Jessica Paulson

Jessica Paulson is a citizen of Brighton.

## Personality

Jessica is a lonely and self-conscious woman. The encounter with a serial killer was a traumatizing experience for her, but knowing that someone like Hector was out there helped her cope. She’s not the same person she was before.

## Relationships

Jessica has a tendency to attract certain types of men, ones who try to take advantage of her. She doesn’t know very many black people.

### Hector Goffe

After Hector saved her from a serial killer, Jessica became a big fan of him. She was very upset when the people started calling him a murderer and a criminal.

### Jamal Easton

Jamal Easton is a good friend of Jessica, and the two stayed in touch despite not seeing each other since they were sixteen.

## History

Jessica is a native of Brighton, and had presumably been friends with Jamal since childhood, while they both lived there.

She seems to have dated several men across the years, many of whom tried to take advantage of her. Her latest prospect turned out to be a serial killer, who nearly killed her but was stopped by Hector, though not before beating and cutting her.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “But sometimes,” Jamal continued, “I’d worry about her. She’s a very... self-conscious person. And... lonely. She has an unfortunate tendency to attract certain types of men. Ones who try to take advantage of her. I knew all of this, but even still, I never imagined she would encounter *that* type of man...”

Hector scratched his cheek. “Uh... I’m sorry. I’m not sure I follow--”

Jamal held up a hand. “When she told me she’d nearly been the victim of a serial killer, I thought she was joking. But she wasn’t. And then she told me about the person who’d saved her.” The man’s smile was a faint thing, and it almost seemed like it didn’t belong on his face. “She actually said that, at first, she thought it was *me*. And in fairness, she hadn’t seen me in years, and she doesn’t know very many black people. And being mistaken for a hero--certainly not the worst kind of racial profiling I’ve ever experienced. But when she got a good look at you, she realized that you were too young to be me. And apparently, you also had a knife in your chest which didn’t seem to be bothering you very much.”

‘*Holy shit*,’ said Garovel. ‘*He’s talking about the woman you saved on your very first night as a servant, isn’t he?*’

Hector blinked at Jamal, unsure of what to say.

“And not long after that, the media started talking about a vigilante with remarkable power. The coincidence did not escape my friend’s notice. It was a traumatizing experience for her, but I think knowing that someone like you was out there helped her cope. She isn’t the same person that she used to be.” - Excerpt from page 729
2. ↑ “She’s a big fan of yours, by the way. She was really upset when they started calling you a murderer and a criminal.” - Excerpt from page 729
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jamal looked at Hector again. “Milord is from Brighton, yes?”

It still took Hector a moment to realize who *milord* referred to. “Er, I... yes?”

“That is where I am from as well,” said Jamal.

“Oh...”

“As it happens, I have a very good friend who still lives there. We haven’t seen each other since we were about your age, but she and I have stayed in touch all these years. And grown quite close, I suppose. I still consider her to be my best friend.” - Excerpt from page 728
4. ↑ Then he saw the woman in the bathroom. She was still alive, and conscious, even. When she saw him, she tried to scream and wriggle free, but her constraints kept her in place all too perfectly. She’d been beaten, apparently, and shallow cuts riddled her arms and face and stomach. - Excerpt from page 19