The Beginning

It's the year 2019, a little girl cowers in the corner, as she watches the fire consume her house. Her coughing was the only thing that can be heard inside. Did her parents forget her? Is anyone coming to save her? Akaisha waited and waited, until her eyes began to droop. She was beginning to lose consciousness. Then the room began to teeter. The floors were becoming weakened by the raging flames. With her last conscious moment she cried out in a quivering voice. "P-PLEASE SAVE ME!"

Little Akaisha lost her battle with consciousness just as the sound of splitting wood echoed through the room. A person clothed in light, breathable, fire resistant clothing and helmet carrying an ax stepped through the door. They thought they had heard the soft voice of a child. Soon they found her, the little girl curled in the corner clutching on to her stuffed tiger.

Akaisha was taken to a facility to receive life saving treatments. The person continued to visit her even wearing their helmet just in case she caught only a glimpse of them dressed in that fashion. The little girl was unconscious for several days. The doctors were all beginning to think she would never recover. Then one day as if by magic she woke up. Her violet eyes blinked repeatedly to adjust to the blinding light of her room. That day the person in the helmet came in was the day her life changed.

The doctors and nurses all rushed in to check her vitals. Akaisha looked at them frightened by what was going on. She was only a child of seven years old. The only comfort she had with her was the white stripped tiger she was holding on to when she lost consciousness. The lead doctor asked her a series of questions to help aid the officers in the fire that happened at her house. Each question was answered quietly, almost as if she hadn't spoken at all. She told them her name was Akaisha Morningstar, she was seven years old. Her parents were Galena and Marshall Morningstar. She went on to tell them her address and birthday. The person in the helmet never moved only listened intently to her. Everything they had already learned about her was being confirmed by the little girl. The parents were out of the picture permanently but Akaisha didn't know that and will never know what they did to save their own skin.

After the hospital staff left it was just the two of them. The person in the helmet walked up to the side of her bed and finally took off the helmet. Underneath was an androgynous person. Their beauty was unmatched by anyone Akaisha had seen. "Who are you?" The person only smiled at her before taking her hand in theirs. They didn't speak to her at all. They just held her hand for a little while then left. The feel of their gloved hand was almost a comfort to her. Akaisha watched them leave with a confused expression on her tiny face. She seen them talking with her doctors then eventually leaving.

A nurse came in to check on her once more. She was an extremely positive person. "You're very lucky to be alive. It seemed no one was at home when the fire started." Those were all the words she spoke before being called out. Akaisha was confused by this. Where were her parents? Why haven't they come to check on her? How did the fire start? These were all questions that should never have been on the mind of a little girl but yet here they are.

Akaisha stayed in the hospital for a couple of weeks before the person that wore the helmet took them to their home. Their home was a large and cold place. There was no warmth reverberating from the outside or even the inside of the home. It was as if the home never knew the touch of children. Never knew what it was like to be lived in. The person showed Akaisha around the house before leading her down to the basement. There was something down there that only the two of them would ever know about. The person gestured for her to sit on the tiny cot in the corner. The room was taken up by a lab. Machines whirled and hummed all around them. The person picked up a giant needle filled with an orange liquid and walked towards her. She was scared but there was no where for her to go. The person grabbed hold of her arm and shoved the needle inside, injecting the liquid in her. Whatever it was caused Akaisha little body to shake violently. Her eyes closed tight against the rush of hot fluid entering her system. The person finally let her go only to grab a tablet to record her reaction to the serum.

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. Whose a good girl? Whose 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 you're 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.