Author's POV
The base was quieter that night.
Not peaceful.
Just quiet.
The kind of quiet that followed something nobody knew how to talk about.
Jay had returned from the hospital a few hours ago.
She hadn't spoken much.
Actually—
she hadn't spoken at all.
Everyone had noticed.
But nobody forced her.
The common room remained dimly lit, with only a few lamps turned on.
Aries was sitting on one of the sofas, his shoulder carefully bandaged.
Percy sat across from him.
Angelo stood near the window, staring outside.
Alex was checking a few reports on his phone.
Nobody was really talking.
Their attention kept drifting toward the hallway.
Toward Jay's room.
Keifer was the only person who wasn't in the common room.
He was sitting outside Jay's door.
His back rested against the wall.
He had been there for almost an hour.
He wasn't knocking.
Wasn't asking her to come out.
He wasn't even talking.
He was simply there.
Inside the room, Jay sat on the edge of her bed.
Her knees were drawn slightly toward herself.
The lights were off.
Only the city outside illuminated the room through the curtains.
She had been staring at the same spot for a long time.
Her thoughts kept returning to the hospital.
Kyle's voice.
Her mother's face.
The memory.
The guilt.
She wiped another tear from her cheek.
It didn't help.
Another one replaced it.
She quietly looked toward the door.
She knew someone was outside.
She didn't need to ask who.
Keifer.
Of course.
She didn't understand why he stayed.
After everything he knew now—
why was he still there?
Jay slowly stood.
She walked toward the door.
Stopped.
Her hand rested against the handle.
She almost opened it.
Almost.
Then she heard Keifer shift slightly on the other side.
She froze.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Finally—
Jay opened the door.
Only slightly.
Keifer immediately looked up.
Their eyes met.
Jay looked exhausted.
Keifer stood slowly.
Neither spoke.
Jay looked down.
"You shouldn't be sitting here."
Her voice was quiet.
Keifer's expression softened.
"Why?"
Jay swallowed.
"You know."
He didn't pretend not to understand.
"You know what I did."
Keifer remained silent for a moment.
Then he said quietly:
"I know what you believe you did."
Jay looked up.
Her eyes immediately filled again.
"What does that mean?"
Keifer didn't answer immediately.
He stepped a little closer.
"It means I don't think you should decide your entire life based on what happened when you were five."
Jay shook her head.
"You don't understand."
"Then let me understand."
She looked away.
"I killed him."
Keifer's expression didn't change.
"You were five."
"I still did it."
"You were five."
His voice remained gentle but firm.
Jay's eyes dropped.
"Mom protected me."
Keifer nodded slowly.
"Then we'll figure out why."
Jay looked at him.
"We?"
"Yes."
A small silence followed.
"You don't have to do this alone."
Jay's lips trembled.
She looked like she wanted to say something.
But nothing came.
Keifer didn't push.
He simply stood there.
After a moment, Jay stepped backward.
"Goodnight, Keif."
It was barely a whisper.
But Keifer heard it.
"Goodnight, Jay."
She slowly closed the door.
Keifer remained outside.
He looked down at the floor.
Something about the conversation bothered him.
Not Jay.
The story.
Something didn't fit.
Elsewhere
Alex was still going through Kyle's remaining files.
Most of them were useless.
Names.
Locations.
Old reports.
Nothing important.
Then he found a small folder hidden underneath the others.
He opened it.
His expression changed.
There were several old documents inside.
All connected to Jay.
Childhood records.
Old photographs.
Names of people connected to her family.
Alex slowly turned another page.
Then stopped.
One sentence had been written across the top of a document.
He read it twice.
His expression became serious.
Kyle was never supposed to tell her.
Alex stared at the words.
Who wasn't supposed to tell her?
And why?
He looked toward the hallway.
Toward Jay's room.
For a long moment, he didn't move.
Then he quietly closed the folder.
Whatever happened when Jay was five—
Kyle hadn't been the only person who knew.
And apparently…
someone had desperately wanted Jay to forget.
Author's POV
The base was quieter that night.
Not peaceful.
Just quiet.
The kind of quiet that followed something nobody knew how to talk about.
Jay had returned from the hospital a few hours ago.
She hadn't spoken much.
Actually—
she hadn't spoken at all.
Everyone had noticed.
But nobody forced her.
The common room remained dimly lit, with only a few lamps turned on.
Aries was sitting on one of the sofas, his shoulder carefully bandaged.
Percy sat across from him.
Angelo stood near the window, staring outside.
Alex was checking a few reports on his phone.
Nobody was really talking.
Their attention kept drifting toward the hallway.
Toward Jay's room.
Keifer was the only person who wasn't in the common room.
He was sitting outside Jay's door.
His back rested against the wall.
He had been there for almost an hour.
He wasn't knocking.
Wasn't asking her to come out.
He wasn't even talking.
He was simply there.
Inside the room, Jay sat on the edge of her bed.
Her knees were drawn slightly toward herself.
The lights were off.
Only the city outside illuminated the room through the curtains.
She had been staring at the same spot for a long time.
Her thoughts kept returning to the hospital.
Kyle's voice.
Her mother's face.
The memory.
The guilt.
She wiped another tear from her cheek.
It didn't help.
Another one replaced it.
She quietly looked toward the door.
She knew someone was outside.
She didn't need to ask who.
Keifer.
Of course.
She didn't understand why he stayed.
After everything he knew now—
why was he still there?
Jay slowly stood.
She walked toward the door.
Stopped.
Her hand rested against the handle.
She almost opened it.
Almost.
Then she heard Keifer shift slightly on the other side.
She froze.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Finally—
Jay opened the door.
Only slightly.
Keifer immediately looked up.
Their eyes met.
Jay looked exhausted.
Keifer stood slowly.
Neither spoke.
Jay looked down.
"You shouldn't be sitting here."
Her voice was quiet.
Keifer's expression softened.
"Why?"
Jay swallowed.
"You know."
He didn't pretend not to understand.
"You know what I did."
Keifer remained silent for a moment.
Then he said quietly:
"I know what you believe you did."
Jay looked up.
Her eyes immediately filled again.
"What does that mean?"
Keifer didn't answer immediately.
He stepped a little closer.
"It means I don't think you should decide your entire life based on what happened when you were five."
Jay shook her head.
"You don't understand."
"Then let me understand."
She looked away.
"I killed him."
Keifer's expression didn't change.
"You were five."
"I still did it."
"You were five."
His voice remained gentle but firm.
Jay's eyes dropped.
"Mom protected me."
Keifer nodded slowly.
"Then we'll figure out why."
Jay looked at him.
"We?"
"Yes."
A small silence followed.
"You don't have to do this alone."
Jay's lips trembled.
She looked like she wanted to say something.
But nothing came.
Keifer didn't push.
He simply stood there.
After a moment, Jay stepped backward.
"Goodnight, Keif."
It was barely a whisper.
But Keifer heard it.
"Goodnight, Jay."
She slowly closed the door.
Keifer remained outside.
He looked down at the floor.
Something about the conversation bothered him.
Not Jay.
The story.
Something didn't fit.
Elsewhere
Alex was still going through Kyle's remaining files.
Most of them were useless.
Names.
Locations.
Old reports.
Nothing important.
Then he found a small folder hidden underneath the others.
He opened it.
His expression changed.
There were several old documents inside.
All connected to Jay.
Childhood records.
Old photographs.
Names of people connected to her family.
Alex slowly turned another page.
Then stopped.
One sentence had been written across the top of a document.
He read it twice.
His expression became serious.
Kyle was never supposed to tell her.
Alex stared at the words.
Who wasn't supposed to tell her?
And why?
He looked toward the hallway.
Toward Jay's room.
For a long moment, he didn't move.
Then he quietly closed the folder.
Whatever happened when Jay was five—
Kyle hadn't been the only person who knew.
And apparently…
someone had desperately wanted Jay to forget.