A tanned black-haired teenager yawned as he lay down on the bench inside a public park. The scent of fresh morning dew couldn't cover the unpleasant smell of burnt plastic, charred flesh, and dusty concrete from his clothes that looked just as it smelled. Wiping his forehead, Jason only smudged more black charcoal onto his forehead as the morning crowd kept a wide berth from him.

“Ahh, what a pain,” he muttered as he tried shifting into a more comfortable position.

Jason had just finished a contract in which he needed to protect a diplomat from a possible attack. He managed to find the hitman but the killer was rather boorish in his attempted attack; he had planned to bomb the diplomat but Jason stopped him. Unfortunately, the bomb went off during their fight, killing the hitman and injuring Jason. The bomb also destroyed Jason's holo-watch and any ID he had, leaving him penniless and homeless.

His current situation would have been rather amusing for Elizabeth had she been around, but it had been over four years since they had separated. Jason scratched his nose while closing his eyes, ignoring the pain he felt of when he thought about her.

Whatever, He thought. I'll just sleep and think on what to do later. Huh, maybe I can charge that diplomat more? Nah, that guy's probably gone. Well, shit.

Jason relaxed his body and soon drifted off into a dreamless sleep…

Hours later, Jason felt a hard stick stab him in the ribs multiple times. He frowned and tried ignoring it but the poking became more insistent.

“Huh, is it dead?” a voice asked nearby as the person who questioned continued jabbing Jason with a stick.

“Uhh … you mind? Trying to sleep here,” Jason turned his head and told the poker without opening his eyes.

“Ohh, it's alive!” the person exclaimed her excited voice full of amazement.

Hearing her voice Jason opened his eyes and looked at the commotion. He squinted as he looked at the two figures that were obscured by the sun. One was a blonde girl, a teenager who was about a young teen, a few years younger than Jason himself.

She was standing behind another girl, a young child who was about nine years old. Her tanned skin and round cheeks were full of enthusiasm, and her messy curled hair indicated her rebellious nature.

Helen?! Jason thought as his eyes locked onto the young girl. No, that's not her.

As he looked closely, he noticed that her eyes and hair were different. Still, he couldn't help but watch her closely as she studied him curiously.

“Hmmm,” the little girl moved around quickly, looking at Jason from different angles as though he were an interesting specimen from a zoo. “So, this is what a hobo looks like. You did mention that they dress strangely, right, Katie?”

Jason heard her and nearly collapsed on the bench, completely speechless. Scratch that, she really was treating him like an exhibit from the zoo! The teenage girl behind Jason avoided his eyes as she looked down at the little girl.

“Mistress Alina, it is rude to discuss a person's unfortunate and rather sad lifestyle in front of them,” Katie said, causing Jason to deflate with shame.

They really think I'm a hobo! He thought.

“Oh is it?” Alina placed her hand underneath her chin as she once again looked at Jason. “But he doesn't seem to mind it!”

No, I do mind! Jason retorted in his mind. It's just that I can't keep up with you two!

“Somebody, save me,” Jason muttered under his breath as his stomach growled for food. During his sleep, he used his powers to accelerate his healing process and this increased his metabolism, causing his stomach to literally scream with hunger.

“Here you go, it tastes funny but it'll fill you up,” the little girl, Alina, handed him a candy bar that was already open with a bite taken. Accepting the bar, Jason turned to look at the label and nearly doubted his vision as he read it.

Uhh … pizza flavored chocolate?! Jason had tears in his eyes as he triple checked the cover. What kind of masochist makes this up?! Well, beggars can't be choosers …

Jason took a bite and froze with the piece of chocolate in his mouth. Without even trying to chew, he swallowed it whole; the piece of chocolate was visible as a bulge as it went down.

“I know right?” Alina said sympathetically as she patted his shoulder. “I thought it'd taste good, I mean it is both of my favorite foods combined together but yucky, it was terrible!”

Then why hand it to me?! Asked Jason in his mind, unaware that he was much more animated after interacting with Alina.

Voices calling Alina's name came from a distance as several bodyguards in black suits ran up to the three. The lead man, a tough man close to his forties sighed as he looked at Alina.

“Mistress, I know you don't like it, but we need to be escorting you,” the man said to Alina who pouted and looked away with her arms crossed.

“You guys are boring, why would I wanna be followed by you? See how much fun it is without you?” Alina pointed at Jason. “Look, I was able to talk to a hobo! Would I be able to do that if you were around?”

The man finally looked at Jason when Alina finished and immediately froze. His eyes were narrowed as he realized the scent of blood and sulfur was emanating from Jason and he signaled at the other bodyguards who quickly positioned themselves for battle.

“Miss, please come here,” he said in a serious voice. Katie realized something was off and quickly led Alina towards the group of bodyguards. As soon as the two were safely surrounded, the man looked back at Jason and nodded, appreciative that he didn't attack the two.

Jason tried nodding back with a friendly smile but instead sent the man a constipated look as he tried finishing the bar. The man was confused until he noticed the bar in Jason's hand and was suddenly grateful to him. Had Alina not given the bar to Jason, he would have been offered it instead.

The group left but not before Alina waved goodbye at Jason, a sweet smile on her face. Jason eventually finished the bar and rinsed both his mouth and stomach with water from a drinking fountain. After a few moments, Jason paused and raised his head, tilting it sideways as he heard the sounds of battle rippling from a distance.

He sighed as he heard a familiar voice crying; the group that left recently was under attack. Jason's first reaction was to ignore it, he was tired and feeling sick, not to mention he had no obligation to help people he had just met. But even as this thought crossed his mind, Jason couldn't help but remember the bright smile that girl gave him before leaving. The girl who reminded him of Helen.

This is … disconcerting, Jason thought wryly. Is it possible that she was right and I'm a siscon?

The maid that Alina called Katie stood protectively in front of the former as the bodyguards fought in close quarter combat with the hitmen. This time, the assassins were different from the others. While the usual killers tried sniping or long-range attacks first, this group ran headfirst into battle with the bodyguards. Clearly, they disregarded their own lives and used their numerical advantage to swarm the bodyguards, after which they resorted to using poison or grenades to kill the latter along with themselves.

This method proved effective as several bodyguards were killed while the hitmen pushed forward to their target, Alina. Katie bit her lips as she closed her hand into fists. Her eyes were narrowed and she wondered if she should just tell Alina to run away while she tried to delay the enemy. Before she could decide, the wind swept her hair as a presence appeared behind her.

“Cover her eyes and don't let her listen,” a gravel voice whispered close to her ears. Despite not knowing who the newcomer was, Katie followed his instructions as the person leapt into action. He sped past her in a hurricane of wind and slammed shoulder-first into four hitmen who flew away as though they were hit by an SUV. Katie's mouth dropped when she realized that it was the ragged man that Alina helped earlier.

Right after the shoulder bash, Jason surrounded his fists and legs with pressurized air compressed to its limit that was held together by telekinetic energy. He punched out at a nearby opponent and the compressed air shot out like the exhaust of a turbine, and the opponent flew away while knocking several more back. The opponent had died with a circular dent in his chest while his body was crushed by the force at which his body struck a tree.

The force of the air blasted Jason backwards as well and he used the momentum to elbow another hitman that was in his way and a sickening crunch was heard as the hitman's head was snapped a complete 90 degrees backward.

Jason then rolled as he landed and crouched while straightening his arms and placing a few inches above the ground before releasing a burst of compressed air that sent him flying into the air. As he adjusted his fall, Jason flipped at the last second and sent a heel kick crashing down on an enemy. As the back of his heel connected, the air pressure sent the enemy's head downwards and he died as his spine caved inwards while being pressed down. The blow also sent Jason up into the air again and, at the apex of his jump, he threw a knife that he had stolen at some point at another opponent while punching a grenade that was thrown at him with his turbine fists, sending it back into a group of enemies.

Sounds of bones crunching and screams that followed it echoed for a short time before silence reigned. The head bodyguard was only two of the survivors that remained from the bodyguards and he couldn't help but look at Jason with fear and reverence. These days, it was nigh high impossible to find an Esper as most have fled to Sanctuary, not to mention a powerful one like Jason.

“Is it over? Are we safe?” Alina asked as Katie checked her for any injury she might have.

“Yes, young mistress. It's alright now,” Katie hugged her as she replied and looked at Jason from above Alina's head. “Thank you.”

Her eyes met Jason's as she whispered and he couldn't help but notice how beautiful she was after taking a close look. Her creamy skin and dirty blonde hair attracted him to her strong features but he was mesmerized by her detached look and cold blue eyes. An odd sensation passed through him as he looked into those blue eyes that reminded him of Freya. The only difference was that her crystal eyes were less electrifying and more emotionless.

Hmmm, strange, Jason thought. Why am I so sentimental today?

Alina who recovered quickly hopped to Jason and grinned.

“That was awesome! Where did you learn to fight?” She asked excitedly. “Teach me! You don't have a home, right? Well, you could live with me! On one condition though, you be my bodyguard and beat up anyone I tell you to! Just like you did right now! Oh, my name is Alina, pleased to meet you!" [1]

***

Jason opened his eyes and stared at the unfamiliar white ceiling. He groggily looked at his arm and noticed the IV needle attached to it and slowly the annoying beeps from the heart rate machine only served to muddle his confusion more.

“Ah, bien. You are awake,” a voice nearby said. Jason turned to look at the person with his blurry vision. After a moment, his vision focused and he nearly stopped breathing as a lump formed in his throat. A girl with dirty blonde hair was dressed as a professional maid and her deadpan blue eyes stared back at him with a calm look.

“Katelyn,” Jason whispered.

***

Elizabeth hummed ‘Truly, Madly, Deeply’ under her breath as she entered the private ward of Robbins Memorial. She used her stick and the hearing aid that informed her of important holograms to find herself a seat. [2]

Tilting her head, she noticed two people sitting opposite of her. Elizabeth judged both of them to be young teens from their size. One was a male which she deduced from his grumblings while the other was a girl, based on how feminine the cloudy shaped aura appeared to be in her eyes. The girl who was drifting between sleep and drowsiness jumped from the sound of her holo-watch and answered a call.

“Asami? Yeah, that's right … no Jason's okay,” Elizabeth spun her head around sharply and focused on the girl as she spoke through a holo-call. “The idiot was stabbed but refused to be treated till he finally fainted. Alright, I'll wait for you.”

At first, Elizabeth merely eavesdropped to hear if this was her Jason and whether he was badly wounded or not. From her perspective, he wouldn't have come to the hospital unless it was a fatal injury, hence the reason why she came to ascertain the truth. However, she eventually paid attention to the girl who was speaking and was stunned.

Helen? But how? Wasn't she…

“You okay, Jared?” the girl ended the call and turned to talk to the boy.

“Yes! I'm fine!” Jared straightened his back and answered nervously.

“You don't have to be so scared,” the girl was amused at the boy's reaction. “Your sister is a good friend of mine. She really cares about you too, she told us about you.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Jared blushed and scratched his cheek. “I'm just nervous and worried. Worried about sis and nervous cause well, it's my first time meeting a high level Esper.”

“Ah, right. Well, I'm not like them,” Alina said, realizing why Jared was nervous. Unlike her, Jared wasn't an Esper, he was a normal human. And it was not uncommon for high level Espers to despise ordinary people. “You come across any trouble, let me know and I'll kick it in the ass.”

Jared thanked her when Elizabeth arrived in front of them. The two stopped talking and watched her approach with some confusion.

“Excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear you,” Elizabeth said. “Are you Helen?”

“No, sorry, wrong person. I'm Alina,” Alina replied.

“Oh, sorry. It's just that I thought you were someone else,” Elizabeth smiled wryly as though she knew she was mistaken but still held hope that it was Helen. “She was a good friend that died.”

Alina felt pity for Elizabeth, thinking that the latter who was blind only heard a similar voice and came to check on her. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was thinking on how to check on Alina's appearance. She knew how Helen looked from the way Jason had bragged about her and now, she had an inkling on why Jason was living with this new sister of his.

“If you don't mind, can you tell me how you look?” Elizabeth asked before looking sideways at Jared. Intentionally, she was looking the at the opposite direction of where Jared sat and began talking to him. “On second thought, you tell me how she looks.”

“Uhh …” Jared looked at Alina wondering if it was alright and the latter nodded at him encouragingly. “Well, she's got bright eyes, black hair and light brown skin that's the perfect tan.”

Huh, that … is quite similar to Helen. What the hell is he thinking? Elizabeth thought to herself.

“That's … just like her,” Elizabeth muttered before turning to Alina. “Thank you for indulging in my curiosity.”

Alina was about to reply when a nurse interrupted them.

“Excuse me, Ms. Hyde? Dr. Jones is waiting for you,” the nurse told Elizabeth who nodded and turned to the two kids.

“Excuse me, it was nice meeting you,” Elizabeth told them before she started following the nurse.

“Hyde? Could she be… no way,” Alina muttered as Asami came rushing from the entrance.

“Alle!” Asami called out.

Alina was about to respond when she heard a small clatter coming from the room where Jason was resting. The two exchanged glances and, thinking it might be an attack, barged into the room while Jared hesitated for a moment.

***

“Jason?! Non, non, I'm not ready for this!” Michelle cried.

After waking up, she had checked herself out and decided to visit Jason to see how he was. Seeing how vulnerable he was while sleeping, she couldn't help but stay and look after him. This however led to the current situation that had her panicking.

As soon as Jason woke up, he grabbed her and pulled her into the bed before rolling to the top and pinning her down. His blurry vision had seen her as someone else and his drug-addled mind failed to realize that she was speaking with a French accent.

“Oh? The rape play? Not really a fan of that one, Katelyn,” Jason slurred, his voice slow and heavy from the anesthetics. He grabbed Michelle's arms and pinned them over her head with one hand while another gently stroked her cheeks. “Oh right, it's Katie, eh? Always used to make you shiver when I'd call you that.”

“Jason, Arrêtez! Wake up!” Michelle urged while squirming before falling silent. The hand that was brushing her cheeks moved to her lips silencing her.

“I lied you know,” Jason muttered as he traced her lips. “That night, I lied. You weren't nothing to me. You … I lied when I said you were just a fuck-toy ... you were the second woman to reach my heart. But I was scared and angry, so I pushed you away.”

Michelle froze as she saw guilt and sadness engulf Jason's face. She had never seen him look so fragile before, and she realized that the Jason she knew was just a facade that he showed everyone else.

“And then you betrayed me. And I had to choose,” Jason continued. “Maybe it could have been different. Maybe if ... instead of abandoning you I took your hand … if I tried … maybe you would be here with me and Allie … maybe you'd still be alive …”

Michelle was unable to look away from Jason's teary eyes as he slowly leaned forward to kiss her. When his lips almost grazed hers she came back to reality and pulled back while struggling to free herself from him. Her movements caused the nearby tray to fall onto the ground.

Soon after, Alina and Asami burst through the door but stopped in utter shock when they saw what was happening. Jason, with his askew hospital gown, was on top of Michelle who was frozen in horror when she saw the two.

“You womanizing dick!” Alina growled through gritted teeth before exploding. She kicked Jason off Michelle and onto the ground.

“Moshi, moshi? Officer, there's a pervert lusting after a minor here,” Asami said to her phone. It was impossible to tell if she really called the police or not.

Alina grabbed the fallen Jason by the front of his gown and was about to punch him when she saw his face. That broken and feeble smile he gave stopped her in her tracks.

“Hey, Allie,” he said in a crushed voice. “I deserved that, didn't I? For killing Katelyn ... for destroying your life.”

“What happened to him?” Asami asked seriously when she realized something was wrong.

“He thought I was someone else,” Michelle added. “A Katelyn, je pense.”

“He's delirious from medication,” Silvia walked in with a nurse who began checking Jason while the former used her SEC device to levitate him back into bed. “Quite normal for some but especially in his case. They had to administer a strong one to keep him sedated while they repaired his cephalic vein.”

Silvia laid Jason to bed and stroked his hair as she spoke to the others and the nurse prepared to inject the solution bag's needle into him when Silvia stopped her with a shake of her head.

“Let's leave him to rest some more shall we?” Silvia said to the others, gesturing at them to leave. “Rest assured, I'll keep an eye on him and make sure nothing happens again.”

Silvia ushered them all of them, including the nurse, out of the door before closing it. She then grabbed a chair and pulled up to Jason's bed and studied his face. She had a feeling that he would answer any question she asked while in this state.

“Silvie,” Jason smiled. “You know, I tried to be like you? I tried to be a good brother to them but it didn't work.”

Them? Silvia thought before shaking her head. That's not important, focus on the issue at hand, Silvia.

“Jason …” Silvia paused as she gathered her thoughts, wondering how to ask the question that was in her mind. Looking at Jason, she took a deep breath and continued. “Are you … are you killing yourself by using your Esper power?”

[1] Same flashback as the one from Chapter 2

[2] Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden (Although I prefer the cover by Cascada: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daM3_rHxRik)