Jay-Jay's POV
I was still sitting on the bench in the park with Percy.
The snack bag was almost empty now.
Only a few chips were left at the bottom.
Percy grabbed the last one.
"Hey!" I said.
"You said share," he replied calmly.
"That doesn't mean eat everything."
He just smiled like he didn't care.
The wind blew softly through the trees.
Some leaves fell onto the ground near our feet.
Kids were laughing somewhere near the playground.
For a moment everything felt peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Then suddenly my phone buzzed in my pocket.
I froze.
Slowly I pulled it out.
The screen lit up.
Aries.
My brother.
I stared at the message for a few seconds before opening it.
Where are you?
My stomach dropped a little.
Of course.
Aries always noticed things quickly.
Too quickly sometimes.
Percy leaned closer.
"Uh oh," he said.
I glared at him.
"Don't look."
"Too late."
I sighed and leaned back on the bench.
"He's asking where I am."
Percy raised an eyebrow.
"Well… where are you?"
I threw a chip crumb at him.
"Very funny."
My phone buzzed again.
Another message.
You didn't go to class.
Great.
So he already knew.
I rubbed my forehead slowly.
Aries could be really annoying sometimes.
But he was also the kind of brother who noticed everything.
If something was wrong, he knew.
If I disappeared, he knew.
If I skipped school…
He definitely knew.
Percy looked amused.
"You're in trouble."
"I am not," I said.
"You skipped school."
"That doesn't mean I'm in trouble."
He tilted his head.
"Pretty sure it does."
I ignored him and typed a reply.
I'm fine.
A few seconds passed.
Then the phone buzzed again immediately.
That's not what I asked.
I groaned.
"Your brother sounds intense," Percy said.
"You have no idea," I replied.
Aries wasn't just my brother.
Sometimes he acted like a detective.
Or a security guard.
Or both.
My phone buzzed again.
Jay-Jay. Where are you?
Percy peeked again.
"You should probably tell him."
"I don't want to."
"He'll find you anyway."
That was the problem.
Percy was right.
Aries had a strange talent for finding people.
Especially me.
I stared at the screen again.
Then finally I typed.
At the park.
Three dots appeared immediately.
He was typing.
I waited.
Then the message came.
Stay there.
My eyes widened.
"Oh no."
Percy looked curious.
"What?"
"He's coming."
Percy laughed.
"Oh this I have to see."
"You are not helping."
But inside, my heart started beating a little faster.
Because when Aries said stay there,
It usually meant
He was already on his way. 😶