JAY-JAY POV
Today I'm going to the location Aunt Serina gave.
The address burned in my notebook like it was alive, like it had been waiting for me all this time.
My chest tightened with every step I took, the necklace heavy against my skin.
I kept replaying her voice in my head, the way she used to smile even when her eyes carried secrets.
Why would she hide this?
Why me?
I wasn't going to school today.
I didn't tell anyone.
Not Aries.
Not Kuya.
Not even Keifer.
I went to the location.
It wasn't a house.
It was a forest.
I entered the forest, the air thick and damp, shadows stretching long between the trees.
The necklace felt heavier with every step, like it was pulling me deeper inside.
Branches snapped under my shoes, the sound echoing too loud in the silence.
My pulse raced.
The deeper I went, the stranger it became.
The forest wasn't just quiet—it was watching.
In the middle, my phone started to ring.
The sound cut through the silence of the forest like a blade.
My heart jumped into my throat.
I fumbled quickly, shoving it into silent mode before the noise could echo again.
I continued the trail
Symbols carved into tree trunks glowed faintly in the fading light, the same symbols I had scribbled in my notebook.
My breath caught.
Aunt Serina… you led me here.
I pressed forward, heart hammering, until the path opened into a small clearing.
When I reached the end, I froze.
A house.
Right in the middle of the forest.
Weird.
Too weird.
I went near the house and tried to open it, but of course—it was locked.
A giant, rusty lock stared back at me like it was mocking me.
I tugged at it, rattled the door, even kicked it once (bad idea, my foot still hurts).
Then I started searching like a maniac—under pots, behind the doorframe, even inside a cracked flower vase. Nothing.
Finally, I flipped the rug.
And there it was.
A key.
Classic Aunt Serina.
I groaned, half laughing, half panicking. "Seriously? Who hides keys under rugs anymore? That's like the first place burglars check!"
The forest wind howled, the trees creaked, and I swear the house itself was watching me.
I picked up the key, my hands shaking, and shoved it into the lock.
It clicked.
Too loud.
Like the whole forest heard it.
My pulse raced. "Okay… here goes nothing."
I pushed the door open, and it creaked like a horror movie soundtrack.
I fumbled along the wall until my fingers brushed a switch.
Click.
The lights flickered on, buzzing faintly.
And then I froze.
Right in front of me, hanging on the wall, was a giant picture.
Me. And Aunt Serina.
My breath caught. The sight hit me like a punch, dragging me back years in an instant. Her smile, the way she held me close, the warmth in her eyes—it all came rushing back.
"Aunt…" I whispered, my hand trembling as I reached out.
I touched the frame, fingertips brushing the glass.
Memories flooded in—her laughter, her voice, the way she always smelled faintly of jasmine. The way she'd sneak me cookies when Papa wasn't looking. The way she'd promise everything would be okay, even when her own eyes carried storms.
My chest tightened. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.
But then—something strange.
The picture wasn't just a picture.
As my hand pressed against the frame, I felt it shift.
A click.
Like a hidden mechanism.
The wall behind it groaned, and suddenly the picture tilted forward, revealing a secret room
I stumbled back, nearly tripping over my own feet. "What the—"
Dust swirled out of the opening, the kind that makes you cough and regret every life choice.
I coughed a few times too, doubling over like the forest itself was trying to choke me. "Great. Just great. If I die here, it won't be because of monsters—it'll be asthma."
My voice echoed weirdly inside the hidden space, bouncing back at me like the room was laughing.
I waved my hands through the air, trying to clear the dust, but it only made more float around.
My eyes watered, my throat burned, and I muttered, "Thanks, Aunt Serina. Really thoughtful design choice."
I peeked inside.
I went inside, my heart pounding, and there it was—a remote sitting on the table like it had been waiting for me.
I picked it up, hesitated, then pressed the green button.
"Jay."
A voice I knew too well.
I spun around, my breath catching.
It was Aunt Serina's hologram.
My eyes were already red, tears threatening to spill.
"If you're watching this, then that means I'm not there with you anymore," she said, her voice trembling before she paused.
The hologram flickered, her image glitching for a moment, but her smile—soft, familiar—held steady.
"Don't be sad that I'm gone," she said gently. "I will always be there with you."
I couldn't take it anymore.
I dropped to my knees, tears spilling fast, my chest aching like it was splitting in two.
"Jay, you're stronger than you think, sweetheart," she said, her voice trembling but steady enough to pierce through my sobs.
"Don't let fear control you. Don't let anyone tell you that you're not enough."
"Jay," I heard someone's voice, faint, calling me from outside the chamber. I ignored it, my focus locked on her.
"Jay, sweety… I left some of my money for you," she said softly, "and some for Jas."
I couldn't take it anymore.
Tears spilling harder, my chest aching like it was splitting open.
"Jay…" The voice came again, closer this time, gentle, almost coaxing.
I shook my head, staring at the hologram.
"Jas is not here with me anymore, Aunt," I whispered, my voice breaking. "She left."
But the hologram didn't stop.
It couldn't.
Her image flickered, glitching, but her words carried on, steady, pre‑recorded, like she had planned every syllable.
"Jay, this is the first part of the hologram. I left you the other part—it should be with Jas."
"Don't trust anyone too soon."
With that, the video ended.
The chamber fell silent, the projector buzzing faintly before dying out. My breath was ragged, my hands trembling as I clutched the necklace.
"Jay."
The voice cut through the silence.
I turned around, my heart lurching, only to see Keifer standing there by the door.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
KEIFER POV
I called Jay many times this morning before going to school.
This girl is not picking up my calls.
Maybe she forgot to charge her phone again.
I went to school and entered Section E.
Everyone looked worried, their faces pale, their voices hushed.
"Why are you guys looking like that?" I asked, dropping my bag onto the desk.
"Keifer, Jay didn't come to school this morning," Yuri said, her tone sharp with concern.
"Maybe she's late," I shrugged, trying to sound casual even though my stomach twisted.
"No," Yuri shook her head quickly. "I saw her head out before Aries or me, so she had to be here by now."
The room fell silent, the weight of her words pressing down.
I frowned, pulling out my phone again, checking for any missed calls or messages.
Nothing.
Something wasn't right.
Jay never just disappeared.
I clenched my jaw, my pulse racing. "Then where the hell did she go?"
The others exchanged uneasy glances, but no one had an answer.
And suddenly, I felt it—this gnawing dread in my chest.
Is she in trouble?
"Ci-n, did she call you?" I asked quickly. "Or inform you that she was going anywhere?"
Ci-n shook his head, his usual sarcasm gone, replaced with unease. "No, Keifer. Last time I saw and talked to her was yesterday."
My stomach dropped. Yesterday. That was too long.
The others exchanged worried glances. Yuri bit her lip, Calix leaned forward, his voice low. "Keifer… what if something happened to her?"
"Edrik, track where she is?" I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended.
"On it, Keifer," he said, already pulling out his computer, fingers flying across the keys.
I paced the room, my pulse hammering. "Come on, hurry up."
The screen lit up, lines of code scrolling fast. Edrik's eyes narrowed, his jaw tight. "She's not at school. Her phone's signal… it's moving, but not anywhere near here."
My stomach twisted. "Where then?"
Edrik hesitated, glancing at me. "It's pinging from the forest. Near that old clearing."
The room went dead silent.
I froze, my chest tightening.
"Keifer, is Jay here?" Aries asked, running into the Section E room.
"No. She went somewhere else," I said quickly.
"Where?" Aries pressed.
"Forest," I replied, the word heavy in my mouth.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go before she gets into trouble," Aries said, already moving.
I nodded, and in seconds we were all sprinting to our cars.
I slid into mine with Aries and Yuri, the tension thick enough to choke us.
Percy's name flashed on Aries's phone.
"Hi Aries baby, miss me?" Percy teased.
"Percy, not now," Aries snapped, his voice sharp.
"What happened?" Percy asked, his tone shifting instantly, serious now—he had caught the clue.
"Jay went somewhere," Aries said quickly. "We found her and we're going there. Come fast."
"Send me the location," Percy demanded.
Aries tapped furiously, sending it over.
I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white. My pulse hammered in my ears.
Jay was out there. Alone. In that forest.
And every second we wasted felt like a second closer to losing her.
I slammed my foot on the gas. "Hold on. We're not stopping until we find her."
We reached the forest within minutes.
I didn't wait for the others—I jumped out of the car and sprinted down the path, my chest tight, my mind racing.
"Keifer, look!" David's voice rang out as he ran up to catch me, pointing at the trees.
I stopped dead in my tracks.
There were markings—codes carved into the bark. Strange symbols, numbers, letters, all etched deep like someone had been here long before us.
"What the hell…" I muttered, brushing my fingers over one of the carvings. The grooves were fresh. Too fresh.
David's eyes widened. "These aren't random. They're coordinates. Or… instructions."
I clenched my jaw, scanning the forest. The trees stretched endlessly, each one marked with something different.
"Jay's here," I said, my voice low, certain. "She followed these."
Behind us, Yuri and Aries caught up, panting. Yuri's eyes darted nervously. "Codes on the trees? Who would even do this?"
Aries frowned, his tone sharp. "Someone who wanted her to find something. Or someone who wanted to lead her into a trap."
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the wind rattling the branches.
I tightened my grip on the necklace around my neck, my pulse hammering. "We don't have time to stand here. We follow the codes. Now."
"Edrick, now you should know this," I said.
Edrick nodded, his eyes locked on the screen, guiding us deeper until we reached a house in the middle of the forest.
The door was already open.
We stepped inside.
"Jay!" I called out, my voice echoing through the empty halls.
Nothing.
"Search where she is," I ordered.
Everyone nodded, scattering through the house.
But something caught my attention—a picture. Big, framed, hanging on the wall.
Jay was smiling in it. Her face bright, alive. But there were two others beside her, hidden behind the door's edge. I couldn't see them.
Percy came in just then, his voice urgent. "Did you find her?"
I shook my head, my chest tightening.
I pushed into another room, Percy following close behind.
And then—I heard it.
Crying.
Jay's crying.
I ran faster, my heart pounding, until I burst into the room.
And froze.
It wasn't just Jay.
It was her.
My mom's hologram.
The same one I got to see on my birthday.
"What the hell…" I whispered, my knees weak, my breath caught in my throat.
Percy's eyes widened
Mom was warning Jay, saying someone's name—Jas.
But the moment that name left her lips, Jay cried harder, her sobs echoing through the chamber. "She left…" she whispered, broken.
When the video ended, silence crashed down.
I stood there, frozen, my chest burning, my mind spinning.
"Jay."
My voice cut through the silence.
She turned around, her eyes wide, shock written all over her face. She hadn't expected me here.
"What is this?" I asked, my voice sharp, trembling underneath.
Her lips parted, but no words came out. She clutched the necklace tighter, her tears still fresh.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
💙🔥 Author's Note 🔥💙
So… how was the chapter? 🌌💭
I want to hear your thoughts—comment below on who you think the new character Jas really is 👀🎭.
This chapter was extra long, over 2,000 words of pure chaos 🌪️💋.
Now let's set the challenge for the next one:
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