After leaving the classroom Sofia didn't go towards the school gate.
She went straight to the girls' bathroom.
The hallway was empty now the sounds of the school day replaced by a heavy silence.
Once inside she locked herself in a stall. She sank to the cold tile floor and began to cry pulling her knees to her chest. The sobs she had been holding back tore from her throat.
Her family's financial situation was not good. It had once been stable.
Her father had a good job at a small manufacturing plant.
But then he got sick a lingering illness that drained their savings and left him unable to work.
Her mother took on extra shifts at the hospital. But it was not enough.
As the eldest daughter Sofia felt the weight of responsibility. She attended her classes.
Then she immediately went to a part-time job at a local café.
The school didn't allow students to work. It was a strict rule. But she worked secretly.
Not just at the café but also at a convenience store late at night. She was trying to hold her family together one paycheck at a time.
Her life had been a difficult but manageable routine.
Until a few weeks ago. A group from her school—three girls and two boys—had come into the café where she worked.
Two of the girls were from her own class. Sofia recognized them immediately. Her heart sank. She had hoped they would keep her secret. She served them with a polite smile trying to act normal.
Before they left she politely explained her situation. She begged them not to tell anyone at school. They smiled and agreed promising they wouldn't say a word. Their smiles were sweet their words reassuring.
The very next day Mr. James called her into the teachers' office. Her heart hammered against her ribs as she walked down the hall.
He reprimanded her harshly. His voice was cold and disappointed.
He told her the principal knew about her part-time jobs. He delivered an ultimatum. Quit the jobs or she would be expelled.
Sofia was devastated. She had no choice. She quit both jobs. The small stream of income she brought to her family was gone.
But things got worse. The bullying started small. During lunch breaks and in the crowded hallways the same group of students now with a few others started to harass her.
They would trip her as she walked by.
They would knock books out of her hands. They would whisper insults just loud enough for her to hear as she passed. "Poor girl." "Her clothes are so old."
"I heard her dad is a drunk." The bullying was relentless a constant daily torment.
Just before Adam had entered the classroom today it had reached a new level. The three girls and two of their friends a group of seven in total had cornered her at her desk.
They surrounded her a pack of hyenas closing in on their prey.
Sofia tried to appear strong on the outside but inside she was terrified. Her hands were shaking under her desk.
One of the boys had leaned in close. He was a popular athlete with a cruel smirk on his face. "I heard your family's financial situation is pretty bad."
The three girls standing behind him giggled a high-pitched mocking sound.
"So as your concerned classmates we're offering you a solution," a second boy said. He was tall and lanky with cold eyes.
Sofia's hands and legs were trembling so badly she couldn't speak. She felt trapped pinned in her chair.
"You're to meet us tonight," the first boy continued. His voice was low and suggestive a greasy sound that made her skin crawl. "Behind the school on the hill. You do some 'work' for us and we'll give you $100. That should help your family out right?"
The leering smiles on the boys' faces told her exactly what kind of 'work' they had in mind. She understood instantly that her life was about to get much worse. Her private hell was escalating into something she couldn't even imagine.
She felt trapped. She couldn't fight back. Her family's situation was precarious. Her reputation at school was ruined. She was afraid. She didn't want this trouble to fall on her parents.
Her father was ill. Her mother was already working multiple jobs.
She had two younger sisters to think about. Reporting the bullies would just create more problems more attention more stress for her family.
One of the girls a cheerleader with a mean streak slammed her hand down hard on Sofia's desk. The loud bang made her jump. Tears welled up in Sofia's eyes as she looked at the girl. She saw no pity only contempt.
"Seven o'clock sharp," the girl snarled. Her voice was full of arrogance and power. "If you're not there you know what will happen. We'll make sure everyone in this school knows what a pathetic charity case you are."
With that final threat the group left the classroom laughing among themselves. Moments later Adam had walked in.
Present Time -
Adam was still in the classroom. He was sitting at his own desk.
He was thinking about his own impossible situation.
The bounty the assassins the constant loop of death. But his thoughts kept drifting back to Sofia.
In all his time at this school he had been a normal quiet student. He had a decent number of friends his grades were good and he was adequate at sports.
But he realized he had never seen Sofia talk to anyone in class. She was always alone always quiet. A ghost in the corner of the room. He had seen her but he had never really looked.
He made a decision. It was a quick and clear decision.
He would put his own problems aside for a moment. He had all the time in the world thanks to his curse.
Sofia did not. He had to talk to her. He knew that even if something went wrong and he died he would just come back. His own life was a renewable resource. Hers was not.
He would find Sofia and ask her who was bullying her. He had to do something.
The quiet boy who minded his own business was gone.
He had been killed too many times. In his place was someone who understood that sometimes you had to fight. He stood up from his desk and left the classroom. He knew where to find her.