I’d been having a strange dream, very surreal, in which I had played the part of Ultradoll, a super-villainess obsessed with karaoke.

There I sat, almost boneless, when the bus rattled to a halt, the shuddering vibration nearly throwing me to the floor. At first, I had no idea where I was or how I got there, being more concerned about not falling out of the seat. I’d been having a strange dream, very surreal, in which I had played the part of Ultradoll, a super-villainess obsessed with karaoke.

“You okay?” the bus driver asked. “This is Levering and Veterans, about as close as I get to your address.” He got out of his seat and took a step down the center aisle toward me, where I huddled under a heavy leather jacket with wool sleeves.

“I’m…I—” I stammered. “I guess I fell asleep. Where did I get this coat?”

He grinned at me—a big guy with red hair and a short, neatly trimmed beard. “From the RTA labels on it, I’d say that’s my coat. You were shivering by the time we got to Wilshire.”

“Oh,” I said. I didn’t want to return the coat because my face and legs were cold, and I vaguely remembered I was glued into the skimpy Ultradoll costume. No, wait, had that been only in the dream?