Up In Flames ✓

Chapter 23 - Exploding with Excitement

░▒▓█►─═ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ ᴛʜʀᴇᴇ═─◄█▓▒░

Jasper took a bite out of his hamburger, he wasn't really tasting the food. It tasted like nothing, but he swallowed anyway.

His eyes set in front of him without actually seeing anything. He absentmindedly reached for his fries before taking another bite of his burger.

The scene played before his eyes on repeat. Blue fire, a sad smile and a limp body falling through the sky before breaking the waves of the ocean.

"Jasper?" Jasper felt a shiver run down his spine. He turned his head to see Mike staring at him with concern. His lips pulled down in a frown,"You alright man?"

"Have you ever seen somebody die?" The question was sudden but expected. Mike avoided his gaze, he clenched his jaw,"Yes."

He cleared his throat, raising his head. Speaking louder but his voice devoid of any emotion he continued,"Yes, I have."

Jasper had set the remains of his food down by now and asked,"How do you...how do you forget?"

He shook his head, a grim smile resting on his lips,"You don't." He settled his gaze on the rest of the group, who were enjoying their food,"You only learn to live with it."

Mike sighed, leaning back. He turned his head slightly to Jasper's direction,"I guess it gets better with time but you'll never forget. It's just like the pain of losing someone, it doesn't go away, but it gets easier with time."

"You know, he told me he didn't kill my parents."

Mike raised his eyebrows,"Do you believe him?"

Jasper paused, thinking, before nodding,"Yes, I do."

Mike leaned forward so his back was crouched,"But you think he knows-knew who did it."

Jasper nodded again, not saying anything. He looked down to his hands as he played with it. He heard Mike's feet shuffle and felt a pat on his back,"Hang in there, man."

A tint of a smile almost reached his lips but fell flat. Then a real, genuine smile formed on his face,"I know you're there Vi."

He raised his head just in time to see Violet turn visible. She huffed, holding out the drink she had brought for him,"You see through my element of surprise. Work has to be done to fix that."

Jasper fingers brushed with hers as he took the drink. He laughed before bringing it to his lips,"Yeah sure. I can smell you, so unless you stop wearing that perfume, I'm still gonna know you there."

Violet huffed again as she took a seat next to him, she took a sip of her drink but Jasper didn't miss the smile on her lips.

He leaned closer to her ear and whispered,"You smell like flowers by the way."

Violet's face was beet red as Jasper pulled away, he laughed but it was cut short when someone gasped.

His eyes travelled over to the group to see a winged guy standing in the lounge. He was staring at Kiara and the others with a stunned expression. The backpack he was holding slipped through his fingers, dropping to the ground with a thump. Jasper squinted his eyes- no wait, he seemed- Jasper's face paled. This was Sam.

He never really met him, only saw him on video footage or heard of him. And now he was standing in the middle of their superhero hideout with a backpack.

Jasper observed his expression, he was now staring down the backpack at his feet.

"What the hell, Sam?" Kiara was quick to ask, springing up from her seat.