Rarely have I seen my grandfather scream like that. He had really been annoyed by my question. It was obvious how painful it was for my grandparents to talk about it, but I had to right to know how my parents died. I knew my grandparents avoided talking about it because it was a sensitive topic and it brought them suffering. I would like to know more about where I came from and who the people who gave me life were.

It was one-thirty p.m. o’clock when I left. The bus would leave the station around three p.m. I was going to be free for a few days of this city that draws our sweat, the traffic that doesn't give me rest, the school that absorbs most of my life and, of course, the responsibilities of studying with a sports scholarship. I had to be good in disciplines and basketball. I didn't flunk by luck. The teacher knew that I was undergoing treatment and he let me miss some training because I was not well.

Along the way, I noticed a square that had just been renovated. It was beautiful. There was a flower bed right in the middle and dozens of trees decorated all around it. The deep green of the trees gleamed the gray of concrete and the yellow of sunflowers.

They don't tell me anything, it's unfair.

I took a few minutes to rest under the central tree and ended up napping. I was sleeping really badly with so many bad dreams lately.

I woke up with an old man shaking me and others around looking at me worriedly. An elderly man told me that I was screaming Astaroth in my sleep. The strange thing is that my grandfather already said he heard me shout that name.

A few minutes after the confusion and the people who were watching me around, I got up and looked at my cell phone, I saw that it was half past two p.m. I was inordinately late. I took the first bus towards the bus station and it was already past three p.m. when I arrived. The vehicles had not yet left. I was relieved to hear that I still had a chance to travel and have something to do on my vacation.

The bus station was an old, unpaved building. It had several shops for crafts, clothing and small snack bars. A local newspaper carried out a survey and reported that forty thousand people passed by that place a day. I honestly wouldn't get along with so many people. Modern life is full of these distractions and little frustrations that consume our life and suffocate you with overcrowding.

As I approached the buses, I saw Mickael sitting on one of the cafeteria tables. Something about that old Chicago Bulls jacket, his dirty shoes, his macho pose, and his spiky hair reminded me of someone cool, a kind of local Jensen Ackles. He was that type. A popular kid, cool and the kind of handsome you could only exist in books and movies.

“You're late, Great.” he said with laughter.

“I know. I ended up napping.” I explained.

He called me Great because of Alexander the Great. That boy called me that because strangely, I am good in sports and studies. He decided to prove to his mother that he could also be very smart and enrolled in the special students course. He was getting bombed in almost every subject. I was bullied for being poor, short and somewhat skinny. Well, we made a kind of special deal. Brain for muscles. I helped him with disciplines, he helped me with bullying. Soon, we became teammates and best friends. He played as pivot and I played as guard and we had several plays together.

Although Micke is my only friend, but that's okay.

That afternoon, Micke was dressed in a shabby jeans, a white shirt, and the red Chicago Bulls jacket that belonged to his father, who dumped him and ran off with the neighbor. Mickael is taller than me, even though we having the same age.

“You are very lucky! If it were me, the two buses would have already left.” He brought his hand to the back of his neck, laughing. He seemed to hide something.

“Sometimes the universe conspires in our favor.” I joked.

“Oh, be serious. Tell me, any news?”

"I'm a little anxious. Which bus are we taking?”

“Like I said, you're a lucky guy.” he replied, smiling. “we go on that bus.”

I confess, I was very happy to go to this camp. Mickael, like the rest of the students at the new school, was quite wealthy – which I am by no means. – Your mother works for a very famous oil company. He was really nice... he just had one little problem: he speaks too much. That guy was quite excited when he jumped off the table and came towards me to give me a hug and fill me with questions.

My goodness, he speaks a lot!

We avoided the hugs and shook hands. Then he headed for the toilet. On the way back, I saw him meet a man who, apparently, was also coming to the bus. He was huge in every way possible and appeared to wear the same shirt for a long time, which made my nose sting even ten yards away from him. I noticed they were talking about the time, the man was pointing to his watch.

As they approached the bus, the chubby man got in and Micke walked over to me.

"Who is that chubby old man?" I asked curiously.

“Mr. João, the rocker and the bus driver.

"Oh, did you already know him?"

“Certainly.”

"Where do you know him from?"

"I've never taken a bus to camp where he wasn't the driver." But I knew him before, he plays rock 'n’ roll in a band called Atomic Bomb. The gossips say he played with Eddie Vedder himself.

“Who?” I raised an eyebrow, having no idea who he was talking about.

"Eddie Vedder, boy!" The lead singer of Pearl Jam. “Have you never heard of it?”

“I did not hear. It is good?”

“The band is amazing! My favorite song of them is Even Flow. Listen here.”

Micke turned on the iPod and gave me the headphones. The band had a heavy sound and well-defined vocals. He had good taste in music. The song was about a stream of fast thoughts we couldn't keep up with and about praying to someone who never showed us their face. As soon as the song ended, I asked why that man had been pointing at his watch. He looked disappointed about something.

“We're very late and the rest of the staff is still listening to Director Alberto's “old sermon”, back in the cafeteria. The one about being careful, not picking fights, not taking alcoholic drinks, blah-blah-blah...” he replied in a mocking tone.

"What time will they get out of there?"

“Soon. They've been at the cafeteria for a while...” he was saying, when Mr. João interrupted him when he got off the bus.

He was going to tell the others that we needed to hurry our departure because otherwise we wouldn't arrive until nightfall. These roads are bad enough to drive by day, imagine at night. We agreed with the huge driver and then he crossed the yard to the cafeteria on the other side of the bus station.

 When he arrived, he pushed some children aside without asking permission, which made the principal fumble with the "old sermon".

Five minutes after Mr. João entered the cafeteria, I saw the teenagers leaving in line. principal Alberto and the other driver accompanied him to the buses.

When he arrived, Mr. Alberto made a call to check the names, people who went to the camp had to put their cell phones in a backpack he was holding and get into the vehicle. At camp, we could only use the phone in the central building once a day. I loved this idea of ​​not being able to use a cell phone, I would be free from the pranks related to the phone calls that my grandparents would make all the time.

I loved the idea. Enough of are you okay? did you eat enough? Go to bed early! Do not pee outside the toilet.

The first to board the bus was a skinny boy, tall and with a serious face. Then another boy raised his hand. This one was stronger and we can say that he had an athletic build. He looked about nineteen already, he even had a thick beard. Then he called me:

— Alexandre Young! — Yeah, I have a Brazilian name and an English surname.

I raised my hand in response, and after putting my cell phone in my bag, I hurried in and sat down almost to the far left side of the bus. Then came other children who I recognized as students from other classes at the same school as me. When Micke climbed in, he sat beside me.

After everyone entered, Mr. João closed the door and asked if any of us had seen a teenager and a child, Robson and Thor Rodriguez.

A girl yelled at my back, "Sir, they haven't arrived yet, could you wait a little longer?"

Mr. João disagreed: “I'm sorry, but we can't wait any longer. Buckle up, kids.”

"Please, just a little longer!" she pleaded as I turned to see her.

I think I know this girl! She looks like the crying girl of my dreams. What a déjà vu.

“I'm sorry, but we can't. We are already too late. Let's take the road.”

“Wow!” She said upset and muttered: “What is that windhead doing?”

I raised my hand and called her attention: "Excuse me, but do I know you from somewhere?"

“No. I've never seen you before.” She replied, cutting me off.

“What is your name?”

“My name is Rayssa. I'm sorry, but I never saw you.” She cut me off again.

I am getting crazy. – Or already am. – I never know for sure. That name is unfamiliar to me, but that face is.

Mr.  João had already started the engine when I heard a loud knocking outside. There were two boys. They were supposed to be brothers, they were a lot alike. I've never seen anyone be more late than me. Quickly, I shouted: “Mr. João, stop the bus!” Everyone looked at me. “Two more boys arrived. They are banging on the side of the bus.”

Mr. João braked immediately and they were able to go up.

“Thank you very much, sir. Sorry I'm late.” the bigger of the two said as he entered, panting.

I felt a flutter in my stomach. Dammit, that same feeling again. I also know this boy who arrived, but from where?

“Who are you?” — Mr João asked.

The smallest of the boys was called Thor, like the Asgardian God, already the eldest brother, was Robson. Both were slender and skinny, Thor had medium, wavy hair and Robson wore an almost military-style cut. He has style. The older brother emanated a powerful aura. Something told me he was strong even with that physical build. I've seen him somewhere, but where? He thanked them for stopping and shook Mr. João's hand several times.

“You're welcome, boy.” Mr. João said and pointed at me. "If it hadn't been for that boy, I would have left you."

Both turned to me and thanked me. Then he asked my name like he knew the answer.

"Alexandre Young," I replied, extending my hand to greet him. — and, excuse me, but have we met?

“No, no. Not even. We never saw each other. We're Robson and Thor Rodriguez,” he said, squeezing my hand tightly and making me smirk.

He is lying, I know. I’ve met him before.

“Because you smiled?” Thor asked, curious.

"Well, it's just that I remembered my grandfather," I lied. “He says if someone shakes your hand hard, that person has a lot of character.

"Your grandfather must be nice," Robson commented.

“He is.”

I shouldn't have come out mad at him, I'm feeling like an idiot.

However, Robson interrupted my thoughts: "Since there are no vacancies here, we'll sit a little further back."

I nodded. Then, he approached the girl who asked to wait for them. And I heard them whispering.

"Did you bring your little brother?" she asked irritably. “Are you  crazy?”

"Wherever I go, he goes," he replied.

“Of course, You're crazy!”

"Changing the subject, I think he knows something."

“He, who? Your guardian?”

“Yes, he.”

"He asked if I knew him."

They are talking about me? What would a guardian be?

While trying to figure something out, Micke stole my attention.

"Are you listening to the conversation of others?"

“A little bit.”

“someone will date in this camp.”

“I didn’t understand.”

 “Oh, boy. You are very innocent.” he said, panting.

The bus left at three-thirty o’clock p.m., and an hour later we were halfway of the camp.  

"Great, I know that you're going to the camp to relax, but i want to introduce you to a girl, she is very nice. Her name is Nathália and she goes to the same school as us. She arrived in town just a month ago and enrolled in high school when it was already exam week.”

I looked over the seats on the bus searching her, at that moment, I noticed the girl beside José Ferreira and Helendendof Wilkins, two of the most popular boys in the school. She appeared to be shorter than me, had black curly hair, hips a little too wide for her height and had brown skin. Her skin looked as smooth as silk. I concluded that she is too much for me.

We studied at the best school in the country. It was very common to find students of different nationalities. The school was a reference throughout South America.

“She came to live here in town with her mother, after a messy divorce from her parents, you know how it is, right?” Mike explained.

"And how do you know all this?"

“Contacts.” Micke winked at me. "I think she will like you. She is very...

Suddenly, three cell phones interrupted their speech playing the same song, Come as you are by Nirvana.

The song of my dream!

His João replied, irritated: “They told to not to use cell phones on the bus!" Who dares to...”

But, before finishing what he was saying, Robson jumped up, approached me, shouting: “Hold on, Alex! To the ground, now! Someone is going to attack this bus!”

What is happening?

“Look out, Pollyanny! — yelled the girl beside Robson, farther back.

Another young man shouted from across the aisle: "Johnathan, be smart!"

What is going on?

"What's going on back there?" Mr. João asked, looking quickly to see the confusion that was beginning. Then I saw him pay attention to the road again and almost lose control when he abruptly turned the steering wheel when he came across a bald man standing in the middle of the asphalt slamming into the bus in front of us.

The vehicle in front of us braked abruptly and left the burning lane. Through the window, I saw the bald man dressed in some kind of black military garb kicked at another man who appeared to have horns on his head.

At that moment, the bald man turned towards our bus and, with a grim expression, gestured with his hand for Mr. João to stop. His opponent got up and hit him in the face. A sound wave reverberated for meters away. The bald man fell a few feet ahead. Mr. João tried to dodge the fallen man and made the bus skid along the asphalt.

The brakes made a deafening noise, but the bus continued to slide. We were at high speed. In a few milliseconds, the bald man stood up right in front of us and made a very quick, almost incomprehensible gesture. Our vehicle stopped so abruptly that several of us were pushed into the seats. I gasped, glancing at the window and seeing the bald man. He had weird tattoos on his head. He made another gesture I didn't understand and threw the vehicle off the road with his bare hands with screams and the noise of twisting metal filling the vehicle.