FLASHBACK
(Jay jay) pov
Light.
Too bright.
Jay's eyes snap open.
Her body reacts instantly—
She sits up too fast.
Pain shoots through her side.
Sharp.
Real.
She gasps, grabbing onto the edge of the bed.
Bed.
Not the ground.
Not outside.
Different.
Wrong.
Her breathing picks up again.
Fast.
Too fast.
Where—
"Easy."
That voice again.
Jay freezes.
Slowly—
She turns her head.
He's there.
The same boy.
Sitting a few steps away.
Not too close.
Not too far.
Watching her.
Calm.
Always calm.
"Where am I?" she asks.
Her voice is rough.
Dry.
Barely steady.
"You're safe," he says.
Not an answer.
Her eyes narrow slightly. "I didn't ask that."
A pause.
"…fair," he admits. "You're at our place."
Our.
Her chest tightens.
"How many people?" she asks immediately.
His eyebrow lifts slightly.
"Five," he answers.
Too many.
Way too many.
Her fingers grip the sheet tightly.
Her body tenses.
Her eyes move toward the door.
Calculate.
Distance.
Exit.
Can she run?
No.
Her body won't allow it.
Great.
Perfect.
The door opens.
Jay flinches.
Hard.
A girl walks in quickly.
Soft expression. Worried eyes.
"Oh—she's awake," she says, relief in her voice.
Too loud.
Too fast.
Jay's shoulders stiffen.
"I'm Luna," the girl says gently, stopping at a distance. "How are you feeling?"
Jay doesn't answer.
Her eyes stay on the door.
Another figure appears.
Leaning against the frame.
Arms crossed.
Watching.
Careful.
Sharp.
"That's Cora," the boy says calmly.
Cora's eyes narrow slightly. "She looks like she might run."
"I'm not running," Jay says immediately.
Lie.
Obvious.
Even to herself.
Cora doesn't look convinced.
"Good," she says. "Because you wouldn't get far."
Jay doesn't respond.
Because—
She knows that's true.
A third voice comes from behind.
"So… are we just going to stand here, or is someone going to explain what's happening?"
Jay's head turns slightly.
Another boy.
Relaxed posture.
Casual.
Too casual.
"This is Daniel," the calm boy says.
Daniel gives a small wave. "Hi. You look like you've been through a lot."
Jay stares at him.
"…that's one way to say it."
Her voice is quiet.
Flat.
But it's the first real sentence she's said.
Daniel smiles slightly. "See? She talks."
Cora rolls her eyes. "Don't start."
"I'm not starting anything," he says. "I'm being welcoming."
"That's not what that was."
"Okay, rude."
Jay watches them.
Back and forth.
Their voices.
Their expressions.
Normal.
Too normal.
Her chest tightens slightly.
This feels—
Wrong.
Or maybe—
Unfamiliar.
Her eyes move back to the boy in front of her.
The calm one.
Still there.
Still watching.
"…you didn't tell me your name," she says.
He looks at her for a second.
Then—
"Ethan."
The room feels… quiet.
Not empty.
Just controlled.
Jay sits on the edge of the bed, her fingers still gripping the sheet like it might disappear if she lets go.
Five people.
Too many.
Her eyes move again.
Door.
Window.
Distance.
Exit.
Always the exit.
"You're thinking too hard," Daniel says.
Her head snaps toward him.
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You looked at the door three times in ten seconds."
"…I like doors."
Cora snorts.
"That's not normal."
Jay shrugs slightly. "Neither is this."
Cora doesn't argue with that.
For a second, no one speaks.
The silence isn't uncomfortable for them.
But for Jay—
It feels like waiting.
Like something is about to go wrong.
Luna steps a little closer.
Not too close.
Careful.
"We're not going to hurt you," she says softly.
Jay doesn't answer.
Because—
She's heard that before.
And it never meant anything.
Her grip tightens slightly.
Ethan notices.
Of course he does.
"You don't have to trust us," he says.
Her eyes flick to him.
That's new.
No one says that.
Usually it's:
"Trust me."
"You're safe."
"Relax."
But this—
"You don't have to trust us."
It feels… different.
"Then why am I here?" she asks.
Her voice is steadier now.
Still quiet.
But not breaking.
Ethan leans back slightly, resting his arms casually.
"Because you needed help," he says. "And we were there."
Simple.
No hidden meaning.
No pressure.
Jay watches him.
Trying to find something wrong in his words.
Something fake.
There isn't.
That bothers her.
"You can leave when you're able to," he adds.
Her eyebrows pull together slightly.
Leave?
That wasn't expected.
"You're not going to stop me?" she asks.
Cora scoffs lightly. "If you can walk properly, be my guest."
Jay glances down.
Her body answers that question for her.
…not yet.
"See?" Daniel says. "Temporary membership."
"I'm not joining anything," Jay mutters.
"No one said you are," Luna replies gently.
Another pause.
Jay exhales slowly.
Her shoulders drop just a little.
Not relaxed.
Just… less tense.
Time passes.
She doesn't know how much.
Minutes.
Hours.
It all feels the same.
At some point—
She's still sitting there.
Still watching.
Still calculating.
And they're still here.
Not leaving.
Not forcing.
Just… existing.
Daniel is talking again.
About something completely random.
"…and I'm telling you, if we ever run out of food, Cora is definitely the first one we sacrifice."
Cora turns slowly. "Say that again."
"I said—"
"I heard you."
Jay watches them.
There's no fear in the room.
No tension.
Just… normal arguing.
Daniel grins. "You wouldn't survive without me."
"I'd survive better."
"Wow. Betrayal."
Luna sighs softly. "Can you not threaten each other for five minutes?"
"We're not threatening," Daniel says. "We're bonding."
"That's not bonding."
"It is for us."
Jay blinks.
This is—
Weird.
But not bad.
Just… strange.
Her eyes shift again.
Ethan.
He's quieter now.
Leaning against the wall.
Not involved in the argument.
Just watching.
Not the group.
Her.
She looks away immediately.
Too late.
He noticed.
Of course he did.
"Hungry?" he asks.
The question catches her off guard.
"What?"
"Food," he says simply. "You should eat."
"I'm not hungry."
Lie.
Her stomach tightens slightly at the thought.
He doesn't call her out.
Doesn't argue.
Just nods once.
"Okay."
That's it.
No pressure.
No pushing.
Jay frowns slightly.
Why is he not forcing it?
That's what people do.
They insist.
They decide for you.
But he just—
Stops.
That's…
Confusing.