Ralev gave a quick knock on the door before letting himself in. Akaisha thought it was strange, but let the thought pass. Ralev had been working with journalists for a long time. Who knows how many times he was there to interview that man? She followed him inside. The professor sat on the sofa looking as regal and put together as he always did. Even when she was a child, he would want no one to see him looking disheveled. He gave them all a smile. It faltered just slightly when Akaisha stepped around Ralev. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. How long has it been since you’ve been here?”
Ralev answered. “A while, but we have a new journalist for you to break in. She’ll be giving the interview. This is Akaisha.”
She stepped forward with a tight smile. “It’s so good to meet the man behind all the wonderful inventions and charities that we have now.” She went into reporting mode. “You said you have some news
Once she got back to the office, Ralev was nowhere to be found. She didn’t look for him either, outside of a passing glance around the room. Akaisha went in search of Mitchum. She wanted to give her updates on the interview. As she reached Mitchum’s office, Ralev was coming out with a grim expression. When he saw her, he turned his head, effectively ignoring her. She shrugged her shoulders and went inside the office.“If it's not about a topic, come back when I’m less busy.”Akaisha spoke up hesitantly. “Um… I wanted to talk to you about the professor. But I guess Ralev already told you how the interview went?”She looked up and smiled. “No, he didn’t. So, tell me what happened? It could explain why Ralev is on one today.”She explained in as few words as she could. Mitchum laughed. “Oh, girl, that is a riot! Did you really do that?”“Well, yeah? You wanted me to g
Professor Mozart arrived at the hospital just in time. He walked in like a flash of lightning. Wind billowing his trench coat behind him. He blurred on the cameras. A nurse recognized him immediately. Rushing up to greet him. “Do you need anything, Professor Mozart?”He began to wave her away, but stopped in mid-action. “There was a young man that was rushed here. He has no family. I heard he was in critical condition.”The nurse snapped her finger. “Right, his name is Junior Isaacs. Are you perhaps related to him or?”He shook his head. “No, I’m not.” He lied immediately. It was a habit by now. “It reminded me of my adoptive daughter. She had no family and suffered through an unfortunate house fire she was saved from. It's a shame. And if the young man is critical, it would be a shame to die surrounded by robots, machines, and strangers. Not that I would be any better, but I would be a somewhat familiar face.”She added her own statement to his response. “Because you’re so widely kno
It's the year 2019. A little girl with pigtails plays outside with her neighbors in the forest behind her house. A young boy with a fox tail growing from his posterior, a tiny girl with butterfly wings, and another child with a strange marking on her wrist. Their happiness fills the area. Her tiny voice, loud and clear, “Tag! You’re it. Come and get me, Azitha.” She chased after the kids that ran away from her. A little faster than the average child her age. A man watched her as she played before disappearing. He knew this was the child he need. She was predestined for greatness. The children continued to play until the sun began its descent. They had until the streetlights came on to go home. She continued to play until her mother called her inside. The setting sun washed her face in a brilliant hue. “Akaisha, time to come in.” “Coming mommy.” She ran inside to see her parents getting ready to go out. “Is it date night already, mommy?” “It is. A new babysitter will be here soon. You
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
Akaisha looked at him as he glared at her. Her hands balled into fists, ready to fight. After escaping his clutches, she found her parents, who took her in, bewildered. The way the pair of them acted when she found them was apprehensive, then glee. They put her in self-defense classes at her request. She was proficient in mixed martial arts. The man turned away to leave. “I know that you know I won't give up. Not until you're dead.” He looked over his shoulder at her. “Find me when you start hearing the unspoken thoughts or anything else… strange. Until then, goodbye.” She clenched her fists tight. Too tight, she could feel her nails digging into her skin. Anger took consumed her rationality. Akaisha charged at him, aiming to land a blow, one hit. Just when she thought her fist would connect with his shoulder, he vanished right in front of her. The whoosh of air disoriented her. The confusion kept her from slowing her momentum, but she turned just enough to not break any bones. She
Akaisha paced back and forth outside of the hospital room, nervously chewing on her thumb. The cat carrier rested inside the room with her kitty mewing softly. Mahima was still unconscious from her fall, with no signs of waking up. Many of the nurses fretted over their favorite star being in a coma. Akaisha, on the other hand, had hoped none of the other news stations reported the incident. Half of them respected her as a journalist, the others were not so much for her attitude. Left up to her own thoughts, she wondered how did Mahima fall. How did she hurt herself from the fall? The trajectory and speed weren’t enough to do this to her. Just as she continued to think about it. ‘Is that woman crazy?’ The unknown voice flitted through her mind. The random thought caused her to look around her surroundings. She caught the eye of a wary nurse, looking at her with disdain. She was one of the fans concerned about Mahima. ‘What does she have that I don't have?’ Akaisha’s face twisted in co
The elderly man had been watching her ever since she ran away. She was never truly out of his sight. It was his dream to have a prodigy that could live the life he couldn’t. Having experimented on himself years prior to adopting her from the hospital. He knew just what her life would have turned into had he left her there alone. Her parents were Tracy people. They cared more about the almighty dollar versus her well-being. He had used clairvoyance to monitor once she reunited with her parents. Every time she succeeded in MMA, he smiled. She would have been the perfect daughter had she stayed with him. When she was asked out on a date, he reached into the mind of the person giving them threats he made good on if they hurt her. Once, a budding young Lycan tried to get frisky with her. The young man hadn’t yet controlled his inner wolf, and they were on a date just as the moon was rising. It was a no-brainer to interfere when he refused to let her go home. The man was obsessed with her s
Akaisha ended the call with Dave on a peaceful note. Which is surprising. Sometimes he made her feel annoyed. She hadn't wondered how he knew about her being in the hospital too, no matter how brief it was. There was a time she had felt that he liked her more than a coworker, but then one day that feeling was gone. It was as if they wiped the notion from his head. It didn’t bother her that the feelings vanished. A part of her thought to ask, but she didn't care to have any romantic entanglements with anyone. She finished drying off and got ready for bed. The cool satin sheets felt nice against my skin. Blue jumped on the bed right behind her. She dug her nails into the bed, scritching and scratching against the sheets until it was soft under her paws. “Blue? Are you finished?” She looked up and scratched again. ‘Not yet. Just … about… done..’ She finally laid down. Akaisha rubbed between her ears. Then the two of them fell asleep. The next day was gloomy. It was because of the dark c