jay jay (pov)
The park had started to feel normal again. The air was lighter, the noise soft, and for a while it almost felt like nothing had happened before. Keifer's arm was still around my shoulders, keeping me close as we walked slowly along the path, pushing each other lightly and laughing over nothing. It was easy to forget everything when he was like that—calm, close, steady.
"See?" he said quietly. "You're fine."
"I was always fine," I replied, nudging him slightly.
"Debatable."
I rolled my eyes, but a small smile stayed on my face. For a moment, it felt like we were just another normal couple walking in a park.
Then he stopped.
"I'll be back," he said, glancing ahead.
"Where?" I asked.
"Water. Stay here."
"I can come with you."
He shook his head lightly. "Two minutes, Jay. Just stay."
I hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. But hurry."
He gave a small nod and walked off toward a nearby stall. I watched him for a second before turning away, letting out a quiet breath as I looked around. The park didn't feel as open as before anymore. There was a strange stillness, like something was off but I couldn't explain what.
I shifted my weight slightly, folding my arms loosely. That feeling came back again—the same one from before. Like someone was watching.
I turned my head.
And there he was.
The same man.
Closer this time.
Standing still, his eyes fixed on me.
My stomach dropped. My first instinct was to call Keifer, and I turned slightly in his direction. "Keif—"
Before I could say anything else, everything happened too fast. A hand grabbed my arm tightly from behind, pulling me back before I could react. Another hand covered my mouth, cutting off my voice completely. My body froze for half a second before panic hit all at once.
I struggled immediately, trying to pull away, but their grip was strong and controlled. There were two of them. I could feel it now—one holding me, the other forcing me quiet.
"Mmm—!" I tried to scream, but it didn't come out.
"Quiet," a low voice said near my ear.
My heart was racing so fast it felt like it would burst. I tried to fight, tried to push back, but everything was happening too quickly. The path, the people, the noise—it all blurred together. No one noticed. No one stopped.
My fingers slipped against my wrist as I struggled, and suddenly I felt something snap. My bracelet broke loose, falling from my hand and hitting the ground.
That was the last thing I saw clearly before everything moved too fast to follow.
Third person (pov)
When Keifer turned back from the stall, the water bottle still in his hand, he expected to see her standing where he had left her.
She wasn't there.
At first, he didn't react. His steps slowed slightly as he looked around, assuming she had just moved a little. "Jay?" he called out, his voice calm but firm.
No answer.
He walked forward, scanning the area again, this time more carefully. "Jay." Still nothing.
That's when the shift happened.
Something felt wrong.
The air, the silence, the absence—it all hit at once. His pace quickened as his eyes moved sharply across the park, searching, calculating, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
And then he saw it.
Something on the ground.
Right where she had been.
He stepped closer, his movements slower now, more controlled, and bent down to pick it up.
Her bracelet.
Broken.
His grip tightened around it instantly, his jaw setting hard as the realization settled in.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't her walking away.
She hadn't left.
She had been taken.
For a moment, everything went completely still around him. Then his head lifted, his eyes scanning the entire park again—but this time there was nothing calm in them anymore.
Only focus.
Cold, sharp, and dangerous.
He didn't speak loudly, but the words came out steady and certain.
"They really think I won't find them."
And in that moment, it was clear—
this wasn't over.
It had just begun.