The sun rises again, illuminating the city of Guarly. As in any good society, everyone begins to leave their homes to go to their respective jobs. Young people get up to start their activities. Emily, our young brunette, is on the bus to her school. One can easily notice how her posture has improved; her muscles are more developed, and there's even a slight improvement in her physical appearance, though it's barely perceptible due to her covered-up style with her large purple hoodie.
A couple of weeks have passed since our protagonist's unfortunate encounter with those damned flyers about the man who sexually abused her. We see Forte Academy, a great symbol of control and security. Emily is lost in her thoughts, staring out the classroom window.
A woman with glasses, wearing a gray blazer and a long skirt of the same color, shouts to calm down the teenagers, who are naturally seeking attention, especially when fifty of them are locked in a room. Nothing, however, stops Emily from remaining absorbed in her mind, thinking: "Why am I so weak? If I could endure more, if I were stronger, I wouldn't have to move that damn rock so much. Just remembering how I fell last time overwhelms me..."
-FLASHBACK-
In the forest, the girl pushes the boulder with great force. A slight vibration can be felt from the enormous effort she's exerting to move the rock. She radiates intense heat, and sweat drips to the ground.
Master: "Tell me something, don't you think you've wasted enough of my time already?"
Emily: "I'm sorry, but don't think I'll give up. All my idols never threw in the towel, and neither will I."
Master: "It's strange that you believe what you're doing relates to their situations and decisions." He jumped down from the tree and started walking towards her, looking at the rock's trajectory. "Good, you've moved it a hundred and twenty meters. Only two hundred left. Pathetic."
Emily: "Whatever you say won't stop me. I'll keep going." She gave him her best smile while continuing her task.
Master: He made a surprised face. "You'll never succeed as long as you keep applying different levels of force."
Emily: She stopped, put her hands on her hips. "You'll see, I will manage it!" She fell to the ground, unable to prevent it. "What's happening? What did you do to me? I can't move... I feel like I'm going to faint."
Master: "Me? Nothing. You did this to yourself. You pushed your body to the point of complete exhaustion. Sleep well."
-END OF FLASHBACK-
"...I don't know what's worse: that I now have to move that rock six hundred and forty meters, or the thought that my master carried me home that day." Suddenly, a bang on her desk snaps her out of her thoughts. She realizes it's already recess time and she's alone in the classroom, noticing the red-haired girl standing in front of her with an angry look.
Leslie: "HEY! I'VE BEEN TALKING TO YOU FOR OVER A MINUTE!"
Emily: "Sorry, I was thinking about... some homework I have to do."
Leslie: "Well, whatever... Could you do me a favor?"
Emily: "I won't switch to Class 1-C to give you my test answers," she said while getting up from her desk.
Leslie: "Oh, come on... Fine. But I wanted something different. There's a literature exam tomorrow, and since a friend already failed at explaining it to me, and you're one of the top five smartest here, I wanted to know if you'd like to..."
Emily: "...teach you? But it's complicated... I'm not home because of a job. I'm only home from 6:30 to 8:30. That's when I can try to help you."
Leslie: "I'll take anything!"
Our protagonist reacted by looking at her schoolmate as if she were a strange bug, surprised by her exclamation to do anything to pass. She shook her head and ended up giving her her home address before leaving, just before classes resumed.
The day progressed without many changes. She finished her training early to get ready properly, only noticing that her master, just before she left, she managed to hear him say, "If she keeps this up, I'll have to stop her. It will seriously damage her muscles." Upon returning home, she took a shower and prepared everything needed for studying in her room. When Leslie arrived, Emily invited her to her room, where they studied the entire time, as the redhead would get distracted at the slightest lapse in focus. By 8:00 PM, they finally achieved their goal: the girl could answer all the topics without any problem.
The front door opens, and a very energetic little girl runs into the living room, pulling the arm of a man with black hair and a light brown shirt.
Roberto: "Ho-ho, Hello Emily, we're home!"
Camila: "Dad, before saying hi to Emily, look at this! I got an award for the best drawing in my class!"
While these two were talking in the living room, the two girls headed to the door to say goodbye. Emily returned to the living room and saw her father holding a blue ribbon.
Emily: "Wow, an award. Is it Cami's?"
Roberto: "Yes, it's impressive that my daughters are so fabulous, and I'm just... normal, haha."
Emily: "Don't worry, Dad, we love you anyway," she hugged her father.
Roberto: "Yes, daughter. By the way, you didn't tell me you were bringing a friend over."
Emily: "She's not a friend, just a classmate."
Roberto: "Alright, daughter, I won't interfere in your life, but you could have at least walked her out to whoever came to pick her up."
Emily: "No, besides, no one came to pick her up."
Roberto: "And you let her go alone?"
Emily: "Well... she said she would walk until she met up with whoever was coming to get her."
Roberto: "Okay. It seems strange to me that you let her go so easily, knowing this neighborhood is a bit dangerous at night."
Realizing this, Emily faked a smile, finished preparing the dinner she had almost ready, and went to her room with a very simple excuse. Once she locked the door, she took a gray hoodie and a scarf from her closet, climbed out the window, thinking, "Emily, how stupid can you be? How can you be so mean to that girl? Something could happen to her."
On a poorly lit path, Leslie walks, completely distracted about where she is going, unaware that a hooded figure is following her. Around a corner, she is grabbed by the neck while a knife is pressed against her stomach. An extremely gloomy voice tells her, "Give me everything you have, and I won't hurt you."
Leslie: "Please, don't hurt me," handing over her phone and other belongings.
The man snatches the things from her hands and then hits the redhead. Meanwhile, Emily witnesses all of this, but her mind is flooded with the image of that man abusing her and his horrible smile. "What do I do? I have to help her... but I... I can't. I'm not that brave... but..."