Chapter 5 - The Reunion

The next morning dawned and Mallory returned to the hospital room accompanied by Jason's three other friends. Among them was a tall, reserved young man with olive skin and black hair who introduced himself as Terry. Also, there was a tall girl with platinum hair and a lot of personality in more ways than one, known as Allison. Lastly, an average-sized guy with a buzz-cut of fiery ginger hair who went by the name Gerrard completed the group. Each of them presented themselves as Jason's friends, and on the surface, they all appeared friendly, but Jason knew one of these people was his killer.

They gathered around his hospital bed, engaging in light banter and discussing what Jason had missed during his ordeal. Talon, seated sideways in a chair beside him, manipulated a deck of cards between his nimble fingers as he spoke.

"So, it's one of these people, huh? They all appear to be your friends," Talon remarked, glancing at Jason, his eyes sharp.

For a moment, panic coursed through Jason's veins, fearing Talon might be revealing himself. Then he remembered the instructions from the previous night: only he could see his gods most of the time. He subtly nodded in acknowledgment of Talon's question.

"Unfortunately, we can't follow them outside of your immediate vicinity," Talon continued, his fingers still dancing with the cards. "We're limited to a couple of hundred metres from you before we're called back. However, if any of them leaves the room for a phone call or something, we'll tail them."

Again, Jason nodded discreetly.

"They each took turns looking after you while you were asleep," Talon added. "None of them acted suspiciously during that time. We spent two months with them, and we came out with no leads. This is going to be a challenging task to figure out who it was, and protect you from them."

Jason nodded once more, this time less subtly.

"Are you feeling okay, Jason? You seem a bit spaced out," Mallory inquired.

Jason replied, "Yes, sorry. I'm just tired; being stabbed in the heart and all it takes it out of you," He said this with a touch of sarcasm, feeling somewhat awkward around these people he effectively didn't know. Nevertheless, they were all making an effort to show him love and welcome him.

"There's the Jason we know," Allison said with a smile.

"Do you remember anything from the attack? Or how you managed to get back to the school before the rest of us?" Asked Terry.

"No, I remember absolutely nothing about anything. I barely remember how to walk." said Jason, trying to add some humour to his response.

Terry seemed a little sad, it looked as if he felt bad for Jason. The rest just looked on and listened, none of them showed any sort of joy towards this statement. Whoever the killer was, was a good actor.

The conversation then shifted to what each of them was doing now. Mallory was living with her parents and attending university to become a lawyer. She had only attended military school to bolster her university application. Terry had remained in the military and now resided on a base just outside of town. Allison had left school and secured a job as a personal assistant for a wealthy businessman in the business district, with the added perk of receiving her own apartment as part of her compensation. Finally, Gerrard had left school and was currently jobless, living with his parents. He claimed to be searching for a job, though his conviction in that statement was questionable.

Unfortunately, nothing in their stories seemed suspicious. They continued conversing for about another hour until Jason grew weary, prompting them to leave him to rest. Socialising in his current state proved to be exhausting.

~~~~

Later that afternoon, Jason awoke to another visitor. A young woman with fiery scarlet hair, who appeared to be in her mid-twenties, sat cross-legged in a chair, dressed in business attire consisting of a white blouse, a black skirt, a suit jacket, and black tights. She was patiently working on a crossword puzzle in a virtual newspaper, a device that mimicked the look and feel of an actual newspaper but updated daily with a subscription and required no ink. Upon noticing Jason stirring, she folded up the paper and placed it in her designer bag, which sat at her feet. She then smiled warmly at him.

"Hello, Jason. I understand you've lost your memory, so I'll introduce myself," she said, her voice measured and confident. "My name is Amber White, and until recently, I was your teacher and commander at the military school you attended. I've since been discharged from the military for reasons I'd prefer not to discuss. But I digress; I'm here to offer you a job and help you determine which of your friends is responsible for attacking you."

Jason was shocked that she knew so much, but this happened to be only the tip of the iceberg.

"You might be wondering how I know all this," Amber continued. "Well, my ability allows me to gather information from a location or photo, showing me what transpired. I witnessed your altercation with your assailant, but they managed to conceal their identity somehow. So, naturally I saw your ability and witnessed your fight. I believe you could be an asset in my new organisation."

Jason was unsure of what to say. She laid everything out with such precision and honesty that he found it hard not to trust her. Nevertheless, caution was paramount, so he chose the prudent path.

"May I have some time to think about it? I can come see you after I leave the hospital," he asked.

"Of course," she replied, her demeanour friendly. She handed him a card. "Here's my contact information. Come to this address when you feel better. I'm relieved you're okay, Jason; I wouldn't have forgiven myself if you had died under my watch."

"Thank you," Jason responded, touched by her genuine empathy.

Amber nodded and departed. Jason knew he would likely take her up on her offer, but he didn't want to appear too eager. After she left, he reflected on his encounter with Amber. Mallory had mentioned that despite his difficult time at military school, Jason had almost decided to stay in the military. Now he understood why; if that woman had been his commander, he would have stayed underwater if that's where she was. She embodied everything he desired in a woman. Lost in his thoughts, Jason forgot that he was now never alone. Liz appeared at the end of his bed, lying seductively.

"Got a hard on for her do we?" Liz teased.

"No!" Jason protested, clearly lying, a hint of panic in his voice.

"You can't lie to me; I have access to your memories," she laughed. "I can even recall when you undressed her with your eyes."

"Fine," Jason replied quietly.

"When you imagined her naked breasts in your face," she continued playfully.

"Alright, alright, yes, I like her," Jason confessed, trying not to cringe. "Someone else having access to your memories is really inconvenient. There goes any dignity I have," he sighed, touching his forehead.

"You'll get used to it," giggled Liz, with a mischievous grin and tongue out. "Besides, it's not a bad thing. The line between love and lust can be thin sometimes, and I don't sense any malice in you, so you're clear. Anyway, I can help you."

"Help me with what?" Jason asked, his confusion evident.

"Help make her yours," Liz replied with a glint in her eye.