Jayjay POV
Hex sat across from me, legs swinging under the plastic table like he had nowhere else to put all that energy. He was chewing too fast, cheeks puffed, eyes glued to the small screen of his tablet.
"Slow down," I told him, tapping the table with my knuckle. "You choke, I'm not explaining to anyone why you died over fried rice."
He didn't look up. "Relax. I've survived worse."
I snorted. "That's not the flex you think it is."
The community was loud today—kids running barefoot, radios competing for attention, aunties arguing over nothing. Normal. Safe. The kind of noise that told you no one was in danger.
I liked it like this.
Hex finally looked up, eyes bright. "I fixed the bug."
"Which one?"
"The one that kept crashing your phone when you open your messages."
I paused mid-bite. "…You what?"
He shrugged like he hadn't just said something illegal. "It was annoying me."
"You're twelve."
"And you're bad at passwords."
I flicked a grain of rice at him. He dodged it easily, grinning.
That smile—soft, innocent—never matched what he was capable of when someone crossed him. People always forgot that part.
Two shadows fell over our table.
I looked up.
It was Auntie Rosa's twins—the ones who knew everything that happened in this community before it even finished happening. Same braids, same nose, same habit of talking like the world was ending.
"Jayjay," one of them said, slightly out of breath.
I frowned. "What?"
"There are people at your house."
My hand froze around my spoon. "People?"
"Yeah. Two of them."
I felt my spine straighten. "Who?"
They looked at each other, then back at me. "We don't know."
That answer never meant anything good.
"Men? Women?" I asked.
"One man. One woman."
My chest tightened. "Did they say what they want?"
They shook their heads. "Just that the man said he's your relative."
Relative.
The word tasted strange in my mouth. Like something borrowed. Like something that didn't belong to me.
Hex noticed the change immediately. He always did.
"You didn't tell me about relatives," he said quietly.
"That's because I don't have any," I replied.
At least, none that showed up unannounced.
I stood up, grabbing my bag. "Finish eating."
Hex got up too. "I'm coming."
"No."
His eyes sharpened. "Jayjay."
"I said no." I lowered my voice. "Stay here. If I'm not back in thirty minutes, you go to Auntie Rosa. You hear me?"
He didn't like it. I could tell. But he nodded.
"Text me updates," he said.
I smirked despite myself. "Always."
As I walked away, my heartbeat picked up. My mind ran through every possibility—none of them comforting.
A relative.
People only remembered I existed when they wanted something.
And whatever was waiting at my house…
I knew one thing for sure.
It wasn't a coincidence.
The walk home felt longer than usual.
Every step closer to the house made my chest feel tighter, like the air itself was warning me to turn back. I didn't. I never ran from things—not anymore.
When I reached the gate, I stopped.
A clean black car was parked outside.
That alone told me everything had already gone wrong.
Inside the house sat two people I hadn't seen in years—one I expected, one I didn't.
My Aunty Gemma stood first the moment she saw me. She looked the same—neat clothes, tired eyes, the kind that had seen too much but kept moving anyway.
Beside her was Angelo.
My chest dipped.
I knew him. Of course I did. He wasn't a stranger. He was blood. Family in the most complicated way possible.
"Jayjay," Aunty Gemma said softly. "You've grown."
I didn't answer right away. My eyes stayed on Angelo.
So this was it.
"We came to take you home," she continued. "Somewhere safer. Somewhere better."
Better.
That word always came late.
Angelo finally spoke. "You don't belong here anymore."
I laughed—not because it was funny, but because if I didn't, I might scream.
"You mean now you remember me?" I said. "After all this time?"
He didn't flinch. "I've always remembered."
Silence settled between us.
Then I heard it.
A sharp intake of breath.
I turned—and there was Hex, standing in the doorway, eyes wide, face pale. He must have followed me. Must have heard everything.
"No," he said, voice shaking. "She's not going."
My heart cracked.
"Hex—" I started.
He stepped forward, fists clenched. "You can't just take her. She's my—"
Angelo cut in, calm but firm. "I'm sorry. This isn't negotiable."
Hex turned to me, panic flooding his eyes. "Jayjay, don't go. Please."
That was the hardest part.
I knelt in front of him, gripping his shoulders. "Hey. Look at me."
His eyes filled. "You said we stick together."
"We are," I said quickly. "This doesn't change that."
He shook his head. "It does."
I swallowed hard. "Listen to me. You can call me. Anytime. Day or night. I'll come see you. I promise."
"What if you forget?" he whispered.
I pressed my forehead to his. "I don't forget my family."
That word again.
This time, I meant it.
Packing didn't take long. My life never came with much luggage.
When I stepped outside, people were already there.
My best friend, arms crossed, pretending not to cry.
My funny friends, trying to joke through the tension.
Neighbors who had watched me grow up too fast.
"Don't become boring," one of them said.
"Don't forget us," another added.
"I won't," I said, smiling through the ache.
The car door opened.
I took one last look at the community—the noise, the chaos, the place that raised me when no one else did.
Just as I was about to step in—
"JAYJAY!"
I turned.
Hex came running down the road, breathless, holding something in his hand—my old bracelet. The one I thought I lost years ago.
"You forgot this," he said, shoving it into my palm.
I closed my fingers around it. "Thank you."
He hesitated, then hugged me hard.
"Be careful," he whispered.
"I always am," I replied.
I got into the car.
As we drove away, I watched him get smaller in the distance—until he disappeared completely.
This wasn't the end.
It was just a new start.
And I didn't know yet…
how much it was going to change everything.