JayJay POV
I wanted to punch something. I wanted to punch a horoscope. I wanted to punch Aries the horoscope in the face.
He was really pushing my buttons.
I don't know if he's proud that his car—which came from MY DAD—is now here. Or if he's embarrassed because all of us are surrounding him and his 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—"
"No need. Wouldn't want your new car to feel neglected," Kuya cut off Aries response.
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 answered.
I pursed my lips when I saw my reflection on the car's shiny surface. It was so glossy, it made me want to sing like Lea Salonga.
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 said to Aries with a hint of a threat before 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 clearly teasing. I scowled at him, which made him laugh.
It wasn't funny.
"I don't want to ride that."
"How will you get to school then?"
"If you don't drive me, I'll walk. Or maybe I'll run, crawl, or roll. Whatever option's available."
He immediately raised his hand to flick my forehead, so I quickly stepped back and blocked with my arms.
"Just drive me, please," I insisted.
He looked at Aries inside his new car, shook his head, and then walked into the house. I thought he was going to ignore my request, but my face lit up when I heard him say, "I'll just grab my keys."
I clapped in delight but quickly rolled my eyes when I noticed Aries watching me. He shook his head before starting his new car and driving off.
Hope his tire goes flat.
It wasn't long before Kuya came back and let me into his car. I quickly buckled my seatbelt.
During the ride, I kept looking at the other cars around us—especially the distant sight of Aries' car. Some motorists even glanced at it since it was obviously brand new.
"How long are you going to stay mad at Aries?" Kuya asked when we stopped at a red light.
"I don't know. If stealing a lover take years to get over, how much longer for stealing a dad?"
He chuckled a bit. "Childish, Jay-jay."
"You can't blame me, Kuya."
"I know, I know. You've been longing to see your Papa, only to find out your brother's been talking to him all along."
He beat me to what I was about to say.
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 drive when my phone buzzed. I quickly grabbed it up and saw Yuri's name on the screen. I was a bit puzzled that he was calling.
I answered the call anyway.
"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 were coming from various distances.
"Y-Yuri! What's happening?!"
["Jay? Is this Jay-jay? Oh fvck!"] he said before ending the call.
"What was that, Jay?" Kuya asked, but ignored him.
I tried calling Yuri's number back, but no one answered, which worried me. I tried several more times, but still no response from him.
"What the hell is happening?" Kuya asked, irritated.
"We need to 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... A-and then... Then..there were gunshots," I explained frantically.
"I'll drop you off first, and I'll go to him."
I shook my head. "No, Kuya! Now, Please!"
He cursed under his breath several times before sharply turning the wheel around. I told him exactly what Yuri had said — that there was someone else in his house.
The rooftop house in his building was the first thing that came to mind. Kuta sped toward it. I silently prayed for Yuri's safety — and ours too, because it seemed like I might die early with the way Kuya was overtaking every vehicle in sight.
Hold on tight, soul.
I closed my eyes tightly and waited for the car to stop. We pulled into the parking lot of Yuri's building. I ran toward the elevator, with Kuya following close behind. We quickly got in.
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 wrecked items. Broken furniture, shattered glass, and fallen bonsai pots were scattered everywhere.
I ran inside, but a man in black confronted me. He stared at me at first, then raised and pointed a gun at me.
My whole body froze, literally chilled to the bone, unable to move. I shut my eyes tightly, bracing myself for the death — but someone suddenly yanked me back, wrapping an arm around my waist and spinning me behind them.
Everything happened too fast. A rapid series of gunshots rang out, and I screamed, clamping my hands over my ears.
What the hell?!
"He got away!" Kuya snapped after the shooting stopped.
I 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.
"What's that? Where'd it come from?" I asked, remembering the black bag he was holding earlier.
"We'll talk later. Go back to the car, I'll handle this," he said, starting to walk.
But I didn't agree. I followed him right away, and he cursed repeatedly. He was about to insist I go back, but we heard more gunshots. I screamed, but he quickly covered my mouth.
Before I knew it, he had pulled me to a corner.
"Stay here. Don't come out until I get back," he ordered without waiting for my reply.
I sat down as he told me to. I could still hear gunfire, 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.
I took a wild chance and left my hiding spot. The first place I thought of was his room, so I headed there, 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 I didn't find anyone there. I scanned the space and noticed how clean it was. His belongings were gone.
Were thieves the ones who broke in? Maybe they were robbing Yuri, and he caught them, which is why they're shooting now.
So, they're thieves. That explains why the guy we encountered earlier was 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 exchanging gunfire. She'd have called for help right away.
I paused mid-thought.
Wait… why does Yuri have a gun?
And speaking of guns—I stiffened at the unmistakable click of a pistol's slide racking behind me.
"Hands up," ordered a voice. I complied. "Turn around."
I didn't want to, but I did anyway, rotating slowly with my hands raised. My whole body trembled.
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 briefly, but because of the mask she was wearing, I couldn't see her clearly. I could make out her brown eyes and what seemed like a sharp nose.
"What is your name?" she demanded, clearly struggling with her English.
"I said, what is your name?!" she repeated.
She brought the gun closer to my face, scaring me senseless. I panicked and stepped back slightly.
"Ah—name! Name!" I stammered. "Kokey—I mean, Jay-jay!"
She looked at something in her other hand—probably a cellphone. She raised it, aligning it with my face, swiping her thumb repeatedly. When she didn't find what she was looking for, she lowered it along with the gun.
"I'm sorry, I thought you're 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.
"So you just say sorry-sorry? You pointed a gun at me, you psycho!" I snapped, kicking the gun farther away from her.
She stood up fast and glared at me.
"I guess you are an enemy," she said, charging at me.
I dodged her first punch, but she followed it with another that hit me near my jaw. I realized I was in over my head—she knew how to fight.
Before I could recover, she drove her knee into my gut. I grabbed her leg to yank her off-balance, sending her to the floor. Seizing the chance, I ran toward the door.
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 hits.
"Fight me, b*tch!" she screamed at me.
"You're the b*tch! Screw you!" I shouted back, grabbing her hair.
She screamed in pain. I quickly flipped her over, pinning her down, and slapped her repeatedly.
"Fight me," she said, huh?
I landed several slaps and punches. If she hadn't blocked with her arms, her face would probably be bleeding by now.
I screamed when she punched my side and yanked my hair. She managed to pin me down again, landing punch after punch to my face. Since her hair was long, I grabbed it again.
Our fight turned into a hair-pulling, punching, and slapping mess. She started yelling in Japanese, but I couldn't understand her, so I just cursed her out in Tagalog.
"You're such a witch! Pointing a gun at me!" I spat furiously.
I managed to push her off me and stood up quickly. She did the same.
She fixed her hair and raised both fists. I fixed my hair too and raised my fists, like we were in a video game, waiting for the player to press the controller.
"Who the f*ck are you?" she demanded.
"Guess, asshole!" I shot back, knowing full well she wouldn't understand.
She looked even more annoyed. She lunged at me. I thought she was going to punch me, but she kicked instead. I managed to block it with my arm, but it wasn't enough, and I still fell.
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 was holding the gun I had kicked away earlier.
Damn it! I'm done for!
Before she could aim it at me, I charged at her, wrapped my arms around her body, and slammed her to the floor. Our fight turned into a wrestling match.
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 quickly got up. I looked at who did it and immediately hugged them when I recognized them.
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 in a rush after pulling away from him.
He grabbed my hand. My eyes dropped to the pistol in his other hand.
"There's no time to explain. Let's go," he said, about to pull me along, but I stopped him.
I could strongly smell gasoline and burning things coming from somewhere. It was clearly not far from where we were standing.
"Do you smell that?" I asked. Yuri sniffed the air too. "Smells like something is 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 out when I remembered the woman. I quickly stopped Yuri.
"What about her?" I asked, frantic.
Sure, we'd just beaten each other up, but I wasn't heartless enough to just leave her here to burn.
Yuri didn't hesitate. He rushed to the woman and checked on her. He also grabbed the gun and cellphone from the floor.
I helped him carry her over his shoulder. We hurriedly ran out of his room.
Then I remembered Kuya. What if he got left behind?
"Kuya! Kuya Angelo!" I called out as we walked.
I coughed several times because of the smoke. I had to bend over and pause a few times, but I couldn't stay still for long.
I was shocked to see flames engulfing the other side of the house. Since 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 was still holding the gun he had.
"We need to get out of here!"
We quickly started walking away. We were almost at the elevator when we heard a loud explosion. I felt myself hit the floor, with Kuya's body shielding me.
Another explosion followed, and the house was completely consumed by massive flames. Kuya quickly stood and lifted me up. I didn't resist—I was too disoriented.
"The elevator's not working anymore! To the fire exit!" Yuri said, leading the way as he ran.
I couldn't help but stare at the house as the fire exit door closed. I knew that house was important to Yuri's family. I wanted to be angry at the people who stormed in. They didn't just steal—they set the house on fire.
The ground floor was still far away since we'd come from the rooftop. Yuri and Kuya were clearly exhausted, but they didn't care. All that mattered was getting out.
"Damn it! When we get home, you're going on a diet, Jay!" Kuya grumbled.
I didn't respond, knowing it might annoy him more and tire him out even further.
It took a while before we reached the parking lot. We quickly piled into Kuya's car. Both of them were panting heavily inside the vehicle.
I could clearly hear the sirens of fire trucks and ambulances outside the building.
"Care to explain?" Kuya asked Yuri.
Yuri briefly adjusted the unconscious woman lying next to him.
"Let's get out of here first."
Kuya started driving right away. I had no idea where we were going. I was still in shock from everything that had happened.
We'd just come from a shootout, I'd fought and wrestled with a woman I didn't even know, and we nearly got burned alive.
It was all happening way too fast.
I snapped out of it when I heard my phone ringing from my bag. Good thing I'd left my bag in the car. It would've been long gone with all the chaos I went through.
Keifer's name flashed on the screen. I hesitated before answering, but I knew he'd be worried. I picked up.
["Jay-jay!"] Ci-N's voice greeted me. ["Where are you? Keifer's practically rolling around in worry."] he laughed.
"Ci? Can you pass the phone to Keifer?" I tried to sound normal, but the exhaustion still crept into my voice.
["Okiee."]
I heard him talking to Keifer before handing him the phone.
"Tell Keifer to meet us. Probably at Alvin's house," Kuya 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 also heard him whisper something, and Felix responded.
["I'm on my way now,"] he said, then hung up.
I told Kuya his response. We stayed silent for the rest of the drive until I gradually noticed the route we were taking.
Why did it feel like we were heading into the woods?