the number one to arbury

surround

I can't sleep.

This is the second time tonight. I had slept from ten to eleven, then from something past eleven. The first one was interrupted by a falling dream. I still remember what woke me up from my second sleep. Flashes of Ash, Saviour, Ilyas and Charlie attacking me at once.

Someone's knocking at the door.

I have the door latched in case Eyüp decides to break in. I try peeking through the gap between the door and the frame, but there's almost no gap there.

'Who is it?'

'Not Eyüp, obviously.'

I open the door.

'Why are you still up...never mind. Good thing you're still up.'

'What is it, Mum?'

'I'm getting you out of this house. Again.'

'But how do I go anywhere else? I left the car back in Cambridge and there's not gonna be any rides now.'

'Someone will pick you up in a moment.'

'And what if Eyüp is still up and decides to get in the way?'

'One, he's a tight sleeper even though he likes to stay late. Two, I've locked him in his room. Don't worry, I've thought that through.'

'Who's going to pick me up? I'd rather not meet any of his friends.'

'You'll see.'

I swap the clothes in my backpack for ones from the wardrobe and carry the backpack on one shoulder. My mum opens the door and steps outside first, letting me go downstairs before her. I hear nothing from the next room, but I do hear a knock on the front door.

'He's already here,' Mum says.

I kiss her hand, she kisses my forehead, that's it. For a split second I think she truly wants me away from her because she doesn't even bother to hug me, but then I realise she can't bear putting both her arms around me because she'll feel heavier letting me go, because she wants me away from my brother.

Outside I can see a car parked on the side of the street, right in front of the house. Another hatchback, a black one this time. When I open the door, the light turns on, revealing the face of the driver.

I put my backpack in the leg space, resting my legs on it. I close the door – and right at that moment the light turns off – and put on my safety belt. And then we're off.

'So, where are we going now? Heard you had a rough time back in Cambridge.'

'Wish I could leave that place that easily, but I have to fetch something from there. Uncle Ismail's car. How did I leave it there, it's a long story.'

'About the car, I actually heard it straight from him. I even got the message from your mum through him. Any idea where to go next?'

'Nope, not yet. By the way, there's something I want to ask you.'

'Ask away, my dear cousin.'

---

I'm surrounded.

That is an exaggeration.

Ara's standing, leaning on the door frame, filling almost a third of the opening. Mally's on a chair she took from the dining room and put next to the couch, resting her left arm right by my head while the other one fiddles with her necklace, which she has been hiding under her shirt all day.

Someone knocks on the door.

'Let me open it,' Mally says.

'Thanks, but I should be strong enough to walk to the front door now. After all, I'm the one who lives here...'

When I get up from the couch, I can still feel my legs aching, holding my weight. I walk around the sides of the room, holding on to whatever I can hold on to, be it the wall or a shelf. Two steps away from the living room door, Ara and Mally come to my sides to get me. I hold on to them as they guide me to the front door.

With one hand holding the stair railing, I open the front door.

'Esra...what are you doing back here? I thought you already ran away somewhere else.'

'I had to get the car back. Rüveyde...the boys have been too rough on you, haven't they? You can't even stand straight now.'

'Don't worry, nothing's broken. And the people behind me has taken care of me really well.'

'Sorry about them. The boys.'

If it weren't for you I would be able to go to the ball this weekend.

'What do they want from you, anyway?'

'It's hard to explain.'

'Come in, then. Don't think any of us can stand ten more minutes standing up.'

After Esra enters the flat, I sit down on the second stair step with straightened legs. She stands behind the door, leaning against the corner.

'They want to return me to my brother. You probably only recognise that part.'

'But why the fight?'

'I tried running away from them. Don't really remember what happened next – either I started the fight to let go from them, or they started it so I would be still when my brother'd take me.'

'And now what else should you say to me? I could have ignored that but instead I risked not being able to attend something I've been waiting for.'

One minute.

'Still not feeling you should say something?'

'If only you could have held them all at least a minute longer,' she mutters. 'You let one of them loose. Ashraf, the one with the beard. He got me right before I get into the car.'

'At least not all of them got you then. Anything else you want to say?'

'I don't want to be forced to say thank you to someone who almost saved me. It's like you almost catch me from a cliff but I still fall.'

'Well, sorry I've done all I could.'

'You weren't trying enough.'

'You cost me a week.'

'You almost cost me my life.'

Her life? What's her brother going to do, murder her?

'I don't want to be forced to say sorry for not suddenly having the ability to save someone. This isn't a movie where someone suddenly gets their superpower when almost crushed by the big boss.'

'Do you even mean it when you promised me sanctuary?'

'I never promised you anything.'

I open the door and Esra shifts by the opening to the kitchen. I point my hand out to the hallway.

'You may close the door now. From the hallway.'