Ang Mutya Ng Section E (Book - 2) English

Aries's POV

*Continuation of the Flashback*

"Jay-Jay... w-why?"

"Aries!"

I slowly opened my eyes. Everything was blurry, and I felt dizzy. My body was numb, and I couldn't move.

"Wake up, Aries!" someone shouted angrily.

I only knew two people who spoke English when they were angry—Keifer or Percy. I tried to move my hands, but they wouldn't obey me. Then, I looked at the front of the car.

W-why?!

Where am I?! No! Where are Keifer, Yuri, and Percy?! I turned to look behind me, but I only saw Percy—bloody and trembling with fear.

What happened?

My entire body ached. The car windows were shattered. The back door was missing, and everything was in complete disarray.

"P-Percy," I called weakly.

"Aries... c-can you move?" he asked.

I tried, but my hands were trembling, refusing to cooperate. I reached for the seatbelt, but the moment I let go—

The car suddenly shifted.

"W-what's happening?"

Percy took a deep breath. "W-we're on the edge of a cliff."

A cliff?

I looked out the window beside me. The front of the car, up to the first wheel, was hanging off the cliff's edge. We could fall at any moment.

My mind went blank. What do I do? Am I going to die here? I survived what Jay did, only to end up like this?

"W-what are we going to do, Percy?" I asked, my voice trembling.

He looked at me, his expression full of despair.

"Open the door beside you," he instructed.

I did as he said, but to my horror, the door detached from the car entirely. The sudden shift made the car shake even more. I gripped the steering wheel and the seat tightly.

The car stopped moving. I exhaled shakily, trying to calm myself. I couldn't do anything if I let panic take over.

"P-Percy," I called again, wanting to know what to do next.

But I froze when I saw him smiling at me.

"Y-you… you have to jump out," he said, his voice weak and broken.

"W-what?" I looked at him in shock.

He hadn't moved since I woke up. His position remained the same. That was when I realized what he intended to do.

N-no… He wouldn't…

"N-no! No! No! I can't! I won't leave you here! No!" I cried as tears streamed down my face.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't just leave him.

"You have to," he said, tears falling from his eyes. "...My siblings... please. And Freya..." He smiled bitterly. "...Please explain to her that her boyfriend thought he was a superhero."

"No, Percy! Ask for something else—anything else!"

He shook his head, wiping away his tears. "You need to leave now."

His voice was firm.

"Percy! No! I can't!"

"Get out! Leave me behind!"

"No! I won't leave you here!"

"Do it! Leave me!"

I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. His tears continued to fall. I held his hand.

"Only one of us can survive now... don't w-waste this opportunity."

"I-I can't."

He smiled at me again—the smile that says everything is fine. The smile he always gives us.

"I'm happy that I met you," he said.

"Please—Percy!"

In an instant, he pushed me out of the car with all his strength.

I fell onto the muddy ground. I tried to get up, ignoring the pain in my body, but all I could see was the back of the car sliding down the cliff.

"NO!"

At the bottom of the cliff, the river raged with a strong current, its waters muddy and violent. I could clearly see how quickly the river swallowed the car.

"P-Percy..."

*End of Flashback*

I slowly opened my eyes as the morning light peeked through the window. Turning my head to the other side, I found myself face-to-face with Jay-jay, who was snoring loudly.

Her mouth was wide open, and drool dripped from the corner of her lips.

I couldn't help but smile at her ridiculous face. Yep! She's definitely my sister.

I tapped her forehead to wake her up, but she didn't even budge.

As I tried to get up, I stopped when I felt something pressing against my stomach—Jay's leg. Her foot was almost in my face.

I carefully moved her leg aside and gave her a slight push, but still, nothing. She remained fast asleep, even though she went to bed before me last night.

"Unbelievable," I muttered to myself.

I got up from her bed and grabbed my cellphone from the bedside table. My eyebrows furrowed when I saw a text message from an unknown number.

📩

From: +639

Message: Please… wait for me. I will return as soon as I can.

I immediately deleted the message. I knew exactly who it was. I couldn't be wrong.

How did Keifer get my number?

I glanced at Jay as she shifted in her sleep. She was the last one to use my phone last night. As far as I remember, she was talking to someone.

Could it be...?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jay-Jay's POV

With a fork in hand and ready to strike, I lunged for the hotdog on the plate—only to find another fork stuck into it at the same time.

An opponent.

This was just like in the movies, when the hero and the villain meet in an intense standoff, staring each other down in the heat of battle.

Hehehe... just like an action movie!

"It's mine," I said threateningly.

"No, this is mine," my opponent replied—none other than Perena, a.k.a. the walking horoscope.

"I got here first!"

"Jay! You've already eaten seven hotdogs!"

"Seven is a bad number! I only ate five!" I argued while slowly pulling the hotdog closer to me.

"You lost count. You ate seven," he said, stopping my attempt.

"You're wrong! I still have room for—AHH!!"

A sudden attack made me let go of the hotdog, allowing my opponent to snatch it away.

I turned to see the culprit—Kuya, still holding his cup of coffee. He glared at me, and I immediately lowered my head.

"Where did you learn those things?" he asked sternly.

Still rubbing the back of my neck, I looked at him in confusion. "Learn what?"

"What you were saying... about the hotdog," he clarified, widening his eyes.

"He has his own hotdog! It's on his plate!" I protested, pointing at his untouched food.

Aries continued eating, pretending not to notice. I turned back to Kuya, who suddenly looked embarrassed. He quickly hid behind his newspaper—but it was upside down.

Kuya's brain must be growing moss.

Because we ran out of hotdogs, eggs, and bacon for breakfast, I was forced to endure eating pandesal. I'm still hungry. I still want to eat.

"Where are you going? To the r-room?" Aries asked hesitantly, which stunned me.

I glanced at Kuya for a moment before answering him. "M-maybe to the gymnasium or the school's open auditorium."

I heard the newspaper being folded beside me. I knew he was about to ask. He didn't know that we had been kicked out of the classroom for good. We were about to be picked up.

"What do you mean? Why are you going to the r-room in the gymnasium?" he asked nervously.

I didn't want to answer him because he might rush to school and cause trouble again. He might even fight the guidance counselor.

"W-what... w-because..." I looked at Aries for help, but the idiot was busy texting.

"Jay-Jay," Kuya called, his voice deep and serious. "...answer me."

"Because..." I scratched my head.

"...We were thrown out of the classroom," I blurted out quickly, but he still managed to catch it.

"WHAT?!"

I pretended to look at the clock, even though I had no idea where the wall clock was.

"Look! I'm going to be late. I need someone to fix this." I quickly stood up and didn't wait for Kuya to say anything.

I ran to my room and locked the door. I really hoped he wouldn't rush to school. That would be another scene.

I took out my phone and checked for any messages from him, but still nothing. I threw myself onto the bed and lifelessly grabbed my towel before heading straight to the bathroom.

Even ghosts know how to feel.

How embarrassing for the King of Snakes. I really don't plan on coming back here.

I was under the shower when something suddenly crossed my mind.

What if that jerk has a girl? He's in another country. There are many beautiful women—tall and big-breasted. You can't be a king!!!

I refuse to believe that idiot is flirting with someone. If he is, I'll board a plane—even if it means clinging to the wing or the wheel—just to get to where he is. I'll make him taste the pain of revenge.

You won't just shed tears.

Even your groin—I'll mark with a whip. You'll crawl in the mud, and I'll beat you up without mercy.

"Don't be dramatic," I muttered to myself and continued showering.

After finishing in the bathroom, I got dressed. I was almost done when I heard a knock. I didn't feel like opening the door, but then today's horoscope popped into my mind.

"Hurry up. We're going to be late," Kuya said, annoyed, before walking away.

I blinked. What?! Did he just use the word 'we'?! Wow! Are we actually going together?! Turns out we are!

I know I'm overreacting, but I feel giddy.

Nak! Is this it? Is this a sign that we're finally okay? No more fighting? Welcome, ganern!

I smiled, grabbed my bag, and ran out of the room. The feeling of being happy over something so simple—it might seem shallow, but to me, this is happiness.

Confirmed! My brother and I can now predict the future.

When I stepped outside, I saw him standing next to his car. He motioned for me to get into the passenger seat beside him. I was so excited I almost fell into the seat.

"We're going in together?" I asked, smiling.

He looked at me like I was the weirdest person alive. Sorry... I'm just excited!

He started the car. He was silent at first but kept glancing at me from time to time.

"You're weird," he muttered, but I heard it.

"I'm just happy," I replied.

"And why is that?"

"Because we're okay. Accept my beauty."

He suddenly laughed and shook his head. I let it slide, thinking maybe he was happy too.

When we arrived at school, I didn't get out right away. I stayed inside until he parked the car in the lot. Smiling, I unfastened my seatbelt.

"Thank you," I told him.

"For what?"

I shook my head. "Nothing. I just wanted to say it."

He smiled and beckoned me to come closer, and I did. I wondered what he was going to do, but suddenly, he squeezed my cheek.

"Aaahhhh... O-ouch! M-Mashakeeet!"

"Be smart! Stop fighting!" he said while pulling my cheek.

I wanted to cry to make him stop. I had expected him to kiss me on the forehead, like in the dramas I saw on TV.

"Get settled," he added before opening his car door.

I did the same, ignoring the students who were watching us and whispering among themselves.

Morning gossip!

I just gave them a sharp look before walking toward our building, but I stopped when I saw Edrix.

"Jay," he called out. "...Let's go to the gymnasium."

I looked at him seriously and nodded. Without a word, I turned toward the gym, and he followed me.

"Jay-Jay," he called again, but I didn't look at him. "...I have something for you."

I stopped and quickly turned to face him. He held out a flash drive with a small plug—one I recognized as being compatible with cell phones.

Food is on my mind.

I took it and examined it. "What's this for?"

"I want to apologize for what we did. As compensation, I made sure to recover all the files from your old cellphone."

My eyes widened at his words. My old cellphone—the one I threw at that idiot, Tarantado'ng Hari, but he dodged it! It had crashed to the floor and shattered.

If Edrix retrieved the files, that meant all my pictures and videos were in there. Our memories.

"I'm really sorry, Jay. I'm loyal to Keifer, so I followed his orders," he said, bowing his head.

Without thinking, I suddenly grabbed Edrix's hand. I didn't know why, but my heart felt so happy at that moment.

"Thank you. I'm in a good mood now," I said, smiling at him. "...So, I'll give you a chance too."

He smiled and was about to hug me, but I quickly raised my hand to stop him.

"You're so quick to take advantage," I said sarcastically. "I just held your hand, and now you want a hug? You're strong there."

"Sorry, I'm just happy too," he replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "...Let's go to the gym."

He walked ahead, and I quickly followed. It feels like good things are waiting for me today.

I clutched the flash drive, thinking about what was inside. The smile never left my face. It felt like nothing could ruin my day.

But that's what I thought—until we stepped into the gym, where the world's punishment awaited us.