A few minutes later, Sarah finds herself cornered in the corner of the courtyard.
At her back a tall wall prevents any retreat. To the right, a concrete wall. And to the left, another wall delimits the space. In front of her, cement tables and benches shelter hunters lying in wait.
They approach.
Sarah watches them in silence, looking for an escape route.
All of them lead to almost certain defeat. Only one appears to be viable.
Her hands rest on the wall behind her when one of the boys approaches with light steps, ready to pounce. Sarah watches him with a fixed stare. In a sudden action, she feints a dash to the left. The boy reacts on reflex and throws himself at her, while the others move to the same side.
But she pulls back.
For a fraction of a second, both her feet brace against the wall. The boy crashes against the gray and hot ground. Sarah propels herself forward, jumping over him and rolling until near one of the tables.
Shadows surround her.
When she lifts her gaze, more enemies.
In her peripheral vision, an empty table to the right reveals itself. There it is.
Sarah dashes.
"Do not let her escape! Today is the day of the King's fall!" shouts a boy from the top of a table.
The horde advances, as if they were monsters coming out of a dungeon.
Her right foot steps on the table.
Her body projects.
A jump.
Fingers scrape the concrete.
For an instant, almost a fall.
Then she grabs the edge.
Silence.
Standing on the wall, she looks at the boys devastated by yet another failure.
A soft breeze strikes her from behind, throwing her hair forward.
Sarah opens her arms.
Closes her eyes.
Smiles.
And lets herself fall.
"Run! Run! Looet's gooo!" one of them shouts.
The boys dash for 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 smallest in his arms and carries him out. The little one even tries to struggle, however, without results.
"This is unfair!" the little one grumbles, defeated and downcast.
Moving away, he sees Bernardo and Marcela sitting on the swings, they laugh while watching the battle.
"She is crazy!" Bernardo comments.
"Hey Carlinhos! Do not get discouraged! You tried. Sit there, 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 she not be using one of those new magical artifacts?"
"Dude, you know that is forbidden at school. Only adults can use them." Bernardo reminds him of some rules.
"I heard that rich people can buy them illegally." he continues.
"Nooo. Sarah is not like that. It is as if she were one of those androids that rule Ayda." Bernardo adds and Carlinhos agrees in silence.
"Every day, everywhere, she is always pushing herself as much as she can." Marcela adds to the conversation.
"It is almost as if she trained every day. Maybe she is getting stronger that way." Bernardo loses himself in thought with his gaze lowered for a moment.
"I hope it is like that..." Marcela whispers to herself.
At the center of the sandbox, Sarah remains surrounded.
To escape, she runs toward the two tallest and thinnest boys. They smile confidently.
Until she jumps between them and ends with a roll. When trying to grab her, the two collide headfirst and start crying. The others begin to laugh. Embarrassed, they run away.
"Hey! Where is she?" one of the boys asks the wind out loud.
The next instant, he feels hands resting on his shoulders and feet pushing him from behind. Off balance, he starts to stagger until he bumps into something. When he recovers and lifts his head, he realizes that he has just thrown another boy out of the sandbox.
"Oww!" the boy complains in pain while lying on the ground. "Come on Cleber! You need to work out. This will not do!" he rants while beginning to get up.
Then Cleber turns around with a furious 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 for real, I am going to have a serious talk with Dona Claudia. You need a gym. This will not do! You are still going to kill me!" he complains again while once more getting up from the ground.
"Oh no Maike, this story again?" Cleiton grumbles while his brother Cleber helps him up.
"Forget it! It ends today! If we want to become master trackers, we have to focus more." he exclaims with conviction already far from the place.
Only Sarah and a boy of her height remain. One stares at the other with rigid bodies and prepared for the clash.
"Hey Sarah. Are you going to play ball on the dirt field today? After class." the boy asks her.
"What? There is going to be a game today? Nobody told me anything!"
"I think they do not want to call you anymore. That is what I heard." he answers her. "But if you want to go there with me. I will back you up."
"You will back me up?" Sarah starts making fun of him while approaching.
"I am not nicknamed Romário for nothing, you know."
"I know, thank you! But if they do not want me there... I will not bother them. Let them miss my little nutmegs!" She looks at him with a slight smile while passing her hand over the back of her neck beneath her hair.
For an instant he is embarrassed and without reaction.
The bell rings.
Bernardo and Marcela come near the sandbox.
"Hey Sarah, come on! It is physical education!" Marcela urges her.
Sarah's eyes shine.
"Sorry, Rômulo." She runs off 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 watched her during the entire recess finally moves.
Its steps are far too silent for such a noisy environment.