Jane's POV
The crackle of the bonfire was the only sound for a long while, the orange sparks dancing toward the starlit sky. I shifted slightly, feeling the weight of Jay's head on my shoulder.
To anyone else, she looked like she was just resting, but I could feel the rhythmic, steady rise and fall of her chest. She was okay. After the disaster at the river, after the shivering and the silence, she was finally fine.
Section E sat in a wide circle, the firelight casting long, flickering shadows over everyone's faces. The tension from earlier—the shock of seeing the dragon on Jay's back and the jagged scars beneath it—was still hovering in the air like a heavy mist. We needed someone to break it.
"You know," Cin chirped, leaning forward so the firelight turned his eyes mischievous. "Watching Jay glare at us all day while Keifer stands there like a stone gargoyle... it's giving me major vibes."
Jay didn't move, but her eyes slid open. "Vibes of what, Cin?"
"Mom vibes," Cin declared, grinning. "You're like the strict mom who'll ground me for breathing wrong."
Felix snickered, nudging Keifer with his elbow. "If Jay's the mom, then Keifer is definitely the dad. Did you see him earlier? 'Stop staring! Back off!'" Felix mimicked Keifer's deep protective growl perfectly. "That means they're basically husband and wife."
The circle erupted in hoots. Jay sat up abruptly, a faint, rare pink dusting her cheeks. "Shut up," she snapped, though the bite was missing from her voice.
I looked at Keifer. He didn't look away or protest. Instead, a slow, devastating smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. He looked at Jay, his gaze lingering just a second too long for it to be "just friends..
"Alright, enough shipping before Jay kills us," Denzel laughed, pulling an empty glass bottle from his bag. "Truth or Dare. No backing out."
The bottle spun, a blur of green glass on the wooden board. It landed first on Blaster.
"Dare!" Blaster yelled, pumping a fist.
"I dare you to go to the teachers' tent and do ten burpees while yelling 'The fitness gram pacer test is a multistage aerobic capacity test!'" Denzel cackled.
Blaster didn't hesitate. We watched from a distance as he did it, getting chased away by a very confused Coach.
Next was Rory, who had to eat a spoonful of hot sauce mixed with marshmallow fluff—the look of pure betrayal on his face was priceless.
Felix was dared to do a runway walk in the middle of the campsite wearing only his sleeping bag like a toga, while Denzel had to let Eren draw a 'mustache' on him with a permanent marker.
Eman himself ended up having to prank call his own older brother and convince him he'd accidentally joined a cult.
Then came the truths.
"Cin," Drew smirked. "Is it true you actually cried during the Lion King last week?"
"It was a very emotional moment for Simba!"
Cin wailed, causing Josh and David to howl with laughter.
David admitted his biggest fear was actually ladybugs, and Josh confessed he'd once accidentally sent a 'love' text meant for his crush to his dad.
The bottle slowed again. This time, the neck pointed straight at Yuri.
The mood shifted instantly. Yuri sat with his usual calm, composed elegance.
"Truth," Yuri said simply.
Jay leaned forward, her eyes sharp. "I'll take this one. Yuri... are you actually pursuing Jane?"
The circle went dead silent. My heart skipped a beat. I felt the heat of the fire on my face, but it was nothing compared to the heat of Jay's protective gaze. Yuri didn't flinch. He turned his head slowly, his dark eyes meeting mine. There was a softness there I hadn't seen before. He looked back at Jay and gave a single, firm nod.
"Yes," he said
Jay exhaled a long, shaky breath, her shoulders relaxing just a fraction. She looked at me, then back at Yuri.
Her voice dropped to a level that made the boys at the back shiver. "Just don't hurt her. If you do, I will erase your whole Hanamitchi group from the map. Understand?"
Yuri didn't look offended. He gave her a respectful nod of acknowledgement. A silent pact was made.
The bottle spun again, landing on Jay.
"Truth," she said, before anyone could even ask.
Felix leaned in. "Jay, we all know how you and Aries get along—or don't. But what's the deal? How is your relationship with your brother, really?"
Jay glanced at Aries, who was watching her with a pained, intense expression. "With Angelo Aries? You all know the mess that is. But with my other brother, it's quite good. We actually talk."
The group blinked. David frowned. "Other... brother? Singular?"
"I have three more elder brothers," Jay said calmly.
"Who?!" Yuri asked, his curiosity finally breaking through his mask.
Jay smirked, leaning back. "That's another question. I already answered an extra one. My turn."
She spun the bottle with a flick of her wrist. It whirled violently before slowing down right in front of Keifer.
"Dare," Keifer said, his voice dropping an octave.
"I dare you," Cin shouted, sensing the electricity in the air, "to make eye contact with the person sitting directly across from you for five minutes. No looking away. No talking."
Everyone looked across. Sitting directly across from Keifer, her silhouette framed by the orange glow of the fire, was Jay
The atmosphere changed the second the timer started. It wasn't just a game anymore. The air around the fire felt thick, almost heavy with heat that didn't come from the flames.
Keifer and Jay were locked in. Jay's expression was usually an impenetrable fortress, but under Keifer's steady, burning gaze, the walls were trembling. Keifer wasn't just looking at her; he was seeing her. He was looking at her as if she were the only thing in the dark forest worth noting.
"Damn, someone call the fire department," Cin whispered loudly. "The tension is going to melt the marshmallows."
"I feel like I'm intruding on a private wedding," Edrix added, muffled by his hand.
Jay's eyes were wide, her pupils blown. She looked vulnerable and fierce all at once. Keifer's smirk had vanished, replaced by an intensity so raw it made me uncomfortable to watch. They were communicating without words, a silent conversation about the river, the hoodie, and the dragon.
When the five minutes ended, Jay was the first to look away, her hands tucked into the pockets of Keifer's oversized hoodie. She looked flustered. Keifer just took a deep breath, looking like a man who had just won a war.
The bottle spun one last time and landed on me.
"Dare," I said, my voice clear.
Jay looked at me, a small smile playing on her lips. "Sing for me. 'Shape of You'."
I stood up, my silhouette graceful against the darkness.
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Yuri's POV
When she started, my world narrowed down to just her voice.
I lost..
The moment she hit the first note, I felt the ground fall out from beneath me. Her voice was magical—clear as a bell, yet warm like honey. I had heard people sing before, but this was different. It was effortless.
I leaned back, completely mesmerized, watching the way her throat moved and the way she smiled at Jay while she sang. I wasn't the only one. I looked around and noticed students from other sections—Section A, Section B—had stopped their own games and were standing at the edge of our campsite, drawn in by the sound.
Jay had her eyes closed, a look of pure, unadulterated peace on her face.
Wait. That tone. That specific vibrato. My mind flashed back to a memory—a crowded hall, a distant stage. I've heard her voice before, I realized. But where?
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Keifer's POV
The stare-down had left my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. Sitting across from her, looking into those dark, guarded eyes, I felt like I was falling into a canyon.
She's so much stronger than she realizes. And so much more beautiful when she isn't trying to hide.
She looks good in my hoodie, I thought, a possessive streak I didn't know I had flaring up.
But then Jane started singing. She was incredible, no doubt. The whole camp was under her spell. Teachers were peeking out of tents; Freya and her little clique—Ella, Grace, Mica—were actually standing there looking stunned. Even Freya was leaning against a tree, listening.
But I couldn't keep my eyes off Jay.
She looked... relaxed. The tension in her jaw was gone. She looked like a girl who was finally safe.
When Jane finished, the silence lasted for three seconds before the campsite exploded. Freya, Ella, and Mica actually ran forward to hug Jane—a miracle in itself. Even the teachers were clapping.
"Jay can sing too??," Cin shouted, jumping up and down
Jay's eyes snapped open. "No."
"Yes!" Jane laughed, grabbing Jay's hand. "She's better than me."
"Please! Jay! Just one!" the group pleaded.
Jay looked at the sea of faces, then at me. I gave her a small, encouraging nod. Show them who you are, I thought.
She sighed, a sound of pure defeat, and stood up. She and Jane walked to a corner of the circle, sitting on a log. Jane started the first note, a soft, acoustic melody.
"You and I..." Jane began, her voice sweet and high.
Then Jay joined in.
"You & I......"
The world didn't just stop; it froze. Jay's voice was the opposite of Jane's—it was deep, smoky, and carried a weight of soul that felt like it was pulling directly from the scars on her back. It was powerful enough to shake the trees.
The harmony they created was haunting. It was the sound of two souls who knew each other's darkest secrets and loved each other anyway.
When they finished the final note, the silence was absolute.
"Holy... Jay," Blaster whispered, breaking the spell.
"That was... that was professional level," Josh stammered.
"I think I just saw an angel and a demon sing a duet, and I'm not sure which is which, but I want to hear it again," Cin said, wiping a fake tear.
Even the teachers looked shocked. I just sat there, looking at Jay as she sat back down, trying to disappear back into the shadows. She wasn't just a girl with a tattoo or a girl with a temper.
She was a masterpiece. And I was falling, hard and fast, for every single broken piece of her.
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Jay's pOV
The fire crackled, but I barely heard it. My world had narrowed down to the two dark pools of Keifer's eyes.
Cin's dare was supposed to be a joke, but as the seconds ticked by, the laughter around the bonfire faded into a dull hum. Looking at Keifer was like staring into a storm I wasn't sure I could survive.
Usually, when people looked at me, they saw a delinquent, a mystery, or—after the river—a victim.
But Keifer? His gaze was heavy, stripping away my layers until I felt completely bare. He didn't look away from my scars; he looked through them.
There was a raw intensity in his eyes that made my skin prickle with heat. For five minutes, I forgot how to breathe. I saw admiration, a flickering shadow of possessiveness, and something so tender it terrified me.
When the timer finally ended and I looked away, my heart was hammering against my ribs. I tucked my hands deep into his hoodie—his scent, a mix of cedar and rain, was the only thing keeping me grounded.
Then Jane started to sing.
Her voice acted like a balm on the raw nerves Keifer had just exposed. I leaned back and closed my eyes, letting the notes of 'Shape of You' wash over me.
Jane had always been my anchor, and her voice was the one place where I didn't have to be a warrior. It was pure, untainted peace.
When the group practically begged me to join her for 'You & I', I tried to refuse.
My voice wasn't like Jane's. It was heavy with everything I'd survived. But I caught Keifer watching me again. His eyes told a different story now—they weren't just intense; they were encouraging. They were daring me to be heard.
Standing with Jane, our voices locked in harmony. The world stopped. For those few minutes, the dragon on my back didn't feel like a burden. It felt like wings.
The applause was still ringing in the air when two figures stepped out from the shadows of the trees—students from the main Holy Saint Academy campus. The boy stepped forward, his face serious.
"Jean," he said, using the formal name I hated. "The Principal wants to meet you tomorrow morning. At the main office."
I gave a short, stiff nod. "Fine."
He didn't stay long, turning to head back toward the bus area. But the girl who was with him stayed behind. She looked nervous, her eyes darting toward the Section E boys.
"What do you want to say?" I asked, my voice turning cold.
She bit her lip. "Are you... are you really coming tomorrow? Even after everything?"
"I said yes, didn't I?"
The girl looked around, leaning in closer so the others wouldn't hear, though I felt Keifer's presence looming right behind me.
"Cyrus is also coming tomorrow. He heard you'd be there. I wanted to tell you beforehand... so you aren't blindsided.
My blood turned to ice at the mention of that name. I didn't thank her. I didn't even blink. I just watched as she turned and vanished into the darkness.
"You are not going there alone," Jane said immediately, her hand gripping my arm. Her protective instinct was flaring, and I could feel the rest of the group—Keifer, Yuri, even Aries—shifting closer.
I didn't answer. I stared into the dying embers of the fire, the taste of peace gone from my mouth. Something was coming for me tomorrow, and for the first time, I wasn't sure if a dragon's strength would be enough to stop it.
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