Counselor Jasper

murderclubhq‌:

Mariana’s cackle takes on a haunting echo that seemed to fill the room a the lighting intensified, her eyes hollow like a marionette.

“How pathetic. You’re just a baby. A wittle, simpering baby,” she says condescendingly, trailing after you as you tidy her books. She prances to the table and picks up one before knocking down the rest, rupturing your need for order. “Does it kill you not to have your ducks in order?”

You have no control in the house. She proves this by opening up the book and tearing out a page. Her laughter rings in your ears as she makes a show of the chaos, Margaret Atwood’s literature now confetti to her sadistic parade. 

“Rock a bye baby, on a tree top. When the wind blows, the cradle will rock,” she sings while upending her own furniture, flipping pillows and knocking over chairs in a shameless display of petulance. It’s a tune that will stay in your ears for a while. You bury your face in your hands to drown it out.

By the time you look up again, everything is as it was. Mariana is where she had been, your Tupperware neglected in the microwave.

The minute Jasper seemed to zone out and start direction statements and questions her way, without her speaking or knowing what he was even taking about, she began to realize what was going on. It was strange, being on the receiving end of someone’s truth or dare hallucination. She had no idea what the context of this conversation was and she realized very quickly regardless of yelling his name, she wasn’t able to break him out of wherever he was.

Mariana was contemplating trying to slap him, see if that brought him down to earth, but she thought better of it. Aside from the fact that she was pretty sure it would not do anything, she wondered if contact with him could somehow turn the demon on her. And she was not about to deal with another truth or dare. She could just imagine what it’d ask her to do, and while she could probably trust Jasper with her secret, she wasn’t going to test that theory.

For just a millisecond she considered potentially checking her texts while he dealt with whatever he was dealing with, but figured that shit was kind of insensitive. Especially for an old friend.

Instead she decided it’d be better for her to stay alert and try to protect him if something were to go wrong. She had… well it wasn’t super strength but it was better then most people’s, and maybe she could always overpower him if need be. It seemed like that wasn’t necessary though, because soon Jasper was talking about his intense and compulsive habits and Mariana was looking on with a furrowed brow. She hadn’t known any of this about Jasper, and she wouldn’t expect it of him. But it sounded like his fears could potentially be debilitating depending on the circumstances. And that was sad.

When he lifted his head and looked at her, she let out a sigh of relief when she realized whatever was happening was over. “Hey. You okay?” She reached out to touch him, but thought better of it. 

Everything felt terrible. Even as he did his best to stack the books and whatever the hell had just possessed Mariana was gone, everything felt off. He felt dirty, unclean, unsafe. Jasper wanted nothing more than to pick up his things and run as fast as he could home to make sure everyone was tucked in safe and sleeping.

But finally the buzzing stopped and he could feel his fingers again, could take a deep breath without the air in his lungs feeling like fire. While his therapist hadn’t prepared him for some monster trying to ruin his life he did know a little something about calming himself down from an attack. A few deep breaths and to focus on something he could connect with. He studied his palms, tracing every curve in them before finally letting himself relax.

“I’m okay. I mean as okay as I can be after airing out my dirty laundry like that. Surprise, I guess?” he tried to laugh it off, rubbing his hands on his jeans in hopes of getting the dirt off. Just something to help calm his mind enough. “Sorry about your books. I’m sure you had them in whatever order you wanted. And I’m sorry you had to hear all that. I don’t usually talk about it with anyone. It’s not you, it’s just I’m not interested in burdening people with that information.”

“I play tuba. Mr. Andersen says I’m the only person in band with enough upper body strength to hold it up. Clarence Clemons tried switching to tuba sophomore year, but he tipped over and fell off the music room risers.” She examined Japer’s hands, squinting. “Your hands are all calloused so you probably play strings, but you have kind of sausagey fingers so I’d really stick to brass or winds if I were you.” Muffy’s attention perked back up to his face, eyes practically sparkling when she realized he actually knew something about DnD, “You’d definitely be a Druid because you’re in tune with the earth. Every time the wind blows a leaf on your clothes, that’s Mother Nature blowing a kiss to you.”

Muffy picked the cards back up, shuffling them mindlessly in her hands. “Everyone here is so small minded you could drown in it. Besides, Hecate doesn’t care if someone is gay or not. She’s too busy trying to caress the moon and curse men.”

She stopped shuffling when Jasper mentioned dooming him. “Spooky is interesting. You’ll thank me later when you’ve been exposed enough. You don’t see how tasteless your life is until you finally give yourself into the unknown. You’re like chicken broth and I’m bat shaped pastina.”

“You know I’ve never actually been told I was good at blowing so I think I’ll stick to strings,” Jasper laughed, shaking his head and he looked at his fingers. They didn’t really look like sausages. At least not that he was aware of. “But thank you for the suggestion. Unless this is your insidious way to try and get me into band. I’ve got a few too many extracurriculars on my plate at the current moment. Besides, soon it’s summer camp time. And who else is going to play guitar around the campfire while the kids sing.”

Whatever he’d said had made her happy though. There wasn’t a lot about D&D that he knew about but if Muffy was determined to be friends with him than he was significantly more interested in learning about how to hunt the mythical beast of yore than what Jamie had eaten for breakfast and what his spit tasted like.

“Cool. I like the druid thing. Not sure about cursing men. If I curse men can I make the curse curve around me though?”

He thought for a minute about what bat shaped pastina might look life. Probably like applesauce but spooky.

“There’s definitely something weird going on in Normal. I can guarantee that. Want me to walk you to class?”

Mariana giggles, sounding pitchy and girlish in a way you’ve never heard before. It’s almost juvenile the way she laughs, her voice disconnected from how maniacal her face had gotten. She smooths her hands down the lapels of your jacket and sidles up close. You smell her perfume and something else distinctly rotten. 

When you look at the microwave, you see the food you’ve brought overflowing from its container, bubbling and viscous. It oozes out from under the door, dripping down from its perch and onto the counter. The sauce is red, but it doesn’t look like the tomato paste and saffron. It’s darker. Bloody. You swear you see eyeballs bobbing in your tupperware.

“Oh Jasper, you’re so silly,” she chides, pouring herself onto you. “How long are you going to pretend you don’t want me? It’s cute how hard you try but I like honesty in my men.”

She has you in her arms now, her grin boring into your soul. “And you’re an honest man, aren’t you? So what are you afraid of?”

Her voice is sickly sweet when she coos at you. You get the feeling you’re being toyed with but you can’t seem to dislodge her hold. “Tell me, Jaspy baby, tell me all about your compulsions.”

Jasper wanted nothing more than to break free from this nightmare. This girl he cared for toying with him in a way that’s so unholy he can feel a chill run up and down his spine. The smell made him sick, the food spilling from the microwave makes his whole body lurch forward as his hands begin to shake. Whatever this thing is it was bringing out a side of him he worked through years of therapy to fix, to control, to not let take over his life.

But the anxiety of this moment was a trigger so intense he could feel himself crumpling under the weight of her.

“I have to check everything before I leave the house. My moms curling iron, the water taps in the house, the lights. If I don’t make sure everything is turned off three times I can’t leave the house. I’ve been late to school before because of it. I have to check on my siblings multiple times a day and if they don’t answer I get worried and...”

Her touch was too much, too tight, bad and terrible and unwanted. Jasper pushed her away and stumbled backward trying to get control of his thoughts. A flood of intrusive thoughts overwhelmed him.

What if someone had broken into his house while he was gone and hurt his mother and sisters?

Did he lock the door?

Was the garage closed?

Had he checked the padlock on the gate and the backdoor?

mariana–diaz‌:

It had been a while since the two had spoken, literal months, but Mariana did appreciate the fact that Jasper cared enough to check on her. Regardless of the fact that it had been so long since they had hung out. So she gave him a soft smile. It wasn’t used to mask her true feelings, or seduce him in anyway. It really was just a smile, a soft, silent thank you to him for always keeping her in the back of his mind. Even when she wasn’t doing the same for him. “Yeah, I’m glad you came by too. I do appreciate it.”

She playfully rolled her eyes at his question before giving a short nod. “Yeah, I’ll vouch for you. But I also don’t know how much my word will go for in that group. I’m still new to it, and I don’t think they all trust me yet. Honestly the only reason I’m still probably around is because I was at that prom after party and saw more crazy shit go down.” She also wouldn’t be surprised if they let her stay around because they wanted to find out more about her. Keep your friends close and all that shit.

“Just anything. Not even her. Everyone’s freaking out about this truth or dare game, but like, has anything even happened yet?”

JASPER

Aw, how sweet. You bring your old friend some leftovers to check on her and so far, she seems receptive of your offer. It’s disarming how simple it is between you two at the moment. You, pathetic weasel outside her door. Her, hot weasel, always keen on a bite. 

She asks you an innocuous question, her fluttering lashes and casual banter lulling you into security. You answer, of course. Everything is right.

Then out of the corner of your eye, you see a glimpse of red over her shoulder. A crimson flash that draws your attention. You stutter and look at it closer and the whole room behind her is glowing ominously like a flame hidden in a dungeon, back lighting her in red. Her angelic, beautiful face takes on a new light, literally. She still looks like an angel but one no longer in heaven.

“What’s wrong?” Mariana asks coquettishly, her expression sharpening at all edges like a knife. She’s no longer sweet but deadly, her smile a surgeon’s blade eviscerating you.

“You look like you want to play a game.” She leans towards you, her blouse falling open to display her chest. She touches your chin with a finger.

“What about… truth or dare?”

It was nice to be talking to her like friends again. Jasper hadn’t had that opportunity in awhile and he was grateful for it. He was beyond grateful for it.

Right up until Mariana’s mouth started moving in a distinctly not Mariana way.

Sweet cheese and rice on crackers again? Now? Well her certainly wasn’t about to eat a spider in front of anyone, let alone Mariana. He loathed to know what the hell this thing had in mind for another dare so instead he rattled his brain.

“Um....truth. Truth is what I pick.” he wondered if what Mariana saw right now was some idiot talking to themselves, like a rambling sociopath in her midst. What could he possibly have to say to his friend that would be worse than the spider incident. “So you know how we were just talking about seeing things? Pretty sure I see the thing, right now, talking through your mouth which is incredibly distressing.”

“Tsk tsk tsk. You’re pretty bad at following rules for a camp counselor, Jasper.” it taunted. As it continued to smile menacingly at the boy, more spiders continued to crawl out of their tank and crawl across the teacher. Some even looked like they were beginning the nibble at the teacher’s skin. Still, he just stood there, grinning, while Jasper stood frozen in fear.

Somewhere in Jasper’s spiral, a nearby bunsen burner had ignited on a lab table. Unfortunately for the boy he A) sat right to it and B) was too frightened by what he was seeing to notice the thing was dangerously bubbling and overspilling. 

“You can’t do what, Jasper? Hey, Jasper, c’mon. You’re scaring everybody.” he teacher pleaded, his face snapped back to normal and the spiders all miraculously in the tank once again. Everyone, including the adult supervisor in the room, was so focused on Jasper that they also neglected to see that the burner was on.

“Mr. Hurlbut!” one of Jasper’s classmates called out, pointing towards the beaker to warn their science teacher. Sadly, it exploded just when their science teacher turned his head and he could only watch as the liquid burst onto Jasper’s arm and stomach. 

“Fuck!” Mr. Hurlbut shouted out as a few other classmates sitting by Jasper screamed and covered their faces from the glass shards and chemical. “Goddammit, I knew I should have double checked to make sure that stupid thing was off.” the man grumbled, assessing just how badly Jasper was hurt. “Alright, shirt off, Jasper. You need to get that off now.” he explained, pushing him towards the chemical shower in the back of the room. “Someone go get the nurse STAT!”

A cheerleader closest to the door sprung up and ran out to fetch the nurse in the infirmary. Jasper stood under the shower, humiliated, while his classmates whispered about his mental breakdown along with the blistering forming on his stomach.

“I SAID TURN AROUND!” the teacher yelled at the class, causing them to comply and go back to facing the whiteboard. Not long after, the nurse came and escorted a cold and dripping wet Jasper out of his science classroom and into the infirmary. 

“It’s like the coolest thing on the planet! Ya know, besides Jamie Ward.” she explained, making sure that no one, even for a moment, think that she didn’t believe that Jamie was send here by Hecate herself. “I’ve never actually played with people, but I read a lot of guides and watch a lot of videos on it. I tried asking the other people in band if they wanted to play, but apparently they’re too busy practicing. Like, what’s the fun in actually rehearsing for band? I don’t care what any early 2000s movie says about band geeks, there’s definitely not enough sex at band camp.”

Muffy definitely enjoyed Jasper taking an interest in her witchiness. She forgot what it was like to actually have someone asking you things without the intention of making fun of you. “You do stuff like spells or go lay out in the full moon until your acne is cleared or whatever. I have a lot less zits now, but that may also be because I started Proactive. Anyway, I did this thing called a sour jar and it totally worked because this girl who’s been absolutely awful to me busted her ass.” she explained, referring to Edwina. The girl hadn’t even really spoken to Muffy, but Jasper didn’t need to know she was making that part up. In Muffy’s head, stealing her man was a form of bullying.

“I am totally everyone’s ally, but you know how it is around here. The football team is homophobic, but if their girlfriend made out then they’d cream themselves like a Twinkie factory malfunction.” Muffy explained, “Ya gotta assure people that you’re an ally. Anyway, Let me do your reading because you definitely need a vibe check, dude.”

Muffy dragged Jasper along with her as she looked for somewhere to sit. She avoided fulling them into an empty classroom because God forbid someone saw and told Jamiekins that she was alone with another tired-eyed man. Lunch had just started, so she opted to go outside to one of the outdoor tables. 

She made Jasper pick out 6 cards from the deck before laying them out in front of them. Individually she flipped them over and proceeded to tell him what they meant. She went on about how the Temperance card meant he was looking for harmony and that the Tower indicated that perhaps he was looking for easy solutions. She went through 5 before flipping over the last– the Death card.

“Oh, don’t worry! It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to die!” she assured, sensing that it might be a bit alarming to be staring at a grotesque skeleton in your future deck. “So this basically means you’re about to go through a life change. It’s like something old is going to die, but something new comes out of it. Like a rebirth or something.”

The ins and outs of the bands sex life was not something Jasper was interested, not even a little bit, not ever. But at least that gave him something to go off in terms of talking to her like a normal grounded human being. You know, if those existed anymore in town.

“Right. Cool. I didn’t know you were in band. What instrument do you play?” Small talk was a good starting place. He was sure deep down there was someone who was a little more grounded. Deep down, deep, deep, deep down. He just had to pull her out and give her a little self confidence. “I’m surprised you’re not a bard then.”

That was a Dungeons and Dragons thing, right?

He relaxed as they continued talking. It was fair. The football team kept away from him for the most part, though the reason for that he wasn’t sure. He hadn’t been kicked out of camp yet but there was always that fear hanging overhead that someday a parent would overhear something about him and write in enough letters to send him packing. He had a lot of luck and maybe some built up good will going on but that didn’t mean he wasn’t aware how good he had it.

“And the girls are so stressed out about the other person being into them that they lash out at the slightest thing that could be described as homo. Yeah I get it. I’ve been in a gym class before where all the guys frantically try to pull on their pants.

Jasper followed her outside and sat beside her. He listened intently to the weird tarot card reads she was doing, impressed that she could remember all of it so well. At least until Muffy pulled out the death card. Death was something that was nerve-wracking for him in a lot of ways. 

“So you didn’t just doom me then? Instead it’s a mildly ominous way of saying I’m a butterfly in metamorphosis? Seems unnecessarily spooky.”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Jasper. I’m getting all my nutrients.” It’s not like he was going to go to a slaughterhouse and bring her some raw meat and blood every few weeks, so she figured it was best to just let him assume she still had a somewhat normal appetite. “It’s actually a treat you came tonight. Usually I’m not here. Have some other places I’ve been staying. Kids in North Normal have so much shit in their fridge they don’t even know when you’ve snuck a few bites.”

She nodded at his words. She had been here a few weeks back. Learning about the weird supernatural underbelly of normal. Trying to figure out how to join Murder Club. Granted, she wanted to join due to her survival instincts, but still. “Well, since you were at that party on prom night, I don’t think it’ll take long before they’re asking you what position you want on the newspaper staff. The group tends to make sure all their information stays within the group, if there are outsiders who know, that could be a problem later on, right?” She took another bite of the soup, it really was good. “Or you could always just ask. If you’re insistent enough, I doubt Jamie could keep saying no. Then again, he does have a pretty intense aura. Maybe it’s better to get in with one of the weaker ones. Someone who will cave easier… Try Edwina. Or maybe Kaz.” Finishing the bowl, she pushed it to the side and leaned back in the chair. “Have you seen anything since prom?”

“Alright, alright, I’m just saying that I do occasionally worry. I can’t help it,” he smiled gently. Where in the world was Mariana running around to up in North Normal? It wasn’t really any of his business in the long run but he couldn’t help but admit he was certainly curious about where she might be and what she might be up to in the middle of the night. Maybe she was out haunting bars with a fake idea. “Well I’m glad I came by at the right time. I’ve missed you.”

The newspaper club was a group Jasper had been watching for a little bit, trying to figure out what made them tick. So far all he had put together was the sheer chaotic energy that radiated around the room and made even the most positive of people incredibly nervous. It was like walking into a tigers den but instead of wanting to eat you they might rip out your heart and use it in a purging demonic sacrifice.

“If I try to get in will you be willing to vouch for me?” He teased. “Maybe since I helped Edwina with the broken leg situation they’ll be willing to let me in. I’ve proven I can be useful and not just another haunting mystery to solve.” 

Jasper hummed. “You mean have I seen Sue-Ann’s mom since prom? I um...I haven’t seen her but I saw something that didn’t feel right. What about you?”

The teacher didn’t respond at first aside for some shoulder twitching as if it was holding in a sick giggle. For a moment, it seemed like maybe Jasper answered something correctly and that this thing was going to just leave him alone. That false sense of security was eventually roundhouse kicked to the floor when the teacher pushed the lid off the tank, sticking his hand inside and letting two big nasty spiders crawl their way up his arm. 

“Oh my, isn’t lunch period next?” he snickered, one of the creatures now making its way up to his face and scampering across his theatrically stretched out mouth. Just when Jasper probably thought he could not lose his appetite any more, the thing spoke to him again.

“Reach into the tank and eat one of these tasty little critters.”

It was like the tank of spiders could somehow understand him because suddenly the warm started cowering in the farther corner in the tank away from Jasper. “Go ahead, Jasper. Unless you had a big breakfast.”

For a minute, Jasper couldn’t think, couldn’t respond. He was sure he had heard this thing wrong. Eat a spider? That had to be some kind of joke. There was no way in hell he could  put that thing in his mouth.

The critter scuttled about and he felt his stomach turn inside out. But the teacher kept watching him expectantly and he was forced to come to realization that this was no joke, this was a cold crushing reality and if he didn’t eat that spider there would be consequences to pay.

He reached out with shaky hands, dragging a finger along the glass. The spider jumped up with spindly legs and he felt the air leave his body. No. There was no way in hell. Every part of him began to shake as he felt his stomach turn into knots, the kind of way it did when he didn’t leave the house without clicking the lights three times or making sure that his mother’s hair dryer was unplugged.

What if was poisonous? What if he got sick or made his sisters sick? What if he had some unknown allergy to spiders and he left his family all alone like his father did? 

Suddenly he could taste something salty on his tongue. Crying. He was crying. he hadn’t done something like that in a long time and yet here he was, near weeping in public view.

“No. No I can’t,” Jasper shook his head. “I can’t...I can’t...”

Her eyes immediately went to the container and she thought for a second. Yeah, a stew wasn’t really enticing her palate tonight, but it’s not like she was going to be feeding on any human flesh any time soon. So… it would do. “I don’t really say the word please.” She took the container and brought it into her kitchen, leaving the door open behind her to allow him to follow if he so chose.

The two hadn’t spoken much lately. Actually, she couldn’t place the last time they had spoken. There had been some glances and words exchanged at the prom after party, but this was different. It was just the two of them, and they were speaking to each other. Conversing.

Hearing the door close behind her, and his footsteps continue within the house, she assumed he was staying for a while. Grabbing a bowl, she put some of the leftovers within it and began to heat it up in the microwave. Only when she was done with all of that did she turn to look at him. She pursed her lips and nodded at his words. The leftover definitely seemed like a ploy, he wasn’t being that sly. 

“I’m fine. Confused. That women was batshit crazy, and I’m trying to figure out what the hell she could get out of us all being there.” She had said she wanted them to die, right? But clearly the drinks weren’t poisoned, they hadn’t been in any danger, so how had she planned on killing them? “What about you?” She asked, finally sitting down at her small kitchen table with the now warm stew. “How are you doing?”

When Mariana walked away, Jasper followed after her, closing the door behind them so there would be a little more privacy for what they wanted to talk about. Or what he wanted to talk about. He doubted Mariana would be all too excited to talk about the potential of a demon existing in the world. It still sounded crazy to him too, even when he thought about it.

“Confused is a good way to put it,” he said honestly, nodding as he sit down near her. This wasn’t the first time they’d been alone in her house together. It didn’t feel bizarre or uncomfortable, except for maybe the new interesting supernatural potential that was hanging around them. “You’re taking care of yourself right? If you need anything you can always call. I don’t mind driving out here to make sure you eat your vegetables.”

How was he doing? Great question, although not the easiest one to answer. “I’m...okay. The potential that there’s something or someone out there who wants to hurt us isn’t making it easy to sleep at night. But I guess Normal has always been bordering on weird. It just jumped full speed ahead into that label. I’m busy, distracted mostly, which is good. Trying to figure out a good way to weasel myself into the so called Murder Club.”

They reminded you of the scene in World War Z where the zombies tried to desperately climb each other to get over the wall. Thankfully, your teacher at least had the sense to keep the lid on their tank to keep any from escaping. You sit at the front of the class and you can swear one turned its eight dead in your direction and was staring directly at you.

Disgusting.

“Now class, what’s really fascinating about tarantulas is that they molt throughout their lives, replacing their exoskeletons as they grow. When this occurs they have the ability to repair any damage they’ve sustained!” The class gives a collective groan. You usually appreciate his enthusiasm, but not with something so repulsive.

“Oh come on, guys! They’re adorable once you get past all the limbs! These are the puppies of the theraphosidae family!” he yells, but the more you’re being subjected to looking at these things the sicker you get. You’re trying not to look at the tank now, but you hear your teacher’s voice call for you. If he thinks he’s about to force you to listen to this lesson then he’s really fucking nuts.

“Jasper~”

You look up, but it’s not your teacher. Well, it is physically all for except the face. Jesus Christ, what’s wrong with his face??

“Truth or dare?”

Spiders. Fucking Spiders. It was always spiders. Anytime he went anywhere it was always spiders. Spiders in the woods, spiders in the cabins, spiders at home. It felt lame, being afraid of spiders, and not just because his little sisters had mocked him relentlessly whenever they had to cup up the eight legged creatures and lead them outside.

Japser’s plan had been to ignore this whole thing. Sit as far in the back as he could and try not to throw himself into a panic attack at the sight of those creepy crawly little monsters. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand the purpose of the spiders in the echosystem, it was just that the very thought of being near them made him want to peel his skin back layer by layer.

But then the whole room changed and the most terrifying part of it all wasn’t that there was his literal worst nightmare sitting in a glass case in front of him, but instead the teacher’s expression had shifted into something monstrous. It felt a lot like it had at the party, that crushingly tight atmosphere.

With a deep breath, he looks around and all but whispers, “Dare.”

Muffy didn’t flinch at the boy’s small yelp. Instead, she continued to verbally bulldoze over their conversation. “I see.” she nodded, mentally jotting down that she should buy him a pink blue and purple flag for June instead. She should have known she he did look like he desperately needed a nap and, to Muffy’s knowledge, bisexual people were always sleep deprived for some reason (probably because they had nightmares about uncuffed jeans). “Well, lucky for you I am also an ally to the bisexual community as well. I ship Harry with both Draco and Luna.” Hopefully Jasper wouldn’t fall in love with her. She was a taken woman after all.

At his acceptance to her offer, Muffy seemingly pulled her deck out of thin air (where the fuck did she pull it from anyway??). “You’re just in luck because I just learned this super cool spread. I was trying to get insight if I’d get a new macbook for Christmas, but it told me to beware of being motivated solely by self-interest so that’s super rad too.” 

Muffy started cutting the deck, fumbling with the cards. Occasionally one slipped out and she had to quick time react to catch it, but Muffy had never been a card player so the slowness came with learning something new. “I could totally do it now if you want. If this was D&D I’d totally be like a level 2 Sorceress, but I’m getting there.”

Draco and Luna. Huh. That was certainly and interesting turn of events. Muffy was...entertaining if nothing else. She had certainly tried to keep things interesting at the party and Jasper felt bad for her. Being lonely wasn’t something anyone should have to deal with. High school was already alienating but being different in a small town made you all but unapproachable. He had been there before and to just leave Muffy high and dry felt awful. So he watched with manufactured curiosity as she shuffled her cars.

“Dungeons and Dragons? You know I haven’t ever played that but it always seems cool. I just don’t really have the time.” He hummed for a minute. “So what other things can you do as a witch? Other than drawing cards, which is impressive since I have no idea how any of that would work.”

Hopefully that cards wouldn’t pull some weird prank on him and let the whole world know he felt a little held hostage by Muffy Blair.

“Just to clarify you know that to be an LGBT ally you should probably just be everyone’s ally and call it good.”

It was always nice to hear that the vibe you were hoping you were projecting was in fact being properly projected. Would it be weird to say thank you?

“You’re not intruding. I mean, for tonight we’re all in this together. With this whole… Edwina situation, obviously. And the party,” Violet decided to say, careful with her words. She wasn’t about to confirm anything that Kaz had spilled, so she was sure to avoid a specific mention of that particular portion of the evening.

Time to put the phone away. She could worry about the dad thing later, but she had something to fully distract her now. Jasper had stated that he had a sneaking suspicion about Normal and had noticed that things felt weird, so Vi was considering him fully open to interrogation. Which was much more interesting than staring at her phone, waiting for a text back for over 20 minutes between messages.

The whole town was a horror movie already in progress, but Vi wasn’t about to let that opinion see the light of day. Instead, she zeroed in on what Jasper had just said. He went to check the cabins? What cabins? Did he know about the creepy child-keeping cabin in the woods?

“Check on what cabins?” she asked, trying to appear casual even with her vested interest in his answer. She could pick up what he was trying to hint at, but admitting someone else to the Club wasn’t her call. For that, there was another tree for Jasper to bark up. One conveniently planted nearby at that very moment. But it didn’t hurt to get more information out of the male while they were stuck together.

“Okay… all things considered, what do you think is happening?”

“Would it be too brazen to call it the party form hell?” Jasper smiled, the only thing he really knew how to do when he was stressed about something like this. He could tell she was too. Everything in her body language screamed I can’t believe this is happening again. “Or maybe you guys have seen worse. I don’t know.”

Her questioning seemed bizarrely intense. Especially for someone who knew what he did. “Just the Camp Afterwoods cabins. I mean a couple of them have been empty for awhile, but I volunteered to keep them clean during the winter time when weren’t using them. I went there and everything about the place felt weirder than normal. Like yeah we have some spooky tries and ghost stories but I’ve never felt like something so unpleasant was in my bone.”

What did he think was happening? A great question and frankly he wasn’t sure what the answer was. Did he think this was just a bad case of the serial killers or something a bit more sinister happening?

“Something bad. I don’t know what exactly it is or where it comes from but I don’t feeling unsafe in the woods I’ve spent most of my life in. it feels like there’s always something about ready to pop. It could be completely normal stuff but after seeing what happened tonight I’m not too inclined to believe that.”

Mariana had been feeling worn down lately. She had yet to put two and two together and notice it might have been tied to the fact that she hadn’t fed recently. Not since before prom. Everything that had happened that night had left her stomach in knots. Aside from what that women had told her, she had learned some things about the group. She wasn’t completely sure what they had to do with Tommy’s ultimate death, but if they had attempted to exorcise whatever was in him, only for him to end up dead… well it was safe to say she did not want that happening to her. She didn’t want anyone even suspecting what she was capable of, so she had been lying low. Going home after school and only talking to men who weren’t from normal. A few miles out of the town, so on the off chance she did decide to rip their throats out, the nosey gang wouldn’t suspect her.

She was lying in her bed right now, scrolling through her DM’s while contemplating the perfect caption for the instagram picture she planned on posting, when she heard the apartment door buzz. Hearing Jasper’s voice slip through the call box, her brows furrowed. He hadn’t come over to drop off leftovers in a while, so what was the reason behind this house call? Getting off her bed and heading over to the window that had the apartment complex door in sight, she made sure it was Jasper before going to buzz him in. She was ravenous, and her mother was working which meant she was on her own for dinner.

She opened the door to her apartment right when he turned down her hallway. The door was partially cracked open, because she was still suspicious of this. “Hey.” She greeted him, leaning against her door frame so he wouldn’t be allowed into the apartment unless she decided to either move out of the way or open the door further. “What are the leftovers?” She wondered, trying to get a peak in the container.

“We made Kufte Rize. It’s like a meatball stew situation,” Jasper offered the container up to her, smile on his lips. “Say the word please and it’s yours. And I brought desert too. Halva. I have to warn you my sisters did participate in that though so who knows if it’s that good.”

Truth be told, he hadn’t come over a lot lately because he was trying to adjust to the sudden change in the girl he used to like. It was a lot to take in, especially the brand new attitude that came with everything. He’d been staying on the sidelines, watching, trying to come to a conclusion of how this conversation might just go.

But then the night at the party happened. It was surprising to see her around all those people she no doubt would label freaks now. According to Muffy their friendship was completely fractured. 

“Can I be honest? The leftovers are a ploy. I just came over to ask how you were doing after the prom party?”

The night had gone from bad to worse and just when Vi had thought it couldn’t reach a new level of awful… Edwina had broken her leg and a creepy woman that had led them to likely a random house had insinuated that they were all going to die. Just normal post prom things. Now Vi was sitting in the emergency room, texting her father furiously to try and explain why she was there in a way that would satisfy him while also trying to keep tabs on when they’d be able to see Edwina.

She’d been watching the little dots to indicate that her father was typing for a while at that point, and had managed to divert 99% of her attention to that. She didn’t particularly care for speaking with Jamie or Bryce at that exact moment, and she didn’t really know enough about Jasper to try and initiate a conversation with him, so all of her eggs were in her ‘placate dad’ basket.

Until they weren’t.

Looking over at Jasper as he spoke up, Vi didn’t exactly know why now was the time to do so. But maybe he was just bored. They had been there for a while, and there was no end to the night in sight. As a true outsider to Murder Club, Jasper probably had a lot of questions buzzing in his mind (like ‘what the fuck?’), and what better opportunity to get them out into the open?

“Exciting is a word,” she murmured, turning to face the male with her eyes still for the moment glued to her screen. “We’ve never actually had a party… and at this rate we definitely shouldn’t. We just seem to co-opt the parties of others.” Two parties now had ended in disaster, but based on what Kaz had spilled, Jasper had probably come to that conclusion himself. She paused for a moment to consider his newspaper club statement, wondering just how much she should tell him when he’d already been privy to so much.

“I bet Holly would really appreciate having someone else on the team who has an actual focus on writing.”

Jasper listened to Violet carefully, nodding along with what she said. It was obvious there was still some mystery in the so called Murder Club (hopefully that really was just a nickname and not like a cult practice). He was an outsider so it made sense she wouldn’t be willing to spill it all right in front of him in an ER, even after what Kaz had said.

“You think so? I’ve never really talked to her. She seemed the type who didn’t want to be talked to. Sort of like you,” he paused. “I hope I’m not intruding I’m just, feeling a bit apprehensive about this whole thing. I had a sneaking suspicion that something was weird about Normal for awhile. I went to check on the cabins a few days ago and everything felt...wrong, the way it does in a horror movie before the camp counselor gets knifed to death and his body drug to the river. Which isn’t my ideal ending.”

What was the best way to continue this conversation? Make himself seem valuable to the club instead of just another problem to solve? If he could offer something maybe they’d be willing to let him in. And hopefully his somewhat rescue of Edwina would add a few more points into their good graces.

“I could help. I know Normal really well, the parts that people don’t usually go. The Sticks, The Afterwoods, they’re like my second home. And I know my way around a hospital. If there’s something freaky afoot I won’t just be baggage.”

Back before he would always bring her leftovers. It started out as cooking too much, but quickly became a purposeful effort to include a portion for Mariana and her mom to enjoy. Lately though he was leaving his leftovers on her porch rather than in her arms. She had turned into the definition of an enigma.

Then again, there were a few extra pastries his sisters and him had made last night. What was the harm in stopping by her house to offer them up? And check on how she was doing after the party.

He parked his car not far from her place and made sure to click the lock button twice before going up to her front door. “Mariana? It’s Jasper. We had leftovers and I figured I could drop them by.”

@mariana--diaz​

Thankfully, her recognized Violet from a few stays at Camp Afterwood. They were never really close but he knew her name and they had talked once or twice (more out of necessity than anything but it was better than trying to make conversation with the man who’s ass he’d slapped a few hours ago).

“So is every party you guys have this exciting or was this a one off deal? Not that I’m judging. Just curious. I was planning on writing a newspaper club application and figured I should be prepared.”

@violet-matthews​

Since the after prom party, Muffy had three things on her mind. The first was the glorious kiss her and Jamie shared. She had spank bank material for months after that. The second was the harmonious sound of Clussy screaming in pain. Muffy was thankful to Jesus and the powers that be that she decided to charge her phone so that she could sneak a voice recording of Edwina sobbing in pain to set as her ringtone. The third was the beautiful ass slap that Jasper had given Bryce. It was so firm. So aggressively sexy. So… gay. If there’s anything Muffy loved more than funnel cake at the county fair and skinny white boys who looked like they could play dead bodies on Law and Order SVU, it was the homosexual agenda. 

Muffy always wanted a gay best friend and perhaps this was her shot at finally snagging one. Jasper didn’t need to tell her to ‘slay queen’ or call her hunty’, but she did was to hear about his sexual excursions. She knew enough about gay sex from fanfiction, like how you can totally just have it whenever without proper prep and cleansing first. “Hi Jasper!” she greeted (more like shouted) as the boy closed her locker and was met with the feral fangirl hiding behind the metal door. “So after this weekend I was like totally thinking about you and Bryce and how super hot that ass slap was. I asked around– and also stalked every social media account you’ve had since middle school– and I’ve come to the deduction that you are a homosexual. Now, a lot of people around here would have a problem with it, but me? I love it. I think we should be friends. I’ve never been to a pride parade but I used to make my Ken dolls sleep in the same bed when I was younger so I’ve definitely been a long time ally. Also I plan on double majoring in English and Women & Gender studies when I inevitably go to Emory University because that’s where the move After was shot. I plan on using my degree to write Young Adult fiction about gay romance because I think that’s what this country really needs right now. There’s nothing more beautiful then two men holding hands in my opinion. If you think I’m lame– I’m not. Nope. I’m a witch. Like… I can do your tarot cards and stuff. I know gay people like astrology too so we can have that in common.” 

Muffy finally stopped, suddenly getting shy. “Also uh… I kind of just lost my one friend around here so the vacancy has left to be filled.” she added, avoiding his eyes. “Being by yourself can be nice, but being lonely is completely different.”

// @jaspermalek​

Jasper was in the slow and constant process of trying not to lose his mind every minute of the day. Ever since that party things had gone from freaky to freakiest, jumping right over freakier. He could still hear Edwina’s shriek, the weird as shit thing that the Sue-Ann woman had said, and every other terrifying admission that the so called Journalism Club had come to. Not that he was one to judge people on the extracurriculars. Sometimes he played scrabble with senile people just to feel accomplished.

When the locker door closed, he jumped back with a surprised half shriek, meeting eyes with Muffy. She had certainly created an interested time at the party and now was no exception. He was about to brush past her with some lame excuse before she started talking.

And oh boy could she talk.

Every word that came out of her mouth was mind boggling to say the least. He didn’t even know where to begin in correcting her misinformation.

“Right. Okay well I’m not homosexual. You’re close. I identify as bisexual. Less Kevin Keller more Toni Topaz, if you will.” He offered her a half smile. “But I’m glad to hear you are....an ally. I guess.”

He was going to disappear. He knew Mariana growing up so he’d heard about Muffy off and on and she was just as intense as he could ever have imagined. But she seemed so...sad. And lonely. He’d been there before.

“I’m not super into tarot but if you’re interested I could use a reading at lunch. I mean why not? It’s always good to broaden your horizons.”

Probably. He got the feeling that Muffy wasn’t someone who knew how to take no for an answer. And maybe this was a chance to educate her on some of her misconceptions of the queer community. Small town life did that.