(Keifer's POV)
It had been almost thirty minutes since Jayjay and Valerie left to throw away the trash.
Everyone else in Section E had already finished cleaning, yet those two still hadn't come back.
Rory leaned on the desk. "They're taking forever, bro."
Felix shrugged. "Probably stopped to buy ice cream or something."
Ci-N laughed. "Or maybe Jayjay saw a mirror and got distracted."
We chuckled, but then I suddenly felt something.
A sharp twist in my chest — unease.
The kind of feeling that whispers something's not right.
My laughter faded. "They're taking too long…"
Yuri noticed my expression. "Keifer? You okay?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah… just— I don't know. I have a bad feeling."
And then the classroom door burst open.
Valerie stumbled in.
Her hair was messy, uniform torn, small cuts on her hands and face.
Adrian instantly jumped from his seat, catching her before she hit the ground.
"야, 괜찮아?! (Ya, gwaenchanha?! — Hey, are you okay?!)" he asked in panic.
The whole class went silent.
I stood up, heart racing.
"What the hell happened?" I demanded. "Where's Jayjay? And what's wrong with you— why do you have wounds?!"
No answer.
I stepped closer, my voice trembling but louder. "Valerie! Where's my girlfriend?!"
Yuri came between us. "Keifer, calm down—let her speak!"
Valerie looked up weakly. Her voice trembled.
"제이제이… 제이제이… (Jayjay… Jayjay…)"
Adrian crouched down beside her.
"무슨 말이야, 발레리? (Museun maliya, Valerie? — What do you mean?)"
Valerie's lips quivered. "검은색 밴이야… 그들이 제이제이를 데려갔어… (Geomeunsaek baen iya… geudeuri Jayjayreul deryeogatseo…) — It was a black van… they took Jayjay…"
I froze.
Adrian turned to me, his eyes dark and cold.
"She said Jayjay's been kidnapped."
The entire class exploded — chairs moved, people shouted, and my heart nearly stopped.
(Valerie's POV — Flashback)
Everything had been normal.
Jayjay and I were walking back after throwing the trash when she suddenly said,
"Hey, Valerie."
"Hmm?" I looked at her, brushing dust off my hands.
She switched to English. "How do you do it?"
I blinked. "Do what?"
"Make Adrian laugh like that," she said, smiling a little. "I've never seen him smile so much."
I smiled faintly. "We've known each other since we were kids. Since Ciel was born, actually. I've seen all sides of him—his good, bad, funny, and embarrassing ones."
Jayjay raised an eyebrow. "So you know his secrets too?"
"Of course," I giggled. "When his parents died, I was the one who helped him get back to normal. He can't hide from me, not even when he tries."
Jayjay sighed softly. "I guess I misjudged you, Valerie."
"It's fine," I said, grinning. "You'll get used to me."
We both laughed as we reached the school gate.
That's when we heard the screech of tires.
SCREEECH!
A black van swerved in front of us.
Before we could react, the doors burst open and eight men jumped out, faces covered.
"Val—" Jayjay began, but I shouted,
"뛰어! (Ttwieo! — Run!)"
They lunged toward us.
I kicked one in the chest, grabbed another's arm and flipped him.
Jayjay swung her bag and hit one hard enough to knock him down.
But there were too many.
One grabbed Jayjay from behind. I kicked him, but—
WHACK!
Pain exploded in my back.
A stick.
I collapsed to my knees. "제이제이!!! (Jayjay!!!)" I screamed.
They forced her into the van, slamming the doors.
"NO!" I tried to crawl forward, blood dripping down my arm.
The van's engine roared, speeding away.
Through blurry eyes, I forced myself to read the plate.
F2 1H 39 8P.
Once.
Twice.
Four times.
I repeated it over and over until I was sure it was carved in my memory.
Then, even though my legs shook and my vision blurred,
I ran.
All the way back to Section E.
(Keifer's POV — Continued)
"Jayjay's been kidnapped?" I repeated, my voice cracking.
Adrian gently laid Valerie down on a chair.
Ciel rushed with a first aid kit while Yuri tried to steady me.
"Do you remember anything?" I asked Valerie, forcing my voice to stay calm.
Valerie winced. "번호판… (Beonhopan…) — The number plate…"
Ciel opened her laptop. "Tell me what it was."
"F2… 1H… 39… 8P…" Valerie whispered.
Ciel's finger flew across the keyboard. "Got it."
I grabbed my phone and dialed Aries first.
He answered quickly. "Yo, Keifer—"
"Aries, Jayjay's been taken!" I yelled.
There was silence. Then, "...What?"
"She's gone! Black van! Valerie's injured!"
"I'm coming. Now."
The call ended immediately.
I called Percy and Angelo too — both said the same thing: "On our way."
Minutes later, Aries was the first to burst into the classroom.
His eyes scanned the room, then locked on me.
"Where is she?!" he shouted, striding straight toward me.
"Aries, calm down—" I started, but before I could finish—
SMACK!
His fist connected with my jaw.
Pain shot through my face as I stumbled back, hitting the wall.
"You were supposed to protect her!" Aries yelled, grabbing my collar. "You promised me she'd be safe!"
Percy and Angelo quickly pulled him away.
"Aries, stop!" Angelo said firmly. "This won't help!"
But I didn't even try to fight back.
I just sank down, breathing hard, guilt washing over me.
Yuri crouched beside me. "Keifer, it's not your fault."
But I shook my head, whispering, "What if she's scared right now… what if her blood trauma gets triggered again…"
The whole room went silent.
Ciel suddenly gasped. "Found it!"
Everyone looked at her.
She spun her laptop around. "The van was caught on street cameras. It stopped near an abandoned house at the edge of town."
For a moment, no one moved.
Then I stood up, wiping the blood off my lip and taken my jacket
"Then we're going there," I said, voice low but deadly serious.
Yuri ooked at me, eyes burning. "Let's bring her back."