Fire On Fire - An AdBor Story

Chapter 1 - 27 Shots

Run, Ada... The screams and yelling drown out the silence of the cold October night... Run, hide... I wish I could, but my feet turned against me as traitors who decided to work with the enemy at the worst possible moment. But I have to go. I promised.

"Ada, when the times comes, you will have to leave, don't look back. You need to live. Be happy. Promise me you will be happy!" Yes, anne, I promise. Now I have to run for her. I promised! Come on, Ada!

One deep breath before I leave the familial safety of my wardrobe. It was my castle, my shelter... I climb out, right to the back window, yes, I can do this, they are too loud, they won't hear me. And then one gunshot. Two. Three. I count to 26... No more screaming. Just the echoing night and a haunting promise: "I'll be happy, anne."

Ada woke up in the middle of the night covered with cold sweat. Not this dream again. Why now? She has been doing so well in the past few months and all of a sudden these nightmares return? Something is happening...

"No, stop it," she warned herself strictly. "No need to bring bad luck on yourself!"

She forced a smile on her face, and instead of trying for hours to fall asleep and then failing, miserably, like she did so many times before, she made her way to the kitchen. With a big cup of warm tea Ada sat down at the window in her kitchen and watched as the night sky slowly gathered all the colours she loved, until the sun came up. The tea and the fresh air calmed her nerves but as her mind roamed freely she couldn't help but think about her dream. Maybe it is because of the anniversary coming, she tried to rationalize her nightmares returning. It was still a whole month until that day when everything changed for her. 19 years later she could still hear the gunshots so clearly as if it was happening right next to her ears.

"Enough," she shook her head and put the empty cup down. She tried so hard not to think of her past, but it was harder than expected because it seemed to follow her as a shadow. Whenever she left her apartment, she checked three times if she locked the door properly, or set up the alarm. When she was driving to work, she constantly checked in the rearview if she was being followed. When she was in a restaurant or a bar with Selin and someone was staring at her, she made a quick exit even if the man only wanted to buy her a drink. She came to Istanbul to have a normal life without the curse of her family... but no one can ever leave behind her shadow.

"Where have you been?" Selin asked when Ada finally arrived in the restaurant, 30 minutes late of course, as almost everyday.

"I- I overslept, sorry," she lied. Even though she only met Selin three years ago, she felt like Selin was the sister she could never have. Her heart was pure gold and made of kindness, meanwhile her hands could quickly turn to weapons if someone hurt her or the ones she loved, even a stranger, who just arrived in Istanbul, didn't know anyone and already got herself in trouble with the landlord the day she met. This was the reason Ada decided to tell her everything a few months after they met. She needed someone who knew the real Ada, the way only her family knew her. Selin became her family here and just like with her aunts, Ada didn't want to make her worried about stupid nightmares and bad feelings, so she lied.

"Are you sure everything is okay?" Selin asked. Maybe I am not as good of a liar as I expected, Ada thought bitterly.

"Sure, let's go before Burkhan fires me."

As if he was waiting for a cue, the man appeared.

"Ada... Ah, Ada, what happened this time?" He asked and when Ada opened her mouth he raised his hand. "No, I actually don't care. Get inside, NOW!"

Even though being a waitress was not whatAda imagined for herself, she had to admit the constant business of the place was the perfect remedy for her mind to phase out. She could forget about the nightmares and only focused on the people she served. Was it a bad thing to listen into other people's conversations? Maybe. But this helped her refocus her life, and also gave her new perspectives about life. Maybe one day you could use it in your book, she entertained the idea every now and then.