Jay pov.
*Jay goes to look for him. He's standing on the edge of a cliff. They both are arguing about Jay calling him Kwanan and Kiefer gets annoyed. He falls. Jay jumps in after him.. he gets injured and she helps him walk back to the mansion. (Saying all this because it's the same thing that happened in the og book and author is too lazy sry) *
Why did that idiot have to go and injure himself? Ugghhh. Fvck my stupid guilt. Now I'm on kitchen duty because of that. Why do I do this to myself? I should have just sucked it up and agreed when he offered to cook.
But noooo. I just had to swoop in and say that I'll cook. This is so goddamn annoying. And he is annoying. And this situation is annoying. And my life is annoying. You know what else is annoying?
My heart. I'm supposed to be mad at him, not cooking for him. I mean I am mad at him. But I still feel kinda guilty. He wouldn't have fallen off the cliff if I hadn't called him Kwanan just to push his buttons.
I mean I guess it worked though. He did get annoyed. So mission success? No it also backfired. I'm cooking. Whatever. Get back to cooking before I accidentally burn down the house.
I was making chicken adobo and sinigang. Mostly for myself. Maybe, just maybe, I might spare him some for taste since I'm so kind and generous. Why are you guys laughing? I am!
Anyway. The adobo came out perfectly. I was making the sinigang. I was just about to add the chopped up vegetables to the shimmering soup, when I noticed that the flame was too high.
I crouched down to make it lesser when I saw the flame. A throbbing pain spread in my head. The flame in front of me flickered and suddenly I was 12 years old in a dark warehouse, staring at a different fire.
A faint shadowy silhouette of a man was standing in front of the fire. He had some metal in his hand and was heating it in the fire.
"Your mother really isn't going to come if I just tell her to huh. Maybe she'll come if she sees her precious little daughter getting burnt." He told me.
With a jolt I realised I was crying. 13 year old Aries was sitting right next to me.
"P-please. No. She doesn't care about me! She won't come! Please don't hurt me! Please!" I begged.
And then. Pain. The hot iron touched my skin. It felt like my skin was melting. The agony was unnerving. I wished I had rather been dead. God. Why couldn't I have died along with my parents? Why did I have to live if this was what I survived for?
It felt too painful. I screamed. I pleaded for him to stop. Aries was tied up and shouting in the background. I couldn't hear what he said. The pain was too overwhelming. It made my eyes and ears blur everything.
Then a heard another voice cut through the darkness. Where have I heard that before?
"Jay please open your eyes." I can't. I'm too scared. What if he burns me again?
"Jasper Jean. Please don't do this to me. Jay it's me, kiefer. I'm right here Jay open your eyes." I wanted to. God I wanted to. But I still couldn't. It felt like I was stuck. Paralyzed.
"You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you Jay. I'm here. I'm right here. Open your eyes." Slowly, painfully, I opened my eyes.
I wasn't at the warehouse. It wasn't dark. Noone was hurting me. Kwa- kiefer. Kiefer was right here.
I was in his lap. I was shaking. There were tears streaming down my face.
"Jay! Jay what happened? Did you cut yourself? Did you see blood anywhere?" He asked frantically. He looked panicked.
Yeah.. what happened? I saw a memory. Was it one of my stepfathers? But I didn't remember it at all. If it was one of them, I would have remember it. But.. Aries was there? Then it should have been a memory from that night. I wish I could have seen everything. Then I'd finally know why Aries hated me after that night. I'd know what I did.
Then I realised Kiefer was still staring at me with a mixture of relief and concern.
"I- uhm- I have to tell you something. I.. don't really have blood trauma."
He frowned. "What? So you've been faking it? But I've seen you... Even just now."
"No.. I do have trauma. It's kind of hard to explain but.. I'll try. I actually remember my past."
His eyes widened. But he listened without interrupting.
"Not everything though. Sometimes... When my stepfathers go too far.. I black out from fear. Like I didn't faint, but I don't remember anything clearly. And.. there is one incident which I don't remember at all. My trauma started then only. Since then I started hearing voices when I see certain things that trigger me and if it's too much- I see red. And I forget what I am doing. I lose control of myself. That's what happened with Cyrus too."
"You said one incident. Which incident? What exactly caused your trauma?" He asked.
"Aries's father once kidnapped me and Aries."
"What?! I mean.. I know he kidnapped Aries, but I had no idea he kidnapped you too." He said.
"Wait.. how did you know he kidnapped Aries?" I asked.
"We were still friends back then. Me, Percy, and Yuri even went to visit him in the hospital."
"Ohh.. anyway. That was the incident. I don't remember what happened there. I mean.. at least I didn't. But I just got a flash of memory of that warehouse. Lately I've been getting more and more flashes of what happened there. I even got one when mykel took me and ci n- right before I lost control of myself and beat him up."
"But.. how? You said it's not blood trauma. So then what did you see that triggered your trauma?"
"Anything that reminds my mind about that day triggers my trauma. And today it was the flame of the stove..."
"Fire? Why? What did you see?"
"I- I saw him. Aries's father. He was-" the memory flashed in front of my eyes again. It hurt. I flinched violently and started trembling. "I- I can't. I can't talk about it. S- s- sorry."
"Hey hey. It's ok. It's alright Jay. I'm with you. I'm right here." He said, tightening his arms around my waist. "You don't have to say it."
After few more minutes. The terror of my past slowly faded away leaving - the terror of my present! The food! The sinigang! What the hell happened to it?!
I bolted out of his arms and rushed to the stove. It hadn't burnt. The stove was off. Oh thank the gods. I can't endure seeing my poor food hurt and burnt. Then my poor baby will be in pain! Food is forever the first love of my life.
"I switched it off when I heard you screaming and I came downstairs. You were staring at the flame and shaking so I switched it off. By the way, the adobo looks delicious."
"I know. I'm a great cook." I said proudly.
He just smiled. "I'll help you complete the sinigang. You're banned from using the stove."
"Why?! I'm completely fine now. Besides, this doesn't happen every time I see fire. I've cooked in my own home a lot of times! Lately these flashes have been increasing that's all." I protested.
He shook his head firmly. "Nope. I wouldn't have even let you cook if you hadn't insisted."
"Hey! My cooking is really good!"
"I know it is Jay. But it's my duty as a husband to take care of my wife."
I went red in the face. "WHAT?! What is wrong with you?! Who's the husband and whose the wife?! We are NOT married."
"Yet" he said winking at me.
"You are absolutely delirious and delusional Watson. Get your head checked." I deadpanned.
He chuckled. "Just let me do the rest of it Jay. You already did almost all the work."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Whatever." I pushed myself up and sat in the kitchen counter.
"By the way, what do you think we should name this island?"
"Uhmm.. I don't know. Island?" I know. Absolutely wonderful suggestion. I'm such a genius right?
"That's not a name Jay. That's the place. What about Jay's island?" He said laughing.
"No way! You're not keeping my name!" I protested immediately.
"What about Barracuda island?" He asked, teasing me. I glared at him. He immediately stopped smirking and cleared his throat. "Sorry. I was just kidding."
I rolled my eyes. "Island ulupong. Because that was my first nickname for you and section e."
He looked at me and smiled. "Sure. That works for me."
Just then, I peeped into the bowl.
"You can off it now. It's ready." I said. He nodded and turned the stove off.
"Can we take it outside? Some fresh air could do you good.." he suggested.
"Can you walk?" I asked skeptically.
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
"I wasn't worrying! Fine let's go." I said.
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Hello people of this wonderful planet! Or aliens are welcome too. No judgement.😝😁
Guys is it just me, or are the comments decreasing? Pleaassseee please please comment! 🥹🥹
Is the story getting boring? Should I skip the island parts? Please tell me something?
Anyway here are my official apologies for taking such a long break. I had a ton of notes to copy since I joined a new school midyear. Oh wait did I say had? I meant have. Still do. I'm so screwed. 😭✌️
Wish me luck 🤞 🤞. Byyeeeeee!