JAY-JAY POV
It was Saturday.
Finally, after five days of working like a robot, drowning in case files and deadlines, I could breathe.
I love weekends.
They're mine.
Mine and Keth's.
But of course, Keth didn't feel like staying quiet. He never does.
He came onto my bed jumping, his little dinosaur clutched in one hand, his hair sticking up in every direction. "Mama, wake up! The dinosaurs are hungry!" he shouted, bouncing until the sheets tangled around us both.
I groaned, pulling the pillow over my head. "Keth, it's too early," I mumbled.
"Dinosaurs don't sleep in," he declared, tugging the pillow away with all the strength his four-year-old arms could muster.
I pulled him onto my bed, burying my face in his hair. "Please, baby, just a few more minutes," I whispered, hoping he'd let me rest.
"Mama, you sleep like a dinosaur," he said, giggling so hard his little shoulders shook.
I shot up, eyes wide. "You little brat—did you just call me a dinosaur?" I gasped, pretending to be offended.
Before he could answer, I attacked with tickles, fingers digging into his sides.
He squealed, kicking and laughing, trying to wriggle away. "No, no, please, Ma, stop!" he shouted between bursts of laughter, his voice breaking into hiccups.
I laughed too, the sound filling the room, chasing away the heaviness I'd been carrying all week.
This was us—messy, loud, chaotic.
Keth's laughter was my favorite kind of music, the one thing that made me forget everything else.
I collapsed beside him, both of us breathless, his cheeks flushed pink.
He curled against me, still giggling, whispering, "Dinosaurs are cool, Mama. You're cool too."
And just like that, my heart melted.
Because even when he drove me crazy, even when he turned mornings into chaos, he was my light.
My reason.
My everything.
"Are you trying to bribe me with words now?" I said, narrowing my eyes at him, though my lips twitched into a smile.
Keth giggled, rolling across the bed dramatically like he'd just won a battle. "Maybe," he said, dragging out the word in that mischievous little voice of his.
I lunged, tickling him again until he squealed, "Nooo, Mama, mercy!" between bursts of laughter. He kicked his legs, his dinosaur toy falling to the floor with a soft thud.
I finally let him go, both of us breathless, his cheeks flushed pink. He curled against me, still giggling, whispering, "Dinosaurs are cool, Mama. You're cool too."
I shook my head, pretending to sigh. "You're lucky you're cute," I muttered, kissing the top of his head.
And just like that, the chaos settled into warmth.
For a moment, it was just us—me and my little boy, wrapped in laughter and love.
"Fine, let's go and brush your teeths," I said, scooping him up off the bed.
Keth wriggled in my arms, giggling. "Mama, it's teeth, not teeths!" he corrected me, his little voice full of triumph.
I gasped dramatically. "Oh, so now you're my teacher?"
"Yes!" he shouted, pointing his tiny toothbrush like a sword once we reached the bathroom. "Teacher Keth says brush, brush, brush!"
I laughed, leaning against the doorframe as he stood on his stool, smearing toothpaste everywhere but his mouth.
Half the sink was covered in foam, his dinosaur toy somehow balanced on the counter like it was supervising.
"Keth, not the mirror!" I groaned, grabbing a towel as he grinned at his reflection, mouth full of bubbles.
He spit into the sink, wiped his face with his sleeve, and looked at me proudly. "See, Mama? Clean teeth. Dinosaurs approve."
I shook my head, smiling despite the mess.
This was our life—loud, chaotic, sticky with toothpaste and laughter.
And I wouldn't trade it for anything.
After all the bathroom chaos, I told Keth to go downstairs while I got ready.
I took a quick shower, slipped into my pajamas, and padded down the stairs, still drying my hair with a towel.
"Keth hon, come on it's your turn for a shower" I called out as I reached the bottom step.
But I froze.
My breath caught in my throat as I reached the bottom step. They were there. Section E.
Wide eyes staring back at me like ghosts pulled out of memory.
Not just them—Percy, Aries, Kuya Angelo. And Keifer.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
The towel
nearly slipped from my hand.
For a second, I thought I was dreaming, that the chaos of Keth's laughter upstairs had spilled into something unreal.
But it was real.
Too real.
Ci-N's smirk was gone.
David's soft eyes were heavy.
Calix looked like he'd been holding his breath for years.
Percy's gaze burned with questions.
Aries stood still, jaw tight. Kuya Angelo's arms were crossed, unreadable.
And Keifer— Keifer's eyes locked on mine, sharp, desperate, like he'd been waiting for this moment forever.
I wanted to run.
To grab Keth, to disappear again.
But my feet wouldn't move.
The silence pressed down on me, heavier than any courtroom, heavier than any secret I'd carried.
Denzel. Drew. Felix. Josh. Blaster. Yuri. Everyone.
Their faces hit me like a wave, dragging me back to everything I tried to bury.
The laughter, the promises, the betrayal.
Everything.
My chest tightened, breath caught in my throat.
I wanted to scream, to run, to vanish.
But before I could move, a small voice pulled me back.
"Ate," Lily whispered, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"What?" I said, turning to her, my voice sharper than I meant.
Her eyes were wide, searching mine. "Do you… know them?" she asked softly.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to nod. "Yes." My voice cracked. "You go home."
She hesitated, lips pressed tight, but she didn't ask questions.
She just nodded, hugged Keth quickly, and slipped out the door, her silence louder than any words.
And then it was just me.
Me and Section E.
Me and Keifer.
The room felt smaller, heavier, like the walls themselves were holding their breath.
I stood there, frozen, every memory clawing its way back.
The girl I used to be.
The choices I made.
The secret I carried.
And Keifer's eyes—burning, desperate, locked on mine—made it clear.
There was no running this time.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Keifer POV
Saturday.
The day we'd been waiting for.
I woke up earlier than the rest, the weight of it pressing on my chest.
Five days of working like machines, chasing shadows, pretending life was normal— and now, finally, we had her address.
Jay-Jay. Our sunshine.
I sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the floor, replaying every memory.
Her laughter.
Her betrayal.
The way she used to look at me like I was more than the chaos I carried.
And the way she disappeared, leaving a hole none of us could fill.
Downstairs, the boys were already stirring. Ci-N muttering about coffee.
Drew humming some tune under his breath.
Felix scrolling through his phone, skeptical as always.
Even Blaster was quiet, which meant everyone felt the same tension I did.
Rory and Edrix had the laptop open, maps glowing, her trail marked clear.
Angelo leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching me like he knew I was seconds away from breaking.
Aries paced, restless, muttering about not wasting time.
Percy sat silent, his eyes heavy with something deeper—something only he and her parents knew.
I clenched my fists.
Today wasn't just another search.
Today was the day we stopped being ghosts chasing a memory.
Today was the day we faced her.
"Keif," Yuri said quietly, "you ready?"
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to nod.
Because ready or not, the moment had come.
And I wasn't letting her slip away again.
_________AT JAY'S HOUSE______________
The drive was silent.
Every boy in Section E sat tense, eyes fixed ahead, the weight of what we were about to do pressing down like a storm. No jokes from Ci-N.
Percy and Aries and Angelo didn't say anything
Percy was quiet
No humming from Drew.
Even Blaster kept his music off.
When Rory finally said, "We're here," my chest tightened.
Jay's house.
Ordinary.
But it felt like the center of the universe.
We pulled up, engines cutting, the air heavy with anticipation.
I stepped out first, the gravel crunching under my shoes.
The others followed, a line of shadows behind me.
Before I could knock, the door opened
A girl opened the door wide-eyed, clutching the frame like she'd seen ghosts.
Her gaze darted from me to the boys, then back inside, her knuckles white against the wood.
"Who the hell are you guys?" she asked, voice trembling but firm.
I reached into my jacket, pulling out the proof—photos, names, the trail we'd followed for years.
"We know her," I said, my voice steady, though my chest was anything but.
She stared at the papers, then at me, then at the boys behind me.
For a moment, I thought she'd slam the door shut.
But instead, she stepped back, opening it wider.
"Come in," she said quietly. Her eyes softened, though suspicion lingered. "I'm Lily, by the way."
We stepped inside, one by one, the air heavy with silence.
The house smelled faintly of chocolate and pancakes, crayons scattered across the table, dinosaurs lined up like soldiers on the floor.
It was warm.
Lived in.
A life built without us.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay calm.
Behind her, chaos spilled into the room.
A little boy darted across the floor, a dinosaur clutched in one hand, chocolate smudged on his cheek.
His laughter rang out, bright and unguarded, bouncing off the walls like sunlight.
I froze.
The boys behind me froze too.
"Keth, you're already eating choco—your mom will yell at me," Lily said, half-laughing, half-scolding.
The name hit me like a punch.
Keth.
My son's name.
The room blurred for a second, the laughter, the crayons, the smell of pancakes fading into static.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't think.
All I could hear was that name echoing in my chest, louder than any battle, sharper than any betrayal.
The boys behind me shifted, confused, but I didn't move.
I couldn't.
Keth turned, chocolate smudge on his cheek, dinosaur clutched in his hand.
His eyes—bright, curious, familiar—locked on mine.
And in that instant, I knew.
Every sleepless night.
Every unanswered question.
Every trail I chased.
It all led here.
He was mine.
Ours.
I clenched my fists, forcing myself not to break in front of everyone.
Because if I did, Jay would run.
And I couldn't let her run again.
Behind Lily's voice, I heard footsteps.
Soft.
Hesitant.
Familiar.
And then she appeared.
Jay-Jay.
She stepped into the room, her hair damp from a shower, pajamas clinging to her frame, eyes wide as they landed on us.
On me.
The air snapped tight.
Her gaze flicked from the boys to Percy, to Angelo, to Aries—then finally locked on mine.
I saw it all in that single look.
hock.
Fear.
Anger.
And the weight of everything we'd left broken between us.
Keth tugged at her sleeve, oblivious to the storm. "Mama, dinosaurs eat pancakes!" he shouted, holding up his toy proudly.
Her hand trembled as she rested it on his shoulder, pulling him closer, shielding him without even realizing it.
Her body stiffened, her jaw clenched, but her eyes never left mine.
I wanted to speak.
To explain.
To beg.
But the words caught in my throat.
Because seeing her like this—alive, standing in front of me, with him—was more than I'd prepared for.
More than any of us had prepared for.
The boys behind me shifted, restless, waiting for someone to break the silence.
But I couldn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
All I could do was stare at her, at the life she built without us, and whisper her name in my head like a prayer.
Jay-Jay.