Chapter 1:

Leaving Scotland

Summer Eleven

12 October 2019, 5:30 AM. Inverness, Scotland.

The two guards standing at the entrance of the Halcyon Hotel scanned the pre-dawn gloom, their breath misting in the chilly air. The city was still asleep.

A figure, 1.74 meters tall, stopped in front of them, dressed in black jeans and a black jacket, a beanie pulled low over their head.
"Morning, gentlemen. Shift almost over?" The voice was casual, neutral.

The guards eyed the person warily, their postures shifting. Something felt off.

"You guys smoke?" the figure asked.

They pulled off the beanie, revealing a young woman with pale skin, brown eyes lined with kohl, and dark red lipstick. Her long hair was tied back.

Summer took a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and offered it to the guards. They took it, their suspicion momentarily outweigned by the gesture.

"Get out of here. It's a restricted area," one of them grunted, though his tone was less hostile.

Summer just smiled, pulling her beanie back on. "Whatever you say, boss."

She turned and walked away, waving a hand dismissively over her shoulder without looking back.

The guards shrugged at each other and each pulled a cigarette from the pack. As they lit them, the cigarettes erupted, emitting a thick, billowing cloud of smoke that blinded them, choking their coughs.

Summer was already moving. She sprinted back, a shadow slipping through the hotel's main doors before the smoke had even cleared. She took the stairs to the roof two at a time, her footsteps silent on the concrete.

On the roof, she sat on the narrow ledge, pulling off the beanie. Her heart was a steady, excited drum against her ribs.
"Well then," she whispered to herself.

She pulled a small, worn notebook and a pen from her jacket pocket. A long list of names was inside, most checked off. She put a firm checkmark next to Halcyon Hotel.

"Halcyon Hotel. The last one on the list."

She stood up on the ledge, her boots balanced precariously on the thin concrete rim. The wind tugged at her clothes, threatening a fatal embrace.

She took a deep breath, spread her arms for balance, and began to walk.

This is my last day in Scotland, she thought, the city sprawled beneath her like a sleeping giant. Ever since I found out we were leaving, I’ve been saying goodbye by breaking into every high-security location in the city. I hit them all. Took me two months.

She looked to her right. The sun was beginning to rise, painting the sky in seven distinct bands of colour. She pulled out her phone, snapped a picture, and put it away.

"I wonder if the view will be like this in my new home."

She jumped down from the ledge, landing softly on the gravel-covered roof. She watched the sun climb higher, then pulled a cigarette from her pack—a real one this time—and lit it.

She exhaled a plume of smoke, lost in thought.

Summer: "I've lived here since I was born. I've seen enough. It's time to say goodbye."

She took another long drag.

Summer: "My flight leaves in three hours. Time to go home."

Flashback: June 2014. Inverness Mall.

A younger Summer, wearing a pink dress, walked through the mall, bored.
"Mom? Dad?"

She turned down a quieter corridor and froze.

Her father was there, kissing a woman she’d never seen before. It wasn't a chaste kiss.

Summer’s blood ran cold. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
What… what is Dad doing?

Summer's internal monologue (older): I was too young to fully understand, but the raw, lustful ugliness of it was a shock. In that moment, I wished I wasn't human, that I’d never been born.

Her mother, Saba, entered the corridor from the other end. She saw her husband.

Saba screamed and launched herself at the other woman, slapping and scratching.

Summer: "Mom, please stop! I don't understand what's happening!" Her voice was a terrified whisper.

Summer's internal monologue (older): They didn't even notice me. They just started fighting. Their anger had made them blind to their only daughter.

Hours later. The family kitchen.

Summer was in her room, but she could hear everything. Her father’s voice, angry and defensive.

Saba: "How long has this been going on?!"

Father: "I don't know her!"

Saba, voice rising: "Stop lying! I saw you! I saw you touching that whore!"

Summer crept into the kitchen doorway.

Her father, enraged, slapped Saba across the face. The sound was like a gunshot. Her mother's cheek flared red, and a trickle of blood escaped her nose.

Father: "She is not a whore."

Saba: "You hit me? For her? Is this what I left my country for? You said you’d make me the happiest woman in the world! Was that a lie too?!" She began hitting his chest with her fists. "Tell me! Talk to me!"

He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back, forcing her to bend in pain.

Father: "I am a man. I can do what I want. You have no right to question me."

Saba: "You call yourself a man for hitting your wife?!"

His anger exploded. He grabbed a knife from the counter.

Father: "Shut up!"

Summer finally screamed, a raw, loud cry of pure terror. Her father dropped Saba's hair and the knife.

Saba: "Summer!"

He stormed out of the house, slamming the door.

Saba ran to her daughter, pulling her into a tight embrace, kissing her forehead again and again.

Saba: "It's okay, my darling. It was just a little fight between me and your father. He's just a bit sad. He'll be back soon." She smiled through her tears, trying to calm Summer's sobs.

Summer: "Mom…"

Saba: "Don't be afraid, my love."

Summer's internal monologue (older): Of course, she didn't know I'd heard everything. But she did the right thing. She made me feel safe again, a feeling my father had almost destroyed.

16 February 2019. School hallway, 7 AM.

Summer stood against a locker. A popular boy, smirking and confident, approached her.

Summer's internal monologue: This guy was the most popular in school. Everyone knew his name. Every girl had a crush on him. Except me.

Boy: "Summer, I need to tell you something. Got a minute?"

Summer looked at him, her expression blank.
"Say what you want, mate."

Summer's internal monologue: I didn't even know this idiot's name.

Boy: "I love you, Summer. Please go out with me. I'll do anything. I'll make you the happiest girl in the world."

Summer's internal monologue: In that moment, my father's words to my mother echoed in my head. His lie.

Summer laughed, a sharp, mocking sound that made the boy's smirk falter.

Boy: "Is that a yes?"

She finally stopped laughing, catching her breath.
"Actually..."

Boy: "What? What's wrong?"

Summer's internal monologue: I'll never forget the look on his face.

Summer: "I'm a lesbian."

The boy's jaw dropped. He looked like he'd been struck. He stumbled back against the lockers.
"Summer's a... lesbian?"

Summer's internal monologue: I laughed all the way home that day.

Present Day. On the plane.

Summer sat by the window. Her mother sat beside her.

Summer: "We're going to your home country, Mom?"

Saba: "Yes, my dear. To Egypt. Your father will send us money. He has one of his cigarette factories there."

Summer's internal monologue: My father owns a chain of cigarette factories. When I was 14, he took me to one and made me work a shift. I smoked my first cigarette. The manager never knew I was the owner's daughter.

Summer: "I don't care about Dad."

Saba: "He's your father, Summer."

Summer: "He abandoned us three months ago. He didn't even say goodbye."

Saba put a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"Summer, no matter what he does, he's still your father."

Summer sighed and looked out the window at the clouds.
"Not to me. Not anymore."

Three days later. Cairo, Egypt. 6 AM.

Summer and her mother sat at the breakfast table.

Saba: "Today is your first day at your new school."

Summer: "I know."

Summer's internal monologue: I never had friends when I was little. I don't want any now.

Two hours later. Classroom.

Summer entered the classroom. Four boys and four girls sat together, a closed-off clique. She ignored them and sat in a empty seat at the back.

Summer's internal monologue: The popular pack. I'd bet my last cigarette on it.

Four of the girls got up and surrounded her desk.

Fatima: "You. The new girl. What's your name?"

Summer looked at her with a cold expression, then turned to stare out the window.

Fatima: "Answer me, you bitch."

Karen: "Don't think you're better than us."

Zayna: "I like your hair." Zayna reached out to touch Summer's hair.

A girl with short blonde hair and blue eyes suddenly appeared, grabbing Zayna's wrist to stop her.

Elaine: "Leave her alone, Zayna."

Zayna: "Fine. Just remember this, Elaine."

The four girls went back to their group.

Elaine turned to Summer. "Did they bother you?"

Summer looked her up and down, one eyebrow raised skeptically.
"You think I'm falling for this act?"

Elaine laughed and stood in front of Summer's desk.
"Does there need to be an act for it to be an act?"

Summer: "Trying to be clever?"

She looked back out the window, her face a mask of indifference.

Elaine: "You just gonna sit there silent?"

Summer didn't answer. She didn't even move.

Elaine sat cross-legged on the floor right in front of Summer's chair.
"Then I'll wait until you talk."

The break bell rang.

Summer looked down at her, raising an eyebrow again. She pulled her pack of cigarettes from her pocket and wiggled it.
"Smoke?"

Elaine smiled. "No."

Five minutes later. Rooftop.

Elaine stood beside Summer as she leaned against the railing, smoking, her face calm.

Elaine: "Do you really like those things?"

Summer looked at her, exhaling a stream of smoke.
"Do you like boys?"

Elaine was taken aback.
"What kind of question is that?"

Summer: "Just answer. Are you a virgin?"

Elaine blushed.
"Of course I am. I've never been with any boy before."

Summer: "Why?"

Elaine: "I'm... different."

Summer: "You can say lesbian. You don't have to be ashamed of it." She took another drag. "Being different isn't a crime."

Elaine pulled out her phone.
"Can I have your number?"

Summer put her right hand in her pocket, held Elaine's phone with her left, and kept the cigarette in her mouth.
"Sure."

Summer's internal monologue: This girl is really something.

She handed the phone back.

She suddenly sat down on the ground.

Elaine: "Your name is Summer?"

Summer: "Summer. Not the Arabic name. You can call me Eleven."

Elaine: "Yeah, I get that."

Summer: "Your school. Isis International School."

Elaine: "Yeah? Why?"

Summer: "It's between Madinat Al Obour and Madinat Nasr."

Elaine: "Yeah... why do you say that?"

Summer: "No reason."

Elaine: "You call yourself Summer 11?"

Summer: "It's just a tag. Sometimes I think it's my real identity."

Elaine: "Why that number? What does it mean?"

Summer took a drag from her cigarette, exhaled, and looked up at the sky.
"Someone... inspired me when I was young. They used it. I decided to make it my symbol. It has a special meaning for me."

A faint buzzing sound seemed to echo in her ears for a moment.

Summer's internal monologue: It gives me strength.

She stood up, crushed the cigarette under her heel.
"I'm going home."

Night. Summer's room.

Summer lay on her medium-sized bed. Her room was painted black. On three walls were murals: a crow, a star, a musical treble clef. The fourth wall was blank.

She looked at the art surrounding her.

Summer's internal monologue: Each one represents something in my life. Each has a meaning.

Her eyes fell on the blank wall.
"I haven't decided what belongs on that one yet."

She sat down at her desk by the bed and booted up her computer. A picture of a crow was her wallpaper.

Summer: "Why does that girl want to be my friend? She's strangely persistent. Doesn't seem to be playing me."
She leaned her head against the cool screen.
"I'll just see how it goes."

She leaned back and started browsing.

Summer's internal monologue: I don't have friends in real life. But I've always had an eccentric online friend. Met him by chance two years ago. He knows everything about me except where I live. We've never even seen pictures of each other.

An incoming call popped up on her screen from "Saito."

Summer: "Speaking of that arrogant guy..."
She put on her headset and answered.

Saito's voice came through—a confident, slightly arrogant young Asian man.
"Bonjour."

Summer: "Where have you been for three days, narrow-eyes?"

Saito: "I was lost in the internet for three days. What happened?"

Summer: "Well. I moved to another country."

Saito: "How could you not tell me?"

Summer: "Didn't have time. I was... doing important things."

Saito: "Important things like breaking into the Halcyon Hotel in Scotland?"

Summer flinched and almost fell off her chair.
"How did you know that?!" she said, her voice loud.

Saito: "Antoine was there. You know he's a K-Blogger. His specialty is spotting things governments don't talk about."

Summer: "Did he get a picture of me?"

Saito: "You can ask him yourself. On our private Discord server."

Summer: "So you finally figured out where I was living, you Asian hacker."

Saito: "But your current location is still unknown."

Summer: "You won't find it."

She sat back down.

Saito: "Then I'll have Antoine tell me."

Antoine joined the call. His voice was higher, full of enthusiasm and positive energy.
"Kamen Yuusha and Summer Eleven, together again!"

Saito: "Can you talk like a normal person?"

Summer: "Antoine, you still sound like a kid, camera-boy."

Antoine: "Hey guys, relax! Anyway, I want to discuss something important."

Summer: "What is it?"

Saito: "Go on."

Antoine: "We've been a team for a year. I think we should meet in real life. Soon."

Summer: "Saito's in charge of that."

Saito: "It will happen soon. Just give me a little more time. I have some... business to finish first."

1 August 2020. School. Morning.

Elaine and Summer sat together in class.

The teacher stood at the front with two new girls.
"Class, these are your new classmates. Transfer students."

Sandra: "Hi, I'm Sandra Al-Zahrani." She had blue-dyed hair and dark eyes.

Hayat: "I'm Hayat." She had black hair and brown eyes.

The two new girls walked over and sat right next to Summer.

Summer's internal monologue: Why did they choose to sit here?

Hayat: "Hi. What's your name?"

Summer looked at her. Hayat smiled.

Summer: "I'm Summer. You can call me Eleven."

Sandra: "Your hair is really cool, Summer."

Summer smiled. Her heart did a strange, unexpected flutter.
"Thanks."

Summer's internal monologue: This feeling... I haven't felt this in years. Is this... happiness?

Hayat: "Are you okay?"

Sandra: "Should we get a doctor?"

Summer: "No, thanks. I'm fine."

Sandra: "Are you new here too?"

Hayat: "You haven't spoken to anyone since we came in."

Summer: "Yeah, I came last year. Are you two friends?"

Hayat: "Yeah."

Sandra: "We've been together since we were little."

Hayat: "Do you want to be our friend?"

Summer: "Of course."

Summer's internal monologue: I agreed against my own habit. They seem... different.

Night. Beside a metro station wall.

Summer walked with Elaine near a high wall covered in graffiti near Ain Shams metro station.

Summer: "Where are we now?"

Elaine: "By the wall of Ain Shams metro."

They stopped in front of graffiti that read: "SALKI ST. - EZIS EMPIRE".

Summer read it, her eyebrow raised.
"What kind of name is 'Salki'? Baker Street is in London. What kind of posers named their crew after that?"

Elaine: "I think they're just kids. There's no major gang by that name in the governorate."

Summer bit her lip.

Elaine: "Do you want me to sleep over tonight? Like we have for the past year?"

Summer: "I don't mind."

Elaine: "I thought you just wanted to use me for sex."

Summer: "No. Not exactly."

A large bus screeched to a halt in front of them. The door hissed open.

Elaine climbed the steps first. Summer followed.

Inside, she found the four girls who had bullied her on her first day, along with their boyfriends.

Summer: "What brings the trash brigade here?"

Elaine stepped in front of Summer, shielding her.

They all looked at Summer, their smiles cruel and knowing.

Elaine looked back at Summer.
"Welcome to the Ezis Empire."

A slow, cold smile spread across Summer's face.
"Are you guys for real?"

Elaine: "We're inviting you to join us."

Summer: "You're a gang?"

Elaine: "Yeah."

Summer: "And it was all an act, just like I thought?"

Elaine: "Yeah. Let's begin the initiation."

Elaine snapped her fingers. Two of the boys dragged a bound and gagged boy from the back of the bus and threw him at Summer's feet.

Elaine: "Have fun with him. Hurt him. Let out that primitive violence inside you." Elaine laughed. "Do this, and you'll be one of us. You'll be free. You won't be a normal human anymore."

Summer's face was stone.

Elaine: "I'll show you how it's done."

She walked over to the boy and began kicking him, over and over, not stopping. Her laughter echoed in the bus, mixing with the boy's muffled cries.

Summer watched, her expression deadly serious.
"Your damn sadism."

Elaine stopped kicking. She and everyone else stared at Summer, shocked.

In one fluid motion, Summer kicked the bus door, splintering the lock. She untied the boy and stood back up. The boy scrambled up and fled from the bus into the night.

Elaine stared at Summer, her face a mix of rage and shock. The bus was utterly silent.

Summer lit a cigarette. She took a long, slow drag, then exhaled. She pulled her jacket's hood over her head.

Elaine: "What did you just do?!"

Summer: "I freed him."

Elaine was screaming now. "Why would you do that?!"

Summer: "I've committed every possible sin in the world. But I will never hesitate to help someone who needs it." She took another drag. "Never."

Elaine: "You idiot! Now you're our enemy! Every gang in the governorate will target you! You've made yourself a headline!"

Summer laughed, a wild, crazy laugh that made her whole body shake.

Zayna: "You're insane!"

Fatima: "Aren't you scared? Our parents have high positions! We can make you disappear!"

Summer stopped laughing. She looked at them with a arrogant, mocking smile.
"I took Elaine's virginity. In fact, I was fucking her so hard for a full year I thought she might get pregnant. I made you all place your bets, and I'm here alone with you now, and you couldn't even lay a finger on me after I freed that boy. Now tell me... am I the one who should be scared of you? Or are you scared of me?! You're a large group, terrified of one girl."

She spread her arms wide in a challenge.
"I am Summer Eleven, you fools."

Elaine: "You bitch! How dare you say that?!"

Summer laughed again, her smirk pure arrogance.
"A bitch? No, I don't think that suits me. I'm leaving."

Elaine screamed after her: "You've made an enemy of us and every other gang!"

Summer walked toward the broken door.
"I don't care."

She stepped out of the bus and crossed the street.

Summer: "I need to talk to Saito and Antoine. I can feel the adrenaline rushing through me."

She walked down the sidewalk, pulling out her phone.
"The signal's weak here. Discord won't connect."

She bumped into a boy with short-cropped hair, wearing blue. Another boy, just as tall with soft, yellowish hair, stood beside him. Her phone clattered to the ground.

The boy in blue picked it up and handed it to her.

Summer: "Thanks."

Mohamed: "No problem."

He looked at the other boy, Ismail.

"Like I was saying, there's a street near my house I want to show you. Called Abu Areeda."

The two started walking away.

Ismail: "Mohamed, I don't want to get in trouble..."

Mohamed, laughing: "I'm gonna cry! Wahahaha!"

Ismail: "You shouldn't have said that!"

Summer froze. She spun around to look at them, but they were already gone, swallowed by the crowd.

Summer: "Were they the ones who wrote that on the wall?"

She kept walking, looking up at the night sky. A fierce, excited grin spread across her face.