𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 25
3𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐯

    — I HAVE A REALLY BAD FEELING about this house, Colbs." Jasper said, his hands shaking as Colby reached for him.

Just the sound of Jasper's voice and the shaking of his hands left a feeling of dread and fear overwhelming Colby in a matter of seconds or less. Still, he managed to grasp Jasper's hands and nod his head, "Okay." He whispered, and then repeated, forming a plan in his mind, "Okay, let's sit down and we— we'll talk about it with Sam, okay?"

Jasper could only manage a nod, squeezing Colby's hands, he allowed the brunette to drop one and with the other, he kept in his grasp, led him over to the living room, where Sam was already, sitting on the couch oblivious to the fear running through his friends until his eyes raised from his phone to see the way Colby's eyes were knitted in deep concern, his shoulder's tense as he held onto Jasper whose eyes were wide in a strange mixture of fear and softness, it was clear he felt safe with Colby's arm around him however the rest of him screamed unsteady.

Sam met Colby's gaze as he stood cautiously, "What's wrong, did something happen?" He asked, his eyes quickly scanning the room but there was no one but the three visible to his eyes.

Colby glanced at Jasper, almost expectantly, looking for something he wasn't quite sure of but instead, he caught the way his hands shook and he frowned.

"Let's sit down." He told him, gently guiding him over to the couch, his hold on Jasper fell as he sat down and the blonde easily took up the space beside him, moving himself closer as if by instinct.

Sam glanced awkwardly before taking back his spot opposite them, "So what exactly happened?"

This time, Jasper didn't stay silent even as his hands continued to shake, "I saw something, actually, I've been seeing things in this house, obviously that's what we came here for but I- I haven't really said anything because," he paused with an embarrassed grimace, "this place sorta... scares me, I guess? And that call with my grams..."

He shook his head, "I just have a bad feeling about this place."

Sam nodded, silent as he took it all in, then after a moment he spoke, "Okay." He began uncertainty, then he repeated, "Okay, so do you want to stop filming? We could go to a hotel, maybe, till our flight back."

Before Colby could voice his agreement, Jasper's head shot up and he shook his head rapidly, "No, no." He refused immediately, "I know it may sound weird but I kinda feel like I have to find answers, between everything I've seen and the whole-" he waved his hands around, "great uncle thing. I'm scared of this place, but I can't run from it. I need answers."

"And I need you." Colby said sternly, his eyes on Jasper the rest of the world seemed to fade, "If you don't think we're safe here, then we go somewhere else. You are more important than some video, or answers, okay?" He shook his head, "Nothing is going to change what happened here, but I will not let you become another tragic story from this place."

Jasper began to shake his head, a protest on the tip of his tongue, and then he saw the tears in Colby's eyes that the brunette tried to blink away.

He almost broke in that moment, he felt like he was on the verge of collapse, he had since they arrived here and begun to discover the secrets this house hid in its walls, but he didn't realize until now that maybe Colby was standing on that edge with him. Maybe Colby was ready to collapse too, and he knew all it would take was Jasper throwing himself into danger because maybe he would get answers but they all knew he wouldn't come out unscathed.

He gave a weak nod, his hand twitching with the urge to hold Colby's, "Okay," he managed to choke out, "okay."

Sam shuffled on the couch, he was tempted to sneak away, but a glance told him there was no way out of this third-wheel trap.
He slumped into the cushion with the urge to pout, he watched the tension between the two as Colby searched Jasper's face for something like a promise that Jasper couldn't give.

Before the two could move closer together and make this any more awkward, Sam cleared his throat, reminding them of his presence, "Yeah, hi, I'm still here," He spoke in a light sarcastic tone, he didn't mind being the third wheel, even if it was awkward, as long as his best friend was happy and they didn't do anything further than a kiss in front of him, he was fine to witness the two lovebirds for a while.

"Why don't we go out to lunch? Get a breath of fresh air away from this place and come back with fresh minds." He suggested.

Jasper caught Colby's eyes before the man turned to his best friend with a little nod, "Yeah, I think that's a good idea."

He glanced at Jasper to confirm, who gave a nod and then a moment later made his demand, "Alright but I'm getting a slushee."

✧˖*°࿐

   JASPER barely registered the sound of Sam and Colby's voices doing their small intro to the next part of the video, the sound mixing until he couldn't make heads or tails of it but he knew they were talking in the same way he knew his hands were sweating as he sat on the chair in between them, waiting.

They'd decided he would sit on the loveseat, while they would move to the two armchairs beside it once they began, rather than rearranging the furniture. Jasper was secretly thankful for it, because Colby's presence, his body pressed against his side, and his hand beside him, touching his, was the only thing grounding him as he tried to even his breathing.

He startled slightly as Colby's hand moved away from his, going into a loud clap as he spoke, "So, let's get started!" Colby's voice was upbeat, with only a hint of concern however his eyes softened and narrowed seriously as he turned to look at Jasper, "Are you ready?" He asked Jasper steadily, and then, more uncertain, "Are you sure about this?"

Jasper nodded, "I can do this, Colbs. Just... Trust me?"

"Always," Colby promised with a certain ease that comes from knowing someone so deeply, they exchanged small nods. Sam reached out, offering Jasper the silk blindfold, however, Colby took it without a second of hesitation and helped Jasper fasten it around his eyes carefully.

"Is this your dream?" Sam asked his friend teasingly, "Having hi- someone all tied up and blindfolded?" It was a joke, one similar to those they would say to lighten the mood in their other videos, what was unusual was the blush on Colby's cheeks in response.

"What can I say?" Colby responded with a semi-forced grin at his friend and the camera, "I'm living the dream."

"You two know I can still hear you right?" Jasper teased, holding the headphones in his hands, not yet having slipped them on. He could feel the vibration from the loud music pumping through them, at his request, it was Taylor Swift music.

Colby cleared his throat, "Let's get started?" He suggested as Sam turned the camera to himself, giving it an exaggerated and very pointed awkward look complete with wide eyes and a small chuckle.

He focused the camera back on Jasper as the blonde slipped on the headphones. Colby checked, confirming the man couldn't hear anything they said before he grabbed his phone, inching his chair closer as he pulled up the questions.

His first question confirmed that there was someone in the room, however many spirits in the house remained unnamed, simply lost souls who somehow ended up here.

"There were a lot of disappearances in this town, this house, were you one of them?" He asked curiously.

His list of questions was admittedly less... aggressive than those he usually asked, as he cared less about finding questions than he did keeping Jasper safe.

"One of many." Came the response, "No peace."

"Were you murdered here?" Colby questioned, "Is that why you can't find peace?" Though Jasper remained silent, an answer came through the static of the spirit box, yes. "Can you tell us your name?"

"You already know." Colby shot Sam a confused look.

They hadn't found many names attached to this house, a few weren't even confirmed to have ever been at the house, and for a spirit to say so firmly they knew their name, he racked his brain but they had yet to have any distinctive talks with any specific spirit that shared their name here, "I'm sorry, I don't. Can you give me a hint?"

"He knows." Jasper tilted his head absentmindedly, "He denies it. He knows."

Once more, the duo shared a confused look but moved on with questioning, "Is there anything you can tell us about the house?"

"Connected," Jasper stated simply, the spirit box gave more, Jet, family.

Colby tensed, clearing his throat, "Do you know the Jett family?"

"Called here, just like the others."

His eyes widened, okay ominous, but he took it in stead, "The others?"

"He won't leave here." As if adding on, the spirit box rang out, trapped. Jasper jumped slightly and frowned, "Someone just screamed like... leave or something?"

"Okay, no." Colby shook his head, repeating, "No, no." He said firmly, just in case Sam would protest, however his closest friend seemed just as nervous about these responses as he did, and didn't dare try to stop Colby as he lightly touched Jasper's shoulder, tapping his headphones once, twice and then taking them off for him. Jasper let out a confused noise, his brows furrowed as he reached up and untied the blindfold, letting it slip off carelessly.

He went to ask Colby why they'd stopped, however before his eyes could reach Colby's ocean eyes, he caught something else, behind Colby. A figure leaning against the wall with tense shoulders and narrowed eyes.

He shouldn't recognize him, but he did. It was like looking in a mirror after all, only this version wore vintage clothes that appeared brand new if not for the red blood stain around his neckline.

The figure met Jasper's eyes, sending shivers down his spine because no matter how many times he'd seen Julian Jett, in pictures, dreams, and flashes of light, he still couldn't get over just how alike they seemed.

He wondered briefly if he'd have the same fate too, but Julian's eyes were cold and, well, dead, while Jasper's were warm and lively. He knew the real difference though, and it went deeper than their eyes, it went straight to the heart; Julian Jett had been searching for his purpose, however, Jasper already had.

As if reading his mind, Julian gave a short smile just as Colby reached out, grabbing his hand to catch his attention as he called out, "Jasper, hey." Instinctively, Jasper's eyes flickered to Colby, the man smiled softly, "There you are." He whispered, his eyes searching for something, "you okay?"

Jasper glanced back to where Julian had been however he was already gone — if he'd ever truly been there, "Yeah," he responded absentmindedly, forcing himself to focus on the present, on Colby, "Yeah, I'm alright."

✧˖*°࿐
𝟏,𝟗𝟐𝟓 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬

what's this? An actual update? I'm surprised too

Apologies for the delayed update! I moved recently and then didn't have wifi for a week or so, and of course I got writers block after 😭 but I'm hoping now I've beat writers block, more updates will be coming without as long of a delay! Thank yall for your patience, until next time

- friendly neighborhood writer, Khai<3