01/28/2006 - New York, Manhattan, Central Park.
I tightly clasp my small, shell-shaped hands together, raising them to my mouth to blow warm air into them. The bitter cold is evident as I watch the hot breath escape in white vapor. My gloves, dark blue in color, offer some protection against the chill.
I walk through the park at a slow pace, despite being six years old already. I have no friends to play with in the snow, or engage in any other games.
It's a sad reality that those who approach me only do so to ridicule and laugh. I've never quite understood why, which is why I keep my words to a minimum. I can't fathom why children are unkind to me, always playing cruel tricks that leave me feeling excluded and melancholic.
My mother converses with a friend, both seated on a bench a few meters behind me. Mrs. Millenis appears to be quite kind, although she doesn't smile often. I've spoken to her only once before; my mother mentioned that she has two daughters who are only slightly older than me. I've never had the chance to see them, as they arrived at the park before me and ran off to enjoy themselves together. And here I am, walking alone. Unfortunately, I don't have any siblings. I've asked my parents before, but my mother said she couldn't give me a little brother. I noticed the sadness in her eyes when she said it, so I never brought it up again. I hate seeing my mom sad.
"Hey guys, look at the crybaby!" Leandro's voice pierces my ears. I glance at him, dressed in a cream-colored jacket with a red cap and gloves. I release my breath, tired of this treatment, and let my hands fall heavily at my sides.
"Cat got your tongue, did it?" Suzana adds, mocking me, dressed from head to toe in pink.
I choose not to respond, continuing to walk as if they aren't addressing me. A shiver runs down my spine, causing me to pause. I feel the remnants of icy snow on the back of my neck, reaching up to touch it. I turn my gaze to Leandro, who already has another snowball ready in his hands.
"Didn't your mother teach you that it's ugly to treat others like dogs?" Leandro sarcastically asks before throwing the snowball. It hits me square in the face, and the impact forces me to take a few steps back, but I manage to maintain my balance.
"Let's teach him a lesson, everyone!" he exclaims loudly, rallying the other children.
I'm thrown to the ground and endure kicks to my stomach. The first blow steals my breath away, causing me to curl up and hug my knees, seeking some semblance of protection. After what feels like an eternity, they finally cease their assault. I hear the sound of their footsteps fading as they run away, and I release a relieved sigh. I get up and make my way to the nearest tree, sitting on the white ground covered in snow. Placing my arms on my knees, I lower my head, overcome by an immense sadness, and begin to cry.
I strive to be strong, to not let their actions affect me, but it's too difficult. I wish I could play, run, and scream with everyone, but no one wants me around, and it hurts deeply.
"Look sis, someone over there is sad," I hear a gentle voice say. I'm drawn to the voice; it sounds pleasant. However, I pay it no attention and continue my cascade of tears.
Suddenly, my tears cease, and I feel warm arms enveloping me in a comforting embrace. I
lift my head in surprise and find myself met with kind, innocent eyes devoid of malice. I've never seen eyes this color before—violet. They are incredibly beautiful and radiate an uncommon kindness. My focus then shifts to her mouth, which forms a wide smile, revealing a missing tooth that doesn't detract from her beauty.
"Don't cry, things will get better," she says sympathetically, as though she understands that my world is crumbling.
"What's your name?" I ask absentmindedly, no longer preoccupied with her sadness but instead captivated by her beauty. She seems like an angel.
"My name is Aya. I'm five years old! Look," she says, holding up her hand, displaying all five fingers to indicate her age. It's so adorable. "I have to go now. My mom told me not to be late. Dad is coming home today," she adds, planting a kiss on my cheek before running off. I notice another girl running alongside her, slightly older than Aya.
My heart warms with gratitude. I will never forget this girl—I feel it was a sign from God, telling me not to give up, assuring me that there are still good people in the world. I hope to see her again.
Feeling calmer now, I rise from the ground and brush off the excess snow from my hands onto my pants. I quicken my pace and meet my mother, who smiles upon seeing me approach.
"It's a shame, my son. If you had arrived a couple of minutes earlier, you would have met Mrs. Millenis' daughters. They are really cute," my mother says, holding my hand.
I remain silent as we make our way to the car. Aya's violet eyes replay in my mind, eliciting a smile from me.
10/05/2019 - New York, Manhattan, Upper East Side. [ Iuri Stevens' Vision] Once again I wake up late, I forgot to alarm the wake up call yesterday, I spent the night watching anime. When I went to sleep it was after four in the morning, and now it's exactly ten past seven, I only have twenty minutes to get to school. I look in the mirror, nothing has changed, my face is full of pimples, my body is slender, my height is average. My eyes are full of dark circles under my eyes, I have been marathon anime for a week, but I don't care. I grab my backpack on top of the chair at the computer table and throwing it over my shoulder I run down the steps of the stairs, with quick steps I follow to the pantry and meet the housekeeper. "Good morning Iuri" Mrs. Lueni greets me.
10/05/2019 - New York, Manhattan, Upper East Side. [ Aya Millenis' Vision] " - What the hell is up with your family? They not only disrespect me, but they make me their toy, I make others a toy, I don't want to be one! - Livius I speaks to Nike." "Are you going to miss the schedule, Aya?" I turn my attention away from the large glass screen attached to the water green wall when I hear my older sister's voice. I stare at her for a few seconds without understanding, she just raised her eyebrows without saying a word to me, and as if a light shining in the back of my mind I remember school, I look at the clock on the wall and see it marking seven-five in the morning, I stare wide-eyed, I've been watching this anime all night and I haven't even done my homework and
[ Iuri Stevens' Vision] It's lunch time, the first five hours have gone on boring as usual, I've seen these issues, so I don't need to stay focused on class, I can keep losing myself in my fantasies that maybe there is some slightest possibility that Aya will accept my request to be her date at the summer dance. I pack my things in my backpack and out of the corner of my eye I notice Aya walking slowly out of the classroom. "Come on man, take advantage that she is alone," George says slapping me on the back. "Let me just pack my stuff," I say, quickly putting away the missing things in my backpack, "Wish me luck." A nervous smile stamps my face, my fingers tremble just for the expectation. I turn and start walking out of the room. "Go for it bro!" I can hear the sound of his laughter before I walk through the blue door of the room. I feel my heart racing fast in my chest, I've never done anything so risky, I have no experience with girls, my father has never talked to me either,
"18/05/2019 - New York, Manhattan, Upper East Side. [Iuri Stevens' Vision] "It's been exactly eight days, I was so discouraged that I couldn't even concentrate on anime anymore to finish my marathon. I feel tired, I look at the clock and it strikes seven-thirty in the morning. I don't want to go to school; today is Friday, and now there's only one week left until the prom." "Son?" my father enters my room without knocking on the door. He knows I don't like this; I value privacy, but both he and my mother seem to do this just to drive me crazy. I take a deep breath and sit up in bed. He walks further into my room, and I look at him quickly and am surprised to see him not dressed in his suit. His outfit is a navy blue polo shirt and beige shorts, with sandals. It is not a common look; he is always in his suit with his hair perfectly aligned. "Hi, Dad," I answer quietly, but I know he heard me. He sits beside me on the bed, curves his spine, and rests his elbows on his knees and his
[Gustam Stevens' Vision] After the ice hockey game, I feel broken, but it was good. I couldn't even remember the last time I had been out, just me and my son, alone. Now I'm at the office, since I didn't go to the company, I need to streamline as much as possible at home. I look at the clock on the computer screen, and it is seven o'clock at night. This is the time my wife and I usually get home." "How was the conversation with our son?" - my wife enters the office, just in time. I hear the noise of the door being locked and the sound of her thin heels on the floor. "Two news items, dear." - I close the open folders on the computer and then turn it off, turning the chair around and facing Carmen. I watch as Carmen lets go of her bun, her hair falls like waterfalls down her back, and in stride she comes toward me and sits on my lap. I squeeze her waist and kiss my wife. "Working without you is extremely boring, love, the good stuff only happens when you're there," she says slyly
[ Carmen Stevens' Vision ] From far away, I can already see my target, elegant as always, black heels, dressed in her tight black pencil skirt and white long-sleeved shirt, with her hair caught in a high ponytail. I walk briskly to Juliana's desk, her eyes fixed on the computer, and I guess she is organizing her husband's agenda. "Good morning!" I greet her, smiling in a friendly way. "Good morning!" she gets up and gives me two kisses, one on each side of my cheek. I have known her since I was a teenager, we went to high school together and to college too. I can't say that we are best friends. Her family has always been conservative and traditional, resulting in her also being so, and besides, she is extremely demanding, even with herself. Juliana is very perfectionist, and so is her husband. My family has always been more liberal, and despite our different ideas, we got along super well, and facing the unknown with an acquaintance always seemed to be easier. "I see you woke up i
[Iuri Stevens' Vision] I stretch out on my bed, feeling my body heavy. Once again, I went to sleep at four in the morning. When I finished the first season of Kimetsu no Yaiba, I went to watch the movie Infinity Train; I was so excited that I also went to read about ten chapters of the manga. I get out from under the comforter and look at the clock stuck on the wall. It was eleven thirty in the morning. I stretch and slide out of bed. I walk a few steps until I get close to the solid wood door with a garapa color. Before I open it from the inside, my mother opens it from the outside, and I take two steps back. "I thought you weren't going to get out of bed anymore," she says seriously. "Come and have some coffee soon." "Good morning to you too, Mom," I say, and she stops walking down the hall. "Good morning, my gracious son," she manages to be even more sarcastic than I am when she wants to be. Without saying anything else, I just follow Mrs. Carmen Stevens to the pantry of the h
[Iuri Stevens' Vision] I'll be damned! I feel as if time has frozen; Aya is standing right in front of me. She is wearing a sky-blue bare-shoulder dress, black sneakers, and for the first time in her life, she is wearing makeup. She looks stunning. After a long time, again I see her round glasses. I think she is so cute when she has them on, along with her earpiece with the kitty ears. "Son," I hear my mother's voice snapping me out of my reverie. "Y-yes," I answer, blinking my eyes several times until my vision focuses on my mother. She walks quickly towards me, and I focus my vision on her as she speaks softly just so I can hear. "Close your mouth; you're almost drooling." I feel my eyes widen slightly; I gasp and compose myself. I stretch my shirt a little and turn my attention back to what is going on in the room. "Shall we go to the game room?" I hear my father calling Aya's father. "Come on, dear, I'll show you the new flowers," my mother says, dragging Mrs. Millenis into