Four days had passed, and Francesca still hadn't managed to surpass her record—halfway up the waterfall. To make matters worse, her father had returned home, limiting the time she could slip away to continue her test.
It was six in the morning. The blonde girl was training with her father in a tennis match. Both displayed an impressive level of skill. With each serve from the man, Francesca barely needed a second to intercept the ball; her powerful returns challenged her father, who, as a former professional, countered with swift shots to the opposite side of the court. Forced to dive to reach her father's final shot, she slid across the court and barely managed to tap the ball with the tip of her racket—sending it out of bounds and giving her father the set and, therefore, the victory.
Father: wiping sweat from his forehead "Excellent, sweetheart! Six–five, very good match, haha."
Francesca: standing up "Yeah, Dad, that was tough."
Father: handing her a water bottle "Here, stay hydrated."
Francesca: taking a long drink "I know. By the way, when's the match against the European girl?"
Father: beaming with pride "That's my daughter! Always eager for her next challenge!"
Francesca: a bit tired of his tone "Dad!"
Father: snapping back to normal "Oh, right—sorry. It'll be in three weeks."
Francesca: heading toward the locker room "Got it. I'm going for a run now."
Father: "See you later, honey. I'm heading to the office, and remember—you've got to study afterward."
Francesca just nodded as she went to change. She hadn't used to train this intensely when her father wasn't around, but now that he was home, she took advantage of her morning runs to secretly attempt the test—since she only had one chance each day.
As soon as she reached the river, she stripped off her athletic clothes, revealing her swimsuit. Putting on her cap, she dove in and began swimming against the current. When she reached the waterfall, she didn't hesitate—she entered the torrent, only to be thrown back to the bottom of the small pool beneath it. Failing again, she climbed out, cleaned up, and prepared to head to school. Jayden, who had just arrived, saw her leaving and muttered to himself, "I came all the way here at six-thirty in the morning for this crap," letting out a massive yawn.
Arriving in her chauffeur-driven car, Francesca waved goodbye to the man and walked through the gates of Celeritas. For her, walking alone to class was nothing unusual. She was well aware that many of her classmates felt inferior to her—she was talented, athletic, intelligent, and, according to most of the boys, beautiful. Yet despite the admiration, no one besides Gregorio—another talented student and her childhood friend—was close to her.
She often ignored the feeling of wanting to connect with others, but whenever she saw friends laughing and joking together, a faint, indescribable ache stirred inside her. In simple terms, she felt lonely.
After finishing her activities for the day, her instructor allowed her to leave early, as per her father's arrangement. Francesca walked through the gleaming halls of Celeritas and made her way to a scenic overlook on the third floor. Leaning against the railing, she gazed at the horizon and thought:
"I wonder how I can get more time for my test… I can't just tell Dad I want extra free time to train with some stranger I met in the middle of the night because he beat me at tennis. He'd either ground me or think I'm on drugs… There has to be a way. I really want to perform those movements I saw him do. I don't know why—but I want to do something like that so badly…"
Her inner debate was interrupted by a familiar voice. It was the brown-haired athlete.
Gregorio: "Hey!"
Francesca: "Hi, Gregorio."
Gregorio: leaning on the railing "What are you doing up here?"
Francesca: "Just thinking. What about you? Shouldn't you be in class right now?"
Gregorio: turning to her with a grin "Supposedly…"
Francesca: "Don't tell me you skipped."
Gregorio: laughing "Nah, our teacher didn't show up, and we're ahead on lessons, so my whole class got dismissed."
Francesca: "Ah, I see. So why aren't you with your friends?"
Gregorio: looking out at the view again "Simple. My classmates can be exhausting—and when all the girls start fawning over me, my friends feel awkward. So I leave."
Francesca: "You're really considerate of them."
Gregorio: "Maybe."
Francesca noticed one of his fingers was bandaged and frowned in concern.
Francesca: "What happened to your hand?"
Gregorio: glancing at it "Oh, this? It happened in Wednesday's game. You'd know if you'd come." He puffed his cheeks in mock annoyance.
Francesca: blushing slightly "Well, you know I've been training."
Gregorio: chuckling "Yeah, I know. I'm just teasing."
Francesca: imitating his tone "Funny."
They watched the horizon in silence for a while before Gregorio spoke again.
Gregorio: "Hey, before I got here, what were you thinking about?"
Francesca: "Huh? Oh—actually, I was thinking about how to ask my dad for more time to do something else."
Gregorio: "That's easy. Why were you overthinking it?"
Francesca: "Really? Then tell me—how should I say it?"
Gregorio: "Simple. Just tell him you want to manage your own training." He smiled sincerely at her.
The recess bell rang, and they headed in opposite directions. Francesca's day continued as usual.
When she returned home, one of the staff opened the door for her. She walked to the kitchen, where her father was on the phone. Standing firmly before him, she said, "Father!"
Alexandre: "Shh, sweetie. I'm on a call with some executives—they want me as the face of their brand. Give me two seconds."
Francesca: lowering her tone "Okay, Dad…"
Alexandre: "Alright—it's a deal! I, Alexandre Sejuk, will be your brand's logo. Done. Goodbye." He turned to his daughter. "Now, what is it, honey?"
Francesca: "Well, I wanted to ask if…"
Alexandre: "Wait one second!" He searched his pockets and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Here! This is a new diet plan. Follow it, and you'll have incredible stamina for your next match."
Francesca: "Oh, thanks. Um, by the way—"
She was interrupted again, this time by her brother, who entered mid-yawn after just waking up.
Jerome: "Gooood morning…"
Alexandre: "Jerome! Don't tell me you just woke up!"
Jerome: grabbing two apples from the fridge "No, of course not. I haven't slept yet. Last night's jam session with my friends was amazing."
Alexandre: "For heaven's sake, Jerome! You should live healthier. Why can't you be like Francesca? She's an athlete—just like me."
Jerome: rolling his eyes "Dad, it's way too late for lectures. Anyway, I'm going to bed now. Here, genius—catch." He tossed one apple to Francesca.
Francesca: catching it "Thanks."
Alexandre: watching his son leave "I have to do something about him. He's got an athlete's genes, yet he's wasting them on music—it drives me crazy. Anyway, daughter, what were you saying?"
Francesca: staring at the shiny apple, seeing her reflection in it "Well… what I wanted to ask was…" She took a deep breath, remembering Gregorio's words. "…if I could manage my own training without your help!"
Alexandre listened carefully to his daughter's words, pondering for a moment.
Alexandre: "Alright—on one condition."
Francesca: surprised "What is it?"
Alexandre: "That you follow every diet plan I give you!"
The girl couldn't hide her joy. She hugged her father tightly, agreeing to his condition before heading upstairs to change and leave the house.
By the time she reached the waterfall, most of the day had passed. After several failed attempts, she remained underwater, her mind flashing back to the golden path from her dream—until Jayden's voice snapped her out of it.
Jayden: "Hey! The goal is to climb the waterfall, not go diving! Get out of there!"
Francesca: surfacing, embarrassed "Sorry!"
Jayden: "Alright, try again. This time, remember: stay calm. Keep your body relaxed when holding position, firm when advancing. Fighting against something stronger than you is pointless."
Francesca took a moment to quiet both her body and mind, reaching a deep state of calm. This time, she climbed the waterfall effortlessly, surpassing her previous record. Even Jayden raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. She kept moving until she was just inches from the top—and then she did it.
She had climbed the waterfall.
Exhausted and amazed, Francesca rested by the edge. Jayden approached her and said, "Good. With that, we're done for today. Tomorrow, we'll begin your real training."