Chase and Cheese Bread

Erick approached Neo with a friendly smile, but Neo averted his gaze, pretending not to see him. He quickly stood up from the bench and moved away, running into the crowded hallways filled with students.

The man ran after the boy, calling his name as he ran, but there were many students in front of him, making it difficult to walk without bumping into someone. He apologized every time he collided with a student.

Neo kept moving, blending in with the crowd of students searching for their classrooms.

After that, Neo chose to hide in the classroom, even though it was an obvious place where anyone could find him. However, it seemed like the best place precisely because it was so obvious; perhaps they wouldn't think to look for him there.

He was sitting in his seat when he heard a bell ring. Most of the students had already arrived and were chatting, but Neo was only waiting for Saya to show up.

Instead of Saya, a woman in her thirties entered the room, with curly blonde hair, tall stature, and a friendly smile on her face that radiated energy throughout the room.

"Good morning, everyone!" she said cheerfully.

The students who were chatting fell silent to admire her as she walked towards the small table in the corner, carrying several heavy-looking books which she placed on the table before continuing to speak.

"This year, I'll be your geography teacher. For those who don't know me, my name is Diana."

Many students were happy to see her presence, and Neo could hear some whispering softly to each other.

There was a moment of silence, and everyone was extremely surprised to see her, so it took a while for them to believe what they were hearing and seeing. Then she continued:

Her class was a review of the content, explaining how the city had been established years ago and how its commerce had grown due to its strategic location.

It was Neo's second time learning something at that school, but it didn't feel like the second time. Despite taking a while to understand at first, as the teacher spoke, he didn't find it so strange anymore.

The geography classes passed quickly, thanks to the teacher's energy that made the subject easier to understand. The students didn't realize the bell had rung. She gathered her heavy materials and left the room.

In her place, a tall man with very fair skin, extremely thin to the point of appearing anemic, dark hair, thin nose and chin, and loose black clothes entered.

Neo couldn't help but compare the teacher's appearance to that of a crow.

The teacher carried a small briefcase, and after placing it on the table, he stood still, looking at the students as if analyzing each one of them.

Several students felt chills being observed in such a manner.

"Good morning, class... or maybe not so good. My name is Marcelo, and I'm your physics teacher."

He had a truly depressed and depressing voice that demotivated anyone.

Unlike the other teacher who brought energy to the room, he seemed to have sucked out all the energy that existed, like a black hole.

The teacher continued, and unlike the geography class, it went slowly and in a gloomy manner. He explained concepts that confused Neo, leaving him discouraged.

When it was finally over, everyone somehow celebrated internally, and the bell rang, signaling that he couldn't bear being in that place any longer.

He went downstairs to the cafeteria along with the other students. As he caught the smell of bread being baked in the school's bakery, he couldn't resist getting closer to have a look.

The school bakery offered a wide selection of tempting delicacies. There were breads of different shapes, sizes, and flavors. Neo felt hungry as he saw all the variety, from soft and fluffy bread to more crunchy ones.

One particular bread caught his attention: small cheese rolls that were bite-sized, with a crispy golden crust on the outside.

Some people nearby were eating them, and when they took a bite, the inside was soft. From the smell and the expressions on their faces, it seemed really good.

His hunger increased, and he felt sad for not having a single cent to buy it. And as a human, he couldn't steal food.

While he lamented his situation, his senses alerted him to a nearby danger. Neo saw Erick entering the cafeteria at that moment. Their eyes met, and the man immediately started walking towards him.

The boy panicked and started running, wondering why the man was so determined to chase him.

His movements were quick and fluid as he swiftly dodged several students while running. Erick also started running clumsily, trying to catch up with him.

Neo headed towards the hallways, hearing someone complain about not running.

"Sorry."

He entered a room with an open door and, looking around, he saw an open window in the corner of the room. Erick was right behind him.

He jumped out of the window and ended up in the central courtyard where he had been sitting earlier.

On the other side of the courtyard, there was another open window which he took advantage of. As he jumped inside, he knew he was safe. Erick had lost him.

The bell rang, and Neo took the opportunity to blend in again as many students were returning to the classrooms.

Neo couldn't enjoy the break; he was hungry and tired.

The last two classes were history classes, and the teacher who entered the room was of medium height and a bit overweight. Despite the lack of hair on the top of his head, he had plenty of hair on his arms and the rest of his body. Neo couldn't determine his age just by looking.

"Hey, everyone, my name is Marcio, and today we're going to talk about history," he said as he sat down at the desk and started talking about important milestones in the city's history. It was a review of the content they had covered last year.

The teacher briefly touched on topics that explained why the city had such a diverse culture.

He mentioned events that claimed the city was once a battlefield where different nations fought to declare a champion. The war lasted for years, and all participants lost. The damage was extensive, and in the end, it resulted in a peace agreement, transforming the place that was once the center of the battlefield into a meeting point for different peoples.

After a long and exhausting day, the final bell finally rang, signaling the end of classes. As the students packed their things and hurriedly left, Neo remained seated in his chair, with his head resting on the desk.

He felt sad for not having seen Saya and worried that something might have happened. With his head still on the desk, he listened to the sound of the footsteps of the last students leaving the room.

A peaceful silence fell.

The subject matters appeared and disappeared in his mind. He began to think that he would have to find a way to sleep again, just like the previous day. His thoughts were jumbled.

His peace was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Perhaps a student had come back because they forgot something, he thought.

He looked towards the sound and saw none other than Erick.