Saving Jasper | ✓ [COMPLETE]

Chapter 3 - Three Golden Months

Someone was crying. I had been tossing and turning for the last hour, because the crying kept getting louder...and more agonized. I groaned softly to myself and yanked my pillow out from beneath my head, shoving it over my face. The crying became muffled, but not mute. I sat up with a huff and my pillow fell to the floor with a soft thump. I looked around my blackened room. The moon was hiding behind a thick bank of clouds, leaving me in total darkness.

I glanced at the clock wearily and saw that it was three in the morning. Determining that I wasn't going to get any sleep, I threw the covers off and quietly padded over to my door. I eased it open and froze when it whined loudly. I left it partially open and squeezed through the space I had. I definitely wasn't the smallest of the females in the world. I stood in the hallway and shivered, hugging my arms close to my body. My toes curled against the cold wooden floor. Whoever was upset, must've been having a nightmare.

I leaned to the left, towards Jasper's door. The crying was coming from his room. Not surprised, I went down the hall and opened his door. I leaned my head in and looked at him. He was curled up on his side. The covers were thrown to the floor in a mangled mess. He was wearing a black T-Shirt over black and gray plaid pants. He was whimpering softly, and his dark hair stuck up in all directions as if he'd been tossing in his sleep as well. I eased myself into his room and froze again when he turned over.

His arm splayed out over the edge of the bed, his fingertips nearly touching the floor. His lips were parted slightly, but no sound escaped them. Tears were dried on his cheeks and his lashes were sparkling wet. I wondered what he had been upset about, and why that had caused him to cry in his sleep.

I inched towards him. I was afraid I'd wake him and startle him. He remained motionless, his chest rising and falling with slow, deep breaths. I took a deep breath and knelt down. His hand hovered beside my knee. I delicately took his wrist between two fingers and lifted his arm up. I laid it by his side and he immediately turned over, whimpering again.

His hands clenched into fists and his brow furrowed. His lips pressed into a deep frown.

"Nora, don't..." he mumbled sleepily. I stepped back a bit, surprised. That most likely meant that, when he was with Nora, he called her Nora and not Mom. His eyelids fluttered and I retreated to the door. Pausing, I turned and looked back. He let out a small sigh and relaxed. Smiling slightly to myself, I left his room and crawled back into bed. I laid back and closed my eyes, falling into a deep slumber.

_

"Charlotte Marie Chandler! Get up, you'll be late!" Mom's voice was far too loud for the hour it was. I cracked open my eyes and squinted against the early morning sunlight. Yawning, I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. Instantly, my mind snapped back to the night before. I wondered if Jasper recalled his nightmare, or if he knew I checked on him.

Shrugging it off, I hopped up and hurried into the bathroom. As I crossed the hall, I glanced at his door. It was closed and I assumed he was still sleeping. After my shower, I dressed in gray TOMs, a white T-Shirt, bleached jean shorts and looped a peach-colored scarf around my neck. I left my hair down to dry, brushed my teeth and headed downstairs.

I stopped short in the kitchen at the sight of Jasper sitting at the table, eating toast. He was showered and dressed as well. The weird part was, he didn't look tired or troubled. When he saw me, he gave me a small smile.