That voice is mine. It was always mine. The whisper was always Sharon's, always mine.

My nose is still bleeding, it stains my tunic. I keep running, I reach the forest, I enter it. I search for that place, my paradise. Our paradise. I want to see it.

I hit the trees, I stumble, I fall. But I get up and keep going. I've never run like this in my entire life. And for what? What's going to change? The priest in town is going to be notified and he's going to come and exorcise me. The headmistress is going to contact our families, tell them what happened. It is going to be torture for Ismael, with all that he has already suffered. I don't want to imagine Raquel's tears either. And as for David and me, what will our parents say?

But I still run. I want to see this place one more time, maybe for the last time?

I reach the waters, that little natural pond. Such clean, clear water. How beautiful is the forest, my God, how did I never notice it before! I dive in head first, I sink. I open my eyes under the water, my blood leaves my nose, it spreads in the liquid like ink in a glass. It seems like another world, a hidden one.

Ah, it's true. This place is meaningless if I'm not with the others.

But they'll be here any minute.

Running around uselessly? Not changing anything? Bullshit. I didn't come here without a plan.

Yeah, it's true, I just wanted to see this place one last time, take a good dive in the water. But I will always come back in my mind to this place. To where it all started.

« I was once like you, little one», said the headmistress... said Sharon. That's when I understood, but my fear wouldn't let me see. Now that I have run, I can see it, I see everything clearer than ever.

Several hands pull me out of the water. They are David, Ismael and Raquel. Worried, they pull me out of the pond. With their tunics on, they reach into the middle of the water to pull me out. My nose bleeds some more, mixes with the water and runs down my nostrils below, staining my lips.

“Sharon! Oh my God! Are you all right?!” David's voice. I'm so sorry little brother, I'm sorry to worry you like this.

Then the headmistress comes limping up behind them all.

“Sharon! Heavenly Father! Are you all right? Are you hurt?” There is genuine concern in her words.

“I... lost my strength. I came running and stumbled. I couldn't get out. I was so scared...”

I see the horror on everyone's face... except Raquel's. She smiles surreptitiously at me, and immediately changes her face to one of concern.

“Don't worry, Sharon, you're going to be fine... A doctor! We need to get a doctor!” says my fair-haired friend.

Uh, isn't a doctor a bit much? Nah, whatever. That might buy us more time. And if I remember correctly, there is a doctor in this town, albeit retired. I need to confirm my last suspicion.

***

I find myself in the girls' bedroom, in my bed. I was able to dry myself and change my clothes, luckily. I didn't put on my robe, but my worldly clothes. The ones I like. Although, well, maybe a change of style wouldn't hurt.

The old doctor examines me.

“You haven't swallowed or aspirated water and you didn't hit your head, which is what I was worried about. And nothing is broken on your nose, you might have a bruise for a few days. That loss of strength must have been from stress. You're going to be fine.”

Absolutely. And more so now that I can see from the dining room the heads of Raquel, David and Ismael peeking into the bedroom, their hair a little damp from the dip just now, though in their changed clothes, their worldly clothes, they didn't want to put on their robes. They look amused, Raquel must have explained the ruse to the other two. God bless you, Raquel.

But a new figure emerges from among them, it is the headmistress. She approaches us.

“Tell me, doctor, is she going to be all right?”

“Don't worry, Sharon,” —the woman says—“It was just a scare.”

So, she knows her. Yes, this confirms what I already knew.

“I don't use that name anymore.”

“Of course, my apologies. But well, the girl, Sharon too, will be fine” —she looks at me— “And if you feel unwell, just give me a call and I'll come running.” she winks at me and laughs.

“And you, don't torment her for a while, okay?” says the doctor to the headmistress. She walks towards the dining room so she can leave.

“Are you sure that's all? Is there nothing else?” insists the headmistress. I almost feel bad for deceiving her like this. Almost.

“Girl, you can't cure what isn't sick,” she finally says and goes on her way.

David, Raquel and Ismael approach me. The headmistress doesn't seem to care that there are men in the women's wing. She simply retreats back to her office, heeding the words of the elderly expert.

When the woman is at a safe distance....

“Well, what is the second phase of the plan,” says Raquel, excited.

“The final attack against the headmistress, nothing more, nothing less. No lies, no extortion, just the truth.” my words.

“...”

“...”

The only one smiling is David.

“Che, I was expecting a bit more of a lively reaction, people.”

“I'm not sure about this,” says Raquel.

“I second our blonde friend,” says Ismael.

Oh, how sad it is to see them like this. But more than sad, they make me really angry, eh.

“Now you' re going to chicken out? You who made me the best part of the plan, Raquel? You who have put up with it so much, Ismael?” My words are harsh.

“Come on, my friends, where have your words gone? The ones you confessed to us in those intimate moments?”—says David— “It is your trust that guides me, makes me feel greater, and eroticizes me. Don't let your words, your feelings down, Sharon is not the only one who needs to go, we all need to go. Lift your heads, let me see those pretty little faces. Stand up straight, loving is not a crime, because if it is, it's the laws that are in the wrong. I know now.”

I don't know how he manages to say these things with a totally straight face and not a hint of embarrassment. But his speech seems to work. Raquel and Ismael raise their heads, puff out their chests and nod.

I get up and we head for our destination. The sisters and my peers all look at the four of us walking through the dining room. But no one stops us. They no longer provoke anger in me. I don't blame them. I don't blame anyone, really. I can do nothing but give them a smile, and wish them well in my heart.