Free Surreal Ecstasy by Chrissy Moon Page B

the hospital. So I came here."
She stopped to take another breath.
    I took advantage of the pause in
conversation. "How do you know you were a god in a past life?"
    "I've had dreams since I was a
little girl, dreams I could never understand. We'll talk about those dreams
another time." She stopped and leaned against the wall, pondering. "I
forgot about those dreams for a while, but shortly after my 25 th birthday and moving here to Lynnwood, the dreams started up again. But they're
different from before. They're real . They're memories . It's like
I can breathe and think as the god that I used to be. And on top of that,"
she continued, pacing around the room again, "I can feel that there are
others like me, that there are some in the area and maybe that's why I got
attracted to Lynnwood when I could have moved to Seattle instead. It's hard to
explain, the change in the energy around me, the feeling like I'm on the verge
of discovering something very, very important."
    "This is really weird, Dess,"
I complained, massaging my temples. "If this is your idea of therapy, I'll
take Dr. Hearse over you any day."
    An offended look crossed her face. "You
don't believe me, right? I understand. I admit it sounds crazy at first. But your angel's warning completes the puzzle for me.
You were meant to help me. We were meant to be friends."
    "I do, I do believe you,"
I said quickly, chuckling. "Just give me a minute to process it all."
    Before she could respond, the door
opened, and Erica stuck her blonde head in again. "Visiting hours are
almost over, ladies," she sang.
    "Uh, thanks, Erica. Just a
couple more minutes," I said before Dess could be her rude self again.
    She gave me a winning smile and
left, closing the door behind her.
    "Do you think she was a
cheerleader in high school?" I asked Dess.
    She ignored that. "I really
and truly believe you're able to help me ."
    "I never even believed in any
of this hocus-pocus crap, you know."
    "This isn't a run-of-the-mill
crystal ball operation," Dess argued. "We're talking about ex-gods,
angels, hell's creatures, human helpers like you, and god knows what else. This
is real whacky, intense shit."
    "Are former gods allowed to
curse?"
    "I'm visiting as a human,
remember?" she replied, smiling again. She got up and slid her chair back
to its place by the door.
    "I don't know, Dess. My head
hurts." I massaged my temples for emphasis. "Okay. I admit it was intensely crazy when my imaginary
friend told me about the God Generation not too long before you come in and
drop this bomb on me. I admit that in some strange, twisted way, it makes sense .
I just need a little while to let it sink in and make sense of it."
    She nodded slowly, as if seriously
considering every word I said.
    "One other thing really
bothers me, though."
    "What?" she asked, her
light brown skin getting paler by the second.
    "There is no way you can be
twenty-five years old."
    Dess burst out laughing, her body
visibly relaxing. "Thanks. I guess it runs in the family. My mom's from Mexico and my dad's from the Philippines, and nobody was ever able to guess their age."
    I thought about him again,
the beautiful man whom she called Rios. He certainly seemed like he had a
combination of Mexican and Filipino features. They just had to be related.
    Only one way to find out.
    "Dess…?"
    She looked at me, her almond-shaped
eyes suddenly round in question.
    "Who is that guy who used to
pick you up from work? Is he… uh, your brother, or…?" I let my sentence
trail off.
    She understood instantly, and it
showed in her smile. " That pain-in-the-ass? Yeah, he's my little
brother. Everyone else calls him Ree." She paused, looking me over. "He's
available."
    My cheeks felt warm. "That's
not why I was asking. I kinda thought you guys were married," I confessed,
scooching down on my bed, wishing I could disappear.
    She smiled and laughed
good-naturedly, giving me a quick hug. "Well, time to go."
    That made me feel a little sad. "Thanks
for the