I scrambled my way through the hallway all the way to the spot where Jase was last seen. I paused, hands on my knees, and took a break. I remembered that Tracy told him to go down the right hallway. 

I straightened myself again and started down the hallway. I saw Jase go down before me and Tracy went down a separate hallway. The only sound that I could hear was the sound of my sneakers against the shiny tiled floor. This only made me more frightened instead of less. 

It was about 10 minutes of walking down the left corridor when I couldn’t take it anymore. There was only one option of summoning Jase.

“Jase?” My voice was only a whisper but I found myself not wanting to speak louder in case the wrong person would hear. “Jase?”

There was no answer. I shivered frequently. I really didn’t enjoy the vibes that surrounded this place. There surely weren't any good vibes. 

Come on, Jase, I thought. Please show. I don’t know how much of this creepy place I can take. 

Then out of nowhere I heard a scream. 

I started in the direction of the scream. It didn’t sound like Tracy and it came from only the left corridor.  It sounded more like a guy’s scream. 

Jase.

I found myself running down the hallway. Something bad could be happening to Jase. Maybe it’s the killer. I found myself slowing down in my pace a little. But then I saw movement and flashed my flashlight at it. It was not an ‘it’. It was a ‘He’. It was Jase. 

“Jase!” I bent down on my knees and stared at him. He had his leg stuck in a circle metal object. “What happened?”

He looked up at me with a startled and frightened expression. “W-well I was running because I thought I spotted something and then I fell. My foot is caught in something.”

“Yeah. A broken picture frame.” I slowly led Jase’s foot out of the picture frame. I threw the frame to the side of a building like a Target, making a loud sound echo through the mall. 

Jase got to his feet and wiped off his jacket with his hands. “Uh..thanks, Jessica.” he looked up to meet my eyes and I was surprised to find no fear there. “I’m sorry.” he whispered quietly and looked down.

“F-for what?” I stumbled over words. I was so taken back. I didn’t even know that it was possible for Jase to not joke around. But it did make sense since he mostly laughed when Olivia was around and she was gone now.

“For whatever makes you hate me. I know you do. That’s why you never talked to me until now.” he looked up again. “What changed?”

I stared at him for a while, not saying anything, before I finally answered him. “In your eyes, all I saw was pain and heartbreak. I knew that you loved-love-Olivia and I couldn’t really stand the pain and the heartbreak so I stopped talking to you and I didn’t hold eye contact with you. I thought it was for the best but I guess it wasn’t. Now, I think it’s better for us to stand together until we find Olivia. I think that if we did it would make the pain in your expression go away.” I closed my eyes and my voice trailed away.

Jase blinked heavily as if he was blinking tears away. “Wow,” He replied, quietly. “I didn't know you felt that way. And I'm sorry about it. I shouldn't be so sad when at least i still have the two greatest friends ever." he smiled slightly, pain starting to clear out of his expression.

I opened my eyes again from hearing his words and I smiled back. "Oh, Jase!" I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around him. "I'm sorry too. You must really miss Olivia. I miss her too."

Jase smiled through the clear pain in his eyes. “I do. I miss her everything and I wish s-she was here. I didn’t get t-to tell her I-i love h-h-her.” he stumbled over words, just as I had not long ago. 

He wrapped his arms around me and let me lean my head on his shoulder, although he did tense. Not before long as we stood there holding each other did Jase cry. He sobbed and sobbed until the only sound that was heard was his crying.

“I know. I know.” I whispered, feeling my eyes swell with tears. “I’m sure we will find her. Olivia must be close. I can feel her.”

“I don’t know if I will make it that far.” Jase said. “W-what if she truly is gone?” His legs were starting to give out beneath him. I got closer to him and held him by his shoulders.

“No, Jase. Don’t think that way. She has to be okay.” I soothed him, trying to hold him as best as I could. He was very heavy for his age and I didn’t want him to fall to the floor. If he did, I don’t really know if I would be able to get him up again.

Jase nodded to himself and fixed his legs again, though they shook frequently and he still looked very unstable as if he wanted to fall on the floor and stay there.

“We have to fight this pain together or it will never stop and we will never find Oliva. Okay, Jase?” I let go of his shoulders for a second. He didn’t say anything so I held him by his shoulders again and made him look into my eyes. “Okay, Jase?”

“Yeah.” Jase let out a choked whisper. 

I sighed, knowing I couldn’t cheer Jase up even if I tried really hard. “Well we should look around more.” I started down the hall.

“Yeah,” Jase repeated. “How’s Tracy doing?”

I looked over at him walking beside me and frowned slightly at his tired and exhausted appearance. He looked very weak and gaunt now, as if he was many years beyond his actual age.

I shook my head slightly to erase the image of Jase from my head and looked away from him, keeping my eyes up ahead as we walked. “She’s good. She went inside of a tunnel or something in a wall inside of Camilia’s. I didn’t want to come with her and she said that I should find you so that I won’t be alone. So that’s why I came and found you.”

“It is?” Jase paused for a moment before walking along with me again. “Hm. Tracy always had a huge amount of courage and curiosity. She must be really committed to looking for the killer.” he seemed angry now.