Clyden (POV)
We returned to the island past midnight.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
We had already eaten, so I went straight to bed.
But after some time…
I heard something.
A sound.
Faint.
Broken.
Coming from her room.
My eyes snapped open.
I didn't think—I just got up and walked straight to Jay's room.
The moment I opened the door—
"Don't… don't hit me… please…"
Everything inside me froze.
Jay thrashed on the bed.
Her body burned with heat.
Sweat soaked her skin.
Her face twisted in fear—
Like she was trapped somewhere she couldn't escape.
"Jay," I said quickly, rushing to her side.
No response.
"Please… it hurts…"
Her voice was weak, shaking—
Like she was begging someone who wouldn't stop hurting her.
My chest tightened.
I grabbed her shoulders gently.
"Jay. Wake up."
Nothing.
Her breathing was uneven.
Fast.
Panicked.
Like she was running… even in her sleep.
I tapped her cheek lightly.
"Jay… look at me."
Still nothing.
Her body jerked again.
"Jay!"
I tapped her harder this time.
Her eyes snapped open.
For a second—
She didn't recognize me.
Her gaze was empty.
Lost.
Then—
She saw me.
And broke.
"Kuya…"
Her voice cracked.
Tears fell instantly as she clutched my shirt as her life depended on it.
Then she cried.
Not quietly.
Not softly.
She cried like something inside her was falling apart.
I didn't hesitate.
I pulled her into my arms and held her tightly.
"It's okay," I whispered near her ear. "I'm here… Kuya's here. No one's going to hurt you."
She shook in my arms.
Her fingers gripped my shirt tighter.
"It's okay… you're safe… I've got you…"
I kept my hand on her back, moving slowly.
Steady.
Grounding her.
It took time.
More than I expected.
But slowly—
Her cries softened.
Her breathing steadied.
Her grip loosened… just a little.
I pulled back slightly.
"I'll get you some water—"
Before I could stand—
Her hand tightened again.
"Don't go…" she whispered.
Her voice was small.
Fragile.
"Please… I'm scared…"
I froze.
Then I sat back down.
I took her hand gently.
"I'm not going anywhere," I said quietly. "I'm right here."
She shook her head.
"I don't want water… just stay…"
That's when it hit me.
This wasn't just a nightmare.
She was still in it.
"Okay," I said softly. "I'll stay."
I didn't move.
I just sat beside her—
Holding her hand.
Letting her hold on as tightly as she needed.
After a moment, I looked at her.
"Did you remember something?" I asked carefully.
She hesitated.
Her fingers tightened around mine.
"It was dark…" she whispered."Someone was hitting me…"
Her voice trembled.
"I was scared…"
She swallowed hard.
"I don't remember anything else…"
Something twisted sharply inside my chest.
But I pushed it down.
"You don't have to remember right now," I said gently.
I brushed her hair away from her face.
"Just sleep. You're tired."
I leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.
"I'm here," I murmured. "I'm not letting anyone take you anywhere."
A small pause.
Then I added quietly—
"We're on an island. No one can reach you here."
She nodded weakly.
Her eyes slowly closed.
But even then—
She didn't let go of my hand.
Her fingers stayed wrapped around mine.
Tight.
Like I was the only thing keeping her from falling apart.
…
Her skin was still burning.
The fever wasn't going down.
I reached for my phone carefully and called the doctor.
I explained everything.
There was a pause.
Then—
"She's trying to remember," the doctor said.
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Her mind is pushing back memories she buried," she replied calmly."That's why she's reacting like this."
I looked down at Jay.
Her small hand was gripping mine.
The fear still lingering on her face—
Even in sleep.
And for the first time—
I understood.
The past she forgot…
Wasn't something she chose to forget.
It was something her heart couldn't survive remembering.
Two days later
Jay's fever went down.
But she wasn't the same anymore.
She moved around the house quietly.
Too quietly.
I sat on the sofa when it finally hit me.
The silence.
No random talking.
No humming.
Just emptiness.
And I hated it.
"…Did I mess up?" I muttered.
For the first time—
I wasn't sure of my own decisions.
"I shouldn't have taken her to London…" I whispered.
"Jay?" I called.
Nothing.
I stood up immediately.
"Jay…?"
Still nothing.
That—
That wasn't normal.
I walked quickly to her room and pushed the door open—
And paused.
She sat on the floor.
Legs folded.
Head slightly tilted.
A pencil moving slowly in her hand.
Completely lost.
"…Jay?"
No response.
I stepped closer.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I'm trying to draw someone," she said softly.
"Who?"
She hesitated.
"I keep remembering someone…"
I frowned.
"But I can't see his face clearly," she continued."It's blurry… but I feel like he's important."
Something about that—
Didn't sit right with me.
"Did you try drawing him?"
She nodded and turned the paper toward me.
I looked at it.
Paused.
And then—
I burst out laughing.
"Hey—" she frowned immediately.
"This?" I pointed at the drawing."You call this a person?"
"It is a person!"
"No, it's not," I said, still laughing."It looks like something out of a nightmare."
"I told you I don't know how to draw!"
"Yeah, I can see that."
"I tried my best," she said, lifting her chin.
That confidence—
Made me laugh even more.
"Your best is dangerous," I said."I didn't know drawings could kill… but this one might."
"Are you insulting me??"
"I'm just being honest."
"GET OUT before I kill you."
I stepped back, still laughing as I left the room.
…
She ignored me after that.
Completely.
Walked past me like I didn't exist.
"Wow," I muttered. "Cold."
But honestly—
I didn't mind.
That irritation…
That attitude…
It meant she was still herself.
I opened my drawer and pulled out a water gun.
I had been waiting to use it.
For days.
Because she was sick.
Because she was fragile.
But now?
She needed this.
I walked to her door and knocked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No response.
I knocked again.
The door suddenly opened.
"What the hell do you want—"
I pulled the trigger.
Water splashed straight onto her face.
She froze.
Completely stunned.
"What the Fuck—?!"
I leaned the water gun on my shoulder and smirked.
"Do you want to play?"
She stared at me.
Then—
Her expression changed.
"Oh… you're dead."
She grabbed the water gun from the floor and pointed it at me.
"Run."
I didn't wait.
I turned and ran.
Fast.
Water hit my back.
"HEY—!" I laughed. "You're cheating!"
"You started it!"
We ran through the house like kids.
Water everywhere.
Footsteps echoing.
Laughter filled the silence that had been suffocating the place.
And just like that—
The house felt alive again.
She felt alive again.
I ran outside.
She followed without hesitation.
"Stop running!"
"Make me!"
For a moment—
There was no past.
No pain.
No fear.
Just this.
Just us.
…
Then—
A voice cut through everything.
"Jay."
Her laughter stopped.
So did mine.
The air shifted.
Cold.
Heavy.
I turned slowly—
But my eyes went straight to her.
Jay had frozen.