To Turn Back Time

Take Your Pick

"Okay, okay," Coco wheezed, fruitlessly batting at his shoulders, "I got it."

He pulled back the fan, and Coco's hands flew up to the spot. It ached softly as soon as she touched her, her fingers met a damp substance. She pulled her hand back to see a tinge of red staining her fingers. Grabbing the collar of her shirt, she pulled it up and pressed it against the afflicted area.

The boy stared at her, a frown knitted into his face.

"What?" Coco asked, gently rubbing her throat.

"I want to speak with Aisha."

She winced, pressed a little firmer on the fabric, "I wasn't lying. I don't know how to let her talk to you. I hear her voice, that's all, nothing more."

His eyes widened ever so slightly, "Does she...remember me?"

"Do you know who the heck–do you know who this is?" Coco tilted her head back, eyes pushing towards the back of her head.

"I...well, yes." The voice paused and sighed softly.

"Yeah. She does."

The boy's face lifted, he squeezed his fan and a faint smile graced his face. He shook his head, grin disappearing, and grabbed her arm. He yanked Coco to her feet, her legs shuddered and she braced herself against the door. He stepped back and lifted his left eyebrow and waved her away from the door.

"If I move, I'm going to fall," Coco shook her head, hands scrambling along the smooth wood as her body began to slip. He sighed, rolling his eyes before slipping one hand into his sleeve. It emerged moments later clutching a cold, steel contraption. Coco sighed in relief, reaching out for it.

Her fingertips brushed against the edge of it before taking it and sliding to the floor. She unclipped the familiar buckles, sliding the entire contraption onto her leg. The leather and metal rubbed against her skin, falling into their old and familiar paths. Coco wrinkled her nose, rubbing the pinched, pink skin of her calf as she stood up. Her leg whined and wobbled, but managed to stay straight when she shifted her weight.

"Finally," She sighed, running a hand through her hair. She limped away from the door and gestured toward it.

The boy moved toward it, throwing it open with one hand and striding out into the hall. She scrambled after him, bracing herself against the wall.

Coco scanned the hallway as she shuffled down it. The roof loomed over her, arching up and over. The paint on the walls was chipped and there were several places where it seemed like someone had dragged a knife along it. Coco wrinkled her nose, running a hand across one of said cracks. Her fingers came back coated in dust and paint strips. She shook her head.

The walls were also covered in portraits, several of them torn and cracked. Coco's hand brushed one in particular that she paused to get a better look at.

It portrayed a girl and a boy, both strikingly familiar. The girl was sitting in a chair, white curls framing her wide blue eyes and soft, pink cheeks. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap with her ankles crossed. Coco squinted, leaning closer. The girl seemed stiff and her eyes glimmered ever so slightly. Coco could almost make out tiny nail prints running along one hand.

The boy was the spitting image of the child dragging her down the hall. Except, he looked...almost content here. A faint smile graced his lips and he stood straighter. His hand was gently resting on the girl's shoulder.

"This is you." Coco said before she could stop herself.

"Yes...it is."

Coco shook her head, "You look...incredibly uncomfortable."

Silence.

"Stop wasting time." The boy appeared at her side and Coco yelped, jumping back and collapsing to the floor.

"Ow." She grumbled.

"I don't have time for this." He turned around and continued walking.

"Geez," Coco rubbed her head, wincing as she pushed herself back up. "Does he have a name?"

"Yes, it's Kalluto." Aisha provided as Coco observed the boy.

Coco climbed to her feet with a brief nod, groaning as she continued forward.

Kalluto was waiting for her up ahead, next to a small, wooden door. He tapped his fan against his hand and his foot against the floor, shaking his head as she dragged herself over to him. He pressed a hand to the door for a moment before yanking it open and descending down the stairs.

After a great deal of struggling, and more thoughts of just sitting down and going down the stairs on her butt than Coco cared to admit, she reached the bottom and found Kalluto standing over a small, metal table.

There was an object on the table with a white sheet draped over it. Coco limped into the room, pressing herself against the far wall. She shivered as an invisible breeze brushed past her, displacing a few strands of hair. There was a single light hanging over it, casting a dull, pale glow over the room. It couldn't quite reach the corners of the room and allowed the groups of shadows to twirl and dance along its edge.

Kalluto stood over the shape, hands clasped in front of him with eyes trained on the head of the form. The boy reached up, delicately pulling away the sheet.

Coco's breath caught in her throat.

It was a girl.

Not any girl.

"That-that was my body." Aisha choked.

Soft, white curls, with hints of blonde peeking out on the scalp, fanned out around her delicate head. Her eyes were closed, but her petal pink lips were half parted as if she were in the midst of a long rest. Her dress was freshly pressed and carefully straightened as though she had just ironed it. The scent of dead flowers hung in the air and chill traveled down Coco's spine.

If it weren't for the complete lack of movement, Coco would've thought she was just asleep.

Kalluto simply brushed a stray strand of hair away from the dead girl's face before addressing Coco. "I've been looking for you for a while."

"Why," Coco sneered, "You want to add me to your little collection here?"

"No." He replied, cutting his eyes to her. "You are going to bring her back."

"I'm not God." Coco shot back. "I can't bring back the dead."

"But she's not really dead, is she?"

She paused, mouth half open.

Kalluto strode over to her, wooden shoes clicking ominously against the floor. He tapped her forehead with his fan. "She's right there, you said so yourself."

Coco closed her mouth, folding her arms over her chest. "And if I don't want to?"

He huffed a laugh, raising one eyebrow. "You do. You've made that very clear."

Coco glanced over at Aisha's body, then back at Kalluto. "So?" 

He leaned in closer, "You have two options here. You can take my offer, give me Aisha, and you'll be free to go. Your previous place of employment has been dealt with, you'd be free to do as you wish."

"Or?" She dug her teeth into her lips as she inwardly groaned. She really should've just taken the deal. There wasn't much of a downside to it. She'd be free, on a number of levels and the only voice in her head would be her own.

"Or we see how many lives you have left."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, leaning back against the wall. "No need to be so harsh. I'll do it. But, I have one condition."

He glared at her, raising one eyebrow.

"If I agree to this, I get to do it on my own. If it doesn't work, you don't get to kill me. Deal?" Coco extended her hand.

Kalluto looked her over, then switched his fan to the other hand.

"Deal."