A few minutes later, Sarah finds herself cornered in the corner of the courtyard.
Behind her, a tall wall prevents any retreat. To the right, a concrete wall. And to the left, another wall limits the space. In front of her, cement tables and benches shelter enemies lying in wait.
The enemies draw closer.
She watches them in silence, searching for an escape route.
All of them lead to almost certain defeat. Only one seems viable.
Her hands press against the wall behind her as one of the boys' approaches with light steps, ready to strike. Sarah watches him with a fixed stare. In a sudden action, she threatens to dash to the left. The boy reacts instinctively and throws himself at her, while the others move to the same side.
But she retreats.
For a fraction of a second, both of her feet press against the wall. The boy crashes onto the gray, hot ground. Sarah propels herself forward, jumping over him and rolling until she is near one of the tables.
Shadows surround her.
As she raises her gaze. More enemies.
In her peripheral vision, an empty table to the right reveals itself. There it is.
Sarah dashes.
— Don't let her escape! Today is the day of the King's fall! — shouts a boy from atop a table.
The horde advances, as if they were monsters coming out of a dungeon.
Sarah's right foot steps on the table. The left searches for support. Her body launches forward. She jumps with enough force to reach the top of the wall, grabs the edge and, with effort, pulls herself up.
Silence.
Standing atop the wall, she looks at her enemies, desolate after yet another failure.
A gentle breeze hits her from behind, throwing her hair forward. Sarah opens her arms and closes her eyes.
She draws in a breath.
And let's herself fall.
— Run! Run! Leeeet's gooo! — one of them shouts.
The boys dash down the stairs that lead to the other side of the wall. When they arrive, they find Sarah fallen in the sandbox, arms open and eyes closed, as if she were sleeping.
— There she is! Advance to Atlás!
The arena is taken, the clashes begin, chaos reigns. The biggest of the boys grabs one of the smaller ones in his arms and carries him out. The little one even tries to struggle, but without result.
— This is unfair! — the little one grumbles, defeated and downcast.
As he moves away, he sees Bernardo and Marcela sitting on the swings, laughing as they watch the battle.
— She's crazy! — Bernardo comments.
— Hey Carlinhos! Don't get discouraged! You tried. Sit here, go on. — Marcela invites him.
— How does she do it? She looks like a warrior who has already fought in Atlás itself. — Carlinhos sits on one of the swings. — Could it be that she isn't using one of those new magical artifacts they call N2?
— You know their use is forbidden for students at school, right? Only adults can use them — Bernardo reminds him of some rules.
— I heard that rich people manage to buy them illegally. — Carlinhos continues to doubt her integrity.
— Nooo. Sarah isn't like that. It's as if she were one of those androids that rule Ayda. — Bernardo adds, and Carlinhos agrees in silence.
In the center of the sandbox, Sarah remains surrounded.
To escape, she runs toward the two tallest and skinniest boys. They smile confidently.
Until she jumps between them and ends with a roll. As they try to grab her, the two crash heads together and start crying. The others begin to laugh. Embarrassed, they run away.
— Hey! Where is she? — one of the boys asks aloud to the air.
In the next instant, he feels hands pressing on his shoulders and feet pushing his back. Off balance, he starts to stagger until he bumps into something. As he regains his footing and lifts his head, he realizes he has just thrown another boy out of the sandbox.
— Aaaah! — the boy complains in pain while lying on the ground. — Come on, Cleber! You need to work out. Like this it won't do! — he rants as he begins to get up.
Then Cleber turns around with an angry face, looking for Sarah. But to his surprise, another boy approaches at full speed.
— Shit!
The two tumble out of the arena, falling on top of the boy who is finishing getting up.
— You too, Cleiton! Today I'm going to have a serious talk with Mrs. Claudia. You guys need a gym. This won't do! You're going to end up killing me! — he complains again while getting up from the ground once more.
— Oh no Maike, this story again? — Cleiton grumbles while his brother Cleber helps him up.
— Forget it! Today it won't pass! If we want to become master trackers, we need to focus more. — he exclaims with conviction, already moving away from the place.
Only Sarah and a boy of her height remain. One faces the other with rigid bodies, ready for the clash.
— Hey Sarah. Are you going to play ball on the dirt field today? After class. — the boy asks her.
— What? There's a game today? Nobody told me anything!
— I think they don't want to call you anymore. That's what I heard. — he answers her. — But if you want to go there with me, I'll vouch for you.
— You'll vouch for me? — Sarah starts to tease him as she approaches.
— I'm not nicknamed Romário for nothing, you know.
— I know, thanks! But if they don't want me there… I won't bother. Let them miss my nutmegs! — She looks at him with a slight smile as she runs her hand over the back of her neck under her hair.
For a moment, he becomes embarrassed and speechless.
The bell rings.
Bernardo and Marcela approach the sandbox.
— Hey Sarah, let's go! It's physical education! — Marcela urges her.
Sarah's eyes shine.
— Sorry, Rômulo. — She runs toward the faucet to wash her legs.
"Romário" lowers his head, resigned, and heads to the bathroom.
Bernardo and Marcela approach Sarah, who is sitting beside her sneakers while letting the water run over the sand stuck to her skin.
A silhouette that had been watching Sarah throughout the entire recess now heads toward the gymnasium.