Sophia:
I got into Dad's car and noticed that Noor wasn't there. She was usually in the car before me since I stood around talking to my friends before I came here.
“Where’s Noor?” I asked.
“She went to her friends house to get some Calculus help,” Dad said. “But she said she’ll be home in two hours.”
She ended up coming home one hour later.
“Hey Noor. Where did you go?” I asked. She looked troubled.
“Huh? Oh...I just went to a friend's house,” she said distractedly.
“Which friend?” I pressed.
“Um...Drew,” she said. Then she started towards the stairs. “I have homework.” With that, she disappeared into her room. Something weird was definitely going on. Noor only saved her terrible lying skills for very crucial things. And I was going to find out what it was.
The next day at school, I saw Jasper and Noor whispering to each other next to his car. I was about to go to them but Allie dragged me off to the library to help her find a book. When the bell rang, we both hurried out of the library. There was a huge crowd in the hall. I tried to see what all the commotion was about and saw Drew describing how he saved Noor. He added a lot of exaggerations though. I saw Noor a few feet away trying to get through the crowd. People kept stopping her and asking if she was okay. She looked uncomfortable. I felt sorry for her. She didn't like being the center of attention. A few teachers came out to tell us all the hurry up and the crowd broke up. I lost sight of Noor so I couldn't ask her what she and Jasper had been talking about.
I couldn't find Noor in the halls anywhere. As I was heading to lunch, fully intending to find her there, Jake caught up to me.
“Hey, I haven’t seen you forever!” he greeted me.
“You saw me this morning in class,” I told him.
“Yeah I know, but that doesn't count. Oh, do you know that Jasper guy?” When I nodded, he continued, “He’s really weird. He almost started a fight today. I don't know why. But there’s something seriously wrong with him.”
I agreed wholeheartedly.
“And I think he wants to do something to your sister,” he added. I stopped in the middle of walking.
“What are you talking about?” I exclaimed, not realizing that I had talked too loudly until everyone looked my way. I lowered my voice. “Why do you think that?” Jake shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I heard him talking to someone on the phone...” he muttered.
“What did he say?” I demanded, not caring that I probably sounded like a crazy person. Jake looked startled.
“Uh...he was just saying that they should keep an eye on Noor or something and that’s basically all I heard. Oh and I heard the word ‘danger’ in their conversation a lot. It sounded like they were arguing.”
I was thinking about what Jake had just said when Jasper walked right past me.
“Jasper!” I said, grabbing his arm. He easily shook me off and surveyed me coolly.
“What?” he asked in that infuriatingly calm voice.
“What are you planning to do to Noor?” I blurted out. I had been planning on smoothly getting some information off of him. I guess that wouldn't work. Just as I said that, Noor ran to me. She had heard what I said and looked at me, confused.
“He’s not planning to do anything to me. What are you talking about?”
“Um...” I said, frantically thinking about what to say. I looked at Jake desperately but he just shrugged. He was such a great friend. Noor glared at me annoyedly, and her cheeks turned slightly red.
“Come on. What are you talking about? It's about me, right? I have a right to know,” she said, pouting at me. I hated how she could be so convincing at times. I sighed heavily.
“Okay fine. He-” I waved my hand at Jasper, “wants to hurt you.”
Noor looked shocked. I would be shocked too if someone told me some total creep wanted to hurt me. I smirked at Jasper smugly, figuring Noor would probably punch him or something. She didn't.
“No he’s not. He’s my...friend,” Noor said. Now it was Jaspers turn to smirk at me. Jake was just standing there looking confused. I grabbed Noors hand and began to drag her towards the side door.
“We need to talk,” I said seriously. I turned to Jasper and Jake and said, “Privately,” looking at Jasper a bit longer to make sure he got the message. He just crossed his arms and sighed as if he didn’t care, but I caught the glint of worry in his eyes.
“No, wait-” Noor started, but before she could finish the sentence, I opened the door.
Then I jumped three feet in the air as a siren started wailing. I looked around, wondering if we were having a fire drill. Then I saw Noor pointing at the door and looked to see a sign saying ‘Emergency Exit: Use only for emergencies’. Great. I had gone through the fire exit. Everyone began pouring through the cafeteria door, laughing or stomping angrily or trying to keep quiet so they wouldn’t get in trouble, and I almost got trampled in the crowd. Luckily Jake pulled me to the side. I saw Jasper laughing at me and glowered at him, feeling totally mortified. Someone grabbed my shoulder and I jumped again, startled. I looked up to see an angry principal staring at me.
“Are you the one who opened the emergency exit door?” he asked me accusingly. I nodded meekly.
“I’m sorry. It was an accident,” I mumbled. The principal shook his head.
“I’ll let it pass this once. But if it happens again...” he trailed off threateningly and I nodded.
“I understand. I’ll never do it again.” Just then, the siren stopped wailing. The students in the hall stopped and looked around confused.
“Everyone go back to your lunch! False alarm!” the principal yelled, looking at me pointedly. I wanted to sink into the floor as everyone looked at me. Everyone filed into the cafeteria and the principal gave me one last disapproving look before disappearing into his office. Noor and Jasper had gotten lost in the crowd and so now it was just Jake and me. He looked at me, then burst out laughing.
“Sorry,” he said gasping. “Its just that...” He started laughing again, and I hit him on the arm.
“Be quiet,” I grumbled, but I smiled a little too.
“Alright,” Jake said, wiping away tears of laughter. “I’m guessing that you don't like Jasper either and you don't want him to be anywhere near your sister.” When I nodded, he continued. “So, you should try to keep them apart. From the conversation I heard, Jasper obviously wants to hurt Noor, so if we keep them apart, then he can’t do anything to her!” Jake beamed. It was a good idea.
“But they have a class together,” I said, thinking about how this could and couldn't work.
“Okay, but they’re surrounded by people there. Jasper wouldn't do anything there. He’d try to get her alone, then do it. So it’s simple, we just keep them apart!” I thought about it then grinned.
“Jake, you’re a genius!” I exclaimed, already thinking of plans to keep Noor away from Jasper.
“You’re just now realizing?” Jake asked teasingly. I laughed and followed him to the cafeteria.
Noor:
After Sophia opened the emergency exit and everyone came pouring out of the cafeteria, Jasper pulled me away from her.
“That was a weird conversation,” I said. I hadn’t forgotten what he had told me yesterday, and I was hoping to ask him some more questions today. Not that I believed him. At least that’s what I was telling myself.
Jasper nodded. He was like a human shield. There was a little bubble of space around him, and people flowed around us. It was way better than getting trampled.
“Everyone go back to your class! False alarm!” The principal yelled. The crowd turned and Jasper pulled me to the lunch room. In there, we went out the non-emergency side door.
“Sit down,” Jasper said, sitting by a tree, and nodding to a space across from him. I sat down. “Did you think about what I told you yesterday?” he asked. I nodded slowly. “And? Do you believe me?” Jasper leaned forward, staring at me intensely. I fidgeted uncomfortably.
“Well...maybe I kinda do. This is all so huge, and who knows? You might be a crazy psycho. You’ve always acted...weird,” I said, not wanting to offend him. Jasper leaned back, looking disappointed. He stretched his legs out so that they were right next to mine and leaned his head back on the tree.
“You have to believe me. This is your life we’re talking about,” he said, sounding frustrated.
“Why do you even care? I mean, you see dead people all the time! Why do you want me to live?” I asked. Jasper froze.
“I...I can’t answer that,” he said.
“Why not?” I pressed.
“It’s personal,” he said after a slight hesitation. “Anyways, we better go now. Everyone’s already left.” He started to stand up.
“Wait.” I scrambled to my feet. “You have to tell me. It's about me! I have a right to know!”
The argument that had worked so well on Sophia had no impact at all on Jasper.
“I’m not telling you,” he said.
“Please! If you don't tell me, then I’ll... I’ll go out on my own without anyone all the time and try to get myself killed,” I blurted out, crossing my arms and glaring at him. I would never do that, but I was hoping he would tell me. He didn't.
“Right,” Jasper said sarcastically, going around me. I jumped to block him.
“Tell me!” I demanded. I probably sounded like a whiny five year old, but I didn't care.
“You’re very stubborn, you know that?” Jasper said exasperatedly.
“Yeah, I think someone’s said that to me before. And don’t you already know that? Ugh don’t change the subject, now tell me!” I said impatiently.
“Okay fine. I don't want you to die because you’re what kept me alive for sixteen years,” he said. “Now can we go to class?” I stood there, staring at him.
“What do you mean, I’m what kept you alive?” I asked.
“You know, I’m much older than you. I used to be a normal human being and then I died and became a lord of the underworld because...I don't know. I was chosen or something. And I was seventeen when I died, and so that means that now I'm...thirty-four.” I was stunned. Unless Jasper was a really good liar, or a really good storyteller, he was telling the truth.
“And...?” I gestured for him to go on. Jasper sighed and looked at the cafeteria door.
“Were missing class,” he said as a half-hearted argument.
“I don't care,” I said. He sighed again.
“Okay fine. Let’s sit down.” We sat and Jasper twisted his hands together, thinking about what to tell me. “So...I’ll start at the beginning. When I died, I somehow came back to life. But I didn't come fully back to life. I mean, I’m a human being, but I can’t die again since I’m technically already dead. And I can become any age I want to become because... well, because I’m dead. And so when I came back to life, I was really confused. I was wandering around in a forest, when this really old man came to me. He was Protesdevioule.”
“He was what?” I asked.
“Protesdevioule,” Jasper repeated. “That was his name. I know its a weird name, but he was from really old times. So you can’t blame him. Anyways, he- I call him Pro for short- told me that I have a duty to all the souls in the afterlife. Apparently, I am the chosen one, meaning I’m the person who was destined to be a soul guider in the afterlife. I had no choice in the matter. And I really didn't want to be a soul guider but Pro didn't care. So one day a year later, I was wandering around the hospital, thinking about how horrible my dead life was. Oh, and I can make myself invisible. Like a ghost. But that’s a different story. So-”
“You can make yourself invisible? Do it!” I interrupted excitedly. Jasper looked at the school, checking to see if anyone was in sight.
“I can’t do it here. Maybe in some closed room where there is no chance no one can see me I’ll do it.”
“Come on, Jasper! Making yourself invisible might make me believe all this crazy stuff,” I emphasized the might. It could be just a trick, not real invisibility.
“Do you realize how dangerous this is?” Jasper asked.
“Yes,” I said.
“And you still want me to turn invisible?” he said disbelievingly. I nodded. He ran a hand through his hair.
“I can’t believe you,” he said.
“I can’t believe you either. Until you turn invisible,” I said impatiently.
“You’re also very impatient,” he observed.
“Jasper!”
“Okay, okay.” Jasper took a deep breath and then disappeared. I gasped. Then I waved a hand through where he just was sitting.
“Can you hear me? Can you talk?” I asked. I felt a breeze move past me and then Jasper talked to me. But not normally. He talked to me in my head.
I can hear you, he said. I gasped again.
“You’re in my head!”
You don’t need to talk out loud, I can read your thoughts. People are going to think you are crazy, he said.
“Maybe I am! How do I know I’m not just imagining this?”
Oh my god!, he practically screamed. In my head. I turned invisible for you! What else do you want me to do?!
“Can you move things? Oh, poke my shoulder!” I said excitedly. I heard a giggle and turned to see two senior girls watching me in amusement.
I said don’t talk out loud! Just direct your thoughts at me!, he said urgently.
But what if I don’t want you to know my thoughts? I said to myself.
Too late, he said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. But I can only read your thoughts when I'm invisible.
Turn back!, I thought angrily. I don’t want you knowing every personal detail of my life!
But that’s my job, to know everything, Jasper said, obviously still smirking.
Turn back you thirty-four year old creep!, I tried to yell in my head.
Ouch, he said, but I couldn’t tell if he was seriously hurt by my comment. Fine, but I’m gonna come from somewhere else so those girls don’t see.
“Fine,” I said out loud.
After a few seconds, he came from behind the tree. “Oh, hey!” he said cheerfully. I glared back at him. “What? Didn’t you want me to turn into a ghost?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know you could read my thoughts! You lied earlier,” I said through narrowed eyes.
“Oh, right,” he said, scratching the back of his head like they do in movies. “Well, it wasn’t a total lie. I can only read your thoughts when I’m a invisible. But you do believe me now, right? About everything?”
“Well...I guess I really have no choice, do I,” I said, shrugging my shoulders in defeat. “Did you tell Sophia?”
“In case you didn’t notice, she thought I was planning to hurt you or something. In fact, I am doing the exact opposite. I’m trying to help you,” he said, looking annoyed.
“Do you want me to tell her? Should I tell her? Is it safe?”
“She’s your sister. You can do whatever you want.”
Just then the bell rang. “Oh, sorry about calling you a thirty-four year old creep,” I said as I got up.
“I’d feel the same way. And I’m not technically 34, I haven’t grown at all since I died. Or...whatever happened to me,” he said with a grin. “I’m still 17 years old, thank you very much.”
“That’s great,” I said indifferently, while I actually thought that only made it creepier. At least he couldn’t read my thoughts now.