the number one to arbury

shatter

'So how's the week been?' Rue asks.

'Intense. Can't even stay in one place for more than one night.'

'Isn't that how you've always lived since you ran away?'

'I know, right? But for some reason my mind makes it more intense than it actually is.'

'Maybe it's the city. Not many people running away end up in Cambridge. That's why your experience seems so off.'

'I've never thought about it that way. You could be right, though.'

'Makes it one of the few times I'm right, then.'

Finished with my dinner, I offer to wash the dishes. At first Rue says I shouldn't, being a guest, but in the end she lets me. She stands back by the dining table, making room for me. Little bubbles rise up when I scrub the plate, popping mid-air. Reminds me a little of the nightingale song scene in Cinderella; she was scrubbing the floor, that's pretty much the only difference.

Snap out of it.

I rinse the plate, but it's still greasy. One more time, then. This time I see barely any bubbles, but the foam hanging on the sponge shimmers like crystals. Before I imagine too much, I scrub the plate again, spreading the foam. Second try works. It's now squeaky clean. I put it on the drying rack, next to another plate that's probably been there before dinner, maybe even from breakfast.

The cutlery is an easier one, one scrub and we're done.

'Thank you. And sorry for bothering.'

'It's nothing. Just feel like I should do something and not just bother you while I stay here.'

'Tell me, is there some sort of a chore schedule at your home, or is it more like everybody do their own dishes? I'm just talking about dishes, though.'

'The second one. But I often do other people's dishes too. Mostly when the other person's busy and I've got nothing to do. You know, we help each other...'

'That's pretty rare, though, isn't it? The no chore schedule thing? But really, my family didn't have one either.'

'Well then. By the way, you said your name's actually Rüveyde. Is anyone in your family Turkish, maybe your mum, if you're like me...'

'True.' It's confirmed, then. She then asks me, 'Do you know where your mum's from? At least give me a city.'

'Yours first.'

'Ordu. Somewhere on the north coast. But I remember she moved to Istanbul first before coming here. If asked where in Turkey she's from, Istanbul is always her second answer, never the first. She didn't stay there for too long.'

'Finally, another northerner. Giresun.'

'Does she ever give anyone a second answer?'

'Nope. Not even once. But that's only what I've seen. She might have done that when she's younger. The way I tell people my name's Rue. Recently I've been trying to shake off that habit. First I told my colleagues, the fellow teachers. You can pretty much guess what comes next.'

'Wait, who's that at the door?'

'I didn't hear anything.'

'Thought there was someone...'

'It's probably just in your head.'

I swear, it felt so real. It's already eight now and there hasn't been anyone at the door coming for me. When I was chased I thought it would be great to get a break for once. Now that I get the break, I can't seem to get my mind off it because I keep waiting for it.

'Anyway,' she continues, 'a lot of them decide to keep calling me Rue. The junior teachers mostly call me Ms Hallissey, but they switch sometimes.'

---

She's already upstairs. I don't know if she's still worried about her brother's friends. I've only left to the bathroom for a moment, a little bit after Esra went to her room. The TV's on but I've turned down the sound enough to fill the room but not reach the first floor (much less the second, where the guest room is).

I haven't heard anyone knock on the door.

Rue, you there?

Arabella.

What is it?

Someone asked me if I'd seen someone named Esra Harrow.

What's it got to do with me?

They said she was last seen at your place and they lost her.

What do they want with her? Anything about her brother?

Don't think I hear any of that. What's up?

It's complicated. I try to recall the same words Esra said to me the first time we met, about why she had escaped. All I can remember is about her brother who's putting her life in danger. I don't know in what way and am not interested in finding that out, much less if his behaviour does have a body count.

Her brother...she's running away from him. Said he's putting her life in danger, but I don't know in what way.

Which means I shouldn't tell them where she is. Because she's basically in hiding.

True.

Right then, see ya.

See you too.