(Jay Jay ) pov
When I woke up, I was alone in the room. Soft sunlight spilled through the window, falling gently across my bed. For a moment, everything felt quiet… almost too quiet.
Then the door creaked open.
I flinched, my body jerking in shock.
It was Percy and Keifer.
They paused at the doorway, their eyes immediately catching my horrified expression. Keifer stepped forward first, his voice calm but careful.
"Hey… no need to be scared, okay?"
Percy followed, softer but reassuring. "We're here for you."
I swallowed, my heart still racing. The truth sat heavy inside me, pressing against my chest.
I wasn't just scared… I was hiding something.
They thought I had forgotten everything—that my past was just a blur, something broken and lost. But that wasn't true. I remembered it all. Every moment. Every detail of that day.
I had just never told them.
Especially not about the people who helped me escape… the ones who pulled me out of that darkness.
And now, in front of them, I wasn't sure what terrified me more—
What I had been through…
Or what would happen if they found out the truth.
If someone asked me how I was doing, I had a perfect answer ready.
"I'm fine."
Short. Simple. Completely believable.
Also… a total lie.
But hey—if you say something enough times, people either believe you or get tired of asking. I was aiming for both.
Watson Mansion was… a lot.
Like, unnecessarily big. Who even needed this many rooms? I was pretty sure I could get lost just trying to find the bathroom—and honestly, that almost happened twice.
"Left or right?" I whispered to myself, staring at the identical hallways.
"Left," a voice said behind me.
I jumped. "WHY DO YOU ALL WALK LIKE GHOSTS?!"
Aries leaned against the wall, completely unbothered. "We don't. You're just dramatic."
"I am not dramatic," I said, placing a hand over my heart like I had just been deeply offended.
"You just yelled at a hallway."
"…it looked suspicious."
He stared at me.
I stared back.
"…okay, maybe a little dramatic."
A smirk appeared on his face. "Bathroom's left."
"Thank you," I muttered, walking past him. "Next time, make noise. Wear bells or something."
"I'll consider it."
By the time I got downstairs, Percy and Keifer were already there.
Percy was sitting casually, scrolling through something, while Keifer stood near the window, arms crossed, looking like he was thinking about something very serious.
Or just judging the weather.
Could be both.
"Good morning," Percy said. "You look… alive."
"Wow, thank you. That's exactly what I was going for."
Keifer glanced at me briefly.
That glance.
It lasted half a second, but it felt like he saw everything.
I looked away first.
"So," I said, grabbing a random apple from the table. "What's today's plan? More standing around? Maybe staring at walls?"
"We were thinking of locking you in your room," Aries said, walking in.
I pointed at him. "See, this is why I don't trust you."
"You shouldn't trust anyone here," he replied calmly.
"Wow. Comforting."
Percy chuckled. "Relax. No one's locking you anywhere."
"Good. Because I would escape."
"How?" Aries asked.
I paused.
"…I'd figure it out."
"Very convincing."
Everything felt… normal.
Or at least, it looked normal.
We ate together. Talked. Argued about useless things.
Like whether cereal counts as soup.
But in between all that—
There were moments.
Small ones.
Tiny cracks.
"Do you remember anything from before?" Percy asked casually.
There it was.
That question.
I took a bite of the apple, buying time. "Not really."
Lie.
Easy.
Smooth.
Practiced.
Keifer didn't say anything.
But I could feel it.
That quiet observation.
I avoided looking at him.
Later that day, I was sitting in the living room, pretending to read a book.
Keyword: pretending.
I had been on the same page for ten minutes.
"Are you going to read that," Aries asked, "or just emotionally stare at it?"
"I'm reading."
"You haven't turned the page."
"I'm absorbing the words."
"There are pictures."
"…it's a visual experience."
He snorted.
I glared at him.
Then—
A sound.
Sharp.
Sudden.
Something fell in the kitchen.
My body reacted instantly.
I froze.
The book slipped slightly from my hands.
My breath hitched.
For a second—
Everything felt wrong.
Too loud.
Too fast.
Too—
"Jay."
Keifer's voice.
Close.
Steady.
I blinked.
The room came back into focus.
Aries was still there.
The book was still in my hands.
Nothing had changed.
Except me.
"I'm fine," I said quickly.
Keifer crouched slightly in front of me, his voice softer now. "Yeah, I know."
That made me pause.
He didn't say you look fine.
He didn't say you're fine.
Just… I know.
"I just—" I started, then stopped.
What was I even supposed to say?
Oh sorry, random sounds make me feel like my brain is glitching?
Yeah. No.
"I'm okay," I said instead.
He studied my face for a second.
Then, without making it a big deal, he reached out and lightly tapped the book.
"You've been on the same page for ten minutes."
I blinked. "You noticed that?"
"I notice everything."
"That's creepy."
"That's useful."
"…still creepy."
A small smile appeared on his face.
And just like that—
The tension eased.
Keifer's POV
She says she's fine at least ten times a day.
I've started counting.
Current record: fourteen.
New personal best.
She thinks no one notices.
She's wrong.
Everyone notices.
But they don't push.
Because pushing her?
Bad idea.
I've seen it.
Once.
Didn't end well.
So instead, we watch.
Wait.
And try not to make it obvious.
Which Aries is terrible at.
"You're acting weird," he told her earlier.
Subtle.
Very subtle.
Percy kicked him under the table.
Worth it.
Right now, she's sitting across from me, pretending to listen to Percy explain something.
She's nodding.
At the wrong times.
Classic.
"Jay."
She blinks. "Yeah?"
"You just agreed to something."
"…what did I agree to?"
Percy grins. "Cleaning duty."
Her eyes widen. "WHAT—no, I didn't!"
"You nodded," I say.
"That was a fake nod!"
"That still counts."
"This is betrayal," she says, pointing at both of us.
"Welcome to Watson Mansion," Aries adds.
She glares at him. "You're not even part of this conversation."
"I'm always part of the conversation."
"That's the problem."
Later, I find her in the hallway.
Lost.
Again.
"You know," I say, leaning against the wall, "the house isn't changing. The layout stays the same."
She looks at me. "I just like exploring."
"You've explored this hallway three times."
"Maybe I didn't like it the first two times."
I shake my head slightly.
Then I notice it.
The way her hands are slightly clenched.
The way her eyes flick around, just a bit too quickly.
"Hey," I say, quieter now.
She stops.
"What?"
"You're doing it again."
Her expression shifts instantly. "Doing what?"
I don't answer right away.
Just step closer.
Not too close.
Just enough.
"You don't have to act around me."
For a second—
She doesn't speak.
Doesn't joke.
Doesn't deflec.
Just… stands there.
And that's when I know.
She's not okay.
Not even close.
"I'm not acting," she says finally.
Lie.
I let it slide.
"Alright," I say.