Keifer was still trying to regain his composure, standing tall on the top bar while Jay-jay hummed her victory tune. He looked at Aries, expecting his best friend to help him regain is control as king.
Instead, Aries was staring at Jay-jay with a look of pure, horrified realization.
"Wait a minute," Aries stammered, pointing a finger at the girl with the messy pigtails."The messy hair... the dirt on the nose... the jar of bugs... Jay-jay?!"
Jay-jay stopped humming and squinted at Aries. A slow, mischievous grin spread across her face. "Oh! Hey, Kuya. I wondered when you'd notice me."
The silence that followed was so heavy you could hear the crickets in the bushes.
"KUYA?!"Keifer, Percy, and Yuri shouted in unison.
Keifer almost fell off the jungle gym. He looked from Aries to Jay-jay, then back to Aries."Aries... you're telling me this firefly-girl is your sister? The one you said stayed home to play with dolls?"
"She was supposed to be playing with dolls!"Aries groaned, rubbing his temples."Jay, Mom is going to kill you. You're covered in mud, and you're not supposed to be wandering this far from the house!"
Jay-jay hopped down a level, landing right next to Keifer again. She leaned in close, smelling like the outdoors, and whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear:"Dolls are boring. Watching Grumpy turn red is way more fun."
Percy started snickering."She's got you there, Keifer. Your face is the color of a tomato."
"Shut up, Percy!"Keifer snapped, though his heart was hammering against his ribs. He felt betrayed. He had spent the last ten minutes trying to look tough in front of a girl who turned out to be his best friend's sister.
Aries climbed down and grabbed Jay-jay's hand. "Come on, we're going home before you get us both grounded."
As they started to walk away, Jay-jay turned back and waved the empty glass jar at Keifer."See ya tomorrow, King Grumpy! Don't let the shadows scare you!"
Keifer didn't say anything until they were out of sight. He just stood there, staring at the spot where she had been.
"She's... she's really annoying," Keifer finally muttered.
Yuri smiled softly, looking at the one firefly that was still lingering on the jungle gym bar. "She's brave. I think she's going to be the boss of us soon."
Keifer crossed his arms, his chest feeling tighter than usual."No way. Nobody bosses the Kings around."
But deep down, Keifer knew—his peaceful days at the park were officially over.