Chapter 50 – The File That Wasn't Meant to Fall
Morning at the Fernandez mansion felt normal in the most dangerous way.
That fake kind of normal.
The kind that doesn't warn you before it breaks.
Aries had already left early for something related to college coordination. Ella had gone with him. The house felt slightly emptier because of it.
Percy was still around, which usually meant chaos would arrive on schedule.
JJ, meanwhile, hadn't come down yet.
She was still upstairs.
Still asleep.
Or pretending to be.
---
The Hoodie Problem
Percy stomped up the stairs, half-awake, irritated.
"My hoodie. My hoodie. MY hoodie."
He muttered it like a curse.
JJ had stolen it again.
He reached her room without knocking—because at this point, knocking in this house was more of a suggestion than a rule.
"JJ, I swear if you turned it into—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because JJ wasn't there.
Bathroom door slightly open.
Water running.
She was showering.
Perfect.
He sighed.
"Of course."
Then he walked straight to her cupboard.
---
The Moment Everything Changes
He opened it casually.
Still complaining.
Still thinking about food.
Still Percy.
"I'm literally being emotionally exploited in this house—"
And then he saw it.
A file.
Not hidden properly.
Not locked.
Just… there.
Like it had been forgotten in a place it should've never reached.
He frowned.
"What's this?"
He picked it up.
At first, it looked normal.
Hospital folder.
Medical file.
His eyes scanned the top.
And then—
they stopped.
---
Reading Without Understanding First
Percy wasn't dumb.
He just wasn't prepared.
So he read slowly.
Progressive condition.
Neurological degeneration.
Limited treatment response.
Palliative planning suggested.
His eyebrows slowly pulled together.
"…what the hell is this?"
He flipped the page.
Lab reports.
Dates.
Follow-ups.
And then a line that didn't feel real:
Life expectancy: severely limited.
Silence.
The house didn't make a sound.
Even JJ's shower water seemed too far away now.
---
Realization Hits Late
Percy blinked once.
Then again.
"…no."
He shook his head slightly.
"No, no, no—this is not funny."
He flipped again.
As if another page would fix it.
It didn't.
It got worse.
Names matched.
Jasper Jean Mariano.
JJ.
Baby sistah.
The girl who steals hoodies and insults people for breakfast.
The girl who argues like she has forever.
His grip tightened.
"No… JJ doesn't—"
He stopped.
Because his brain finally caught up.
And when it did—
his face changed completely.
---
The Room Feels Different
Percy sat down slowly on the edge of the bed.
The file was still in his hands.
But now it felt heavy.
Like it had weight beyond paper.
Like it was something alive.
His voice came out lower.
"…how long?"
Silence answered him.
Because JJ wasn't there to lie this time.
---
The Bathroom Water Stops
The shower water stopped.
Percy froze instantly.
His heartbeat jumped like it was trying to escape.
Footsteps.
JJ humming faintly from inside the bathroom.
Normal.
Too normal.
He stared at the file like it burned.
"No… no, no, no…"
He shoved it back into the cupboard too fast.
Hands shaking slightly now.
For once—
Percy wasn't loud.
Wasn't dramatic.
Wasn't Percy.
Just… scared.
---
JJ Walks Out
The bathroom door opened.
JJ stepped out casually, towel around her head, hair slightly messy.
"Percy, why are you—"
She stopped.
Because she saw his face.
That was enough.
Percy never hid emotions well.
But this?
This wasn't normal concern.
This was something breaking.
"…what did you do?" JJ asked slowly.
Percy didn't answer immediately.
His eyes were fixed on her.
Like he was seeing her differently now.
Like the world had shifted and she didn't tell him.
Finally, he spoke.
Quiet.
Strange for him.
"…JJ."
That tone alone made her stomach tighten.
She frowned.
"What."
A pause.
Then—
"Why is your name on a file like that?"
---
Silence That Hurts
JJ didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't breathe properly for a second.
Then she smiled.
Small.
Fake.
Automatic.
"…you're digging in my cupboard now? That's new even for you."
Percy stood up immediately.
"No."
His voice cracked slightly on that single word.
"No, don't do that. Don't joke."
JJ's smile faded a little.
Not fully.
But enough.
"…Percy."
He stepped closer.
"You're sick?"
The question wasn't loud.
It wasn't dramatic.
It was worse.
It was real.
---
JJ's First Instinct: Deny
JJ looked away.
"That's not your business."
Percy shook his head quickly.
"No—no, JJ, don't do this."
His voice rose slightly now.
"You don't get to hide this and still act normal in front of us."
JJ's jaw tightened.
"I said it's not your business."
Silence again.
But heavier now.
Because Percy wasn't backing off.
And JJ wasn't lying well enough anymore.
---
The Breaking Point
Percy's voice dropped again.
"…how long?"
That question.
That stupid, simple question.
JJ finally looked at him properly.
And for the first time—
Percy saw it.
Not arrogance.
Not chaos.
Not JJ.
Just something tired underneath everything.
Something counting down.
She didn't answer.
And that silence—
was the answer.
---
End Scene
Percy stepped back slowly.
Like his body couldn't decide what to do with the truth.
"No…" he whispered again.
But this time it wasn't denial.
It was disbelief turning into fear.
JJ finally spoke.
Quiet.
Controlled.
"Don't tell them."
Percy snapped his head up instantly.
"What?"
Her voice stayed steady.
"I said don't tell anyone."
A pause.
Then softer:
"Please."
And that word—
from JJ—
hit him harder than anything else.
---
Percy stood there.
File still in his mind.
JJ standing in front of him like nothing was wrong.
Like she wasn't slowly disappearing.
And for the first time in this story—
Percy didn't know what to say.
Because chaos had finally met something it couldn't joke its way out of.
---
School that day felt… off.
Not loud-off.
Not chaos-off.
The worst kind.
Quiet-off.
---
Percy Without Noise
Percy didn't show up at lunch.
That alone was weird enough to make Cin stop mid-bite.
"Where's Percy?"
Felix shrugged. "Probably dead emotionally."
Rory frowned. "That's not funny."
Yuri, casually: "He's probably plotting something illegal."
Aries didn't answer.
That was the first sign something was wrong.
---
JJ already knew.
She didn't need anyone to tell her.
She felt it the moment she entered school.
Percy hadn't said good morning.
Hadn't insulted her hoodie theft.
Hadn't called her "baby sistah."
Nothing.
Just silence.
And Percy… Percy never did silence.
---
Lunch Break That Wasn't Normal
Everyone gathered like usual.
Freya was talking loudly about something unimportant.
Mica and Rakhi were laughing.
Denzel was sitting beside Grace, quieter than usual.
Ella was calmly eating like nothing in the world had ever gone wrong.
Cin was arguing with Yuri again.
Calix was complaining about food.
Endrix was trying to survive Freya's energy.
Aries was present—but distracted.
Keifer wasn't there yet. He was attending a call downstairs.
But Percy—
Percy wasn't anywhere.
JJ stood slightly apart.
Watching.
Her chest felt tight.
Because she knew.
She knew.
---
JJ's Guilt Starts Creeping In
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Percy wasn't supposed to carry anything alone.
Percy was supposed to be loud.
Annoying.
Dramatic.
Safe in chaos.
JJ's fingers curled slightly.
"…don't be stupid," she whispered to herself.
But her voice didn't sound convincing.
---
Night – The Mansion Feels Wrong
By evening, the mansion felt heavier.
Percy still hadn't returned to normal.
Aries noticed it first properly.
He stood in the hallway.
"Where's Percy?"
JJ answered quietly from the stairs.
"…room."
Aries frowned.
That wasn't normal either.
---
Secret Conversation
Later that night.
Hallway lights dim.
Everyone mostly asleep or scattered.
Aries was heading downstairs when Percy stopped him.
Just outside JJ's room.
Percy's voice was lower than usual.
"…we need to talk."
Aries turned fully now.
That alone made it serious.
"What happened?"
Silence.
Percy looked away for a second.
Then—
"I saw something."
Aries narrowed his eyes.
"…what kind of something?"
Percy didn't answer immediately.
His voice dropped.
"…JJ's file."
The air changed instantly.
Aries went still.
"…what?"
Percy swallowed.
And for once—
he didn't joke.
"She's sick."
---
The Moment It Breaks
Inside JJ's room—
she was awake.
Sitting.
Listening.
Because walls in that house were never good at hiding secrets.
Her breath slowed.
"…idiot," she whispered again.
But this time it cracked.
Not anger.
Not sarcasm.
Just pain.
---
The Sound
Outside—
Aries' voice came low.
"…how bad?"
Percy didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Because silence did it for him again.
And then—
a sound.
Small.
Sharp.
Like something hitting the floor.
Inside JJ's room.
---
JJ Collapses
Aries turned instantly.
"JJ?"
Percy froze.
The door pushed open—
and JJ was on the floor.
Limp.
Unconscious.
Her body completely still.
For one second—
no one moved.
No one breathed.
Then—
everything broke.
---
Panic Begins
"JJ—!"
Aries dropped immediately beside her.
Percy rushed in right after.
"BABY SISTAH—HEY—HEY!"
No response.
Aries checked her pulse instantly.
His hands were shaking slightly.
"…she's not waking up."
That sentence hit harder than anything else today.
Percy's voice cracked instantly.
"No—no, no, no—"
He grabbed her carefully.
"JJ, wake up, don't do this—don't—"
Aries already had his phone out.
Calling.
Shouting.
Controlled panic.
---
JJ Still Not Moving
Percy held her like she was fragile in a way she had never allowed herself to be before.
His voice dropped.
"…you idiot…"
But it wasn't insult anymore.
It was breaking.
"You don't get to disappear like this without telling me."
Aries looked up once.
Eyes sharp.
But shaken.
"…hospital. Now."
---
Ending Beat
As they rushed out—
Percy didn't let go of JJ.
Not even for a second.
And for the first time in this entire story—
the loudest person in the room wasn't loud anymore.
He was scared quiet.
And JJ—
still didn't wake up to hear any of it.