The Fernandez house was unusually quiet that night.
Jay-Jay sat at the dining table with her notebook open in front of her, but she hadn't written a single word in the past ten minutes.
Her pen rested between her fingers while she stared at the same page of notes.
Her mind wasn't on school.
It hadn't been for a long time.
Ever since that night.
Ever since Keifer admitted the truth.
"I used you. And the whole Section E knows it."
Those words still echoed in her head whenever things got quiet.
Across the living room, Aries was arguing with Angelo about something on the TV. Their voices blended with the background noise of the evening news, but Jay-Jay barely listened.
She was used to this now.
The house had been full ever since Keifer started staying with them after his mother's death. Aries insisted it was temporary, but weeks had already passed.
Keifer barely spoke to anyone.
Especially her.
Her phone buzzed on the table.
Jay-Jay glanced at the screen.
Unknown number.
She frowned.
Probably a wrong number.
She ignored it and looked back at her notebook.
Buzz.
Another message.
Annoyed, she unlocked the phone.
The message made her stomach drop.
"Stop trusting Keifer."
Jay-Jay stared at the words.
Her fingers tightened around the phone.
Who would send something like that?
Her first thought was that one of the Section E boys was messing with her. Yuri loved stupid pranks, and Percy used to do things like this all the time.
Her thoughts stopped.
Percy.
She quickly shook her head.
No. That was impossible.
Percy had been gone for years.
Everyone knew that.
Before she could think further, another message appeared.
"Percy didn't die."
Jay-Jay's breath caught in her throat.
The room suddenly felt colder.
She reread the message again.
And again.
Her heart started beating faster.
No.
This had to be a joke.
It had to be.
Her fingers trembled as she typed a reply.
Who is this?
The message sent.
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Jay-Jay felt her pulse in her ears while she waited.
Across the room, Aries laughed loudly at something Angelo said, completely unaware that Jay-Jay felt like the ground beneath her was shifting.
Her phone buzzed again.
"Ask Keifer what really happened that night."
Jay-Jay's stomach twisted.
That night.
Everyone in Section E knew exactly which night that meant.
The accident.
The night Percy supposedly died.
Jay-Jay quickly stood up from the table, grabbing her phone.
"Where are you going?" Aries asked from the couch.
"Room," she replied quickly.
He didn't question it.
Jay-Jay walked down the hallway, her heart pounding.
Keifer's room door was slightly open.
A dim light came from inside.
She hesitated.
For weeks she had avoided him.
Avoided the tension.
Avoided the feelings she still didn't understand.
But now something else was pushing her forward.
Jay-Jay knocked once before pushing the door open.
Keifer sat at the desk near the window. A book lay open in front of him, but he wasn't reading it.
He looked up.
His expression hardened the moment he saw her.
"Need something?" he asked flatly.
Jay-Jay stepped inside.
Her phone felt heavy in her hand.
For a moment she forgot what she was supposed to say.
Keifer raised an eyebrow.
"Well?"
Jay-Jay forced the words out.
"Did Percy really die?"
The room fell silent.
Keifer didn't move.
He didn't blink.
He just stared at her like she had said something impossible.
Then slowly, very slowly, he stood up.
"Where did you hear that?" he asked quietly.
Jay-Jay held up her phone.
"Someone texted me."
Keifer's jaw tightened.
"Show me."
She walked closer and handed him the phone.
His eyes scanned the messages.
For the first time since Jay-Jay had known him, Keifer looked genuinely shaken.
Not angry.
Not annoyed.
Afraid.
Jay-Jay noticed it immediately.
"Keifer," she whispered, "what happened that night?"
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he looked toward the window.
Outside, the street was dark and quiet.
Then he handed the phone back to her.
"You should block that number."
Jay-Jay frowned.
"That's your answer?"
"Yes."
"That's not an answer."
Keifer turned back to his desk.
"Drop it, Jay-Jay."
Her frustration exploded.
"No!"
He stopped.
Jay-Jay stepped closer.
"If Percy really died like everyone says," she continued, "then why are you acting like that message scared you?"
Keifer didn't reply.
His silence felt louder than words.
Jay-Jay's voice softened.
"Keifer… tell me the truth."
For a moment she thought he might.
His shoulders tensed like he was about to speak.
But then he shook his head.
"You don't want the truth."
Jay-Jay stared at him.
"Try me."
Keifer finally looked at her again.
His eyes were darker than usual.
"If Percy is alive," he said slowly, "then everything we thought happened that night…"
He stopped.
Jay-Jay waited.
But Keifer didn't finish the sentence.
Instead he walked past her and opened the door.
"Go back to your room."
Jay-Jay didn't move.
"Keifer..."
"Please."
It was the first time she had ever heard him sound like that.
Tired.
Almost desperate.
Jay-Jay slowly stepped out into the hallway.
Keifer closed the door behind her.
Inside the room, he leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his hair.
Because if Percy really was alive…
Then the past they buried years ago was about to come back.
And this time.
No one in Section E would survive the truth.