Fragments of Jason

Back at school, Jess felt like she was walking in a dream. The weekend in New York had been a whirlwind—fancy clothes, dancing, late-night conversations, and Ryan’s easy laughter. It had been… nice. Too nice. So, of course, she made sure to tell everyone about it.

She regaled Hannah, Olivia, and Kevin with stories over lunch, dramatically recounting the high-society setting, the ridiculous champagne fountain, and the way Ryan had expertly defused an argument between a feuding aunt and uncle. “It was like being in a movie,” she said, waving a fry for emphasis. “Except, you know, I was actually in it.”

Kevin smirked. “Sounds like someone had a magical weekend.”

Jess rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the small smile tugging at her lips. “It was just fun.”

“You mean romantic,” Hannah teased.

Jess scoffed, shaking her head. “No. Absolutely not.”

Except that was a lie. And she knew it.

That night, as she sat in her room staring at the ceiling, her thoughts tangled like headphone wires. She had enjoyed herself. She had enjoyed Ryan’s company. And that was terrifying because the more she leaned into being Jess, the more Jason faded.

There were moments, fleeting and unexpected, where she struggled to remember what it had been like to be him. To move through the world with the effortless confidence of a star athlete, to flirt with girls without thinking, to exist without questioning every feeling, every reaction.

She ran a hand down her face. Did Jason even exist anymore? Or was she just rewriting herself into something new, something permanent? She needed a distraction. And thankfully, she had one.

Erasmus Vellum.

The name was all they had, and so far, it was leading nowhere. Leanna and Jess had spent hours scouring online databases, faculty records, even old student directories. There was nothing. No trace of anyone by that name ever being part of the genetics department.

“He’s a ghost,” Leanna muttered, rubbing her temples as she stared at her laptop screen. “A completely nonexistent ghost.”

Jess leaned back in her chair. “Maybe it’s a pseudonym? A research alias?”

“Maybe.” Leanna sighed. “But without any leads, we’re stuck.”

That’s when Olivia walked in, sipping an iced coffee and looking entirely too pleased with herself.

“You two look like you need a hero,” she said, setting her drink down and sliding into the seat across from them.

Leanna glanced up. “Unless you’ve got the name of a hidden researcher who’s been off the grid for forty years, we’re not in the mood.”

Olivia smirked. “Not exactly. But I am a genealogy nerd. If this Erasmus Vellum person existed, I can find him.”

Jess perked up. “How?”

Olivia pulled out her phone, fingers tapping rapidly. “There are ways. Old census records, newspaper archives, university records that aren’t digitized. Give me a little time, and I’ll dig up something.”

Leanna and Jess exchanged glances. It wasn’t much, but it was more than they had. Jess exhaled, relieved to have something else to focus on. Something real—not her spiraling thoughts, not her feelings for Ryan, not the existential crisis gnawing at her edges.

No. Right now, all that mattered was finding Erasmus Vellum.And finally getting some answers.