I could hear my own sobs and the noise of people running around me. I could see the pool of blood on the ground, but it all seemed far away, as if I was seeing it through a screen.

I stood up, unable to see well because the tears obscured my eyes. Still I wiped my face. I saw my hands, soaked with the red of those who had been my friends, or at least, those whom I had considered my friends for four months, from the time I arrived at that school until that morning.

I didn't know what to do, I just didn't want them to be dead, I didn't want any of that to happen. Soon I heard the sound of sirens from the other side of the windows. I was baffled as to how the police had arrived so quickly. It must have been a patrol car that had been making rounds nearby.

It didn't matter, I had to go, I had to run.

But for how long?

I had had enough. I had thought that this year everything would go well, that I would go through it like a normal girl and get to the end without any problems. I thought about how disappointed my dad would be. I would have to tell him again what happened, but I didn't dare. I didn't want to. I couldn't.

—Come on, Erica— I said to myself— come on, move. Dad doesn't want you dead.

I left the room through the window to shorten the distance to the exit, but the policemen were already there, talking with the teacher and some students. They spotted me instantly. I ran into the street. The sound of the siren soon came from behind me.

I ran and ran for several minutes. I tried to run away without doing anything to them, but that only brought me more trouble. Soon more officers joined the chase, cornered me, and I ended up getting caught in an ambush at an intersection. They had blocked the road with patrol cars and bars. The guns were pointed at me. There was no time to react. I heard gunshots. I covered my head. I wanted to end it all at once. It was not my fault.

I thought I would finally die, but at that moment I felt a big, warm hand touch my back. I turned around, hopeful. There was my dad, smiling at me in spite of everything. To be sure, I looked around. All the policemen were out cold, on the ground. What he had done to them, I had no idea. It didn't matter.

—Dad, I'm sorry!— I exclaimed.

He took me in his arms and lifted me up.

—It's okay, princess. I know you tried your best. I'm proud of you— he said.

I wish he didn't have to say those things to me. I would have liked him to congratulate me on a job well done instead of having to console me. I really wanted to stop disappointing him.

—Let's go. Let's hide for a while.

I nodded in agreement. A break sounded good, but next year would be different. Next year was my last year attending school. I vowed that I would finish it, that I would make it to graduation, no matter what it took.