The first-third half of the book is held in between the time period of 2006-2014, while The rest takes place in the current time period being 2023. With Each chapter being a different perspective of One of the six main characters. -Auther
"I can't let the fire I have in me, burn my soul and dignity.
I won't let them see the monster they've hid in me, so I'll cadge myself even If that means for an eternity"
-Deception
08-may-2009
A massive Explosion caused everyone to dunk down. spreading from behind us, the whole ground starts shaking, and my ears rang a bell, a bell too long, too far-reaching, till I regain my focus. Everyone is running and screaming but I can't hear anything except for muffled terror. Fire? A house is on fire? My eyes scan back and front, but all I can see is crowd, fear, and panic . Everyone is gathering up. "It's smoking!" Someone yells."Yilmaz house is on fire!" A man points back, taking quick shallow breaths. My eyes darted wildly to the name Yilmaz- became I'm Yilmaz. Which can only mean one thing. My chest constricted and a suffocating sense of dread wraps around me. Squeezing my throat.
The people of my town, are shouting, falling, bumping each other aside. But I'm standing still, the moment I heard that man yell my name, the ground left my feet hanging and my breath sucked in- Every neighbour of mine is rushing towards my house panickly.
Ifan looks over at me, he's frightened- of course he is- we're only ten.
"Don't be scared, I have to get my mum!" I yell and without a single thought I rashed to my house, there are way too many people gathered here, I push some random people to the side so that I can move through them, Ifan is following me.
"I don't want you to follow me!" I say but he stayed silent and got stiffen looking behind me, as If he had seen a ghost. I turn around and the next image I see might not ever leave me alone now that I've seen it. It tore my heart into a billon pieces and my body trembled violently.
Anger is bad luck anger is bad luck.
There it was, my house, caught on fire. Half destroyed. Burning. The Back of my head is strangled with knotted words and alarm. The minute I broke my vision I scream. "My mum! Where's my mother?" My eyes scanning the place back and front but I can't see her anywhere. My neighbours are pulling me back, stopping me from going any further, some neighbours were trying to put out the fire with buckets filled with water, some were trying to get inside, that's when I see my mother coming outside, she's wounded but she's going to be okay, she's coming, she reached the door step. But I saw something before anyone else did.
"MOM STOP! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!"
In an instant, our roof fell down- on her.
When our hopes are High, and we stand broad. That's when we're more likely to fall down. We let our caution essence bring the worst to us. Or at least that's how we feel when something terrible happens. We feel if we hadn't been cautious about something we wouldn't have attracted the negative attention. If we had just been thoroughly honest, we wouldn't have to face such difficulties. Anger is my bad luck, Whenever I lose my temper, Universe has its way of punishing me. My ill fate took the best of me. My mother died two years after my father's death. Ever since my dad died, I'd get this feeling that I'm the one responsible for it, that I am obligated to finish his unfinished business. and it makes my heart ich, as if something hard hit my throat and I can't seem to breathe, as if all of a sudden there is shortage of air and I'm fighing for my life, frightened, that's what I feel. Sometimes things don't even make sense, like when I feel threatened in my sleep.
I simply just want to do everything he ever wanted to do in life, and I know it's going to be hard to endure and it won't be easy to keep track, and I would have to lose so much in order to reach his path, his goal, but that's the choice I'm willing to make, those are the things I'm willing to lose, it's the risk I'm willing to burn apon me.
Yes, there will be times where I would want to just give up and leave everything behind, but I won't let those Mere seconds of weakness end my dignity.
The fire in which they burned goes through in every vain of my body, and I can feel it boiling my blood with pain and sorrow, we only realise someone's worth when they're no longer near us. I guess that's the humanly nature, to care once it gets out of our hands, to tighten our grip when things are slipping away, to run when we no longer can walk. Humans are like this, too stupidly stubborn, and too eagerly egoistic. I guess that's me too, I guess that's how my dad was secretly.
I don't know what I'm going to do with my life.
but as for now, I just need to get through this interrogation. A case of fire and death of my mother. Our local police suspects its not an accident.
"What do you last remember?" The officer asks me.
"I helped a boy."
"Which boy?"
"I'm not going to expose his name." I look up at the officer. It's a bland room with only one chair and a table infront of me. He remains silent and Tsk his tough.
"I respect it." He nods and stomps back and front, after a while he sits down next to me.
"Look son, I know it's going to be rough on you, you're a child. but I need to ask some questions that might hurt."
"I understand." I nod.
"What were your last words with your mother?"
"Let me remember." I ask for time, my throat feels heavy and I might brust into tears but sure.
"Sure, take your time."
-An hour before the incident.
"Sam, honey? Can you come downstairs for a mintue." My mom's calling me, I close my notebook and run downstairs.
"Yes ma" I say out of breath because I skip two stairs while running, I sat on the table and swang my feet.
"How many time have I told you not to sit on the table, what are chairs build for?"
"chairs are overrated anyway." I say teasingly.
Ma sighs "Anyway, guests will be ariving in a few minutes, so I'm going out to grab some milk from the market, I want you to behave yourself and lock the doors."
"What?" Annoyance crossed across my face "no, no, you're not going, I am. What am I here for? I'm here willing to work for my house!"
"You're ten, Sam"
"Almost eleven, but It doesn't matter, at least I'm still here." That came out wrong, my mom got quite. dammit my mouth, I got near her and held her hand as I looked up at her
"I'm here to do everything for you, and grabbing milk is the barest of bare minimum." a smile spread across her face and I'm relieved, she's the prettiest when she smiles. Ever since the death of my father, she doesn't have much to smile for. And I hate that I can't do more for her. She puts her hand on my head and pets me.
"I'm sure you are the strongest" Mom said but her tone is still as If she's talking to a kid, yeah sure I'm ten years old but I'm more mature than she thinks I am.
"Wait what guests ma?" Ma looked furious when I asked that question which is a bit weird, she took a sigh in.
"They're big people sam, they liked my sweets so they'll be visiting our store soon for collaboration, they wanted to meet me first personally."
"Oh so we've got collaboration huh? are you sure they're not fraud?" I say. ma laughed. she's literally a goddess!
"I'm sure they're not fraud."
"Okay sounds good, I'm gonna go grab tones of bottles of milk, you stay here, rest, don't move. I'll be right back" I place a gentle kiss on top of her hand and walked to the front door. A thought came to my mind so I turned towards her again. "Just because dad lost his life doesn't mean we stop living ours." My ma smiles and nods agreeingly, and I leave.
I reach market's middle most busy and Chaotic area, my town might not be the prettiest but its bearable, everyone's busy selling, buying, bargaining, one can never get tried of it.
I wish to do all the elderly things one day, and serve my mom with everything she deserves to have, I come running to the diary store, and stand there looking as cool as ever.
"Eh what do you want?" The man asks.
"Milk please" I smile wide. He hands me a bottle of milk, as I take the bottle from him, I hear noises of cheering and beating, I turn to take a look, there seems to be a group of older kids surrounding someone.
I walk to them for a closer look. I push some random kid with my free hand and I see there's a kid my age laying on the ground, he's covered in dust and mud, burises on his knee, he's wearing shorts and a button up shirt which is clearly now torn, I come to realise the older kids were clearly bullying him, I watch everyone around me firmly. It makes me feel all type of anger and hurt. people can be so needy, it's just stupid to even think about. but I know what I need to do, it's the one thing that won't ever sit right with me. they're not scary. They're pathetic, and insecure.
I ignore them for now while I give my hand to the kid laying on the ground. I give him a disappointing look. "and what do you think you're doing on the ground?" the kid looks upset about it, I mean obviously.
"If you were to be my place I would've asked you than." he grabs my hand and I pull him up to me, his height tells why he's being bullied so easily.
"And who are you?" the older kid yells at me, he's facing my back, I didn't bother look at him, I ignore him completely, I'm more focused on taking this boy out of here.
"Do you even know who I am?!" the older kid yells again, oh how I hate rich kids.
"No, and nor am I not interested in knowing." Of course now that I've insulted him, he's mad. he's a bully, all they do Is get mad. but I don't care, I'm not bothered by him, what bothers me is innocent people getting hurt by people who can't control their emotions. People who projects their wrong doings on people like us who have never wronged anyone.
he starts coming closer to me, and I stiffen my posture, I'm not afraid of him, he's not scary, well maybe he is and my legs might start shaking but he's also pathetic. He wouldn't know I'm afraid if I don't let him. I pretend to be scared and that's all it takes for people like them to step back.
He stands right in front of me, staring me in the eye. For a while we kept looking at each other.
"Don't you have something better to do?" I ask him. Because I'm genuinely concerned. He's silent. "That's what I thought." I take a step away when he pushes me, gets over me and pulls me by my collars. "Don't interfere!" He shouts but I smash the milk bottle on his head, He starts to bleed a bit. And that's why I say Anger is my worst enemy.
I defended myself and I don't feel bad not even close to sorry. He falls over and I stand over him as a warning to run away.
Bingo.
Those Other kids ran away from that one action I did. Talk about real friends.
"Dammit my bottle.." I mutter under my breath. I'll have to get another one.
"Ifan" I look back, the kid is standing still, his clothes are ripped and muddy, his shoes are old and his shirt is even bigger than him. he looks navie.
"My name is ifan" he offers me his hand
"And?" My voice is harsh.
"oh, I'm sorry, I didn't wanted to seem of as clingy I-"
"I'm just messing with you, I'm sam." I say "now tell me, why were those kids not being nice to you?"
"Well uhm" his palms are sweaty.
"My uncle isn't very nice to people, perhaps that's why kids don't like us, and now my uncle is going to be very angry at me when I get home." his voice broke. A British young boy, With an evil uncle. What did I got myself into?
"Where are your parents?" I realise later, I shouldn't have asked that. Not everyone has good relation with their folks.
"It's okay you don't have to tell me-"
"They're not here anymore" he's looking down at his feet. Oh wow. I was thinking about relation. He can't even make one even if he wanted to.
"Let's go to my house, my mum would love to meet you, I'm sure of it."
"I tried changing the topic when we both got startled by A Huge Explosion." I tell the officer everything.
He nods.
"I saw her coming through the door.."
MOM STOP! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER!
"And the roof fell down-" A tear fell down my cheek. "on her"
If only I was quicker.
officer took a deep breath.
"What are you going to do with me now?"
I never thought my childhood would end like this. I never thought I would have to question myself like this.
"Kid" officer says. "Your parents got you in a hell-hole, this town might not be the most merciful to orphans."
"What will happen to me now officer?"
"You'll survive."