Checkmate: The Immortal Signature

Hi everyone. I’m a Turkish author, and Checkmate is originally written in my native language. I’m currently translating it into English to share story with a global audience. Please excuse any minor linguistic slips. I’m doing my best to capture the soul of the story in a new language. I am also publishing the Turkish version of the same book for Turkish readers.Hope you enjoy the ride.

People love to say that life is fair.

They teach you that if you make the right choices, you will be rewarded.

That if you are a good person, you will be protected.

That if you remain silent, you will remain unharmed.

No one tells you that some lives are born into a game with no rules.

Because some people are watched before they learn to walk.

Some are listened to before they can speak.

And some are tethered to another’s fate before they even learn how to breathe.

They told me I was living.

But no one understood that this was never my choice.

As a child, I used to wake up in the middle of the night.

My heart would race for no reason.

As if something were going wrong…

But without knowing what that “something” was.

As you grow, you learn the names of certain feelings.

Fear.

Anxiety.

Alienation.

But what I felt what I couldn’t name was none of those.

It was a restlessness.

As if I were always one step behind.

Or one step ahead.

As if I weren’t standing where I belonged, but rather where someone had left me.

Over time, I realized:

Nothing in my life was a coincidence.

People didn’t cross my path by chance.

Even the silences were calculated.

And certain looks…

They weren’t familiar, yet they weren’t quite foreign either.

Later, I learned that some games aren’t played out loud.

Moves don’t scream.

Rules aren’t written.

Sometimes your fears are exposed.

Sometimes a name appears out of nowhere.

And sometimes a stranger knows more about you than you know about yourself.

Then, you understand.

This isn’t a war.

It never was.

It was a game of chess from the very beginning.

And I…

I had woken up in the middle of the match.

Was I the King,

Or just a pawn already backed into a corner?

To find out,

I first had to understand why I was still alive.

The sound of the bar flooded my ears the moment I pushed the door open. Music seeped through the cracks of conversations not loud enough to drown them out, but not faint enough to disappear. People didn’t come here for silence. Noise was a good excuse not to think.

I stopped at the threshold and scanned the room. It was an involuntary reflex. Who was standing where, who looked relaxed, who was a little too alert... I didn’t have to try to notice these things. It was a trick I’d mastered for survival.

The smell of alcohol drifted toward me, and the clash of voices and music created a jarring hum. I stopped lingering and took a step forward.

As I walked toward the bar, my eyes met the bartender’s. He nodded a greeting, and I gave a slight tilt of my head in return. A man sitting right in front of him caught my attention. Shoulders relaxed, posture confident. His black hair was messy, but not careless. In his leather jacket, he looked like he belonged there. He didn’t seem interested in his surroundings; his focus was entirely on the whiskey in front of him.

I sat down next to him without a word. He didn’t acknowledge my presence. Or perhaps, he noticed and chose to ignore it. I turned to the bartender. “The usual, George.”

While George prepared my whiskey with a smile, I placed my bag on the stool beside me. I fixed my gaze on the bottles behind the bar. It didn’t take long for my glass to appear. The first sip burned its way down my throat. My eyes remained on the bottles, yet I could feel the man beside me watching. He was studying me, making no effort to hide it.

With his gaze still on me, I turned my head toward him. “Do we know each other?” My voice was neither challenging nor inviting.

The corner of his lips curled slightly. “We could.”

I turned back to the bottles. “If you’re a woman-hunter,” I said, “I’m not interested.” I looked back at him to catch his reaction as I finished the sentence.

He laughed. A short, confident laugh. Not the kind people use to relax, but a habitual layer of armor.

As his laughter faded, he leaned in closer.

I didn’t pull back. I let him invade my space.

When he looked into my eyes, I felt the atmosphere shift. His gaze locked. His voice softened, dropping almost to a whisper.

“I think,” he said slowly, “you’re going to give me your number.”

His voice wasn’t ordinary. The sentence wasn’t a request; it was a command. It wasn’t an offer.

My heart didn’t race, my breath didn’t falter. I remained silent. I didn’t break eye contact with his dark brown eyes. I read the ease in his face, the expression of someone certain they’d get exactly what they wanted.

Then, unable to help myself, I laughed.

“Are you serious?” I asked. “Is this how you pick up women?”

The expression on his face changed. His earlier ease vanished instantly. I asked the bartender for a napkin. As he brought it, I pulled a pen and the money for my drink from my bag.

I didn’t think twice as I wrote the number. I folded the napkin and placed it in front of him. I drained the rest of my whiskey in one gulp and stood up. He grabbed my wrist.

“Why didn’t it work on you?” he asked. I masked my face with a mocking expression.

“I think you should drink less. I’ve never seen someone talk so much nonsense when they’re drunk.”

He watched me silently, his eyes never leaving mine. When he finally let go of my wrist, I turned and headed for the door without another word.

The air outside was cool. I took a deep breath. I didn’t hurry to close the car door once I got inside. The night was still clinging to me. The noise of the bar was long gone, but the mark it left remained.

Plans don’t always demand an immediate response; sometimes, they work in silence.

I would have loved to see that split second of hesitation on his face when he realized the number on that napkin was fake.

I had made my move.

Now, it was time to wait.

The Stranger

I had considered a few possibilities after that night. None of them landed. Normally, people were simple. You hold eye contact a little too long, soften your voice at the right moment, leave a small gap in your thoughts... and their minds fill in the rest for you. It was a talent I possessed. An unchanging, almost boring routine.

But she had written a fake number.

She hadn’t hesitated for a second.

Her hands hadn’t shaken; her gaze hadn’t faltered.

I had no tolerance for things outside my control.

The problem wasn’t just that the suggestion hadn’t worked.

The problem was that I couldn’t understand why it hadn’t worked.

Either she was like me…

Or she knew how to escape us.

The second possibility was more unsettling.

There was only one reason for my return to this town. Unanswered questions. And in this town, answers were always found in the same place. On campus.

I parked my car near the entrance. The campus was crowded at this hour, but no one was truly looking. People walked, talked, laughed. None of them paid attention to what was happening around them. Those who did were usually paying attention against their will.

I wandered for a while.

Searching for eyes.

Searching for silence.

Finally, I saw them.

They were sitting at the gazebo near the entrance. I recognized the expression on their faces when they noticed me. Discomfort. Avoidance. And a small dose of hatred.

I didn’t stop as I walked toward them.

“My favorite twins... I didn’t think I’d be glad to see you.”

The blonde one grimaced. “We aren’t glad. You can leave now.”

I smiled. “I’ll never understand your hatred for me, Blondie.”

“My name is Elise,” she emphasized, while her sister intervened. Though she was a twin, she was brunette and her posture was different—more controlled. “What do you want, Draven?”

“I definitely like you more,” I said, making the blonde roll her eyes.

“Anyway,” I continued. “In this town I haven’t visited in years, I have some questions. And I thought I could get the answers from you.”

“You thought wrong,” said the blonde. “The town might be small, but that doesn’t mean we know everything.”

I put on a fake smile. “That’s a pity, then, because you’re going to have to investigate to find that person.”

“We don’t want to enter your world. If you have problems, deal with them yourself,” the brunette said. I turned my eyes to her. “What was your name again?”

“Seline.”

I leaned in closer to them, my body brushing against the table. “Seline, this person I’m looking for isn’t just my problem. This is a situation that concerns your beloved ‘big brother’ too. Are you still sure you don’t want to help?”

She fell silent for a few seconds, her eyes never leaving mine. She exhaled. “Fine,” she finally said. “Who are you looking for?”

The blonde turned to her in shock. “Are you serious, Seline?”

“What am I supposed to do, Elise?” she said in a bored tone. “I’m not exactly thrilled either.” She looked back at me. “After we help him, he’s getting the hell out of here.”

The blonde huffed, leaned back, and crossed her arms. “We’re listening.”

Even though I knew they weren’t exactly curious, I began to explain. “Someone came to the bar yesterday.” I smiled as I scanned the surroundings. “It would be foolish to deny she was beautiful. Anyway, I suppose you’re too young for those details. My good looks didn’t seem to affect her much, so I tried to compulsion.”

“You tried?” the brunette asked.

I raised my eyebrows in confirmation. “I tried, because it didn’t work.”

The blonde said nonchalantly, “She’s probably using night-weed.”

I grimaced. “It’s incredible that you say that like it’s something trivial.”

“Draven, you’re aware that some people know about your existence, right?”

“My goal is to get rid of the people who are aware, Seline.” I leaned back and crossed my arms. “Now, you can be very helpful by telling me who might know about us.”

After a few seconds of silence, the blonde spoke first. “There’s a society.”

“It’s made up of the families that run the town. We don’t know exactly what they do, but they say they know most things. It’s highly likely she’s one of them.” My eyes drifted as I began to think.

“What luck,” my voice came out as a whisper. “That we happen to know someone who can reach the ruling families.”

Just as I finished my sentence, someone caught my eye through the gap between the twins. I gave them my full focus.

In my life, I had never seen anyone arrive at a university in a burgundy Porsche. I was curious about the driver. I continued to watch the car pull into a parking spot with a smooth maneuver, while the twins argued about who it could be. I didn’t let them go on for long.

“That’s the person I’m looking for.”

I pointed her out with my eyes, and they turned around.

At that moment, this woman whose name I didn’t even know—swung her bag (which I assumed was full of books) over her shoulder and walked into the campus without seeing us. Her brown hair was styled, and her outfit had an elegance that didn’t resemble a student. While I was searching for her, she had walked right into my web. The thought sparked a strange joy in me. Was it a good thing? I wasn’t quite sure.

When they turned back to me, the blonde spoke. “We should have guessed.”

I frowned, indicating I didn’t understand. “What’s the deal with this girl?”

Seline answered my question.

“The District Attorney’s daughter, the head of the society: Elina Rosery. Rumors say she’s a genius. All we know is that she’s studying law. We’ve never talked to her.”

The blonde continued, "If you’ve exposed yourself, Draven, then it's game over. You just found the best reason to disappear from this town."

I remained silent.

I wasn’t about to run from my own home because of a student.

I didn’t care how smart she was.

I was the vampire.

And the best part about that was

there was no limit to what I could do for myself.

Elina

When the lecture ended, I hurried out before the crowd gathered. The sun was about to set. I was sad to see it go. It had been one of those classic, boring days. I had been waiting for something to happen.

As I walked toward my car, someone rushed past me. She looked so preoccupied that I looked back. I could barely make them out in the crowd. It must have been Elise. I was surprised her twin wasn’t with her. I almost never saw them go anywhere alone.

Realizing I didn’t need to care, I turned back. Just as I was about to get into my car, a voice made me stop, and I tried to listen carefully.

“I can give you a ride if you want,” a strange man was saying.

“I have a car. I can go by myself,” a woman replied. I moved toward the voices without closing my door.

“Tell me, what do I have to do to get your interest?”

“I’ll tell you. By not trying to get my interest.” After a car door opened, it slammed shut again. “Don’t do this, Seline. How much longer are you going to make me chase you?”

“I’m not interested. Don’t you understand that?”

When she said that, I realized I needed to step in. Since I was a few cars back, I hadn’t been seen. I walked over to them. “Seline, I’m still waiting for you. What are you doing?”

She looked at me with surprise. Then, she realized she had to play along with my lie and corrected her expression. “I was just coming, sorry,” she said. I took a step toward the stranger.

“Is there a problem?” My voice was sharp. I didn’t care about the answer. Asking the question was enough.

The stranger looked at me, then at Seline. When he looked back at me, I saw a flicker of hesitation on his face. Finally, he managed to speak. “I think you misunderstood.”

“I didn’t,” I said. I gave him a smile that was close to polite, but absolutely wasn’t.

“I have to go,” he said. I heard Seline’s voice from a few steps behind me. “I think you should.”

After watching the man turn and walk away, I turned to Seline. The silence was broken by her. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” After all, women should always protect one another. Just as she was about to say something, her gaze fixed on a spot. Elise was coming this way.

Realizing it was time for me to go, I started to move, but Seline’s voice stopped me. “I know you.”

I turned back again. “I know. I know you too. Could it be because we go to the same school?”

She took a step toward me. She had things she wanted to say. I was aware of it. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have stopped me. I wanted to hear what she would say, but my gut told me she wouldn’t. Still, I waited for her response.

But we wouldn’t find out, because Elise had already entered my field of vision and called out to Seline. “Ugh, finally found it. Let’s go.” She hadn’t seen me as she was rummaging through her bag. When she lifted her head, she noticed me. “Oh, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Seline’s focus shifted from me to her twin. “Yeah, a weird moment happened. I’ll tell you later.” She turned back to me. “See you, Elina. I guess?”

“See you,” I replied as she got into the driver’s seat of her car. Elise didn’t say anything as she passed me to get into the passenger seat. I didn’t wait any longer and went to my car.

By the time I sat behind the wheel, the campus was already behind me. I leaned back.

Sometimes, there was no need to intervene to make things go right.

Being there at the right moment was enough.

What do you think about the beginning and progression of the story?

Your comments will encourage me and help me improve the book. I would be very happy if you write what you think about the chapter. Enjoy the next chapter. :)