CHAPTER 4

Seph’s Pov

The last five years have been nothing but suffering. Witch each step I have yearned for a helping a hand. A hand on my shoulder a hug anything something which could give me evena  bit of hope courage. No such support was written in my face because I am stuck here. Away from them. I couldn’t even go to their funerals. Now I am too far to visit their graves.

 But in reality, my life became utter hell when he set his eyes on me. Eyes which I though had love. Everything in them was an illusion to trap me. He lured me in with his practiced hands. He is the sole killer of my happiness. Every moment I cherished, everything I held dear. He is the cruelest assassin of my everything.

His family ruined mine. They showed no mercy.

I cleared my face with the back of my hand. “Let him try,” I thought. I will never be his. He will never find me. I will run till it’s the edge of the world. For my sake and Ayla's. I will run and continue to hide. He must suffer from my disappearance. Time after time I think what would his reaction be now? He always claimed that he gets what he wants. That he could get what he desires. Yet I am here for more than five years. Away from him.

Run away. Which he must thought that I could never. Yet he is helpless wherever he is. He must be. I felt a wave of triumph inside me when I though about this. How worse he would feel every night when he goes to sleep and think that he has failed to find a girl this day too.

Every night for the last five years. He must hate his room ceilings now. Because he had claimed that night that he would never sleep alone now. Yet……..He had slept alone.

I looked at the ceiling of this house. I have memorized every bump in it the color patterns and etc thanks to my fair share of sleepless nights. This is our last night at this place. Tomorrow a new place will greet us. This is our life no with nothing to call home.

We donot have that blessing anymore. We must move from here to there every month. The anonymous man has already sent me the address of the place where I have to wait for the car. A new house awaits us. A new life.

I came back to the only bedroom in the small house and crawled under the blanket. Seeing the conditions, it will continue to rain the whole night. I pushed Ayla’s small body towards myself and snuggled beside her. As if sensing me beside, her small arms hugged me in return. And for a while, I wanted to forget everything.

New morning greeted me with a refreshing smell of wet mud. Even though it was not raining the weather was cloudy. It will start raining again at any moment. I went into the bathroom. In the bathroom mirror, I saw my reflection. It was as if a ghost was standing right there.

My weak face was on display there. I quickly averted my face from themirror. I do not have the time to think about this. We have a long day ahead of us. I did my morning ritualsand went to the kitchen to make something.

“Get up Lia" I shouted from the kitchen. I made some toast and fried eggs. Hearing no reply from her I went into the bedroom and saw her lying under the blankets with her small penguin tucked under her arm.

I moved towards the bed. Her left eye twitched giving away her charade. “Ayla, small Lia. Are you up darling?” the left eye twitched again. I smiled at that and the next moment the room lit up because of her childish laughter. Sometimes I think that I am able to survive all this ordeal because she is alongside me. Close to me.

“No no leave mamá. I’m up". Ayla said in between her laughter.

“Why? Tickle monster lovees to make you laugh. Why should it stop?”. I said smiling too. I can never get enough of her. She paints my monochrome life. She was my guiding angel when I couldn’t see. Yes, in those dark moments too. I pushed these thoughts behind my mind.

Her smile is too precious to be wasted upon such sorrows.

“Because Ayla has to eat. And if you do not stop. How will she eat?” she says in between her laughs. Her laughs are contagious my daily dose of happiness.

Ever so smart I thought. “well…..” I was about to say something when another voice stopped me in my tracks.

A knocking at the door. No one has ever knocked on this door in the last few weeks. Why now? Who could it be? We know no one here. I have never talked to any neighbor. They have never tried to form a connection. It is like I do not exist for them and they do not exist for me.

Is he the anonymous man? But The person who gives me the location of the next house always sends a text. Then at a specific place, a black car waits for us. So, who is at the door?

The knocking grows fierce. Ayla seemed to sense my worry. She hugs me tightly. What should I do?

“mamá” she whispered. What could I tell her? I can not think straight.

“Open it” someone barked from outside. This accent does not belong to people of this area. nothing came to my mind to console Ayla. It is like my body has become frozen. My mind has gone numb. What should I do now?

A sound like something breaking caught my breath. It was a mirror. Close behind. But how much? How close?

Has the death caught up to me?

Is the murderer already here?