Portakallı Soda ve İlk Aşk

Chapter One

The body lay in perfect repose on the Victorian fainting couch, looking more like a sleeping beauty than a victim. Detective Sarah Chen had seen enough death in her ten years with the Metropolitan Police's Special Cases Unit to know that natural death never looked this peaceful. Something was very, very wrong.

        'No signs of struggle, no marks on the body, and yet...' She leaned closer, studying the victim's face. Charlotte Mills, aged 28, was found by her roommate this morning, apparently having passed away in her sleep. Her expression was serene, almost blissful, but her eyes - those were what caught Sarah's attention. Behind the closed lids, her eyes were moving rapidly, as if still deep in REM sleep.

        "You see it too, don't you?" The voice came from behind her, rich and cultured with a slight Irish lilt. "She's still dreaming."

        Sarah turned to find a tall man in an impeccably tailored charcoal suit standing in the doorway. He hadn't been there a moment ago, she was certain of it. His dark hair was streaked with silver at the temples, and his eyes were an unusual shade of amber that seemed to shift color in the light.

        "This is a closed crime scene," she said firmly, her hand instinctively moving toward her weapon. "How did you get in here?"

        He smiled, but it didn't reach those strange eyes. "Dr. Marcus Thorne," he said, pulling out a card that somehow both looked official and seemed to shimmer slightly. "I'm a consulting specialist with the Department's new Oneiric Phenomena Division."

        "The what division?" Sarah frowned, taking the card. The moment her fingers touched it, she felt a slight electric tingle, and the letters seemed to rearrange themselves before her eyes.

        "Dreams, Detective Chen. We investigate crimes involving dreams." He moved into the room with fluid grace, his attention fixed on the victim. "And this is the third one this month."

        Sarah's mind raced. There had been two other deaths recently - both young women, both found peacefully dead in their sleep. She'd seen the reports but hadn't made the connection until now. "How do you know about those cases?"

        "Because I've been tracking the killer for quite some time." Thorne knelt beside the body, his eyes now definitely more gold than amber. "He's what we call a Dream Collector - someone who has learned to enter and steal dreams. But this one has developed a taste for more than just dreams. He's taking souls."

        Under normal circumstances, Sarah would have dismissed such talk as nonsense. But there was something about the scene, about the victim's still-moving eyes, about Thorne himself, that made the impossible seem suddenly plausible.

        "If you're tracking him," she said carefully, "why haven't you caught him?"

        Thorne's expression darkened. "Because he only appears in dreams. The physical world is my domain, but his... his is the realm of sleep. To catch him, we need someone who can walk between both worlds." He turned those unsettling eyes on her. "Someone like you."

        "Me?" Sarah almost laughed, but the sound died in her throat as memories she'd long suppressed began to surface. The dreams that felt too real, the nights she'd awakened to find objects moved in her room, the way she sometimes knew things she couldn't possibly know...

        "You've always known you were different, haven't you, Detective?" Thorne's voice was gentle now. "The dreams that come true, the hunches that turn out to be right, the way you can sometimes see how people died just by touching objects they owned..."

        Sarah took an involuntary step back. "How do you know about that?"

        "Because I've been looking for someone like you. A Natural - someone born with the ability to cross the threshold between waking and dreaming." He gestured to the victim. "Charlotte here won't be his last. There will be others, and their souls will remain trapped in an eternal dream unless we stop him."

        Just then, the victim's hand twitched, her fingers moving as if writing something. Sarah moved closer, watching as invisible words were traced in the air. Thorne pulled out what looked like an antique monocle and held it up. Through its lens, golden letters shimmered in the air where Charlotte's fingers moved.

        "Help me," Thorne read aloud. "He's coming for the others."

        Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at the victim's peaceful face, at those restlessly moving eyes, and made a decision that would change her life forever.

        "Tell me what I need to do."

        Thorne's smile was grim. "First, you need to learn to control your abilities. Then..." he held up the monocle, through which Sarah could now see strange symbols glowing all around the room, "you need to learn to hunt in dreams."

        Outside the Victorian townhouse, storm clouds gathered, and Sarah Chen, homicide detective and newly discovered dream walker, took her first step into a world where nightmares were real, and death was just another kind of sleep.

Chapter Two

The basement of the Natural History Museum was the last place Sarah expected to find the headquarters of a secret dream investigation unit. Yet here she was, following Thorne through a maze of storage rooms filled with artifacts that seemed to pulse with their own inner light.

        "The mundane world only sees what it expects to see," Thorne explained, using an ornate key to unlock a heavy wooden door marked 'Private Collection.' "To them, this is just museum storage. To us, it's the largest collection of dream artifacts in the Western Hemisphere."

        The room beyond defied physics. It stretched impossibly far, filled with glass cases containing everything from ancient masks to modern-looking devices. Floating orbs of soft light illuminated collections of bottled dreams - actual dreams, swirling like liquid mercury behind glass.

        "Your badge, Detective," Thorne held out his hand. Sarah hesitated before handing over her police credentials. He placed it on a strange device that looked like a Victorian music box crossed with a computer. When he returned the badge, it felt different - heavier, somehow more real.

        "Now you'll be able to access both worlds officially," he said. "Look at it again."

        The badge had changed. Alongside her regular police credentials, new text had appeared: 'Special Inspector, Oneiric Investigations Division.' The letters seemed to shift between English and something older, something that made her eyes water if she looked too long.

        "Before we can hunt the Dream Collector, you need to understand what you're dealing with." Thorne led her to a case containing what looked like a normal pillow. "Touch it."

        Sarah reached out hesitantly. The moment her fingers made contact, the world tilted. She was suddenly standing in someone else's dream - a sunny beach, but the sky was green and the sand whispered secrets. She jerked her hand back, gasping.

        "Good," Thorne nodded approvingly. "Most people can't pull back from their first dream artifact. You have natural barriers."

        "What was that?" Sarah's heart was racing.

        "A dream fragment from 1892. A young girl's last dream before the influenza took her." His voice softened. "We preserve them here. Dreams carry memories, emotions, sometimes even pieces of souls."

        "And this Dream Collector... he takes entire souls?" Sarah remembered Charlotte Mills' peaceful face and restless eyes.

        "He traps them in eternal dreams, feeding off their essence." Thorne moved to another case, this one containing what looked like a cracked mirror. "Each victim becomes part of his collection, their souls powering his abilities, letting him dreamwalk without natural talent like yours."

        Suddenly, the cracked mirror began to frost over. In its surface, Sarah saw Charlotte Mills' face, mouth open in a silent scream. Then another face appeared - another victim, she presumed - and another.

        "He's showing off," Thorne growled. "He knows we're investigating."

        The temperature in the room dropped dramatically. Frost patterns spread from the mirror to nearby cases, and Sarah heard what sounded like distant laughter.

        "Well, well," a voice echoed through the room, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere. "A new player in the game. And such interesting dreams you have, Detective Chen."

        Sarah felt something brush against her mind, like cold fingers trying to pry open a door. Instinctively, she slammed her mental barriers shut. The presence withdrew, but not before leaving behind an impression of amusement.

        "He's already caught your scent," Thorne said grimly. He pulled out a small velvet bag and removed what looked like a dreamcatcher made of silver wire and black pearls. "Wear this when you sleep. It won't keep him out entirely, but it'll stop him from stealing your dreams while you're still learning to defend yourself."

        As Sarah took the dreamcatcher, her fingers brushed Thorne's, and suddenly she was hit with a flash of his dreams - centuries of memories, battles fought in realms of sleep, and a profound sense of loss that made her gasp.

        Thorne withdrew his hand quickly. "Your abilities are stronger than I thought. We'll need to work on your control."

        "What are you?" Sarah asked directly. "You're not just some government consultant, are you?"

        Before he could answer, an alarm began to sound throughout the facility. One of the dream bottles had turned black, its contents writhing like smoke.

        "He's hunting again," Thorne said, already moving toward the exit. "Someone in the city has just entered their last dream. Are you ready for your first real case, Detective?"

        Sarah touched her new badge, feeling its power hum under her fingers. "Do we have time to save them?"

        "If we're lucky, we might catch him in the act. But remember - in dreams, he's incredibly powerful. One wrong move and you could lose your soul."

        As they rushed from the dream archive, Sarah caught one last glimpse of the cracked mirror. In its surface, she saw her own reflection smile back at her with eyes that weren't quite her own.

        The hunt was about to begin.

Chapter Two

The basement of the Natural History Museum was the last place Sarah expected to find the headquarters of a secret dream investigation unit. Yet here she was, following Thorne through a maze of storage rooms filled with artifacts that seemed to pulse with their own inner light.

        "The mundane world only sees what it expects to see," Thorne explained, using an ornate key to unlock a heavy wooden door marked 'Private Collection.' "To them, this is just museum storage. To us, it's the largest collection of dream artifacts in the Western Hemisphere."

        The room beyond defied physics. It stretched impossibly far, filled with glass cases containing everything from ancient masks to modern-looking devices. Floating orbs of soft light illuminated collections of bottled dreams - actual dreams, swirling like liquid mercury behind glass.

        "Your badge, Detective," Thorne held out his hand. Sarah hesitated before handing over her police credentials. He placed it on a strange device that looked like a Victorian music box crossed with a computer. When he returned the badge, it felt different - heavier, somehow more real.

        "Now you'll be able to access both worlds officially," he said. "Look at it again."

        The badge had changed. Alongside her regular police credentials, new text had appeared: 'Special Inspector, Oneiric Investigations Division.' The letters seemed to shift between English and something older, something that made her eyes water if she looked too long.

        "Before we can hunt the Dream Collector, you need to understand what you're dealing with." Thorne led her to a case containing what looked like a normal pillow. "Touch it."

        Sarah reached out hesitantly. The moment her fingers made contact, the world tilted. She was suddenly standing in someone else's dream - a sunny beach, but the sky was green and the sand whispered secrets. She jerked her hand back, gasping.

        "Good," Thorne nodded approvingly. "Most people can't pull back from their first dream artifact. You have natural barriers."

        "What was that?" Sarah's heart was racing.

        "A dream fragment from 1892. A young girl's last dream before the influenza took her." His voice softened. "We preserve them here. Dreams carry memories, emotions, sometimes even pieces of souls."

        "And this Dream Collector... he takes entire souls?" Sarah remembered Charlotte Mills' peaceful face and restless eyes.

        "He traps them in eternal dreams, feeding off their essence." Thorne moved to another case, this one containing what looked like a cracked mirror. "Each victim becomes part of his collection, their souls powering his abilities, letting him dreamwalk without natural talent like yours."

        Suddenly, the cracked mirror began to frost over. In its surface, Sarah saw Charlotte Mills' face, mouth open in a silent scream. Then another face appeared - another victim, she presumed - and another.

        "He's showing off," Thorne growled. "He knows we're investigating."

        The temperature in the room dropped dramatically. Frost patterns spread from the mirror to nearby cases, and Sarah heard what sounded like distant laughter.

        "Well, well," a voice echoed through the room, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere. "A new player in the game. And such interesting dreams you have, Detective Chen."

        Sarah felt something brush against her mind, like cold fingers trying to pry open a door. Instinctively, she slammed her mental barriers shut. The presence withdrew, but not before leaving behind an impression of amusement.

        "He's already caught your scent," Thorne said grimly. He pulled out a small velvet bag and removed what looked like a dreamcatcher made of silver wire and black pearls. "Wear this when you sleep. It won't keep him out entirely, but it'll stop him from stealing your dreams while you're still learning to defend yourself."

        As Sarah took the dreamcatcher, her fingers brushed Thorne's, and suddenly she was hit with a flash of his dreams - centuries of memories, battles fought in realms of sleep, and a profound sense of loss that made her gasp.

        Thorne withdrew his hand quickly. "Your abilities are stronger than I thought. We'll need to work on your control."

        "What are you?" Sarah asked directly. "You're not just some government consultant, are you?"

        Before he could answer, an alarm began to sound throughout the facility. One of the dream bottles had turned black, its contents writhing like smoke.

        "He's hunting again," Thorne said, already moving toward the exit. "Someone in the city has just entered their last dream. Are you ready for your first real case, Detective?"

        Sarah touched her new badge, feeling its power hum under her fingers. "Do we have time to save them?"

        "If we're lucky, we might catch him in the act. But remember - in dreams, he's incredibly powerful. One wrong move and you could lose your soul."

        As they rushed from the dream archive, Sarah caught one last glimpse of the cracked mirror. In its surface, she saw her own reflection smile back at her with eyes that weren't quite her own.

        The hunt was about to begin.

Chapter Three

They arrived at St. Bartholomew's Hospital just as the emergency lights began to flash. Sarah followed Thorne through corridors that seemed to blur at the edges of her vision, her new badge somehow clearing their path without ever being shown.

        "Room 307," Thorne said, his voice tight with urgency. "Young male, admitted for minor surgery, slipped into an unusual coma during recovery."

        The patient, David Parker, age 23, lay perfectly still on his hospital bed, his eyes moving rapidly beneath closed lids. Just like Charlotte Mills. But this time, something was different - the air around him rippled like heat waves over hot asphalt.

        "He's still in the process of taking him," Thorne said, pulling out what looked like an antique pocket watch. "We can follow if we're quick. Are you ready for your first dream dive?"

        Sarah's heart pounded. "What do I need to do?"

        "Take my hand. Focus on the patient. Let your consciousness slip between the moments of reality." Thorne's eyes began to glow that strange amber color. "And whatever you see in there, remember - dream logic is real logic in that world."

        Sarah grasped Thorne's hand and looked at David Parker. The world tilted, twisted, and suddenly...

        They were standing in a hospital corridor that wasn't quite right. The walls breathed slowly, the floor was made of flowing water that somehow supported their weight, and the ceiling was a swirling mass of constellation maps.

        "His dreamscape," Thorne explained, his voice echoing strangely. "Every dreamer creates their own reality. Look."

        Down the impossible corridor, a figure in a doctor's coat was leading David Parker by the hand. But the 'doctor' was wrong - his shadow moved independently, reaching out with grasping tendrils towards other dreams that floated past like soap bubbles.

        "The Dream Collector," Sarah whispered.

        As if hearing his name, the figure turned. Sarah's breath caught. His face was a beautiful mask of shifting features, never settling on one form, but his eyes... his eyes were endless pits of swirling dreams.

        "Ah, the new dreamer," his voice was like silk over broken glass. "And my old friend Marcus. Still trying to police the dream worlds?"

        Thorne stepped forward, and Sarah noticed his appearance had changed in the dream. His suit was now made of living shadows, and wings of dark light stretched from his shoulders. "Let him go, Collector. You've taken enough souls."

        The Collector laughed, the sound causing the hospital walls to crack, leaking golden dream-light. "Taken? Oh, Marcus, you still don't understand. They give themselves to me. Show her, David."

        The young man turned, and Sarah saw his eyes were glassy with bliss. "It's beautiful here," he said dreamily. "All my pain is gone. All my fears. He takes them all away."

        "By taking everything you are," Sarah found herself saying. She took a step forward, instinctively reaching for her police badge. In the dream, it transformed into a shield of pure light. "David, this isn't real healing. It's theft."

        The Collector's face rippled with anger. "You dare interrupt my collection?" The corridor began to twist, reality bending around them. "Let me show you what happens to those who interfere with my work."

        Suddenly, the floor beneath Sarah liquefied completely. She started to sink, but instead of water, she was drowning in dreams - thousands of them, each containing a fragment of someone's stolen soul. She saw Charlotte Mills dancing endlessly in a ballroom of mirrors, saw other victims trapped in perfect moments that had become eternal prisons.

        "Sarah!" Thorne's voice cut through the chaos. "Remember - dream logic! Make your own rules!"

        Dream logic. Sarah closed her eyes, focusing on her years of police work, of protecting people, of solving puzzles. When she opened them, her badge-shield had transformed into a sword of pure thought.

        With a cry, she slashed through the dream-flood. Reality reasserted itself - or at least, this dream's version of reality. She stood on solid ground again, facing the Collector.

        "Impressive," he purred, but she sensed uncertainty in his voice. "You're stronger than the usual dreamers Marcus recruits. Perhaps we could make a deal..."

        "No deals," Sarah said firmly. She could feel her power growing, reshaping the dream around them. "David, look at what he really is. Look with your heart, not your fears."

        For a moment, David's eyes cleared. The Collector's beautiful mask slipped, revealing something ancient and hungry beneath. David screamed, pulling away from the creature's grasp.

        The Collector snarled, his form shifting into something monstrous. "If I can't have him willingly..." Shadows exploded from his body, reaching for David.

        What happened next seemed to unfold in slow motion. Thorne spread his dark wings, shielding David. Sarah's sword of thought became a net of light, trapping some of the shadows. But the Collector himself simply... stepped sideways, vanishing into a door that appeared in the air.

        "Sweet dreams, detectives," his voice lingered behind. "We'll meet again soon. After all, Sarah, your dreams are particularly... appetizing."

        The dreamscape began to dissolve. Sarah felt Thorne grab her arm, pulling her back through layers of reality. Then...

        They were standing in the hospital room again. David Parker was awake, gasping, but alive and whole. A nurse was rushing in, responding to his sudden revival.

        "We saved one," Thorne said quietly. "But he'll be angry now. And he'll come for you."

        Sarah touched her badge, still feeling echoes of its dream-power. "Good," she said grimly. "Because I have some questions for him about Charlotte Mills. And about what you really are, Marcus Thorne."

        Thorne's expression was unreadable. "All in time, Detective. For now, you need to rest. Tomorrow, your real training begins."

        As they left the hospital, Sarah could have sworn she saw her shadow move independently, reaching for dreams that floated just beyond the edge of sight. The world would never look quite the same again.

Chapter Four

Sarah's apartment looked different when she returned that night. The shadows seemed deeper, more alive, and ordinary objects cast reflections that didn't quite match reality. The dreamcatcher Thorne had given her pulsed softly in her pocket, responding to the changed way she now saw the world.

        She was exhausted but afraid to sleep. The Collector's words echoed in her mind: 'Your dreams are particularly appetizing.' Instead, she spread her case files across the coffee table - photographs of Charlotte Mills, the other victims, and now David Parker's medical records.

        A soft chime from her badge interrupted her concentration. The metal had grown warm, and when she touched it, words appeared in that strange shifting script: 'Archive. Now. Emergency.'

        The museum was different at night. Sarah's new badge led her through doors that hadn't existed during her first visit, down stairs that seemed to descend far deeper than the building's foundation should allow. She found Thorne in a circular room she hadn't seen before, surrounded by floating screens of light that showed various dreamscapes.

        "We have a problem," he said without preamble. "The Collector's attack pattern has changed. Look."

        The screens shifted, showing a map of the city overlaid with points of light. "Each light is a dreamer," Thorne explained. "The blue ones are normal dreams. The red..." He gestured, and several dots pulsed an angry crimson. "Those are nightmares being actively shaped by outside forces."

        "He's attacking multiple targets at once?"

        "No." Thorne's expression was grim. "He's leaving traps. Dream-snares. Anyone who falls asleep in these areas risks being pulled into a constructed nightmare. He's trying to overwhelm our ability to respond."

        Sarah studied the pattern of red dots. "They're forming a shape... a symbol?"

        "A summoning circle." A new voice joined them. Sarah turned to see an elderly woman emerging from what appeared to be a door made of starlight. Her eyes were milk-white, but she moved with absolute certainty.

        "Sarah, meet Dr. Eleanor Price, the Archive's keeper," Thorne said. "And yes, she's blind in the waking world, but in dreams..."

        "I see everything," Eleanor finished. Her unseeing eyes fixed on Sarah with uncomfortable accuracy. "Including what our friend the Collector is truly planning. He's not just taking souls anymore. He's building toward something larger."

        She gestured, and the room transformed around them. They were suddenly standing in what looked like a vast library, but the books were made of dreams, their pages flowing like liquid memory.

        "Every dream ever archived is stored here," Eleanor explained. "Including the oldest nightmares of humanity. The Collector isn't just a thief - he's trying to wake something that should stay sleeping. Something we locked away centuries ago."

        She pulled a book from the shelf, and its pages burst open, projecting a scene of ancient horror - a time when the boundary between dreams and reality was thinner, when nightmares could walk in daylight.

        "The Last Nightmare," Thorne said softly. "We thought it was safely contained, but if he completes that summoning circle..."

        A sudden tremor ran through the Archive. One of the red dots on the map had grown larger, pulsing violently.

        "He's starting," Eleanor's voice was urgent. "Sarah, you need to see something before you face this." She pressed her fingers to Sarah's forehead, and suddenly...

        She was in a memory. A younger Thorne stood with a woman who looked remarkably like Sarah herself, facing down a shadow that threatened to devour the world. The woman - another dream detective? - sacrificed herself to help seal away the nightmare.

        "Your mother," Eleanor's voice echoed in her mind. "She was one of us. Her sacrifice helped lock away the Last Nightmare, but the Collector has never stopped trying to free it. And now he's found you - her daughter, with her power."

        The vision ended abruptly as another tremor shook the Archive. More red dots were pulsing on the map.

        "Why didn't you tell me?" Sarah demanded, turning to Thorne.

        "Because I promised her I'd keep you away from this life," he replied, pain evident in his voice. "But now the Collector knows who you are, and we're running out of time."

        "The summoning circle will be complete at the next new moon," Eleanor added. "Three days from now. If the Last Nightmare wakes..."

        "Then we stop him before that happens," Sarah said firmly, though her mind was reeling from the revelations. "How do we break these dream-snares?"

        "It's dangerous," Thorne warned. "Each one is a trap designed specifically for dream walkers. If you're caught..."

        "Then you'll just have to watch my back," Sarah said. She touched her badge, feeling its power respond. "Where do we start?"

        Eleanor smiled, her blind eyes somehow twinkling. "First, you need to understand what you truly inherited from your mother. It's time you learned about the true history of the dream walkers - and why the Collector fears your bloodline above all others."

        As if in response to Eleanor's words, the books around them began to glow, their pages rustling with the weight of secrets about to be revealed. In the map above, the red dots pulsed like a countdown to catastrophe, and Sarah realized she had less than three days to master powers she never knew she had.

        The true game was about to begin.

"Kardeşim, sıcak çarpması geçiriyor gibiyim."
"Neredesin?"
"Mahallenin yanındaki KFC," dedi Eva Summers ve sanki boğuluyormuş gibi nefes nefese KFC'nin önündeki basamaklara oturdu.
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Başını yavaşça kaldıran Eva, ışığa karşı bir çocuk gördü, güneş ışığı yüzünün yan tarafına serpilmişti, puslu atmosfer onun nazik ve çekici görünmesini sağlıyordu. Çimenlerin ve ağaçların taze kokusunu hissetti.
Eva'nın başı dönüyordu ama kalp atışları hızlanmaya başladı, o an bir melek görmüş gibi hissetti.
"Sen bir melek misin?" Eva başını kaldırdı, iri gözleri, özellikle hareketli olan zorluk nedeniyle ince bir su buharı tabakasıyla kaplıydı.
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"Ne sıcak çarpması ama." Yumuşakça mırıldandı.
Eva göz kapaklarının giderek ağırlaştığını hissetti, yavaş yavaş bilincini kaybediyordu, gözlerini tekrar açtığında çoktan yatağında yatıyordu.
"Anne, portakallı sodam nerede?" Eva hiddetle yataktan kalktı, gözleri etrafı ararken endişeli bir ifadeyle sordu.
"Ne &PoSrtBajkóatllWıR SowdcaC'nsıQ ç,ocfuIğum,g ps!ıHcaakq çarr)pmRaksuı TgeVçziréirkenP nnascıl ubuF Bkéamdar_ YapVtHasl MotllaRbilriyor$su,n!"O LpunhaÉ HCan FuznawnıpD Eva'qnwın Lal(ntınaa doku,nzd)u DvIeu rsodnurda' k.eBnadGi aÉlZnOıyAla karşı*la!ş&tıyrjıp ffjısıldandıt: "XAtOe(şIin RyoBk&.Q"
"Anne, ben hasta değilim." Eva Luna'nın anlamadığını görünce aceleyle salona koştu ve "Abi, abi~" diye bağırdı.
"Ne yapıyorsun, ruhlara mı sesleniyorsun?" Ethan Summers süslü şortuyla, üstsüz bir şekilde dışarı çıktı.
"Kardeşim, portakallı gazozumu gördün mü?"
"Nte$ porht.aktallAıS jgazozu?J"
"Elimde tuttuğum Portakallı Soda."
"Oh!" Ethan sabırsızca, "Bir şey olduğunu sandım ve içtim," diye sinirlendi.
O sırada Eva'yı eve kadar taşımış, Eva'nın elinde bir şişe Portakallı Soda görmüş ve hemen içmiş.
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"Ethan, seni kötü adam, Portakallı Gazozumu çaldın!" dedi Eva gözyaşları içinde ve sonunda hıçkırarak.
Ethan, Eva'nın tokadı karşısında biraz şaşkındı, onun ağladığını görünce panikledi ve hemen onu teselli etmek için fısıldadı: "Canım, ağlama, eğer o portakallı gazozu seversen sana tekrar alırım, tamam mı?"
"Portakallı gazozu kim sever!" Eva hıçkıra hıçkıra ağladı, gözleri kıpkırmızı olmuştu, "Bu meleklerin bana aldığı gazozdu ve sen onu mahvettin!"
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"Çok yakışıklı olan ve bana Portakallı Soda alan çocuk bu." Eva ağladı, "Uzun boylu, yakışıklı ve yumuşak bir sesi var."
"Haha~" Ethan'ın ağzı seğirdi, kanepeden bir öğrenci kimliği çıkardı ve doğrudan Eva'nın önüne fırlattı.

Xia Qi Xi öğrenci kimliğini aldı, kapağını açtı ve bir inçlik bir fotoğraf hemen gözüne çarptı. Temiz beyaz ten, yüksek burun, kiraz yaprağına benzeyen ince dudaklar büzülmüş, dar anka kuşu gözleri doğrudan kendilerine bakıyor gibi görünüyor.
Eva Summers anında kızardı, parmakları yavaşça aşağı kaydı ve uçan üç harfi gördü.
"Justin Carter!"
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"Bu mu? Melek mi?" Ethan Summers, Eva'nın yüzünün kızardığını ve gözlerinin resme sabitlendiğini görünce hoşnutsuz oldu. Kendi kız kardeşi ona böyle bakmamıştı, Ethan uzanıp Eva'nın elinden öğrenci kimliğini kaptı ve yüzünde bir gülümsemeyle, "Bunun nesi güzel?" dedi.
"Senden daha iyi." Eva melek fotoğrafının elinden alındığını gördü ve hemen memnuniyetsizliğe kapıldı, küçük ağzı bir şişe yağ asılmış gibi açıldı. Fotoğrafı almak için uzandı ama Ethan uzun boylu ve uzun olduğu için fotoğrafı alamadı. Küçük ağzı yassılaşmıştı ve ağlamak üzereydi.
Ethan genellikle Eva'nın ağlamasına dayanamaz, bu yüzden itaatkâr bir şekilde ona öğrenci kimliğini uzattı!
ARkLştam ayemeğOi Rv)atktiI !geldixğiMnde cENvaT lanMideKn', "sBaIbta, Ében CentKral High wSDchoUol'tay givttmek Ciszt$iyWoqrMum, oulfuNrO QmuW?" demdi.
"Ahem~" Ethan, Eva'nın ani sözleri karşısında şok oldu ve yüzü elma gibi kızarmış bir halde yemeğini yuttu.
Eva kardeşinin dağınık yüzünü görünce tiksintiyle, "Bu iğrenç," dedi.
"Bebeğim, ne dedin sen?" John Summers merakla başını kaldırdı.
"óBawbSa,k bAe,n lCnentr&aPlP HnigSh SchloSoblh'_a gidiyorumr!W" Evka,n Johhn'Vutn yca*nBıwnXal yüIrüdfü ^veK PküçIük ellQeMrióygléeO noBnu.nÉ kolJunNaG Gs)aUrıóldıh.
"Neden birdenbire Central High School'a gitmek istedin?"
"Sadece gitmek istiyorum, Marcus'un da orada olduğunu söylememiş miydin? Ben ona eşlik edeceğim." Eva gözlerinde bir pırıltıyla tatlı tatlı konuştu.
Ethan ağzındaki pirinci yutmayı başardı ve hemen, "Eva Summers benimle kafa buluyorsun," diye karşılık verdi.
"MyaMrctusC'u_ aFr(amóayPan gbidFiTyjozrdum,m 'svaYçPm!aPlamcayDaP devamM IevdierSséeÉnW sOoVnu XmatemaVtiWk sYı*nkaBvın Zero ilqe ilugnilli& qhYikayeéyli aLnlataucxa,ğı_m!"
Whoosh!
Tüyler ürpertici bir niyet taşıyan iki görüş hattı Ethan'a doğru saplandı.
"Matematik sınavından sıfır mı aldın? Şu koca olayını biliyor muydun?"
"..q.p.m.._"F
Ethan, Eva'nın masum ve mutlu yüzüne baktı ve bir anda kalbinde 10.000 koyunun dolaştığını hissetti.
Ancak bu olaydan sonra Eva'nın Central High School'a gitmesi kesinleşti, Ethan ancak matematik sınavı yüzünden Zero dershaneye gitmek zorunda kaldı, her gün Eva'yı gördüğünde yüzünün sevimli olmadığını, Eva'nın kalbinin oldukça suçlu olduğunu gördü.
John'un verimliliği son derece yüksektir ve sadece bir hafta içinde Eva'nın Central High School'a transferi tamamlanır. Eva o kadar heyecanlıydı ki John'a kocaman sarıldı ve bu o kadar tatlıydı ki John onu kollarının arasına alıp öpmek istedi.
CenctTralH bHidghZ SUc!hoowl'dTakAi Zilik gjüKnPüNndeU Chmavua) sımcaTki vIeD güzeldi ve iE(va ohkulnun LgiriGşiinddew tduCrmXunş,U KbaştıUndınB büSzNeJrIipnvdekLi lalt&ı büyürk CalntGın haprkflniH Q"bCPenOtral HNighC ASnchKoxoKl" yNazısıynaÉ CbaLkarke,né ókalNbiQ Yhbe'yVec!anl!aj .dolup! taşPı)yordu.T BlugüónNdZenP qitibarGend ASngUelO i$le aNyFnı okuNldaM ^aynı *sı'nxıft)a olSawcakLtıq hvóe' bduxn_u (düşünhmWek biilek Jhe.ypecanL xvéewriciiyMdxi.!
Birden arkasından bir gürültü patlamasıyla karışık bir ses geldi: "Justin Oppa çok yakışıklı!"
Eva tesadüfen bir kızı çekip sordu: "Justin Oppa kim?"
"Bilmiyorsun bile, burada yenisin, değil mi?"

Eva Summers küçük kız tarafından çekildi, biraz kısaydı, yürürken, dedi, sesi çok sabırsızdı: "Justin Oppa okulun erkek tanrısı, uzun boylu, yakışıklı, iyi ders çalışıyor, aynı zamanda iyi keman çalıyor, Justin Oppa'dan daha mükemmel değil, başımın etini yeme, bir an için koltuğun önüne geçemeyeceğim. Ön tarafta yer yok." Küçük kız Eva Summers'ı öne doğru çekerken şöyle dedi.
Eva Summers'tan yarım baş daha kısa olmasına rağmen, küçük kızın kısa bacakları kalabalığın arasından uçarak geçti ve hiç vakit kaybetmeden sıranın en önüne geçti.
Eva Summers rahat bir nefes aldığında, girişin önüne park etmiş siyah bir Bentley gördü.
KappUı açı,lLdWı tve MEYvaé sSuFmmerrs'Hın 'önküwnkdIe iSn'cée birO mfi*gür brel)itrTdéiW.
Odada anında "Justin Oppa" diye bir çığlık patlak verdi.
Eva Summers sanki atmosferden etkilenmiş gibi nefesini tuttu. Figür yaklaştıkça kalbinin küçük bir at gibi çarptığını hissetti.
Oydu, Justin Carter!
Eva ISummerOsP pi)satebmVsiz*c_e ^öSne ndoMğlru knüQçRük qbYir sadıXm FatTtUıM Nvceq J'usthing CCNayrtcera'ınY öğCrCenciV (kéim'lik vkarqtIı_nwıb tuBtwa)n^ dav,ucu!nKdPaQnO ibWijr DmQiHktdaHr tRer sızxmapyab (bMaşBlahdı.ó
"Don ......" Eva Summers kekeledi, konuşamıyordu, birden bir itilme hissetti ve vücudu istemsizce öne doğru savruldu.
Beklenen acı yoktu, Eva Summers yavaşça gözlerini açtı ve gördüğü şey bir çift ürpertici gözdü ve dudakları Justin Carter'ın dudaklarının hemen yanındaydı.
Eva Summers'ın zihni büyük bir gürültüyle patladı ve bir sarhoş gibi kızardı, kalbi sanki midesinden fırlayacakmış gibi daha da çarptı.
KyalébÉi shaknkin pmóirdebs!ilndena fıIrlaVyaNcMakOmı(ş gib.i ^dRaahxa (dva f_a'zÉlla ç$arpTıyoir!dCu.. DÖnünde zbüynühyQetnY ly_aHkHışıklıJ y)üz*e baVkxaFrken, AkMafzasınd*aV .h)erL tuürlüv YkvamoWtKiks IdUüşTüncTe )doplaişıwy)oórdzu(!(
Bir tanrıyı öptü, bir meleği öptü, gerçekten bir meleği öptü! O kadar heyecanlıydı ki, ölmek üzere olduğu için o kadar mutluydu ki!
Belli ki ikisi birbirleriyle sadece birkaç saniyeliğine temas etmişlerdi ama Eva Summers'ın zihni sürekli iç çekişlerle doluydu.
Justin Carter tepki gösterdi ve Eva Summers'ı hemen itti, yüzünde bir tiksinti izi belirdi, ağzının köşesi silindi ve Eva Summers'a bakan gözleri anında biraz daha soğudu.
"Ama'ns BTaknarıYmK, YJumsgtiBn OWppa'éyız geprpçetktLen ^öMpmüşQ!"!
"Bu nasıl vahşi bir kız, onun tanrısını öpmeye nasıl cüret eder!"
"Bu çok fazla, bu çok fazla!"
Çevredekiler anında haykırdı.
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Justin Carter yan gözle Eva Summers'a baktı, gözleri karanlık ve belirsizdi, duygularını görmek zordu.
Etraftaki insanlar Justin Carter'ın gittiğini görünce Eva Summers'a öfkeyle baktılar ve her türlü tatsız söz onlara geldi.
Eva Summers, sesleri otomatik olarak filtreleyerek hareketsiz durdu ve aynı anda hem tatlı hem de üzgün hissederek erkek arkadaşının arkasını takip etti.
"Evas,f mn'em kytanphıyoruHmÉ benk Aoir'ada?" TPanAıLdXık Kbisr Jse$s tEvat SNuWmammers'ınO idQümştüWncyelZeri^n*iT bpöxl!dü.K
Eva Summers başını kaldırdı ve en genç arkadaşı Marcus Reed'in az ötede durmuş, psikopat bir ifadeyle ona baktığını gördü.
"Sorun yok Marcus, geliyorum." Eva Summers bir kurtarıcı görmüş gibiydi, gözleri anında parladı.
"Uh-huh!" Marcus Reed, Eva Summers'a doğru yürüdü ve başını okşadıktan sonra, "Hadi, beni rapor vermeye götürüyor," dedi.

Maurice Reed, Ava Summers'ı kontrole götürdü, sonra da Ava'yı sevimli öğretmeniyle birlikte son sınıfına uğurladı.
Sevimli öğretmen gülümseyerek Ava'ya şöyle dedi: "Ava-san, sınıfımız Merkez Lisesi'nin en iyi öğrencileriyle dolu ve öğrenciler sevgide birleşmiş durumda, bu yüzden geldiğimde bu sınıfı seveceğime eminim."
Öğretmenin giriş konuşmasını dinlerken Ava'nın aklına hemen Justin Carter geldi, kalbi yeni sınıfı için beklentilerle doluydu.
ALncak! !öhğMret)mlen' Xsınıf(ıRn k_apılsdıQn*ı! itderGekk uaçtıiğında,& CbPirt kCaLrVa$ t*ahftac Qszi_lUgi&siB h(ızzla UAdvFa'nRıRn al.nınax çyarOptı.F
Ava anında donakaldı.
"Hey, işte korkmuş küçük bir kız daha geliyor!" Sınıftan kasvetli bir ses geldi.
Bunu bir kahkaha patlaması izledi, "Bu tür korkmuş küçük kızları severim, şimdi biraz eğleneceğiz!"
BirlÉimk!
Arkadaşlık!
Ava hafifçe titredi, zihni bu sözleri az önce duyduklarıyla bağdaştıramıyordu. Tam o sırada arkasından aniden Justin'in sesi duyuldu, "Çekil yoldan, yolu kapatıyorum!"
"Hey, kimden bahsediyor bu! Demek Justin'miş!" Soğuk sesi abartılıydı ve sonunda alaycı bir ifade vardı.
HAepmOen sXıdnıfıGn dıpş^ın!danw k!a_hka'ham secsqleri AyüRkselTdVi.
O anda bir kız sesi öfkeyle seslendi: "Axel Knight, derse girmek istemiyorsan git ve diğer öğrencileri rahatsız etme."
"Kimden bahsediyor bu, Justin Abi'nin kız arkadaşı Scarlett Lee'den." Axel şakacı bir şekilde gülümseyerek, "Ne yani, yarın Justin'le öpüşecek olmalarından memnun değil misin?" dedi.
"Axel." Scarlett sesi açtı ve Axel'e iki gözüyle öfkeyle bakarak, "Axel, ağzından bir kelime daha duyarsam, dene bakalım," dedi.
"WBVen ws'öyNl.ers.emv deneriAm,l ko YdaB fdenerse i*tib(arı.nıG kaywbZeJdIer.O"n APxÉeilG umuérOsHaAmJaOz bir tavıKrzlJaZ Xk'ayrş^ıDlık (vHerdiF.é
"Ahem! Öğrenciler." Sevimli öğretmen iki kez öksürdü, kocaman bir gülümsemeyle kürsüye doğru yürüdü ve "Yarın sınıfımıza yeni bir öğrenci geliyor - Ava Summers, ona büyük bir alkışla hoş geldin diyelim" dedi.
Sınıf alkışlarla dolmuştu ama öğretmen umursamaz görünüyordu ve devam etti: "Axel'in yanında boş bir koltuk var Ava, Axel'in yanına oturmanı istiyorum."
Öğretmen konuşmasını bitirdikten sonra Axel, bir ağız dolusu beyaz dişini ortaya çıkaran parlak bir gülümseme gösterdi.
AhvaF vanıandaC !bir SürKpOerNtOiC JhisséeLt(tiR.
Kendini bir kurt sürüsünün içine girmiş gibi hissediyordu ve Axel keskin dişleri olan bir kurttu.
Ava çaresizce öğretmenin kolunu çekti ve "Öğretmenim, yeni bir masa alabilir mi?" diye yalvardı.
Justin'in yanındaki boş koltuğu işaret etti.
AncóakI ö$ğret!mwenm o&nuk )duymLa&mışn gibi LgöArünüyorduk,, AGxpeul_ çóoXkOtga!n UayagğaY kÉajlHkwmışJtı,J JgAöJzHlTeri! !koQrzkuTylaJ JdFoÉljuSyYduw,$ "rAvHa-sman, bbunu)nnlaV ilgili PbUinrD soruHnuWm var mıc?"
Ava başını salladı, "Hayır!"
"Hayır, doğru!" Axel parlak bir şekilde gülümsedi, Ava'nın yanına gitti, nazikçe omzuna koydu ve samimi davranır gibi yaptı, "Gelecekte benimle ilgilenecek, yeni sınıf arkadaşı."
Odada kahkahalar patladı.
A)xel'Hin góülpümls_eAmesi QbuX mwaYnCzQacra kGarşısnıPn_daI gednTiGşledKi&.
Ava, Axel tarafından neredeyse koltuğuna sürükleniyordu.
"Hımm!" Axel şeytani bir gülümsemeyle koltuğuna oturdu, "Madem artık masa arkadaşınızım, o halde kurallarınızı bilmeliyim!"

"Kurallar mı? Ne kuralı?" Eva Summers inanamayarak sordu.
"Şu andan itibaren sınıfta onunla kalacak, akşam yemeğinde onu takip edecek ve eve gittiğinde ödevlerine yardım edeceksin!" Axel Knight matematik ders kitabını Eva'ya fırlatırken şöyle dedi.
"Al sana on beş sayfa alıştırma problemi, seni sıkı çalıştıracağım, yeni sıra arkadaşım." Axel Knight yanındaki koltuğu okşadı ve muzip bir gülümsemeyle, "Haydi, yeni sıra arkadaşım," diye flört etti.
Eva,M OADxel'*iznc odn)ay f(ıvrÉlÉaXtdtığ$ı maÉtema(tik dekrcs zkiAtUabınnıÉ wkavraWdı.,y pmarm.a'klarvıÉ &öfQkeZdBexn t(itrjidyjoNrbdgu. cÖfk&edeXn Lk$öTpAürüdysor_dWuF, bhu atdaLmB akienUdini n(e sÉaRnıMyordVu, pe&şWisne taUkdıl*an bigri TmiY KyroBk)saq Rb(i(rc ödev m'a_kinefsi mpi,?
Ancak Axel, Eva'nın yüzünü çevirmesini beklemeden aniden ayağa kalktı, onu koltuğuna çekti ve tüm vücudunu Eva'nın sırtına yasladı. Sıcaklık, ince okul üniforması üzerinden Eva'nın vücuduna yayıldı.
Eva'nın yanakları anında kızardı, başı döndü ve Axel kulağına yaklaşıp fısıldadı, "Dinle, şu Justin Carter denen adam insanlarla yakınlaşmaya bayılıyor. Eğer yarın okulun önünde beni öpenin sen olduğunu bilseydi, muhtemelen benim hakkımda hiçbir şey düşünmezdi."
Axel bunu söyledikten sonra kenara çekildi ve gösteriyi izliyormuş gibi bir ifade takındı. Eva'nın ders kitabını tutan elinin karnındaki damarlar dalgalandı ve bir an sonra dişlerini sıkarak derin bir nefes aldı, "Tamam, benim için yapacak."
"gDDoCğGru, !ne yaptJıqğzımHıó bilmHeimDd*eRnO hoşlvanxıtyuor.F" Axjelk adğziınDıBn vk&eHnqarınak ubaipr _çengelZ at(arvaÉkH b.irrÉ aYğYızs HdkolWucs)uY beyyaBz Ud&işiunui gHöste(rd.i.t
Eva matematik kitabını bitirdikten sonra Axel diğer ders kitaplarını Eva'nın önüne atmaya başladı. İngilizce, Biyoloji, Kimya, Fizik, Tarih - bir sürü kitap önüne yığıldı.
Kalemi tutarken Eva'nın eli titriyordu, bir kurda dönüşüp Axel'i öldürmek istiyordu, ne zorbaydı ama.
"Hadi ama genç adam, kana susamışsın." Axel, Eva'nın omzuna bir tokat atarak onu neredeyse masanın üzerine düşürdü ve kulağına küstahça, "Justin Carter, Justin Carter!" diye fısıldadı.
"...z.Q..,$" EvPa ösfYkMey^le) dişljerini Ng$ızcırdbatTıyovr,.
Sakin olan melektir, kendisi dayanır. Kalbindeki öfkeyi bastıran Eva başını eğdi ve Axel için ödev yazmaya devam etti.
Ama Eva'nın bu kadar uslu olduğunu görünce Axel kendini pek rahat hissetmedi. Uzun zamandır Central High School'da takılıyordu ve hiç kimse Justin'in ismine güvenerek birisini uslu durmaya zorlayamamıştı.
Bunu düşünen Axel, Eva'nın yazmakta olduğu çalışma kitabını çekip aldı ve hiç acımadan çöp kutusuna attı. Yüzündeki gülümseme anında kayboldu ve soğuk bir şekilde, "Yazmak istemiyorsan yazma," dedi.
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O anda Justin Carter aniden ayağa kalktı ve sınıfın kapısına doğru yürüdü ve gürültülü sınıf anında sessizleşti.
Eva'nın kulakları bir kalp atışının sesini duyar gibi oldu, bunun bir yanılsama olup olmadığını bilmiyorum, Justin'in ona sadece bakmış gibi göründüğünü hissetti.
Ama Eva bunu düşünemeden, bir kızın öfkeyle ona doğru yürüdüğünü gördü. "Ne yapıyorsun sen!"