Chapter Eleven

Dean Winchester grumbled to himself as he drove out of the student parking lot. Who was that strange girl? And more importantly, what was she?

"Still ditching, I see," came a voice, and Dean swerved on the road. Luckily, it was empty, so he didn't crash into anyone. He looked over at the shotgun seat, where the chick was laying all relaxed, with her feet propped up on the dashboard.

"Don't do that!" Dean berated her.

She smiled sheepishly. "Sorry."

Dean directed his eyes back to the road. "How come I'm the only one who can see you?" he asked, somewhat flustered.

"Because I only want you to see me. That's a benefit of astral projecting," she said.

"Astral pro-what?"

"Astral projection is basically an out of body experience. Somewhere far away, my body is sleeping, but this is where my brain, my spirit is. Talking to you."

"So…you're not a demon?" Dean asked.

"Course not," she said. "Just a human who knows way too much."

"What's your name?" he asked.

"You can call me Rissa," she said, flipping her dark curly hair over her shoulder. "Rhymes with Lisa."

"Yeah, Rissa? And, uh, how old are you?" Dean asked.

"Five-hundred and twelve," Rissa answered in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Really?" Dean asked.

"No! I'm fifteen," she said exasperatedly.

"Sorry," Dean said. "But in my line of work…you can never be too sure."

She shrugged. "Point taken."

"So, how do you know everything? Are you psychic?" Dean asked.

"No. But I guess you could say that I know someone who is. His name is…Chuck."

"And he…what? Knows our future?" Dean asked.

"Something like that," she said. "It all starts this one day, with you and your brother on a hunt. That's where the story, really starts."

"Can you give me a hint?" Dean asked.

"Not really. After all," she said, smiling. "I can't give away the surprise now, can I?"

"You're really frustrating, you know that?" Dean told her.

"It could always be worse," Rissa said. "I could be some evil creature out for your death. Or I could blow up your car."

Dean gasped. "If you so much as touch Baby….

"Oh, relax, I'd never harm such a beautiful car. I love Impalas," she said, stroking the dashboard, "Though I prefer the 60' over the 67', this car is amazing."

"Naw, man, the 67' is much sleeker," Dean said. "As for the engine-"

"Yes, but FINS. FINS! Fins are amazing, and I love them. That's why I prefer the 60' model."

Dean hesitated. "I don't suppose that you have good taste in music, as well?" He teased. In the back of his mind, something warned him that he was getting too comfortable too fast, and that this girl could still be some kind of supernatural creature. But something, something in his gut, was telling him that Rissa was telling the truth.

Rissa snorted. "If by good music you mean classic rock, then duh. Gotta love em'. Everything from ACDC and Aerosmith to Queen and Journey. Though my favorite song is probably Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas. On the other hand, my favorite band is probably Queen. But I also love the Scorpions, only though they only had three big hits. But they're amazing hits."

"What other bands do you like?" Dean asked, curious.

"Well, Bon Jovi, Rush, Rolling Stones, Bad Company, Led Zepplin, Foreigner, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Alice Cooper, and the Beatles. That's what I can think of at the top of my head. There's probably a lot more I'm missing. Like the Doors. There's another one. And the Police. And Pink Floyd. Oh, and -"

"I got the idea," Dean said, laughing. He sighed and whistled in appreciation. "You've got some good bands there."

Rissa beamed. "I know, right?"

Dean thought for a moment, about what some of the things Rissa had described. It sounded a lot like she was a ghost.

"You sure you're still alive?" Dean asked.

Rissa nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure. Trust me on this. You can look up 'astral projection' later. Though you've never been the studious type. You could always ask Sam to research it. I'm sure he'll be happy to do it. Then again, you probably won't tell your family about me. For all you know, I could completely be a figure of your imagination."

"Awesome," Dean said, thinking of all the reasons why he could be crazy. There were certainly a lot.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm definitely ADHD, but I'm pretty sure that I'm also bipolar. So, if you are schizophrenic, you're not alone. But then again, if I am a figment of your imagination, then I guess you are kinda crazy by yourself, because you wouldn't really be talking to someone with bipolar, just someone you created to be crazy. So I guess you kinda are crazy alone."

"Gee, thanks," Dean said sarcastically.

"But if it makes you feel any better, your imagination is surely creative, what with all the time traveling I do."

"What?" Dean asked, swerving in the road again.

"Oh? Did I forget to mention that? I time travel. Surprise! Though, surprisingly, that's not the BIG surprise. Actually, that's a very minor detail compared to the big surprise," Rissa remarked.

"Oh, yeah? And what's the big surprise?" Dean asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

No response.

"Rissa?" Dean asked, looking over at the seat next to him. It was empty.

"Rissa?" Dean called, searching through the whole car. But he could find no trace of her.

It was almost as if she was never there in the first place.

...

Days came and went, with no sign of Rissa. John returned from his hunting trip after successfully taking care of the monster, and they moved on to the next town. More days went by, then weeks, then months.

And then one day, after climbing back into the Impala to drive away from school, Dean found a note. It was lying on the driver's seat. He almost sat on it.

Hey Dean,

I'm sorry, but I have to go. You won't see me again for a long time. Years, in fact. But I'll look exactly the same (time travel, remember?). Just know one thing. In all of your years of pain, misery, and loss, you still fall in love. You fall in love with an angel.

Love,

Rissa

P.S. Tell Sam I'm sorry about Jess.

A note. That was evidence, solid evidence that Rissa was real and wasn't his imagination.

I wonder if she can really time travel, Dean thought. If she was telling the truth, it would be years to see her. Dean had a feeling that Rissa wouldn't let him forget her so easily.

Dean looked down at the P. S. statement. I wonder who Jess is, Dean thought.

He re-read the part about falling in love with an angel.

There was one problem, however. Even if he fell in love with someone that nice, (an angel, as Rissa describes them) they would never fall for Dean.