JayJay POV
I wanted to punch something. I wanted to punch a horoscope. I wanted to punch Aries the horoscope's face.
He was really pushing my buttons.
I couldn't tell if he was proud that his new car — a gift from MY father — had arrived or if he was embarrassed because we were all gathered around him and his brand-new car.
And it wasn't just any car. It was a luxury car — the kind you only see in TV dramas. The ones rich people drive.
"Nice car," Kuya Angelo said sarcastically, holding the car's papers.
It was complete with registration and even had a license plate attached.
"W-what about Aries's old car?" Tita Gema asked hesitantly.
"I will still use it—"
"Don't bother. Wouldn't want your new car to feel neglected," Kuya cut him off.
My brother, who failed to predict his own horoscope today, just scratched his head awkwardly.
Serves him right.
"Can't we return it?" Mama asked.
"Even if we wanted to, where would we return it? To the buyer or the seller? Either way, neither would accept it," Kuya replied.
I pursed my lips when I saw my reflection on the car's shiny surface. It was so polished it made me want to break into song, Lea Salonga-style.
Who is that girl I see?
"Maybe we should discuss what to do with the car later. The kids will be late for school," Tita Gema suggested, and Kuya agreed.
"I'll talk to you later," Kuya warned Aries before finally letting him approach his new car.
Kuya noticed I wasn't moving from where I stood. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Take me to school," I pleaded.
He pointed at Aries's new car. "That car's from your dad. Don't you want to smell your father's money?"
He was obviously teasing me. I frowned at him, and he just laughed.
Not funny.
"I don't want to ride that."
"How will you get to school then?"
"If you don't take me, I'll walk. Or maybe I'll run, crawl, or roll. Whatever option's available."
He pretended to smack me, so I quickly moved away and used my arms to shield myself.
"Just take me, please," I insisted.
He looked at Aries inside his new car, shook his head, and then walked into the house. I thought he wasn't going to give in, but my face lit up when I heard him say, "I'm just getting the keys."
I clapped in delight but quickly rolled my eyes when I noticed Aries watching me. He shook his head before driving off.
I hope his tires go flat.
It wasn't long before Kuya came back and let me into his car. I quickly buckled my seatbelt.
While we were driving, I kept glancing at the cars around us — including Aries's. Some drivers were clearly checking out his car. It was obvious it was brand new.
"How long are you planning to stay mad at Aries?" Kuya asked when we stopped at a red light.
"How long do you plan to stay mad at Aries?" my brother asked when we stopped at a red light.
"I don't know. If people hold grudges for years over stolen partners, what more over a stolen father?"
He chuckled a bit. "Childish, Jay-jay."
"You can't blame me, Kuya."
"I know, I know. You've longed to see your dad for so long, only to find out your sibling's been talking to him all along," he said, finishing my thought.
I just gave a thumbs up and a fake smile. He shook his head before focusing back on the road.
We were halfway through the trip when my phone rang. I immediately picked it up and saw Yuri's name on the screen. It surprised me a bit that he was calling.
I answered right away.
"Hello—"
["Keifer! Help me! Someone's in my house!"] he screamed from the other end.
I covered my mouth in shock when I heard gunshots. Not just once — multiple shots, sounding like they came from different distances.
"Y-Yuri! What's happening?!"
["Jay? Is this Jay-jay? Oh fvck!"] he said before ending the call.
"What's going on, Jay?" my brother asked, but I didn't answer.
I tried calling Yuri's number several times, but no one was answering — and that scared me even more.
"What the hell is happening?" my brother asked, clearly annoyed.
"Let's go to Yuri's place — I have a bad feeling about this. Please!" I begged, fear evident in my voice.
"Tell me first what's going on."
"He was asking for help... and then... then there were gunshots," I explained frantically.
"I'll drop you off first, and I'll go check on him."
I shook my head. "No, Kuya! Let's go now, please!"
He cursed under his breath several times before turning the wheel around. I told him exactly what Yuri had said — that there were intruders in his house.
The rooftop house in his building was the first thing that came to mind. My brother drove swiftly, and I prayed silently for Yuri's safety — and ours too, because it seemed like I might die early with the way my brother was overtaking every car in sight.
Hold on, soul.
I closed my eyes tightly and waited for the car to stop. We pulled into the building's parking area, and I half-ran toward the elevator. My brother followed closely behind, and we managed to get in quickly.
That's when I noticed the black bag my brother was carrying. I hadn't noticed earlier if he had brought anything from the car.
When we reached Yuri's floor, the first thing I noticed was the destruction. Broken furniture, shattered glass, and fallen bonsai pots were scattered everywhere.
I ran inside, but a man dressed in black met me at the entrance. He stared for a second before raising the gun he was holding and aiming it at me.
My whole body froze. I couldn't move. I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for death — but someone suddenly pulled me back and wrapped their arms around my waist, spinning me behind them.
Everything happened too fast. I screamed as gunshots echoed again, covering my ears with both hands.
What the hell?!
"He got away!" my brother cursed after the shooting stopped.
When I finally stood up straight, my eyes widened in shock when I saw my brother, Kuya Angelo, holding a gun. And not just any gun — it looked like one of those high-capacity firearms you see in SWAT movies.
"Where did you get that?!" I asked, remembering the black bag he'd been carrying earlier.
"We'll talk later. Go back to the car — I'll handle this," he said and started moving.
But I didn't listen. I quickly followed him, and he cursed under his breath repeatedly. He was about to force me back when another round of gunfire erupted. I screamed, but he quickly covered my mouth.
Before I knew it, he had dragged me to a corner.
"Stay here. Don't come out until I get back," he ordered without waiting for my reply.
I sank to the floor just as he said. Gunfire still echoed around me, accompanied by the sound of objects breaking in the distance.
As much as I wanted to stay put, I just couldn't. I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to find Yuri before something terrible happened.
Taking a wild guess, I ran toward his room, ducking every time I heard a gunshot.
Please don't let me get hit.
After a nerve-wracking sprint while playing hide-and-seek with bullets, I reached his room — but it was empty. I scanned the space and noticed how clean it was. His belongings were gone.
Are these guys thieves? Maybe they were robbing Yuri, and he caught them, which is why they're shooting now.
That would explain why they're dressed in black. And I had no idea if Yuri was home alone. I thought of their housekeeper in a kimono, but she didn't seem to be around.
If she were here, Yuri wouldn't be fighting off burglars — they would've called for help right away.
I froze at the thought. Why did Yuri have a gun?
And speaking of guns, I stiffened when I heard the click of a firearm being cocked behind me.
"Hands up," a voice ordered. I obeyed immediately.
"Turn around."
I didn't want to, but I did, slowly raising my trembling hands.
My breath caught when I saw the person pointing the gun at me — a woman with ginger-red hair, the kind I'd seen online. I suddenly remembered the woman Yuri had gotten into a fight with at the mall.
I studied her, but the mask she wore kept me from seeing her face clearly. Her brown eyes were sharp, and she looked like she had a prominent nose.
"What is your name?" she asked, clearly struggling with her English.
"I said, what is your name?!" she repeated, stepping closer with the gun.
"Ah—name! Name!" I stammered. "Kokey—I mean, Jay-jay!"
She glanced at something in her hand — probably a phone — and started swiping through it. But when she didn't find what she was looking for, she lowered it along with the gun.
"I'm sorry — I thought you were an ene—"
She didn't finish her sentence because I kicked her hard in the stomach.
She dropped everything she was holding, crashing against Yuri's room door and falling to the floor.
"You think a simple 'sorry' fixes this? You pointed a gun at me, you psycho!" I snapped, kicking the gun farther away from her.
She got up quickly and glared at me.
"I guess you are an enemy," she said, rushing toward me.
I dodged her punch, but she followed up with another, landing a hit near my jaw. Before I could recover, she kicked me in the stomach.
I grabbed her leg, trying to pull her off balance. She fell, giving me a chance to run.
I had no shot at winning this fight — she clearly knew martial arts.
I was almost at the door when she grabbed my foot, making me fall face-first.
I tried to get up again, but she was already on top of me. She punched me in the face, followed by two more.
"Fight me, b*tch!" she screamed at me.
"You're the b*tch! You're crazy!" I shouted back and grabbed her hair.
She screamed in pain. I quickly flipped her over and started slapping her repeatedly.
She asked for a fight, didn't she?
I got in several more slaps and punches. If she hadn't been blocking with her arms, her face would've been bleeding by now.
I cried out when she punched me in the side and yanked my hair, flipping me over again and raining punches down on my face. Because of her long hair, I managed to grab it again.
Our fight turned into a full-blown brawl—hair-pulling, punching, and slapping. She started yelling in Japanese, but I didn't understand a word, so I cursed her in Tagalog.
"You're a brat! Waving your gun around like you're tough!" I spat furiously.
I managed to push her off me and stood up quickly. She did the same.
She fixed her hair before raising her fists. I adjusted my hair and raised mine, too. We looked like video game characters, waiting for the player to press the controller.
"Who the f*ck are you?" she demanded.
"Guess, idiot!" I shot back, knowing full well she didn't understand me.
She looked even more annoyed. She lunged at me. I thought she was going to punch me, but she kicked instead. I blocked with my arm, but it wasn't enough—I still went down. As she rushed toward me, I kicked her in the stomach.
She flew backward. I got up quickly, and so did she—but this time, she had the gun I had kicked away earlier.
Damn it! I'm done for!
Before she could aim it at me, I charged at her and tackled her to the ground. Our fight turned into wrestling.
Exhausted and breathless, I didn't realize when she ended up on top of me again. She cocked the gun and was about to aim it at me when someone hit the back of her neck, knocking her out cold.
She collapsed beside me, and I scrambled up, looking around. When I saw who it was, I threw my arms around him.
"Yuri!"
"Thank God you're okay," he said, hugging me back.
"What's going on? Who are these people? What do they want from you? Did they steal your stuff?" I asked one question after another once we pulled apart.
He took my hand. I noticed the gun in his other hand.
"There's no time to explain. Let's go," he said, trying to pull me along, but I stopped him.
The strong smell of gasoline and burning filled the air. It was clearly coming from somewhere nearby.
"Do you smell that?" I asked.
Yuri sniffed the air, his face growing tense. "Smells like something's burni—"
We both froze as the smell grew stronger. Smoke started creeping along the ceiling and walls.
"Sh*t! They're burning the house!" Yuri yelled, panic surging between us.
We were about to run when I remembered the girl we had been fighting.
"What about her?" I asked, frantic.
Sure, we'd just beaten each other up, but I wasn't heartless enough to leave her to burn.
Yuri didn't hesitate. He went to the girl, checked on her, and grabbed the gun and phone from the floor.
I helped him hoist her onto his back. We hurried out of the room.
Then I remembered my brother. What if he got left behind?
"Kuya! Kuya Angelo!" I called out as we walked.
The smoke made me cough, forcing me to stop and bend over several times, but I couldn't stay still for long.
My heart sank when I saw part of the house engulfed in flames. Because it was made of wood and paper, the fire spread rapidly.
"Kuya Angelo!" I called again, and relief washed over me when I saw him running toward us.
I hugged him tightly, and he hugged me back. I quickly checked him for injuries, but he seemed unharmed. He still had his gun.
"We need to get out of here!"
We walked quickly toward the elevator, but a loud explosion threw us to the ground. I felt my brother's body cover mine protectively.
Another explosion followed, and the house was completely consumed by flames. My brother quickly stood and lifted me up. I didn't resist—I was too disoriented.
"The elevator's not working. We'll use the fire exit," Yuri said, leading the way.
As we ran, I couldn't help but glance back at the burning house before the fire exit door shut behind us. I knew how much that house meant to Yuri's family. Rage boiled inside me toward the people who attacked us—they stole, and now they'd set the house on fire.
The ground floor was still far away since we'd come from the rooftop. Yuri and my brother were clearly exhausted, but they didn't slow down. Getting out alive was our only priority.
"Damn it! You really need to go on a diet, Jay!" my brother grumbled.
I stayed quiet. Better not provoke him when he was already tired and irritated.
It took a long time before we finally reached the parking area. We quickly got into my brother's car. Both of them were gasping for air inside the vehicle.
The sounds of firetrucks and ambulances filled the air outside.
"Care to explain?" my brother asked Yuri.
Yuri adjusted the unconscious girl beside him.
"Let's get out of here first."
My brother drove off without hesitation. I had no idea where we were heading. I was still in shock from everything that had happened.
We'd just been in a shootout. I wrestled with a girl I didn't even know. And we nearly burned alive.
It was all happening way too fast.
I looked at my bag when I heard my phone ring. Good thing I'd left my bag in the car—otherwise, it would've been lost in the chaos.
Keifer's name flashed on the screen. I hesitated before answering, but I knew he'd be worried.
["Jay-jay!"] Ci-N's voice greeted me. ["Keifer's practically rolling around in worry."] he laughed.
"Ci? Can you give the phone to Keifer?" I tried to sound normal, but the exhaustion still crept into my voice.
["Okay."]
I heard him talking to Keifer before handing him the phone.
"Tell Keifer to meet us at Alvin's house," my brother interjected, and I glanced at him.
["Jay? Is that Angelo? Where are you?"] Keifer's voice came through.
"Yeah, Yuri's with us too. We'll meet at Sir Alvin's house."
He was silent for a moment. I heard him whispering to someone, and Felix replied in the background.
["I'm on my way now."]
He hung up.
I relayed the message to my brother. We fell into silence during the drive—until I started noticing the surroundings.
Why did it feel like we were heading into the woods?