Fading Echoes and Haunting Clues

The crisp autumn air had given way to the first whispers of winter. Leaves clung desperately to the trees, their once-vibrant hues now dulled, ready to be swept away by the cold winds. Jess pulled her coat tighter around herself as she walked across campus, her breath curling in the air like smoke.

It had been several weeks since the wedding weekend with Ryan. Weeks since she’d found herself wrapped up in his warmth, his touch, his presence. And now, she wasn’t sure how to feel about any of it.

She liked Ryan. She more than liked him. And that terrified her.

She wasn’t Jason anymore. That was becoming clearer with each passing day. The way she spoke, the way she laughed, the way she carried herself—it was all Jess now. And the more she embraced it, the more Jason faded into a memory. Was he even real anymore? Had she truly been him, or was he just some ghost haunting her mind, lingering on the edges of who she was becoming?

Her heart clenched at the thought.

She needed to talk to someone. Someone who knew Jason better than anyone.

—------------------------------------------------

“Wait… wait… so you’re telling me,” Kevin said between laughs, “that you’re upset because you had an amazing night with Ryan?”

Jess glared at him from across the couch in his dorm room, arms crossed over her chest. “It’s not that simple.”

Kevin wiped a fake tear from his eye. “I dunno, sounds pretty simple to me. You like the guy, you had a great time, and now you’re having a whole existential crisis about it.”

“Kevin.” Jess’s voice carried a warning edge.

“Alright, alright,” he said, still smirking. “Look, I get it. Kind of. But you are, objectively, overthinking this. You’re not betraying Jason or anything. You are Jason. Just… Jason 2.0. Better hair, better fashion sense, way better at flirting.”

She threw a pillow at him.

Kevin dodged with a laugh. “Seriously though, stop freaking out. Just enjoy what you have.”

Jess sighed. Maybe he was right. Maybe she was overthinking it. Maybe she just needed to—

No. She couldn’t just let go of Jason. She couldn’t just erase who she used to be.

“I need to go,” she muttered, standing up.

“Jess,” Kevin called after her, but she was already out the door.

—-----------------------------------

Leanna’s apartment felt warm compared to the bitter chill outside. The second Jess stepped inside, Leanna took one look at her and sighed. “Okay, what happened?”

Jess flopped onto the couch, staring at the ceiling. “I think Jason’s gone.”

Leanna sat beside her, pulling her knees up. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… I don’t know how to be him anymore. I don’t even think like him. I don’t act like him. I’ve been dating Ryan. I’ve been—” she hesitated, voice dropping to a whisper, “—with Ryan. And I liked it.”

Leanna’s expression softened. “Jess, that’s not a bad thing.”

“But what if it means Jason’s really gone?”

Leanna was quiet for a moment. Then, gently, she said, “Maybe Jason’s not gone. Maybe he’s just… changed. Evolved. Like all of us do.”

Jess bit her lip. “I just don’t know who I am anymore.”

Leanna smiled sadly. “Then maybe it’s time to figure that out.”

Jess exhaled slowly, nodding. “Yeah. Maybe.”

Before either of them could say anything else, Olivia burst through the door, carrying her laptop. “You guys are gonna love this.”

Leanna raised an eyebrow. “What now?”

Olivia flopped onto the couch and spun the laptop toward them. “I found something on Erasmus Vellum.”

Jess immediately sat up. “You did?”

“Sort of,” Olivia said. “There are only two records of him anywhere. A fifteen-year-old obituary… and a cemetery record.”

Jess frowned. “Where?”

Olivia grinned. “Sleepy Hollow.”

Silence filled the room.

Jess exchanged glances with Leanna, who gave her a slow nod.

“Well,” Jess murmured, “I guess we’re going on a road trip.”