I pulled my car to the right and stopped for a while. Was I ready? I didn't know, but there was no point in delaying what would eventually happen. I took my eyes off the road and looked at Variant.
"There's no point in delaying what will happen, Vari."
Variant nodded and reached out to hold my hand on the steering wheel. "Whatever the outcome, I'm always with you, guardian angel. Know this, okay?"
"Thank you, Vari, you've put my mind at ease," I said gratefully.
"Come on, let's go now. We have a big day ahead of us."
I nodded and started my car. We had to get everything in proper order. This was our last conversation until Variant and I reached home.
When we got home, I parked the car in the garden and we retreated to our own rooms to get ready. When I entered my room, the thing I checked as always was the glass. It was still the way I had left it...
I took my eyes off the glass and turned to my wardrobe. I opened my closet and took out a tracksuit to wear now. Comfort always comes first during flights. After the tracksuit, I also took out one or two more outfits. To wear during the day. I put the clothes except the tracksuit and other items that might be needed there into my suitcase.
After a while, I seemed ready. I checked around one last time and left, closing my room door leaving the glass as it was.
Right after I closed the room door, I came face to face with Variant. "Vari?" I said questioningly.
"Well, we're not going to make you carry the suitcase, are we?" he said and took the suitcase from my hand. No, I wasn't going to get into any "I don't need you, I can handle it myself" attitudes.
Variant went downstairs with both my and his own suitcase. I followed behind him. We went out to the garden together like that. One of the men had brought Variant's car. When Variant was about to head to his car, I stopped him and asked him to get in my car. To make plans together on the way to the airport. Variant didn't argue with me and got in my car.
About a minute or two after starting the car, I started talking. I was putting together the final parts of the plan in my head.
"Now when we arrive there tonight, it will be night, so the Arafs will go to talk with their men tomorrow morning. That's when we'll go before them and handle this business."
"Will they know that we handled it?"
"No, let them think they're superior."
"Like calling the bear uncle until you cross the bridge..."
"What?"
"I don't really know either, never mind."
I nodded. Sometimes this kid got weird. We arrived at the airport. Just as we entered, Araf had sent a message saying they would be there in 10 minutes.
I turned to Variant and told him that the Arafs would be here soon. Variant nodded. While we sat waiting like that, they appeared in our field of vision.
After the classic greeting symphony, we headed toward the plane. This plane belonged to my uncle. He had bought it to be able to go to any country he wanted at any moment.
When we got inside the plane, our seating arrangement was the same. Me, next to me Vari, across from him Boş, next to him Araf.
After the plane started moving, Araf began to speak.
"My family is not at home right now, they'll come tomorrow evening. I hope this won't be a problem for you, Ms. Glory."
"Why would I consider your family not being home a problem?"
"Well..." He paused for a while. "I thought that theoretically being the only woman in the house might make you uncomfortable. The helpers at home are also out of town with my family right now."
Being the only woman in the house? What nonsense is he talking about? "Look sir, I didn't understand a bit of what you said. Please be more explanatory."
"In the house..." Boş interrupted Araf's words and tried to explain himself.
"He's trying to ask if it would make you uncomfortable to stay as the only woman in our house among so many men, Araf."
"No, it wouldn't, but I won't be staying at your house anyway. Variant and I will find a place, thank you anyway."
"Look, Ms. Glory, I don't want to insist on this matter. In our area, guests are not made to sleep outside," Araf said word by word, as if pressing the point.
Just as I was about to open my mouth and insist, Boş intervened. This one had also gotten good at interrupting people's words.
"I see that you're going to be insistent in your decision, but please Ms. Glory, we haven't offended you so far, please don't offend us either."
My gaze shifted to Variant. Variant had closed and opened his eyes once. This meant "yes." I moistened my lips. "Very well, since you haven't offended us, I won't offend you either."
Araf and Boş nodded with smiles. I immediately added: "Just this once, of course." After this sentence of mine, their smiles had grown even bigger.
I turned my gaze to the window. I was literally going to sit at the same table and sleep in the beds of those who massacred my family. God, please let this be a joke. As my stomach began to churn, I heard Araf's voice.
"Tomorrow after breakfast we'll go and talk with Azad agha," he said and after glancing at both Variant and me, continued his sentence. "If I told you to stay home after breakfast, we'll handle it with Boş, you wouldn't stay and would come anyway, right?"
Variant and I simultaneously nodded up and down in approval of Araf. Araf looked at Boş and continued his sentence: "Never mind, we tried our luck anyway."
I smiled slightly. This was our last conversation until we arrived in Mardin... After a while, the plane had landed in Mardin. We got off the plane, took our belongings, and got into Araf's car here, all going home together.
Silence prevailed throughout the journey in the vehicle. When the vehicle stopped, we got out and I looked at where we had come.
This house was very big. Although its appearance seemed aged compared to new buildings, it looked quite solid.
What made me take my eyes off the house and break my thoughts was the sound Araf made while opening the door. Though there was security at the door, why did they feel the need to lock the door?
We entered the house in single file. The garden was quite large, just like the house.
"Welcome to our mansion," said Araf.
"Mansion? What's that?" I said curiously.
"It's generally what they call large and ostentatious houses that are surrounded by a courtyard, multi-story, with many rooms," said Boş.
I nodded and looked around. This house really lived up to its definition, but it would be a pity for this beauty at the end of the story...
"Come on, let me show you the rooms where you'll stay. Tomorrow will be quite a long day."
Variant and I started following Araf. He stopped in front of a door. "Mr. Glory, this is your room," he said and turned to me. "Ms. Glory, the room where you'll stay is just two floors up, please follow me."
"Actually, you don't need to go to that much trouble, Variant and I can stay in the same room."
"No," Araf said suddenly. One of my eyebrows rose questioningly.
"I know you're relatives, it wouldn't be a problem for you, but it still wouldn't be ethical. Besides, such a situation is not looked upon favorably in our area."
I held myself back quite hard from saying "I wonder what is looked upon favorably in your area?"
"Okay, okay, since that's the case, come show me my room."
Araf nodded and walked ahead of me. Boş had stayed with Variant. While I was questioning this situation, Araf answered me as if he had read my mind.
"Boş will sleep in the room across from Variant's, that's why he stayed there."
I nodded. I wondered where Araf would sleep?
When we climbed two more floors, Araf went and stopped in front of a room and opened the door.
"Here's your room, Ms. Glory." Then he turned to me. "If you need anything, I'm right across from your room. Just knocking on the door will be enough."
I nodded and thanked him. It was bad that both my and Variant's rooms were so close to the Arafs'. We would need to be quite careful when leaving our rooms in the morning.
When I entered my room, I texted Variant. "Wait for me in front of the room at seven tomorrow. Just be careful, Vari. Boş shouldn't hear you leaving the room."
While I had the phone in my hand, I just took a look around the room. My eye caught the tray full of food on the bed. I guess Araf thought we might be hungry and had the tray prepared for us.
Normally, this would be quite an impressive gesture, but the time wasn't a normal time. I took the tray and put it on the side table. We had taken hunger training just like every other training we had received. So not eating now wouldn't bother me.
Training aside, sometimes I would resort to hunger to take a stance against my uncle. My uncle would never compromise on his own ideas and behaviors until I fainted from hunger...
I shook my head and freed myself from my thoughts. At that moment, my phone vibrated. When I looked, Variant had sent a message accepting what I had said.
Since I wasn't sure whether the window would get the morning sunlight directly, I set an alarm for six o'clock and threw myself on the bed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day...
&&&&
I woke up to the sound of a door opening, my eyes slightly squinted as I scanned the surroundings. It was dark around, so it was still night.
As I heard footsteps coming toward me, I closed my eyes. My gun was in the drawer. So whoever this person was, I couldn't use it on them right now. It was best to wait for them to get even closer and watch for the right moment so I could take action.
The footsteps stopped when they reached right next to me. I could feel that they were standing right next to my head now. I could hear their breathing... It was quite irregular... I went through the possibilities in my head but couldn't get much of a result because this could be caused by many emotions. Like fear, panic, or excitement.
The person at my head remained motionless for a while, just like when they opened the door. Finally, I felt them move. When I felt their hand on my face, I raised my hand and grabbed their wrist firmly, pulling them onto the bed. At that moment, there was a breaking sound, but I didn't care. I had managed to bring the person at my head down onto the bed. Without slowing down, I climbed on top of them and grabbed their throat.
When my eyes found their face, the sky blue eyes I encountered literally caused me to be stunned. As my hands loosened on their own, I murmured.
"Araf?"