New Discovery

Jessica sat alone at her desk in the main area of the lab, hard at work. It had been hours since James went to take a nap but the time allowed her to document everything. It was the first time in many months that an experiment had delivered novel results. Not only that, but James seeing Samantha in her dream might be the first breakthrough in understanding the inner workings of the bodyhopping phenomenon. An elated Jessica went back to her notes, scribbling frantically as she recorded the details of their encounter. While she was engrossed in her writing, the door leading to the smaller room opened.

Samantha stumbled out looking a little disheveled. Jessica imagined James probably couldn't resist taking advantage of the lovely body he'd borrowed. Jessica could only roll her eyes. Samantha told her a few months ago that she'd sort of given James permission to play around with her body. Not something Jessica approved of, but what they did in their spare time was their business.

As Samantha crossed the lab, Jessica immediately noticed suttle differences. Samantha's makeup was smudged along her jawline, and her usually primped hair appeared mussed and tangled. Worse, the telltale dampness staining the front of her blouse hinted at a particularly passionate encounter. A blush crept up Samantha's cheeks as she shuffled nervously. Looking like the stereotypical walk of shame, she met Dr. Yuri's gaze and hesitated.

"Hey Jess," she muttered awkwardly. "How'd the experiment go. I'm a little annoyed with James. He didn't exactly leave me in the best condition. Usually, he at least cleans me up before dismounting me."

Jessica stared at Sam in confusion, her eyebrows furrowed. "Samantha? Wait, what? where did James go? Hold on, James are you trying to prank me?"

Sam looked at Jessica, in bewilderment. "What are you rambling about, Jess?" she asked. "I woke up on the cot over there. James had already left my body." She sighed heavily, clearly irritated by the situation. "And what makes it worse is that he didn't even bother hiding his handiwork," Samantha complained, staring down at her rumpled appearance.

Jessica stood up and walked towards Samantha, studying her carefully. Then she walked over to the room with the cot and looked inside. Empty. No sign of James. Last she checked, bodyhoppers were elusive but they couldn't just disappear. James couldn't phase out of existence and vanish without a trace. Something about this scenario felt amiss. "Sam" she said questioningly, "Do you have a mirror in your make up bag?"

"Uhhhh, yeah, why?" Samantha replied, confused.

"Could you lend it to me for a second?" Jessica asked. Samantha fished out her makeup bag from her purse and handed it over to Jessica. The doctor gingerly opened it and held it up to Samantha's face. Sam's face stared back. Her normal flawless face. "What the fuck?" Jessica mumbled, her gaze fixated on the mirror.

"Jessica, what's wrong? You're making me nervous." Samantha asked.

The doctor looked up from the mirror, "Look—" Jessica stammered, pointing at the reflection in the compact mirror. "Your face--it's your normal face!"

Samantha glanced at the mirror, "Yeah.....and?" she asked, perplexed.

"Sam, James never left your body." Jessica explained.

Samantha scratched her head, puzzled. "Wait, what do you mean?"

"I mean, James never left your body." Jessica repeated. "He went in the waiting room to rest and then you walked out as well...you. He never dismounted you."

"But I thought that I'd still be **** if he was still in me" Samantha countered, her confusion evident.

"Yes, that how it's awlays been. I don't understand what's going on here. You've never comeback to your body while James is inside you. Why now?" Jessica thought out load.

"I mean I don't know," Samantha shrugged. "All I remember is waking up on the cot and walking out seeing you at your desk."

"Wait, what was the last thing you remember before that?" Jessica pressed.

"Umm, I guess I was laying on the table, right? Then James did his bodyhopping thing and then I woke up on the cot." Samantha recalled, scrunching her nose in concentration.

"So you don't remember anything in between?" Jessica asked, her tone urgent.

"Well, I mean I did have a weird dream." Samantha pondered, tapping her lip. "Sort of random actually, I was in the park where an old boyfriend and I used to go. And I think I saw James there too. Definitely odd but I guess that's dreaming." Sam said shrugging.

Jessica's eyes widened in surprise. "Sam, was your ex's name Mike?" Jessica asked, her eyes locked on her closest friend.

"Uhhhh, yeah actually. How'd you figure that out?" Samantha said, shifting uneasily.

"Holy, shit." Jessica swore uncharacteristically beneath her breath. "Sam, that was actually James in your dream! He talked about the same dream before he went to go rest. I think NE actually worked! Not in the way I thought but we somehow contacted you while James was inside you!" Jessica cried out in disbelief. "The experiment worked! It's unprecedented! We've never seen anything like this before!"

Samantha's eyes widened. "What? Are you serious?" she exclaimed. "Jess, that's huge!" Both women shared a moment of astonishment. The implications of their discovery were staggering. Could it be that they had unlocked a new frontier in understanding the enigmatic world of bodyhopping? The realization dawned on Samantha and Jessica, their minds racing with the possibilities.

Unfortunately, the moment of accomplishment was brief, the look of confusion returning to Sam's face. "Jess, this is huge and all but where's James?" Samantha asked.

"I don't know," Jessica admitted, her forehead creased in concern. "The only logical explanation is that he's still inside you."

Sam's eyes widened at Jessica's words. "But that doesn't make any sense. If he's still inside me, then why can't I sense him? I should be able to feel his presence, right?"

Jessica paused, considering Samantha's question. "Well, maybe not. He always said he never felt you're presence unless he actively focused on it. Try doing the same. Concentrate. See if you feel anything foreign within your mind. Anything unusual." Jessica instructed Samantha. Samantha nodded, closing her eyes and focusing inward. The air hung heavy with expectancy.

"Nothing," Samantha uttered after several moments of intense focus. "I don't feel anything strange in my thoughts. I'm not sensing him at all."

The two women stared at each other in silence. Where was James? The question lingered in the air of the laboratory. The unexpected twist of events had left them both baffled, unable to comprehend the mysterious disappearance of the bodyhopper.