Jay-jay's POV
"The reindeer is injured."
"Damn you! Are really not going to stop?" I said irritably, and all he did was just laugh.
From the moment we woke up until breakfast, that damn reindeer was all he talked about. Apparently, he wasn't satisfied and wanted a second round.
Another kick.
"I'm warning you!" I threatened, pointing my spoon at him.
"How are we supposed to have our firstborn like this?" he teased.
I wanted to throw the plate in front of me at him. But the food would go to waste, and that would be a shame. He really wouldn't stop until my day was completely ruined.
"I already chose a name for him," he said, smiling.
Him?
"And how are you so sure your firstborn will be a boy?"
"I'll make sure it's a boy. I'll handle it through positioning."
Oh, for crying out loud.
I almost spat out the rice I had just put in my mouth. I didn't know how to stretch my patience any longer. I knew I was at fault last night for kicking his reindeer, but damn it, I'm only human—I hit back when provoked.
"Wanna know his name?" he asked, and I just nodded to get this over with.
"Well, my name comes from a verb, and I want his name to be the same. I want something close to my name. So if I'm Keifer from the word 'keep,' he'll be…" He paused for a moment and smiled at me. "Caretaker."
I suddenly burst out laughing. I almost fell off my chair, and when I looked at him, he was clearly delighted by his own nonsense. What a nutcase! What kind of sane father would name their child that?
"You're crazy!"
He kept laughing, shaking his head. I was sure he spent a long time coming up with that name.
"Then if we have a girl, I'll name her… Watcher."
He really wouldn't stop.
I just covered my face with one hand out of frustration. Even though I found his nonsense funny, he was still a pain. If he didn't quit it, I might really throw my spoon at him.
"Please… Just let me have a peaceful breakfast," I pleaded.
Even though his mischievous smile lingered, he still nodded. Thankfully, he finally let me eat in peace.
After breakfast, I was the one who washed the dishes. It was only fair since he fixed the stove so we could use it again. I just wasn't sure what kind of fixing he actually did.
It's really the fishes' fault.
"Are you done?" Kei—kwanan—greeted me.
I quickly wiped my hands before nodding at him. He led me to the living room, where there were papers scattered all over the table.
"What's this?" I asked before sitting down on the bamboo sofa.
"Contract, deed of sale, land title, and some laws regarding ownership," he explained.
Oh, right. This was what we talked about yesterday before we ended up crying by the bonfire. We were going to name this island. I wasn't sure how big the island was or what exactly made it special. All I'd seen so far were coconut fronds.
"Isla Palapa," I suggested, and he looked at me. "That's my name for this island."
He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "No. Not so appealing."
I pouted. He had a point. Every island has coconut fronds. If that were the basis, we might as well rename the entire Philippines to the Republic of Palapa.
I looked at him thoughtfully. "Isla Kumag."
He frowned. "Definitely not."
"Tukmol Island," I followed up, and he grimaced.
"How about Jay's Island?"
I shook my head repeatedly.
"Barakuda Island?"
I glared at him. "Do you want me to bury you alive on this island?"
He just laughed at me. I wanted so badly to shove his face into the table. Next time, if I get the chance, I'm going to slam his face with something.
He really is a snake!
I suddenly paused when an idea popped into my head. I finally had the perfect name for this island.
"Ulupong Island! Damn it! It's killer! It fits perfectly because you're an ulupong, you jerk!" I shouted, pointing at him.
He just looked at me, blinking.
"Let's go with Ulupong Island. You're overthinking it" I insisted.
He scratched his eyebrow for a moment. "Are you sure about that?"
"Of course."
"So that's what we're naming your island?"
I nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, the name of—" I stopped mid-sentence as I registered his last words. "Whose island?"
"Yours," he replied without hesitation.
"Mine?" I repeated, pointing at myself.
He nodded innocently. "This is actually for you. My gift."
This island came straight from London?
My eyes widened as I slowly covered my mouth in shock. I didn't know whether to thank him or refuse it.
I know he's rich, but this was still mind-blowing. Why would someone give an island to another person? How much did this cost? Was this just pocket change for him? Was it paid in installments? Is this an inflatable island? This is insane!
I was utterly confused about what to do. My mind was blank, and before I knew it, I was already running out of the house, screaming...
"THIS IS MY ISLAND! IT'S MINE!"
I couldn't contain my joy. I rolled around in the sand, then stood up and ran toward Kei—whatever his name is—who was standing on the terrace, watching me.
"It's really mine?! This is really my island?!" I asked him, and he smiled before nodding.
I went back to running on the shore, jumping up and down.
Move aside! I'm rich now!
"YES! THIS IS MY ISLAND! YOU CAN'T SCARE ME ANYMORE, KUYA ANGELO! I HAVE AN ISLAND!" I screamed with all my might. "YOU HAVE NOTHING TO BRAG ABOUT NOW!" I added, laughing.
I glanced at the shore where some birds had landed and started pecking at the sand. I glared at them before charging.
"GET OUT OF HERE! THIS IS MY ISLAND! RAAWWRRR!"
No trespassers allowed!
The birds scattered in flight, but I ended up coughing from all the shouting. I just kept running and jumping until I rolled around in the sand again.
When I got up, I tossed a handful of sand into the air—only for the wind to blow it right back into my face.
And just like that—I was blind!
I screamed when the sand got into my eyes. I couldn't open them, and I couldn't even walk back to the house. I couldn't move from where I stood.
"I'M BLIND! KWANAN, I'M BLIND! I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! KWAAAANNAAAANNNN!!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, hoping he'd hear me
Since I wasn't sure if he could hear me, I just started crawling. But I had no idea if I was even going in the right direction.
"Kwanan..." I called out, crying. "I'm blind... it's dark."
"What the hell." I heard Kwanan say from not too far away.
I slowly stood up and felt around my surroundings.
"Kwanan. Where are you?" I called out, still crying.
Make a sound!
I heard his soft chukle. He took my hand and helped me stand up.
"Let me see." He said, trying to open my eyes, but I only cried more from the pain.
"Water will fix this." He let go of me, and I suddenly felt his hands on my legs and back as he lifted me off the sand.
He started walking. I could hear him laughing every now and then. I wanted to get annoyed, but I couldn't because I was too busy feeling sorry for myself.
I froze when I felt something touch my forehead.
Was that his lips?
"My crazy, boyish, war-freak, big-eater Queen. I don't know what I'd do without you." he said, his voice tinged with laughter.
I immediately tried to hit him, but I only managed to hit my own thigh. His laughter grew even louder.
He stopped briefly before gently lowering me down. He made me bend forward.
"Hold still." He said, and I heard the creak of a faucet and the rush of water.
I almost cursed when I felt the heat of the water on my face. I nearly swallowed some of it.
"Try to open your eyes." He instructed, and I did. But I quickly shut them again because of the stinging sensation from the water. I instinctively moved away from the flow of water.
"That's enough." I said and quickly wiping my face.
Slowly, I opened my eyes. Once my vision adjusted, I turned to face the King of Snakes.
"Still blind?" he teased.
Annoying!
"Damn you" I retorted irritably.
"You're welcome."
He turned the faucet off, stopping the water. When he came closer, he used the hem of his shirt to wipe my entire face. He even wiped my neck and chin.
"See, child? This is what happens when you don't stay still. Look, you ended up blind." He said in a motherly tone.
"Yes, mother." I answered, and he laughed.
"Go on, get back to running, jumping, and rolling around." He pushed me lightly.
"I don't want to—"
"JAY-JAY!"
"—What was that?"
We both turned when I heard my name. It was a loud shout, but it clearly came from far away. It sounded like some wild person yelling in the jungle.
We walked together toward the shore. We couldn't see anything in the sea.
"You heard that too, right?" I asked Kei—Kwanan.
"Yeah, I heard it—"
"JAY-JAY!"
"There it is again!" I said, startled, looking around.
"BARRACUDA!"
Oh, you snake!
Whoever that animal was shouting my name, I swear I'm going to rip their throat out.
"SCREW YOU!" I shouted back immediately.
Suddenly, the calls for my name came one after another. That's when I realized it wasn't just one person calling me.
Until I turned toward the other side of the island where I had run and climbed a coconut tree. A figure was running toward us.
I squinted to get a clearer look at who it was. They were jumping and waving.
"JAY-JAY!" They shouted, and slowly, I recognized them.
"Ci-N? CI-N? IT'S CI-N!!" I shouted, jumping in excitement. "CI-N!!"
Finally! There were other people besides us!
I immediately ran to meet him. And my excitement grew even more when I saw he wasn't alone. More of our fellow Snakes!
"Jay-jay!"
"You're so dark, Jay!"
"You've gotten so tan!"
"You're a sea creature now!"
I kind of wanted to drown them one by one. But since I missed them too, I decided to let their nonsense slide.
"Jay-jay!" Ci greeted me happily before we hugged.
"Ci-N!" I replied just as happily, jumping up and down while hugging him.
We looked like idiots, bouncing around while embracing. We were laughing nonstop. You'd think we hadn't seen each other in ten years.
We only stopped when we both got tired. We were panting as we waited for the rest of the goofy snakes to catch up.
"I missed you all so much! I thought I'd never see another person again." I said dramatically, hugging Yuri.
He smiled as he returned it.
"We don't even see each other on weekends anyway. What's with the drama?" Eman asked, and I swear I wanted to slap him.
I let go of Yuri and glared at Eman. "Have you ever drowned? Do you want me to drown you?"
They all burst out laughing. If I didn't miss them so much, I would've kicked their faces. Who would've thought I'd actually miss these snakes?
Sure, we didn't always see each other on weekends, but it was different knowing they were nearby and that I could call them anytime to go out.
"Keifer!" They greeted the approaching King of Snakes.
"What happened to your leg?" Felix asked, and making everyone look at the leg marked by his clumsiness.
"Slipped on the rocks." He answered.
"Ouch, that must hurt." Ci winced.
The others winced too while looking at his wound. Some shook their heads, but of course, the expert teasers wouldn't miss the chance.
"How dumb." David muttered.
"I hope the rock is okay." Yuri added.
I wanted to laugh out loud. Only they had no mercy for Kei—Kwanan. We could start a corporation together. Or maybe invite David to join the club Yuri and I had.
The Shunga Lovers Club.
"Tss..." The King of Snakes replied annoyed.
I glanced at him for a moment. It felt like forever since I last heard that sound from him. I couldn't help but feel a bit thrown off.
"Anyway, how was the trip?" He asked them.
"I got dizzy!" Eren answered tiredly, sitting on the sand but quickly standing up because it was hot.
"I thought you were used to rocking motions?" Blaster teased, and they all exchanged looks.
Suddenly, they were pointing fingers at each other with grins stretching from ear to ear. They looked like they were ready to go panty-raiding at night.
I wanted to knock their heads together.
Throw sand at them.
"We got delayed. We were supposed to be here earlier, but someone said they were 'on the way' while still lying in bed." Felix complained, glaring at Rory.
"And someone else said they were just going to buy something, but ended up following a girl!" Rory accused Drew.
"At least I didn't claim I was just going to pee but ended up taking a dump!" Drew shot back at Denzel.
"Idiot!" Denzel retorted angrily.
And so they went on, blaming each other for why they were late. Even if they wouldn't admit it, I knew they were all late.
Except for the one next to me, already playing with the sand.
"He was early." Yuri said, noticing I was looking at C-in. "So excited, he probably didn't even sleep."
"What was he so excited about?"
He shrugged. "To see you or this island, I guess."
He looked around, clearly amazed by the beauty of the island.
Yes... this is my island!
"This is nice." He commented.
"Nice, my foot! It's gorgeous!" Ci countered, dusting off his hands.
"Keifer sure knows how to pick a place!" Edrix teased, even whistling.
Their fellow Ulupong applauded. Why did his praise sound like a joke? There's something behind it.
The idiots even gave me thumbs-ups. I forced a smile back, annoyed. My patience was still holding because I was happy to see them, but if they don't stop, I'll feed them to the sea creatures.
"Is it just you and Keifer here?" Ci asked innocently.
The other snakes gradually stopped teasing, but they were still noisy with their side conversations.
I nodded briefly in response to Ci.
"So, have you done it yet?" Ci asked again, and everyone fell silent.
Huh?
Suddenly, I felt awkward because of their reactions. Even Yuri was innocently waiting for my answer.
"D-done what?"
"Talked." Ci clarified, and we all sighed in relief. I thought it was something else.
"We've talked," I answered and stole a glance at Kei—kwanan.
He gave me a small smile. I turned back to the Ulupong, who were starting to tease again.
"You didn't try it?" Ci asked innocently again, and once more, the others went silent.
What now? And why did they have to go quiet every time!
"Try what?"
"Go for a walk." Ci clarified, and we all reacted the same way again.
"Just around here."
He nodded in acceptance of my answer. The snakes were starting to get lively again. I knew they'd tease me soon, so I was already glaring at them to make it clear I wasn't in the mood for jokes.
"Did you get tired?" the mischievous kid asked again.
My patience was wearing thin with his half-finished questions. I wanted to smack him. I could already hear the soft laughter of his equally mischievous companions.
I didn't want to get angry because they might think I was too affected. Damn it.
"Tired from what?" I asked, a bit annoyed.
"From walking around." He answered, and the others started teasing again.
"Be clearer, Ci," Eren said, though it was obvious he was enjoying himself.
Ci scratched his head innocently. I couldn't tell if he didn't realize we were being teased or if he was doing it on purpose. Or maybe he was really doing this intentionally.
I knew he was smart. There were still things he was clueless about, but thanks to his mischievous friends, he was starting to catch on to the world's mischief.
"What? I'm just asking." He pouted.
"Let him be. You know Ci-N, he's always curious about new things," Kei—kwanan defended him before facing Ci. "You can keep asking questions."
The mischievous kid nodded and turned back to me.
Here we go again.
"Is it big?" he asked without missing a beat.
"W-what?!" I blurted out in shock.
The Ulupong burst into laughter. Even David and Yuri were turning red from holding back their laughter. They looked away, but I could still see their ears turning red.
Eman and Josh fell to their knees on the sand, while Calix kept pushing and hitting Kit in laughter.
"The island," Ci added innocently.
I wanted to whack him. His unfinished questions were freaking me out. I didn't want him to think I was assuming something else from her question.
Even though I was.
"I-I haven't seen the whole thing yet," I answered.
"You should show the whole thing," Rory teased.
"Keifer, show everything properly," Mayo added.
"The whole—HA! Damn it!" Eren was now rolling in the sand, laughing his head off.
"Maybe later," the King of the Ulupong replied, and I shot him a glare, but he just winked at me.
"What are they talking about?" Ci asked innocently.
I shook my head. "Nothing. Just ignore them. Let's go to the house," I said, pulling his hand.
"Wait. It might still hurt," he protested, and the others burst into laughter again.
"Keifer hurt her!" Edrix teased, and I kicked sand at him.
I faced Ci. "Where would I be hurt?!" I asked, frustrated.
"From walking without slippers."
I let out a harsh breath. I didn't want to show that Ci's tricky questions were getting to me. But I was really close to losing it, especially with those jerks laughing nonstop.
Don't stop! Damn you all!
"Jay, was it good?" Ci asked again.
"Enough! My stomach hurts!"
"Damn you, Ci-N!"
"Stop asking questions!"
"What kind of questions are these? Just ask them properly!"
"Vacationing here on the island" he finally completed his question, his mischievous grin spreading.
I knew it. He was doing this on purpose!
I raised my hand and pretended to punch him on the head. He quickly raised his arms in defense. It felt like all my stress had come rushing back.