Jasper nodded, his eyes blinking rapidly at me. The look in them was as empty as the skeleton’s had been, but I tried not to let his hollow gaze unnerve me and, taking a deep breath, said, “Good. One. Two. Three. You’re doing so well, just like that . . .

Four. Five.”

With each inhale, Jasper’s breathing got progressively deeper and slower, his hands less shaky.

“Twelve.” I took the bag away from his face. “Well done.”

Jasper took a few more deep breaths before he buried his head in his hands, a tremor shaking his entire frame.

“Hey.” Noelle’s voice was unexpectedly soft, as was her touch when she sank onto the step on Jasper’s other side and rubbed a soothing hand over his back. “You’re okay.”

Jasper finally raised his head, eyes glassy. “I shouldn’t have agreed to do that.”

“What even just happened?”

“I get claustrophobic, sometimes,” Jasper said. His voice was so quiet I had to strain to understand him. “The closet was so small and I felt like I couldn’t get enough air—”

Noelle shook her head in disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know. I thought it would be okay this time.”

“Don’t ever scare me like that again, asshole,” Noelle murmured and slid a hand into his hair to ruffle the silver strands.

Jasper seemed too drained to even tell her off for ruining his hair. Instead, he turned his face to look at me, his ice-blue eyes clearer now, making me feel just for a moment that I was the one who couldn’t breathe. “Thank you for snapping me out of it.”

Unable to hold his gaze, I lowered my eyes to the paper bag that I had scrunched up between my hands. “Don’t mention it.”

“How did you know what to do, anyway?” Noelle asked.

“I used to have really bad anxiety in middle school, so . . .”

The door burst open before either of them could react.

“What happened in there?” Sammy laughed. “You sure know how to make a scene.”

Noelle shot him an icy glare. “None of your business.”

“No need to be rude. I’m just worried.”

“Yeah, must’ve been worried sick,” Noelle cut him off. “Only took you ten minutes to come looking for him.”

Sammy pouted at Jasper as if telling him to rein her in. When Jasper didn’t react, he suddenly pointed at me and asked, “What is he even doing here?”

Jasper suddenly got to his feet. “I’m going to bed. Good night.”

“Wait, I’m coming with you,” Sammy said, but shut his mouth when Noelle stopped him with a firm hand on his chest.

Jasper only looked over his shoulder to mouth Thank you once more, then the two were gone. I was left with Sammy, who, I had a distinct feeling, wanted to sock me in the face at that very moment.

Since my bone structure was one of the few things I really had going for me, I quickly pushed past him and entered the cellar again.