Jemma

Chase stared at the roll of stickers in his hand, his heart racing as he considered the possibilities. The crowded lobby faded into background noise as his attention shifted to Jemma beside him, still absorbed in her phone. A part of him felt like he was letting his imagination run wild, but something about these “Hello, My Name Is…” stickers felt different.

His fingers trembled as he peeled one from the roll. If these stickers really were magical, he needed to test them with a name close to him. It didn’t take long for a name to float to the surface of his thoughts: Melissa. He started to write it down, then froze. Melissa? The name felt both foreign and familiar. Case had never known anyone named Melissa, but Chase did. The memories were there, Chase’s memories that is, which were his memories.

His head throbbed as two sets of memories competed for space: Case’s dull life without Melissa, and Chase’s history with her. Melissa Larson, his study partner through college, the one who'd helped him ace his business courses. Her laugh, her determination, and the late-night cramming sessions… they all felt so real. But that wasn’t real. Was it? “Chase” was something he created, so why did Melissa feel real?

A sharp pulse of pain snapped him back. Focus. He couldn’t afford to spiral now. He shoved the disorienting double vision into the back of his mind. His confusion will have to be sorted out later.

With the existential hiccup temporarily out of the picture, he carefully wrote “Melissa Larson” on the sticker, picturing her as clearly as he could. Jemma remained oblivious as he pressed it onto her suit jacket.

The change was subtle but immediate.

Melissa crossed her legs as she relaxed (easier said than done with how crowded the couch was). Her lips curled into a bright smile as she turned toward him, twirling her hair in that nervous-excited way she always had before big exams. Her eyes sparkled, but something about Melissa was just off.

Chase knew that Melissa before him used to be Jemma and her body didn’t change to become Melissa. Instead, the stickers only seemed to bring out Melissa’s mannerisms. In a way, it was almost like watching an actress imitating your best friend. He was almost convinced that this person was Melissa.

“That’s weird,” Melissa chuckled. “Wasn’t I eating breakfast?”

He blinked. “What?” Chase asked, tilting his head.

However, Melissa just shrugged as she unlocked her phone and scrolled through her resume. “It’s fine. When are they going to start the interviews? It feels like we’ve been waiting here forever.”

Chase continued to stare as his heart kept pounding while “Melissa” casually checked her phone like nothing unusual had happened. Her every movement screamed Melissa.

“Yeah… interviews,” Chase said slowly, struggling to keep his voice steady.

Melissa glanced up, frowning at his hesitation. “You okay? You look… off.” Her tone was warm but held a hint of concern, exactly the way Melissa would have sounded back in college… if that version of events were ever real.

He **** a smile. “Just... nervous. You know how these things are.”

“You? Nervous? Come on, Chase, you've got this! You always do.” She squeezed his hand. The gesture sent a jolt through him, not just because of the contact, but because he could simultaneously remember and not remember countless times she’d done this before, each memory shimmering like a mirage.

Movement caught his eye as he glanced at the regular name tag on Melissa’s lapel, the one everyone could see. The letters of “Jemma” began to dance, rearranging themselves like alphabet soup coming to a boil. Each stroke settled into new positions until “Melissa” emerged in her characteristic looping handwriting, complete with the little star she always dotted her ‘i’ with. Chase blinked hard, but the changed name remained.

“Can all candidates stand and form a line?” the receptionist’s voice cut through his daze. “You’ll be directed by several staff members for which room to go.”

Melissa perked up, beaming with excitement. “Finally!” She grabbed her purse and stood, tugging his sleeve playfully. “Come on, partner. Ready to ace this interview?” She planted a light kiss on his cheek.

Chase swallowed the lump in his throat as he let Melissa pull him to his feet. Her touch felt so real, her smile so familiar that it made his chest ache. But he couldn’t forget that Jemma, the real Jemma, was gone, her identity erased by a simple sticker.

Except, no it wasn’t. At least, it shouldn’t be gone.

He could bring Jemma back if he planted a new sticker onto Melissa. Problem solved… hopefully. Though, Chase couldn’t help but wonder if anyone else remembered Jemma.

A man in a suit with a clipboard in hand approached the line. “Melissa Larson?”

“That’s me!” she replied.

“Your interview is on the 8th floor in Interview Room H.”

“Thanks,” Melissa answered as she left the line and joined a new one by the elevator. She turned back and waved at Chase, who waved back.

The suited man approached Chase. “Chase Holmes. Your interview is on this floor in Interview Room A.” The man then suddenly shook his head and said, “Actually, follow me.”

Chase nodded stiffly, feeling the weight of the stickers pressing against his side. As the man led him down the bland corporate hallway, Chase’s thoughts twisted like a labyrinth. He could change everything with a single name written on a sticker, but every new possibility carried consequences he couldn’t predict.

In a way, it almost excited him.

However, his excitement was tampered when he stood before Interview Room A. Right, the interview. In a way, he wasn’t nervous, or rather the Chase that was him wasn’t nervous. Chase had access to all of the memories that were Case’s and was able to smooth out any insecurities he might have had in his speech.

Patting the wad of stickers in his pocket, Chase entered inside.