Some minutes later…
Sarah stands in the corner of the courtyard, where a tall wall looms slightly to her right. Behind her is an immense wall that restricts her movement, and to her left, further away, another wall confines her already limited space. In front of her, round cement tables and benches serve as obstacles—and hiding spots—for her pursuers.
Watching her enemies approach between the cement tables, she assesses possible escape routes. Two walls—one behind her and one to her left—and a high wall to her right present themselves as options.
Her hands press against the wall behind her as an opponent approaches with light steps, ready to pounce. Sarah stares at him with a fixed gaze.
In a sudden move, she feints toward the left. The boy in front of her reacts by lunging at her while the others in the distance shift toward the side she threatened. Unexpectedly, she leaps backward, planting both feet on the wall for a fraction of a second, causing the boy to crash onto the hot gray ground.
She then propels herself forward, leaping over the fallen boy. Upon landing, she rolls forward and ends up near one of the tables. Several shadows begin to close in on her. Looking up, she sees even more enemies approaching.
With a quick glance to her right, she notices an empty table near the wall. She launches herself in that direction.
"Don't let her escape! Today is the long-awaited fall of the King!" a boy shouts from atop his table, pointing at Sarah.
Everyone charges at her like a horde of monsters straight out of a dungeon.
Her right foot is already on the table, pushing off to propel herself forward. Meanwhile, her left leg extends slightly, bent and searching for balance. Her body soars toward the wall.
She has more than enough power and height to reach her goal. With her hands, she grabs the top of the wall. With some effort, she pulls herself up, achieving a feat that leaves the others in awe.
Standing atop the wall, she looks down at her defeated foes. A gentle breeze brushes against her back, doing little to faze her but sending her hair flowing forward. After one last glance downward, she spreads her arms wide and closes her eyes, inhaling deeply.
All eyes are on her, wide with amazement. Then, in one exhale, she releases the air as her body begins to fall, disappearing behind the wall.
"Run! Run! Let's go!" one of the boys yells as he dashes off to circle the wall via the stairs leading up to the playground. The others, caught up in the excitement, sprint after him.
When they reach the other side of the wall, they find her lying in a sandbox, arms stretched out to the sides, eyes closed as if asleep.
"There she is! Advance to Atlas!" another boy shouts as they rush toward the sandbox.
They leap into the sand, and thus begins a battle where everyone fights to see who will be the last one standing. The tallest boy there picks up the smallest and starts carrying him out of the sandbox. The little one tries to wriggle free, but to no avail.
"It's not fair!" the small boy protests, shouting as he walks away with his head down.
After walking a short distance, he spots a tall, muscular boy with tanned skin sitting next to a slender, blonde girl. She's attractive enough to make him feel a bit shy. The two are seated on swings, laughing loudly.
"She's crazy," Bernardo says to Marcela as they watch the battle unfold from the swings.
"Hey, Carlinhos! Sit here… You tried your best, don't get discouraged!" Marcela tries to cheer up the disheartened boy.
"How does she do it? It's like she's a warrior who's already fought in Atlas itself," Carlinhos says, still upset about his defeat as he sits on one of the swings. "Do you think she's using one of those new magical artifacts they call N2?"
"You know it's forbidden for students to use them at school, right? Only adults can," Bernardo reminds him of the rules.
"I heard rich people can buy them illegally," Carlinhos continues, doubting Sarah's integrity as he glances at the sandbox.
"No way. Sarah's not like that. She's more like one of those androids that rule Ayda," Bernardo adds, gazing at Sarah thoughtfully. Carlinhos nods in agreement, also looking at her
At 5'5" (1.66m), Sarah stands in the middle of the sandbox, surrounded by high school boys. Three of them are tall; of those three, two are slim, and one has an athletic build. There are three more boys around Sarah's height: one is also athletic, while the other two are a bit stocky. They're all tan-skinned.
To break free from the encirclement, she runs toward the two tall, slim boys. With smiles on their faces, they prepare to grab her.
With a jump between them that ends in a roll, she clears another obstacle. As they try to catch her, the two collide head-on and fall into the sand, clutching their foreheads. They quickly start crying, and the others begin to laugh. Embarrassed, the two get up and run away.
"Hey! Where is she?" one of the stocky boys shouts into the wind. Suddenly, he feels hands pressing on his shoulders and feet pushing against his back, forcing him forward.
Thrown off balance by Sarah's weight on his back, he begins to stumble forward, his hands flailing for support. To his relief, he manages to bump into something. When he regains his composure and lifts his head, he realizes he just knocked the tall, athletic boy out of the sandbox.
"Ow!" the boy groans in pain as he lies on the ground. "Come on, Cleber… you need to hit the gym. This isn't working!" he yells at the stocky boy as he tries to stand up.
Cleber turns around, his face furious, searching for Sarah. But to his surprise, something just as big as him comes barreling toward him at full speed—another stocky boy charges directly at him.
"Shit…" That's all Cleber manages to say before the two crash out of the sandbox, landing on top of the boy who was just getting up.
"You too, Cleiton! I'm coming over to your house today. I'm going to have a serious talk with Dona Claudia. I'll drag you guys to the gym. This is unacceptable! You're going to end up killing me!" the boy complains again as he gets up from the ground.
"Oh no, Maike, not this story again," Cleiton groans as his brother Cleber helps him up.
"Forget it! Today's the day. If we want to become master trackers, we need to focus more," Maike declares firmly as the three walk away.
Only Sarah and the boy her height remain. They face each other, their bodies tense and ready for the confrontation.
"Hey, Sarah… are you playing soccer at the dirt field today after school?" the boy asks.
"What? There's a game today? No one told me anything!" Sarah relaxes her muscles, incredulous at what she's hearing.
"I think they don't want to invite you anymore. You humiliate them too much—that's what I heard," he replies, speculating. "But if you want to come with me, I'll back you up. Everything will be fine."
"You backing me up?" Sarah teases him affectionately 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 dribbling skills!" Sarah smiles faintly, brushing the back of her neck under her hair.
For a moment, he stands there, embarrassed and speechless. The recess bell rings, and Bernardo and Marcela approach the sandbox.
"Hey, Sarah, let's go to class—it's physical education!" Marcela urges her.
Sarah's eyes light up. "Sorry, Rômulo…" Then she sprints toward the faucet in a nearby corner.
"Romário" lowers his head, resigned, and starts walking toward the bathroom.
Marcela and Bernardo head over to Sarah, who is rinsing water over her legs.