Eight days.
Eight days had passed since the night Kyle shattered Jay with a single phone call.
Eight days since the panic attack that left everyone terrified.
Eight days since the truth came out.
Eight days since Jay had broken down in Cora's arms, believing she had lost Keifer forever.
And now…
Everything was different.
The fear that once clouded her eyes had disappeared.
The tears had dried.
The stitches still traced faint lines across her healing skin, a constant reminder that her body had not fully recovered, even if her spirit had.
Kyle had wanted those eight days to destroy her.
Instead…
They rebuilt her.
Not just Jay.
All of them.
Because while Jay was learning to trust herself again, Luna was strengthening their intelligence network, Alex was preparing strategies for every possible outcome, Deniel was pushing everyone through brutal physical training, and Cora made sure none of them forgot how to laugh in between the chaos.
They weren't preparing one person for a fight.
They were preparing a team for a war.
And today marked the end of those eight days.
Later that evening, after another long day of training, Jay sat quietly on the edge of her bed.
The room was peaceful.
For once, there were no strategy maps spread across the table.
No weapons.
No files.
Just a small first-aid kit resting beside Luna.
Jay sighed dramatically.
"I hate this part."
Luna didn't even look up as she carefully peeled away the old dressing.
"I know."
"It itches."
"I know."
"It pulls."
"I know."
"It smells like medicine."
Luna finally looked at her.
"Would you like me to stop?"
Jay immediately shook her head.
"…No."
Cora, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, burst into laughter.
"You're impossible."
Jay pointed at her.
"You're supposed to be on my side."
"I am."
Cora smiled innocently.
"I'm on the side that wants you to stop trying to rip your stitches open every five minutes."
Jay pouted.
"They're healing."
"They're healing because we keep stopping you."
Luna gently cleaned around the wound.
The angry redness from before had faded.
The stitches were still clearly visible, but the skin around them looked much healthier.
"No fighting for at least another few days," Luna reminded her.
Jay groaned loudly.
"I know."
"You'll still train."
"I know."
"But no hand-to-hand combat."
"I know."
"No sudden movements."
"I know."
"No pretending you're perfectly fine."
Jay looked away.
"…That one is negotiable."
Both Luna and Cora stared at her.
"Jay."
"…Okay."
A comfortable silence settled over the room as Luna finished wrapping the fresh bandage.
Cora leaned back against the wall.
"You know what my favorite part of today was?"
Jay looked up.
"What?"
"The look on Alex's face after Deniel shouted 'Red' instead of 'Shadow.'"
Jay covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
"Oh my God…"
Luna couldn't help smiling.
"The poor guy sent the entire team running in the wrong direction."
Cora immediately stood up, pretending to be Deniel.
"'RETREAT! RETREAT!'"
She dramatically pointed toward the exit.
Jay laughed so hard she had to hold her side.
"Oww…"
Luna instantly gave her a look.
"I told you."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're laughing."
"That's illegal now?"
"It's painful now."
Jay sighed dramatically.
"This team hates fun."
At that exact moment, someone knocked on the bedroom door.
"Come in."
Alex stepped inside.
He looked around the room.
Then at Jay.
Then at the fresh bandage.
"Good."
Jay narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean, good?"
"It means you're sitting down."
"I can stand."
"I know."
"Then why am I sitting?"
"Because if you stand, you'll probably decide it's a great idea to spar with Cora."
Jay opened her mouth.
Closed it again.
Alex nodded once.
"Exactly."
Cora immediately started laughing.
"I told you."
Deniel suddenly leaned around the doorway behind Alex.
"I heard laughing."
Alex didn't even turn around.
"You also heard your own terrible combat code this morning."
The room exploded with laughter.
Deniel looked offended.
"It was one mistake!"
"It was a catastrophic mistake," Alex replied without missing a beat.
"You evacuated the attackers."
Even Luna had to look away to hide her smile.
Jay laughed again, quieter this time.
Looking around at everyone.
For just a moment…
The war waiting outside those walls didn't exist.
They weren't soldiers.
They weren't hunting Kyle.
They were simply five friends sharing one peaceful evening before everything changed again.
Later that evening, after another long day of training, Jay sat quietly on the edge of her bed.
The room was peaceful.
For once, there were no strategy maps spread across the table.
No weapons.
No files.
Just a small first-aid kit resting beside Luna.
Jay sighed dramatically.
"I hate this part."
Luna didn't even look up as she carefully peeled away the old dressing.
"I know."
"It itches."
"I know."
"It pulls."
"I know."
"It smells like medicine."
Luna finally looked at her.
"Would you like me to stop?"
Jay immediately shook her head.
"…No."
Cora, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, burst into laughter.
"You're impossible."
Jay pointed at her.
"You're supposed to be on my side."
"I am."
Cora smiled innocently.
"I'm on the side that wants you to stop trying to rip your stitches open every five minutes."
Jay pouted.
"They're healing."
"They're healing because we keep stopping you."
Luna gently cleaned around the wound.
The angry redness from before had faded.
The stitches were still clearly visible, but the skin around them looked much healthier.
"No fighting for at least another few days," Luna reminded her.
Jay groaned loudly.
"I know."
"You'll still train."
"I know."
"But no hand-to-hand combat."
"I know."
"No sudden movements."
"I know."
"No pretending you're perfectly fine."
Jay looked away.
"…That one is negotiable."
Both Luna and Cora stared at her.
"Jay."
"…Okay."
A comfortable silence settled over the room as Luna finished wrapping the fresh bandage.
Cora leaned back against the wall.
"You know what my favorite part of today was?"
Jay looked up.
"What?"
"The look on Alex's face after Deniel shouted 'Red' instead of 'Shadow.'"
Jay covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing.
"Oh my God…"
Luna couldn't help smiling.
"The poor guy sent the entire team running in the wrong direction."
Cora immediately stood up, pretending to be Deniel.
"'RETREAT! RETREAT!'"
She dramatically pointed toward the exit.
Jay laughed so hard she had to hold her side.
"Oww…"
Luna instantly gave her a look.
"I told you."
"I'm fine."
"No, you're laughing."
"That's illegal now?"
"It's painful now."
Jay sighed dramatically.
"This team hates fun."
At that exact moment, someone knocked on the bedroom door.
"Come in."
Alex stepped inside.
He looked around the room.
Then at Jay.
Then at the fresh bandage.
"Good."
Jay narrowed her eyes.
"What do you mean, good?"
"It means you're sitting down."
"I can stand."
"I know."
"Then why am I sitting?"
"Because if you stand, you'll probably decide it's a great idea to spar with Cora."
Jay opened her mouth.
Closed it again.
Alex nodded once.
"Exactly."
Cora immediately started laughing.
"I told you."
Deniel suddenly leaned around the doorway behind Alex.
"I heard laughing."
Alex didn't even turn around.
"You also heard your own terrible combat code this morning."
The room exploded with laughter.
Deniel looked offended.
"It was one mistake!"
"It was a catastrophic mistake," Alex replied without missing a beat.
"You evacuated the attackers."
Even Luna had to look away to hide her smile.
Jay laughed again, quieter this time.
Looking around at everyone.
For just a moment…
The war waiting outside those walls didn't exist.
They weren't soldiers.
They weren't hunting Kyle.
They were simply five friends sharing one peaceful evening before everything changed again.