The calm didn't last.
It never does.
Once the nurse disappeared down the hallway and the weight of he's alive finally settled in, the whispers started again—this time sharper, more confused.
Jay—pushed off the wall, stretching her stiff shoulders. That's when Drew finally said what everyone else was clearly thinking.
"Hold on," he said, squinting at her. "Something's not adding up."
Jay glanced at him. "Here we go."
Keifer nodded slowly. "Yeah. This doesn't make sense."
Yuri crossed his arms. "You freeze at blood."
Kit pointed at her, completely serious. "Like—full panic."
Mayo added, "You literally fainted during first-year labs."
Eren leaned forward. "So how did you perform surgery on Hunter?"
The question hung in the air.
Rory watched closely. Edrix tilted his head.
Freya's eyes flicked between Jay and Lia.
Ella looked genuinely confused. Mica whispered, "Yeah… how?"
Jay opened her mouth—
—and Lia spoke first.
"She didn't."
Everyone turned.
Lia stood up slowly, rolling her shoulders like she was finally letting herself feel the strain. "I operated."
The hallway went quiet again.
Jay lifted a finger and pointed at Lia. "What she said."
Drew blinked. "Then what were you doing in there?"
Jay shrugged. "Everything else."
"That's not an answer," Kit said.
"It is if you know how surgery works," Jay shot back.
Lia continued calmly, "Jay doesn't touch blood. She never has."
"Never will," Jay added quickly.
"But," Lia said, glancing at her, "she sees things others don't."
Keifer frowned. "Like… what?"
Jay tapped her temple. "Timing. Risk. When something's about to go wrong before it actually does."
Mayo's eyes widened slightly. "You mean—"
"She gives commands," Lia said.
"Corrections. Suggestions. Sometimes she stops me mid-movement."
Jay nodded. "And she listens. That's the important part."
Eren let out a low whistle. "So you're like—"
"The brain," Jay said.
"And I'm the hands," Lia finished.
Silence.
Then Percy muttered, "That's terrifying."
Felix shook his head. "That's insane."
Calix stared at Jay. "You were calm."
Jay snorted. "No, I wasn't."
"You didn't look scared," Ella said.
Jay looked away. "I don't have the luxury to be."
Rakki frowned. "Even with blood?"
"I didn't look at it," Jay replied simply. "I looked at him."
That shut everyone up.
Angelo, who'd been listening quietly, smiled to himself. "Same system they used to train under the Bells."
Jessica clicked her tongue. "Makes sense."
Cindy nodded. "Explains everything."
The ones who already knew exchanged glances. The shocked ones just sat with it, trying to rearrange everything they thought they knew about Jayjay.
Drew finally said, quieter now, "You saved him without even touching him."
Jay met his eyes. "Saving someone doesn't always mean holding the knife."
Lia reached out and lightly bumped her shoulder with Jay's. "She's better under pressure than anyone I know."
Jay scoffed. "You say that now. Wait till I start yelling."
"I did," Lia said. "You yelled the whole time."
A few weak laughs escaped the group.
Outside the room, the machines continued their steady rhythm.
Hunter was alive.
And for the first time, everyone understood.
Section E wasn't dangerous because of fame.
It was dangerous because of what they were capable of.
Author's Note:
I'm really sorry for the long gap and not updating for a while. Thank you so much for your patience and continued support 🤍 I'm back now and will be posting more chapters soon.
Wishing you all a very Happy New Year 🎉✨ Hope you enjoy this chapter!
— Your Author