered flatly.
"Come on, just say it. It's just between us."
"I said no. Stop it!"
"It's fine, I'll find you a spot." he said with a grin, scanning the area.
I could only slap my forehead. Whenever he spoke, I often ended up with a headache.
"What is he looking for?" Yuri asked while riding his bike.
"He's looking for his brain," I replied lifelessly.
"I thought you were out of town," said Keifer, who had just arrived.
"We just got back."
"How's your cousin? What's her name again?—Jason? Jay-ar?" Yuri asked.
"Jay-jay."
"Boy or a girl?" Keifer asked, seemingly interested.
I raised an eyebrow. He quickly takes an interest when it's a girl. I had no plans of introducing him to Jay-jay.
"Just—" I didn't get to finish my sentence because Percy suddenly appeared in front of us.
"I found one for you. You just have to cover it up afterward," he said.
"Huh?" The three of us responded in unison.
"Aren't you about to poop?" he asked me.
I just shook my head and turned around. The three of them followed me.
We talked about a lot of things, but most of the time, it was about Keifer and his family.
His mom finally gathered the courage to leave his dad. They went through a lot, but what happened to Jay-jay was even worse.
"By the way, I'm not going with you guys next week," I said.
"Why, bro?!" Percy exclaimed. "...You can't! We made plans for that day!"
Oh, right.
I was planning to visit Grandma. I wanted to check on Jay-jay more often to make sure she's okay. Maybe next time—at least once a month, I should visit her. Then, I'll go home during the vacation.
"What?! You can't miss it," Percy insisted.
"Fine. I'll go."
My plan didn't push through. I didn't visit Jay-jay, and two school breaks had already passed without me going to Grandma's house.
When I'm with these three, I forget the things I need to do—including my school assignments and projects. At least Yuri doesn't have much trouble catching up, even if he forgets to do them. He quickly recovers with quizzes and exams.
"Have you seen Percy?" Keifer asked me as soon as I stepped out of the room.
"No. Why?"
"That idiot refuses to introduce me to Freya."
I raised an eyebrow. Freya Hidalgo? I think I know where he is.
"Let's go to the court," I said, and he followed.
The court wasn't too far from our room. We were getting closer when I spotted Percy blending in with a group of guys. They seemed to be peeking at something—just like him.
"Percy!" I called, and he turned to us.
He looked panicked, unsure of what to do.
"What are you do—hey!" Keifer shouted when Percy suddenly pushed us away.
"Let's go grab a snack outside. My treat! Where's Yuri?" Percy said, trying to drag us away from the court.
Why does he seem like he doesn't want us to see what he was looking at? I already knew it was Freya. Too bad—I hadn't seen her yet. I wanted to meet her, too.
"Where are you going to high school?" Yuri asked me.
"The same school as my brother."
"Which one? Your brother went to a lot of schools." Yuri chuckled.
I laughed, too. My brother kept transferring schools because he always got into fights, and Mom kept trying to fix his life. All her efforts were wasted.
We had to visit Grandma's house. We found out that my brother had been going there without our knowledge. Apparently, Grandma sent him to school to deal with Jay-jay's messes.
I was shocked when he told us what Jay-jay had been doing. I had heard that she got into fights, but I didn't know it had gotten this bad.
She was sitting on the sofa, knees up to her face, head bowed, as if no one was talking to her.
"Are you even listening?!" my brother asked angrily.
She didn't respond. He glanced at me for a moment before looking down again.
"You're a girl, yet you're getting into fights! Are you even thinking?!" my brother added.
If you think about it, Jay-jay and I were in similar situations. We both got into fights. The difference was that I had three friends to mess around with.
"Maybe you should let the kid rest first," Mom suggested.
Before my brother could respond, Jay-jay suddenly stood up and walked straight outside.
"I'm not done yet! Get back here!" my brother shouted angrily.
He was about to follow Jay, but Mom stopped him.
"Let her be!"
"I'll go after her," I said, and they let me.
At first, I thought she went down the road, but I saw her heading straight to the back where the big tree was.
"Jay!" I called, but she ignored me. "...Jay!"
She turned around with a frown but quickly looked away.
"Surprising. You actually came home?" she asked sarcastically.
A lot had changed about hierbut one thing remained the same—her movements were still boyish, even though she looked entirely like a girl.
"Are you mad at me?"
"No. Do I have a reason to be mad at you?"
I asked the wrong question. It was obvious that she was mad at me. Maybe it was because of our last conversation or the fact that I hadn't visited her recently.
I glanced at the basketball in the corner, picked it up, and dribbled it.
"Come on... Let's play," I invited.
She quickly turned to me and rolled her eyes. "We're not kids anymore. You told me that yourself, and now you want to play? Is this a joke?"
I think I remember it now.
That was the last conversation we had when she invited me to play outside. I really wasn't in the mood, so I said that to her. But I didn't mean it.
"Ahh, that? What—."
"Just treat me instead." She cut me off.
I looked up at her. She was looking in another direction, but I understood. I dropped the ball and reached into my pocket for some money.
"Let's go...."
To make it up to Jay-jay, I decided to celebrate my birthday here instead. I couldn't help but smile. She thought it was only my 13th birthday. She didn't know that my birthday had already been corrected. I'm actually turning 14 today.
I guess I'll tell her later.
"I have a question for you," she said while eating. "...They said I have an older brother. Is that true?"
I froze and slowly looked at her. Even now, it still wasn't clear to her who I was. I couldn't help but feel sad.
I'm your brother.
"So it's true?" she asked again.
"Y-yeah... He's older than you."
"I thought we were twins. You were the one who came to my mind." She replied and continued eating.
But that was really me.
["Bro! Why aren't you celebrating here?!"] Percy shouted from the other end of the line.
"Don't shout."
["But why?! The celebration is all set! Everything is planned! We're going to drink!"]
"We might still be minors."
["Come on! Don't be so weak! And don't you already know how to drive?"]
I sighed. I had a feeling I knew what they were planning. We had sneaked out with my brother's car once before, but back then, it was just Yuri and me. Looks like someone told him about what we did.
"I don't have a license yet."
["That's fine. Call me as soon as you get home."]
He didn't even wait for my response. He just hung up like the idiot he was. After putting my phone down, I looked out the window. Jay-jay was at the gate, seemingly talking to a man.
I stepped outside and approached her. My brows quickly furrowed when I saw who it was. I couldn't be mistaken—he was the one following me in a car.
"Jay-jay!" I called out, but before she could even turn to face me, the man she was talking to covered her mouth and carried her away.
"Let her go!"
I tried to fight back and help Jay, but another man grabbed me like a ragdoll. They forcibly shoved us into a van.
"Who are you?!" Jay-jay shouted as soon as we got inside the vehicle.
"What do you want?!" I demanded.
The vehicle started moving without us getting any answers. I couldn't understand. Who was this guy? And why did he keep following me?