My Immortal Phantom

Jasper's Confession

Chapter Ten: Jasper's Confession

"That's nonsense, sweetheart, you're probably just a bit shaken up. I understand, but really, how could she get into your head?"

"Demons can do a lot of things, don't you know, Jasper?" Liz snapped at him as she sauntered into the kitchen.

He shrugged. "Only a demon would know. Funny how you do."

She scowled. "I read about it."

"Both of you shut up!" Ember fussed. "I want to know what the demon-girl said...and a new shirt."

"I'll go get you a shirt." I jumped up and brought her back an Invader Zim t-shirt. 

"Thanks," she said. "So about the demon-girl..."

"Well, I was thinking, and all of a sudden I heard, 'Are you sure about that,' in a normal tone as if someone had said it aloud, and they'd been right here."

Ember shuddered. "Creepy."

"What's creepy?"

We all groaned as Peter entered.

"Too late," I growled. "Too bad."

"June heard the demon-girl's voice," Ember informed him.

"Oh, is that all?" he said, sarcasm hanging from his lips. "With you, June, I thought a cut might appear on your wrist and you would blame the demon-girl!"

Liz slapped him. "Take that back, you jerk! You know she's not emo anymore!"

"I was never emo!" I shouted.

"You told me you were," Ember uttered.

"Of course I did! 'Cause there's no other word for it, and that's what everyone calls me. So I figure, why bother, you know? I mean, I never listened to screamo music and wore all black, did I? Liz? Peter? You guys know I didn't!"

"Well, you did wear a lot of black..." Peter trailed off. 

Liz hit him again. "I see what you're saying, June." She pulled me into a hug. "And there is a word for it. You're just June. We don't have to categorize you, you know?"

I nodded as tears began to fall down my cheeks. I wasn't sure whether they were tears of joy or tears of gloom; I was so accustomed to both that there was barely a difference.

Aww, so your friends really love you. It will be a real sweet moment when I kill all of you--she chuckled--except Jasper, of course.

"I heard her again!"

Their gazes turned from sympathetic to surprise. 

"She said she's going to kill us."

"Have you ever considered that you might just be crazy?" Peter asked. He winced, adding, "Don't hit me again, Liz."

Liz never did as her told her, so of course my weak brother was smacked again.

"I know I am!" I bawled. "But maybe his is real! I wasn't crazy when I saw Jasper, because you all see him too. Heck, Peter, you even saw the demon-girl! So maybe, just maybe, can you just try to see that this could be real?"

Dumbfounded, he could only nod. My friends agreed with him.

"Jasper?" I asked expectantly.

He cleared his throat. "Well, I never actually saw the girl..."

"You, of all people, don't believe me?!?"

"Well, it's less of not believing you, and more of thinking you don't know what you're talking about."

I gasped. "Why would you say that?"

He only shrugged.

"You don't even know? What is wrong with you?!? Why don't you trust me?"

"Oh, I...I...I do trust you, love," he stammered. "It's just, you're not exactly an expert."

"I thought only demons know," Liz snapped.

Jasper sighed. "I don't really know how to respond to that."

"Admit you're a demon," Peter suggested.

"Well, I do have some sort of confession to make..."