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. 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. 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.

Akaisha worked as an assistant to the news anchor, Mahima Blake. Mahima Blake was a beautiful woman the only problem was her nasty attitude. She made unreasonable demands every chance she could. It made Akaisha grumble every single time Mahima opened her mouth to speak. Today was no exception. Akaisha made it to the station earlier than Mahima needed her to be. She thought she would be able to use a bit of her connections at the station to have them open up her records from when she was in the hospital. 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. The same thing happened again today. Akaisha was beyond annoyed by the time Mahima came into her dressing room with her expensive soy latte. “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.” Akaisha helped her get ready to go on air grumbling about the impossible wait time to get in at massage parlor. Time Rewind was a popular place that was ran by celestial beings. “Of course, ma’am. Is there anything in particular you would like me to tell them?” Mahima just looked at her before huffing. It was time for the broadcast to commence.

Akaisha went in person to Time Rewind to speak with the owner of the establishment. A violet being stood in front of her. They turned a dial and then began to speak. “Hello Miss, how may I assist you? Do you have an appointment with us?” Akaisha spoke her head in dismay. “No, I am here on behalf of Mahima Blake. 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.”

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

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.] There was limited seating in the front of the shop 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. Her finger toyed with a couple 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 handle 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. His mouth was covered by the scarf keeping every inch of himself concealed from prying eyes. 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.

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. She just knew that man had something to do with her past. Her molecules vibrated with recognition towards him. ‘I’ll catch you, and when I do, I will kill you with my bare hands.’

It was nearly two o’clock when she received word that there was an opening. Immediately she called Mahima to let her know. “Miss Blake your appointment is ready can you make your way to Time Rewind?” 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. She had to do a double take to make sure that he was the man that came in about two hours ago. Her very blood hummed with familiarity towards him. Akaisha couldn’t help herself she decided to follow him as soon as he left the building. She tried her best to keep a safe distance from him, every twist and turn he made she was still on his tail until his last turn landed her in a dead end. ‘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.