It Started Again

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 fell down to the ground on her ass, only to see him appear right above her. She tried to trip him by side, sweeping his legs. That only made him flash in place. He grabbed hold of her leg, twisting her onto her stomach. He placed her in an ankle lock. Akaisha wanted to yell uncle or tap the pavement to insure she surrendered.

Immediately, he subdued her. His voice was hoarse as the unexpected rainstorm came down. “I'm not the one you should be hunting. Other than testing on you, did I do any harm towards you? You were fed, clothed, and well taken care of. You were a pet project that I needed to work on. You failed. I didn’t search for you because of that reason. If you want to be angry. Be upset with your parents. Your parents sold you to a brothel. I saved you. Think of it. A seven-year-old child stuck in a place for grown men and women. There’s no business for a child.” He released her as he vanished once more into thin air.

Any idea of struggling vanished from her thoughts. ‘They sold me?! That makes no sense.’ Just as she was about to talk back to him, the grip on her leg was released. She looked over her shoulder to see he was gone. Akaisha sat up, her head hung low between her legs. Her thoughts were running rampant in her head. ‘What did he mean? That can't be true.’ She sat for a few minutes before getting up, the rain falling around her, but other than her hands, she remained dry.

She still had a job to do, despite wanting to search for him once more. Work came first. It paid the bills. Standing up, she dusted herself off. Now that she knew he was still alive and somehow managing to move faster than sound. She was going to stop him. A drunkard wandered into the empty alley. Just by the smell of him, she knew he wasn’t human. A drunk person is already a nuisance to deal with, but a drunk werewolf is dangerous. The pungent smell of earth and alcohol mixed together. She smiled politely at him before leaving. The man stumbled into some trash cans to sleep it off. The thought of him being a lone wolf or a pack wolf crossed her mind, but not enough to delve deeper into it. She looked back once to make sure he didn’t wolf out. She found him breathing easily in the pile of trash cans. He had fallen asleep.

Her ankle throbbed while she walked back to the parlor. She walked slower, stiffer, limping back. Akaisha thought about how she wished the pain would go away. Soon after, her ankle felt normal. Her strides were longer and assured. The limp vanished just as the pain did. It didn't register at the time because it just happened, but she was just glad the pain went away. She bumped into someone wearing dark clothing and shades. As she was about to apologize, the person hissed. With their mouth open, a hint of fangs peeked through. Only a new vampire would tempt fate or a hybrid would proudly. It just wasn’t her luck today. Between that man, the wolf, and now this vampiress, she wondered what else could go wrong. Or who else she would run into.

She made it back to the parlor. Mahima was just coming out from having her massage. That was when Akaisha realized she had been gone for at least an hour. “You! Where did you go? It's almost time to prep for the evening news. Chip chop let's go.” She clapped her hands together. It was degrading and annoying. Mahima handed the carrier to her roughly. The cat hissed and swatted at the exposed skin on her arm. A thin claw grazed her hand.

“Ouch. Damn it.”

Akaisha narrowed her eyes in anger. Angry at the cat, Mahima, and the man. She then kissed the back of her hand, where the droplets of blood formed. Then a few seconds later Mahima’s foot caught on the rug, causing her to fall into the door. *crash* the glass cracked under her weight. Blood oozed from her forehead. The crimson stream stained her clothes.

Akaisha immediately covered her mouth, muffling her words. “Oh my God, did I do that? No, it was an accident.”

It had knocked Mahima unconscious. Her body crumpled against the door. The celestial called for an ambulance and went to check on Mahima. It looked at Akaisha with a solemn voice. “Miss, you did not cause this. We’ve asked the owner to remove the shotty carpet. It was just an accident.”

The EMT rushed to the scene. They made it to Time Rewind within minutes, and both the celestial and Akaisha answered their questions. They permitted Akaisha to go with her to the hospital as her assistant, with her demonic cat in tow. On the way there, she made calls to the station. They agreed that James Fidget would go on the air alone until Mahima came back from the hospital. It was a hard decision, with her being the face of the station despite her capricious attitude with everyone.