Cont

Akaisha woke from her nightmare. She had sworn at the age of nine that she would find that man that did this to her and kill him with her bare hands. Every day, she went through the mundane activities of her day-to-day life. Feeding her pit bull, Blue, going to work at the television station, then out to pound the streets searching for that horrible man that did this to her, and finally home again to start the process all over again. The friends she had once known never entered her life again. She had done everything she could to push people away. And having been more comfortable with animals than people, it was an even trade-off. Blue ran up to her, pouncing on top of Akaisha, knocking her down. The wet, slippery tongue licked all over her face. “Ha, ha, ha, get down Blue. I have to go to work now.” She attempted to push the big dog off her and failed. “Who’s a good girl? Who’s my good girl?” Her cajoling only riled Blue up even further. Blue gave her one last lick before getting off her and trotting off to her bed. Akaisha stood up, dusting herself off. “Be a good girl Blue, I’ll be back later. Use the robotic dog walker when you need the exercise. Love you, girl.” She looked back at her pet one more time before heading into the TV station. Life had changed substantially for her. The early 2000s differed from now. And it was all thanks to Professor Mozart Jay Newton.

Akaisha worked as an assistant to the news anchor, Mahima Blake. Mahima Blake was a beautiful woman. The only problem was her nasty attitude. Most of her former assistants didn’t last longer than a couple of hours, except Akaisha. She had been working for this tyrant for at least a year now. Mahima made unreasonable demands every chance she could, such as keeping everyone from looking directly into her eyes or importing her water from a natural spring in the Tibetan mountain every day. It made Akaisha grumble every single time she would open her mouth to speak. Today was no different. Akaisha made it to the station earlier than Mahima needed her to be. She thought she could use a bit of her time and connections at the station to have them open up her records from when she was in the hospital. The name always escaped her, but it's not like her records would be sealed. It was her information, after all. Yet, each time she called, the nurses would transfer her to a different nurse who would transfer her to a doctor who in turn would place her on hold until she hung up. It was not only annoying and rude, but very frustrating. The same thing happened again today. It wasn’t anything new, but it put her in a sour mood. Akaisha was beyond annoyed by the time Mahima came into her dressing room with her expensive soy latte and hairless cat in a tote bag.

“Akaisha, can you book me a massage at the ‘Time Rewind Massage Parlor? I’d like an appointment for this afternoon in between news reports. And make sure it’s for the full hour. Also, make sure they can give my snuggly boo a massage as well. We’ve been under so much stress lately.”

Akaisha helped her get ready to go on air, grumbling about the impossible wait time to get in at that massage parlor. Time Rewind was a popular place that was run by celestial beings. They didn’t like to be called aliens because, truthfully, they were beyond human comprehension. Plus, that was considered a slur thanks to the backlash of the illegal alien campaign that happened when she was in her early teens. “Of course, ma’am. Is there anything, in particular, you would like me to tell them?”

Mahima just looked at her before huffing. Her long ears, evidence that she was of the Elven race, drooped a fraction. It was time for the broadcast to begin. Mahima wouldn’t answer any other questions to her.

Akaisha headed in person to Time Rewind to speak with the owner of the establishment. A violet celestial being stood in front of her. She assumed they weren’t the owner. They turned a dial where their perceived throat would be and then began to speak. “Hello Miss, how may I assist you? Do you have an appointment with us?” It was alluded to that the dial was more than a communication device, but the secrets of them would never be revealed. Unless one was stolen off a corpse, but that would be considered a hate crime.

Akaisha shook her head in dismay. “No, I am here on behalf of Mahima Blake. You may have heard of her. She would like to make an appointment for today at 2 p.m.” The celestial receptionist looked at the appointment book. She flipped page after page after page until she landed on an empty space. “Our first available opening would be within three years. I’m sorry, but you should know that there is a three-year wait.”

“Yes, of course, I understand, but this is for Miss Mahima Blake. Of Channel 10 news. There has to be something you can offer her.” She could have begged more, even asked for sympathy, but she didn’t.

“You could wait here in the lobby and see if there’s a cancellation, but let me assure you, only the dead canceled.”

“I bet even if the dead were zombies, they wouldn’t.” She tried to joke, but it fell on deaf ears.

Akaisha had to make a decision on whether or not she was going to go back to the studio or stay here. She knew if she didn’t get this appointment, then the hard work; she laid at the station would be washed down the drain. After a few minutes, she sent over a message to the assistant to the male anchor, James Fidget. [Hey Dave. I’m at Time Rewind Parlor waiting for a cancellation. please take care of Mahima for me. Thanks.]

“I’ll stay here. Thank you for your consideration.”

There was limited seating in the shop's front but she managed to find a place towards the back that allowed her to watch the comings and goings in the parlor. Soon she received a message from Dave. [NP. Good luck there. You’ll be waiting all evening.] She scoffed at his optimism. ‘I’m sure that there will be a cancellation, I feel it.’ Akaisha started to call the hospital once more. This time, she remained on hold until someone picked up the line and disconnected the call. Her frustration was past its boiling point. The lights flickered in the parlor for a moment before they stopped. Her finger toyed with a couple of strands of locks. She twisted them around her two fingers until she heard the buzzing of the door opening. She looked up to see an elderly-looking man with a metal-handled cane walk in. A sense of déjà vu washed over her. The man was hunched over bundled in a green and white scarf, black trench coat, and a forest green plaid flat cap. His beige skin peaked out from under his sleeve. Akaisha looked up only to see that he was wearing dark shades, hiding his eyes. The scarf covered his mouth keeping every inch of himself concealed from prying eyes. Not that she was trying to pry. She felt in her heart this was the man she was looking for. He was the one that tortured her and injected her with those different serums over the course of two years.

A memory replayed in her mind. *Azitha fluttered up to her when she went home. “Akaisha! We tried to put the fire out and help the humans, but it wasn’t a normal fire. I’m happy you’re ok.”

Akaisha cupped her tiny friend between her hands and gently hugged her against her cheek. “I have to go away now. My parents are missing and I’ll be staying with….” * Her memory distorted, bringing her back to the present.

The man checked in and was shown into a private room for his massage. Akaisha stood up and went to the celestial. “Excuse me, I don’t mean to pry, but who was that man? I felt like I know him.”

“It is against company policy to give out clientele information. Please take a seat.”

Akaisha clicked her tongue and begrudgingly went back to her seat. “Sure. I'll do that.”

She just knew that man had something to do with her past. Her very cells vibrated with recognition towards him. ‘I’ll catch you, and when I do, I will kill you with my bare hands.’ That’s what she thought, at least. The low hum of her anger seeped out of her. The lights flickered once more.

It was nearly two o’clock when she received word that there was an opening. A telephone call came. “This is Time Rewind, where your skin returns to baby soft.” Akaisha listened as the being spoke one-word answers. Then she hung up. “We have an opening now. Make sure your Mahima is here within half an hour.”

She called Mahima to let her know. “Miss Blake, your appointment is ready. Can you make your way here in half an hour?” The only sound she heard was the click, signaling the end of the call.

Just as she was about to silently curse Mahima, the man walked out from the back. He wasn’t slouching anymore. He stood tall and erect. His form looked better than when he first came in. The cane he had used nestled onto his forearm. She had to do a double take to make sure that he was the man that came in about two hours ago. Her blood hummed with familiarity and anger towards him. Akaisha couldn’t help herself. She decided to follow him as soon as he left the building. She did her best to keep a safe distance from him. Every twist and turn he made, she was still on his tail, albeit at a distance. ‘where is he going?’ She thought that until his last turn landed her in a dead end. Panic slowly set in. ‘Where did he go?’ She was looking at the steel wall before turning back to head towards the street when there he stood in front of her.