Moonlit Scars

Demir

There was a knock on my door.

I looked at the clock on the wall. It was quarter past six and most of the household was still only half awake, except probably for the kitchen staff. I had an idea that they never slept.

Putting down the dumbbells I was holding, I reached for the hand towel slung over the back of the chair. Only Altan managed to annoy me this early in the morning. Wiping at my sweaty forehead, I walked out of the gym area and opened the door.

Only it wasn't Altan who greeted me. It was Seray.

I straightened, as if I'd drunk a shot of pure caffeine. It had almost been two months since the incident in the forest and surprisingly, she hadn't ratted us out to her family- or to the police. Even her high-handed sister didn't seem to be aware of the situation. Altan had pulled some strings and put Tahir behind bars for two years, for attempted manslaughter. I was pretty sure his brother would get him out soon, but maybe this time he'd actually think twice before ambushing me again.

"Good morning", Seray said.

Then she went through her bag and took out a small package wrapped up with brown paper. She held it out to me.

I frowned. "What's this?"

Seray glanced behind her. Only then did I notice Lalam standing a few feet away, fully dressed, distractedly sipping a juice box. She was holding a half- open, star shaped backpack and a few crayons already littered the floor at her feet. Seeing me, she shot me a toothless grin, lips stained red from whatever she was drinking.

Seray leaned forward, lowering her voice, giving me a waft of her apple- scented perfume again.

"This is your bullet cartridge. I was going to give this back to you before. But you never seemed to be around. Sorry".

I never seemed to be around because I spent the last few weeks, actively avoiding her. She was getting too interesting. The little speech she did at the seaside cafe and her shattered expression afterwards, had kept me up at several nights. I didn't need the distraction.

I plucked the package from her hands.

I should probably return her ring too, but it was back in my wallet, tucked between two of my credit cards. Instead, I regarded Lalam who was running in circles around a pillar now.

I would never understand kids.

"Where are you..." I paused. "I mean, where is Lalam going this early in the morning?"

"Preschool", Seray said.

I blinked.

"Preschool? I didn't know that Lalam goes to preschool?"

"She started last week", she said. "Urm... I already talked with Mr Altan about that. He agreed".

I glanced back at the clock on my nightstand. "Why this early, though?"

Seray almost smiled then. "She wanted to eat outside before she meets her friends. I couldn't say no"

I nodded. "Make sure to take Omer and Valit with you when you go".

Seray looked at me, surprised.

"Actually, my friend Safet is coming to pick us up. Just for this morning"

I leaned against the doorframe and regarded her unassuming expression.

Safet Karhan- the oldest friend Seray and her siblings seemed to have. Currently, he was managing Kerem's old record studio. What intrigued me was that he'd been a juvenile delinquent in his teens but later, he'd turned into a man who arranged community bake sales. Zehab had informed that the guy had turned a complete new leaf without a reason for his sudden change- something which looked highly suspicious to me.