Chapter 1
Helena was still holding the folder against her chest when all eyes in the room turned to me.
For a few seconds, nobody said anything.
All I could hear was the hum of the old ceiling fan and the sound of pieces of my exam paper being pushed around by the wind coming in through the window.
Professor Sônia was the first to react.
"This is a misunderstanding," she said, trying to remain calm. "I was just trying to protect the quality of the school."
Helena looked at her without changing her expression.
Protecting the school or protecting someone?
The question landed in the room like a stone.
The teacher remained silent.
I had never seen Sonia lose her confidence like that before.
She always seemed to know exactly what to say. She always had a ready answer for any student who questioned her decisions.
But at that moment, for the first time, it seemed as if someone had asked a question she hadn't expected.
Director Marcelo walked over to my desk and picked up one of the pieces of the exam.
Gabriel, did you know that your name was among those selected for the next phase?
I shook my head.
No. Nobody told me anything.
Helena opened the folder again and took out some documents.
Because someone guaranteed that this information would never reach you.
My heart raced.
I looked at the papers in her hands.
My name was written on several pages.
My history.
My grades.
Even reports on projects I had done in the library.
It was strange to see my own life organized in documents I had never seen before.
"How did you manage that?" I asked.
Helena stared at me for a few seconds before answering.
— Because three months ago a university started monitoring some students from public schools with academic potential. His name came up several times.
I was speechless.
For years, I had become accustomed to going unnoticed.
I was the student who arrived early, sat at the back of the classroom, and left quickly to help my mother at the cafeteria.
I never imagined that someone important would be watching my efforts.
"Then why did my name disappear?" I asked.
Helena closed the folder slowly.
That's exactly the question we're trying to answer.
At that moment, I heard a chair move behind me.
It was Larissa.
She was pale.
For the first time that day, she looked up at me.
But there was something different in her gaze.
It wasn't just fear.
It was guilt.
— Larissa — I said softly. — Did you know about this?
The entire room fell silent again.
She opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Professor Sonia quickly interrupted:
This student has nothing to do with this.
Helena turned her face towards her.
— Interesting. I didn't mention her name at any point.
The teacher remained motionless.
I felt a chill.
Because at that moment I realized something.
Helena knew more than she was letting on.
And maybe Larissa too.
After class, the principal asked everyone to leave.
I was left alone in the room with Helena, Marcelo, and Larissa.
I wanted answers.
For the first time, I didn't want to lower my head and accept what was happening to me.
"Larissa, you were in the library yesterday when I was studying for this selection process," I said. "Why didn't you tell me this when the teacher accused me?"
She took a deep breath.
Because I thought that if I spoke up, it would be worse.
— Worse for whom?
She looked away.
This question seemed to have hit a nerve she was trying to hide.
Gabriel, you don't understand.
Then make me understand.
She remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he approached the table and placed something on my torn test.
It was a small folded sheet of paper.
I recognized it immediately.
It was part of my study material.
But there was something written on the back.
A short sentence.
A sentence that made my stomach clench.
"If Gabriel stays in the national team, we'll all have problems."
I looked at Larissa.
Who wrote this?
She didn't answer.
Helena took the paper from my hands and examined it carefully.
Her face changed.
Where did you get that?
It was in my notebook yesterday.
Director Marcelo became serious.
Gabriel, are you sure?
I agreed.
- I have.
Helena exchanged a quick glance with Marcelo.
It was the look of someone who had just confirmed a long-held suspicion.
"How long has someone been trying to stop you from participating in this selection process?" she asked.
I didn't know the answer.
But at that moment I started remembering small things that seemed unimportant.
Books that disappeared from the library.
Papers that kept disappearing from my backpack.
Anonymous messages telling me I should accept my place.
I always thought they were just coincidences.
Maybe I was wrong.
Helena put the paper inside the folder.
Gabriel, you need to understand one thing. The person who removed your name from the list didn't just want to take away an opportunity from you.
She paused.
She wanted to make sure that no one found out what you really created.
I was confused.
What have I created?
Helena opened another page of the folder.
It contained an image of a project I had done months ago.
A study method I developed to learn difficult subjects in less time.
I created that because I didn't have money for private lessons.
For me, it was simply a way to keep up with my colleagues.
But to them, it seemed to be something much bigger.
Gabriel, this method has caught the attention of people who invest in education across the country.
My heart beat faster.
So someone tried to get me kicked off the team because of that?
Helena did not respond immediately.
She looked at Larissa.
And it was at that moment that I realized something that confused me even more.
Larissa started to cry.
It wasn't crying out of fear.
It was a time of regret.
"I need to tell the truth," she said.
Everyone looked at her.
She pressed her hands against her chest and took a deep breath.
I wasn't just in the library that night.
My throat got dry.
So where were you?
Larissa looked at Helena.
Then for me.
And finally he said:
I was in the room where they removed your name from the official list.
The silence that followed seemed impossible to bear.
I felt my whole body go cold.
Because at that moment I realized that Larissa was not just a witness.
She had been too close to the secret.
And before I could ask anything, she added in a low voice:
May you like
Gabriel... I saw who did this.
But the person she revealed was someone I would never have imagined.
