Chapter 35

“Is any of this real?”

I stared at my beautiful, red-haired goddess, her hair messily atop her head in a bun, then gazed back out towards the five exquisite women frolicking in the infinity pool with the cyan turning to sapphire waters of the Caribbean as a backdrop. Splashing, giggling, and screaming with delight filled the air. But I was not having it.

It was the end of our first week at our private Antiguan hideaway. From the moment we walked in, it felt otherworldly. Similar to how movies often depict heaven. Everything was creamy, cloudy white. The sheer voile panels wafting in the breeze flowed into everything ethereal. Driftwood-colored furniture and wood floors, occasional splashes of deep red burgundy, and so much tropical greenery effectively highlighted what would otherwise be total white-out conditions of a warm indoor blizzard.

Still adding to the vibes of our temporary home was the palatial, airy nature of this property. Four bedrooms scattered over six thousand square feet under roof, with a distinct lack of walls. It was a hike to any of the other bedrooms, walking through luxurious patios and gardens. So much was open air, yet protectively covered against the occasional shower.

I could see the worry on Doris Alex’s face as she sat naked in the double papasan chair with me.

“How can any of this be real?” I repeated.

“Oh baby, you aren’t just talking about Antigua, are you?”

“No, my life. It can’t be real.”

Doris Alex nodded, “Like you wonder if you are living in a simulation? Maybe you are the only actual creature in the zoo? That some child-god was gifted a universe playset by his parents? And that toddler-god is sitting on their favorite star and pulling your strings just to giggle?”

“Well, fuck, yeah, that is one possibility.”

“Think of that crazy toddler-god experimenting. Did he take an innocent baby, your biological father, and put him through absolute hell for shits and giggles? David faced monsters as a kid. Saw other innocent children beaten to death. Tortured mercilessly. And yet, David grew up an honorable man. A killer, but for the causes of the Brotherhood and never lost his own personal moral code. Then, did this child-god take David’s blood and create you, gifted with everything imaginable, just to see what would happen? You became the experiment in opposites?”

“Sick and twisted, eh? I struggle to see how I am like David in any way, though.” I reacted.

Doris Alex nodded. “Yes, opposites in so many ways. Yet I see the deep moral code, the desire to do the right thing, and a bias for action.”

“Nurture versus nature,” I thought aloud.

“That might be one lesson from this twisted experiment. Completely different nurturing. Hell, David had none. And yet, somehow, humanity shone through.”

“I am an ass to complain, compared to what he fought through. It surprises me a little that you wonder about life like I do.”

“Look at your Siblings in the pool now. Do you think they ever wonder about the same deep things?”

“I dunno.”

“Z, they are sentient beings. They feel, they are aware. But beyond that, they have super-sentient times too, where they wonder about the meaning of life. I would expect most everyone does sometimes. But your Siblings ... more than most.”

“Even Hanna and Molly?”

Doris Alex smiled, “Yes, even our party girls. Molly’s carefree exterior hides her internal turmoil. She pushes it down out of sight. And Hanna, she is younger than her age. She will grow and get there.”