______________________
Jasper
rushed to dress the next morning like he always did on Saturdays.
Only getting to see Wes on weekends was a challenge. Jasper spent the
entire week pining and daydreaming of the time they’d spend
together and once the weekend came, the days flew by so fast he
barely had time to grasp them. Every second counted and he couldn’t
be bothered to waste them on primping in a mirror or trading morning
platitudes with his parents. So, he shouted a short, “Have a great
day!” to his mom and dad as he zoomed past them having their
morning coffee on the couch while watching the news. However, Jasper
did take a moment at the door to grab his jacket and scratch Zener,
the family’s tabby cat, behind the ear before heading out to meet
up with Wes at the park.
Tony’s
suggestion of renting an apartment for the weekends had rooted itself
in Jasper’s thoughts. While he drove into town, he kept running
over the logistics of the scenario and each time concluded it
financially impractical. However, his imagination insisted on how
amazing having a safe place all their own would be. No more rushing
to get ready on Saturday mornings because they’d already be
together.
The
park was within walking distance from the Shain’s house, where Wes
stayed while he visited. Jasper spotted him on the metal bench near
the small hedge maze in the center of the park. The park wasn’t too
busy this early in the morning. Only a few joggers were on the
walking trail and a couple of families with small children were
gathered around the playground equipment. The hedge maze appeared to
be empty save for Wes who hopped up from the bench when Jasper
arrived.
“Since
when did you become such a morning person?” Jasper asked after a
brief kiss in greeting. Wes grinned so wide he could have been
rehearsing to be the Cheshire Cat.
“Since
all of our prayers have been answered!” Wes rocked on his feet with
pent up exuberance.
“Well,
that’s not much of a feat since I don’t pray,” Jasper teased.
He locked elbows with Wes and led him into the hedge maze in an
effort to help him funnel out all his apparent excess energy while
they walked and talked.
“I’m
so excited, I don’t even think this is the best way to tell you
this but I’m going to do it anyway,” Wes said. “I just can’t
keep it to myself until we see Liv and Tony later and I didn’t want
to relay the message through texts because this is definitely one of
those things you have to announce to people in person.”
“You’re
rambling,” Jasper pointed out while they rounded a hedge.
Wes
took a deep breath and stopped Jasper in his tracks by unlinking
their elbows and pivoting to face him. Wes grabbed Jasper by the arms
as though he were about to need steadying.
“I
submitted an audition tape with clips of our work to a reality show
competition about paranormal investigators and—they accepted us!
We’re in!” Wes shook Jasper’s arms. “We’re going to be on
television!”
He
let Jasper go and ran his hands through his long black hair, brushing
wild strands out of his face where they had fallen in his excitement.
“You
did what?” Shocked, Jasper’s body locked in place like he'd had a
nightmare where someone was chasing him, and he couldn’t run away
because his legs had become heavy as stone. The thought of being on
network television caused years of carefully managed social anxiety
to crash over him in a giant wave. Sure, they had a web series, but
that was different. They had a niche audience, and he could control
how much he would be seen, and he tried to stay off camera whenever
possible. But a reality show? No. No way. Everyone in the nation
would be watching and criticizing.
“This
is the chance of a lifetime! I can’t wait to tell Liv and Tony.”
Jasper
fought off the rapid sensation of distress building up. “You should
have told us before you applied!”
Wes
knitted his eyebrows. “Why? So, you could shrug it off and say
‘no’? See, this way if we were rejected—no harm, no foul. But
now that we’re accepted, we can celebrate! And start preparing.
We’re supposed to fly out to film over winter break.”
Jasper
continued walking the maze in silence, allowing Wes to ramble on
about what the reality show entailed. He couldn’t talk Wes down
when he was this enthusiastic about something. Jasper would have to
leave that job to Liv. She was much better at bursting bubbles.
Winter
break was in three weeks. Maybe that would be enough time to talk
some sense into him.
“And,
it gets better!” Wes’s announcement broke through Jasper’s
desperate thoughts.
“Oh,
I doubt that,” Jasper muttered.
Wes
didn’t seem to hear him. “We get a paycheck! Like a pretty big
paycheck. Just for being on the show. Which means we could totally
get our own place once it’s over.”
Jasper
slowed his pace. So, Wes had Tony’s suggestion on his mind too?
Maybe this reality show was a strange blessing in disguise. He’d
just have to figure out how to be the most uninteresting person to
ever be on television so they wouldn’t spend much time filming him,
right? He could do that. His peers had once nicknamed him Casper.
Jasper
knew how to be invisible.
______________________
CURSED ASYLUM - Summary
In the final installment of the series, The Dead Oaks Paranormal Society is offered the opportunity of a lifetime to compete against several other teams of paranormal investigators on Fright Team TV, a reality television special, for the chance to win a show of their own!
The production takes them on location to one of the most haunted asylums in North America. But will the group be able to survive the temptation of fame and a chilling curse from beyond?
Now available for Pre-Order on Amazon!
I'm looking forward to release day and can't wait to share this exciting conclusion to The Dead Oaks series with you all!
What's Next?
- Mirrormaze: A Dreampunk Anthology releases December 8th! My short story, Thatcher Maugden And The Dream Witch, is included. (published by Fractured Mirror Publishing)
- Riding Acadenemies, my first M/M Contemporary Romance, will release late 2021. (published by NineStar Press)
BONUS Cursed Asylum Excerpt:
