The dinner chatter was a mix of laughter, arguments, and Percy's ongoing debate about whether fries counted as a full meal.
Michael threw a fry at him. "It does if you eat twelve portions of it."
Cin groaned. "Can we please not start the Great Fry War again?"
Jay leaned back in her chair, watching them all with the smallest smile tugging at her lips. Section E — loud, chaotic, loyal.
Adam smirked. "Alright, Boss. You've been quiet for like… five minutes. Suspicious. Spill it."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "Spill what?"
Sam grinned. "Come on, Jay. You've been checking your phone every few minutes. Even Percy noticed, and he doesn't notice anything unless it's edible."
"Hey!" Percy protested, mouth full of pizza.
Before Jay could answer, Keifer slid into the seat beside her, his shoulder brushing hers. His tone was teasing, but his eyes — sharp.
"Maybe she's texting another group."
Jay nearly choked on her drink. "Keifer."
He smirked, leaning close enough that his breath brushed her ear. "Relax. You think I don't recognize that look? That's your 'don't ask, I'll lie' face."
The others snickered. Cin whispered dramatically, "Oh no, Mom and Dad are flirting again."
Felix added, "Correction — Dad's flirting, Mom's trying not to stab him with a fork."
Jay sighed, hiding a smile. "You guys seriously have no filter."
"None whatsoever," Sam said proudly.
Keifer chuckled and stole a fry from her plate. "She loves that about us, deep down."
Jay swatted his hand away, but her cheeks had gone pink. "You wish."
He leaned closer, murmuring just for her, "I don't wish, Jay. I know."
The table collectively lost it.
Cin covered her eyes, pretending to sob. "Please, not in front of the emotionally single."
Even Michael was laughing. "If this gets any cheesier, I'm switching to lactose-free air."
.Section E had scattered across the parking lot, their voices filling the night as they argued about who won the balloon-shooting round.
"Cin cheated again!" Percy whined, pointing dramatically.
Cin stuck her tongue out. "It's called skill, not cheating, drama king."
"Skill my foot—"
Jay interrupted dryly, pulling her jacket tighter as the wind brushed past. "The car's that way. Move before I leave you all here."
Michael groaned, "You wouldn't actually—"
Jay raised a brow.
He sighed. "She would. She absolutely would."
The Aces (Jay, Michael, Adam, and Sam) walked toward their car while the others piled into theirs. Keifer had already claimed shotgun, and the glare he shot anyone else who tried was enough to settle the matter.
The drive started off peaceful.Music low. Windows half-open. The hum of traffic outside.
But Jay's mind wasn't with them — it was miles away.
Flashback — Serina's Voice
"You don't belong anywhere, do you?" Serina had said softly years ago, her eyes filled with both pity and pride."Then make your own place, Jay. Build something no one can take from you."
That was the night Jay had found the League.Or maybe the League had found her.
A world of chaos, loyalty, and danger — a place where dying meant you finally mattered.
Jay hadn't wanted power back then.She just hadn't wanted to exist quietly.
And so she rose.Until she was the one people whispered about.Until The League's Queen was feared — and forgotten — behind a dozen aliases.
"Earth to Jay?" Michael's voice snapped her back.He was half-turned in his seat, eyebrows raised. "You spaced out again."
"Just thinking," Jay murmured.
"About Kaizer?" Sam asked.
She shrugged. "Something like that."
Adam smirked. "Or maybe someone like that?" He tilted his head toward Keifer, who was pretending to adjust the radio.
Keifer gave a lazy grin. "What can I say, I have that effect."
Jay shot him a look. "You have an effect, alright. Usually on my patience."
Michael laughed. "There it is. Balance restored."
As laughter filled the car again, Jay's phone buzzed in her jacket.A coded vibration — one that made her heart drop instantly.
, 1 long. alex
alex :"We have a problem. The recruits from February — the ones you didn't vet personally — they're moving under someone else's command. Need you to confirm identities. Urgent."
She had left everything to Mason and Alex then — her right and left hands. Her shadows.And now those shadows were pulling her past back into light.
Jay's pulse faltered.Her smile didn't.
She locked the phone smoothly, slipping it back into her jacket.
Keifer noticed. Of course he did.
He leaned in, voice low. "Something wrong?"
Jay forced a half-smile. "Nothing that can't wait."
But Keifer's gaze didn't budge. "You're lying again, sweetheart."
The nickname hit like a whisper of warmth and warning.
Jay looked at him — really looked — and for a second, the leader and the lover warred in her eyes.
She placed her hand over his under the table. "Trust me?"
His jaw tightened, but he nodded once. "Always."
Michael clapped suddenly, breaking the tension. "Okay, since our fearless boss is done blushing — what's the update on that Project Seraphim thing? Or is that still top-secret, Miss Mystery?"
Jay exhaled, grateful for the distraction. "Still top-secret. And before you ask — no, we're not raiding another lab."
Adam groaned. "You're no fun."
"Fun is overrated," Jay said, smirking.
Keifer leaned closer, voice low enough only she could hear. "Good thing I'm not."
Jay shot him a side-eye. "You really don't stop, do you?"
"Not when it comes to you," he murmured.
Sam threw a napkin at them. "Save the romance for after dessert, Romeo and Juliet."
Laughter echoed again — carefree, messy, familiar.But under the table, Jay's fingers tapped once against her leg, the code she used when her mind raced too fast.
message replayed in her head like static:Recruits. February.
jay msg : finee i am coming tomorrow call those Recruits
She smiled at Keifer again, but this time it didn't reach her eyes.Because the truth was heavier than any of them knew —and somewhere inside that chaos, her two worlds were about to collide.