---
Aira woke up screaming.
Her heart was beating fast, and her body was shaking. Sweat covered her forehead as her eyes searched the dark room.
In her dream, she had seen them again.
Her mother and father were standing in front of her, their faces covered with blood. Their eyes were empty, yet their mouths moved.
"Aira…" they called her softly.
She tried to run, but her feet wouldn't move. Fear wrapped around her chest, making it hard to breathe.
"Aira!"
She suddenly sat up on the bed.
It was morning.
Before she could calm herself, she heard a familiar voice.
"Aira, wake up, my child."
It was her grandmother.
Aira slowly got out of bed, washed her face with cold water, and walked to the kitchen. There, she saw her grandmother cutting a watermelon into pieces. She smiled warmly and handed one slice to Aira.
"Eat this," her grandmother said gently.
Aira took the watermelon but couldn't stop herself. Her voice trembled as she spoke.
"Grandma… I saw my Mom and Dad again in my dream."
Her grandmother stopped cutting. She looked at Aira with kind but strong eyes and held her hand.
"My child," she said softly, "you cannot let the past control your future. You should go to the city, study well, and make many friends. New people will make your heart feel lighter."
Aira shook her head slowly.
"I don't want to go," she whispered.
But her grandmother smiled and said firmly, "You must. For yourself."
That was why Aira went to the city.
---
Crimson City felt cold and unfamiliar.
Aira rented a small flat and lived there alone. When she entered the room for the first time, her phone rang.
It was her grandmother.
"Is the flat good?" she asked.
"Yes, Grandma. It's good," Aira replied.
But her heart said something else.
She felt lonely.
---
The next day, Aira went out to buy dresses and books for her new high school. While looking for books in a library, she accidentally bumped into a girl.
"Oh! Sorry," the girl said with a smile. "I'm Liza. Are you from Crimson High?"
Aira nodded and told her everything—about the village, her parents, and the move to the city.
Liza listened quietly and then smiled brightly.
"You look sad," she said. "Don't worry. Tomorrow, when you come to school, I'll introduce you to my friends."
Aira smiled for the first time that day.
"Thank you," she said.
That night, Aira talked to her grandmother on the phone and told her about Liza. Hearing this made her grandmother happy.
"Now sleep," her grandmother said. "Tomorrow is your first day of high school."
After hanging up, Aira lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, lost in her thoughts.
The night passed quietly.
---
At exactly 7:00 a.m., the alarm rang.
Aira woke up, got ready, ate a simple toast, and left for Crimson High School.
While searching for her section room, she suddenly saw something shocking.
A boy wearing a black leather jacket was pushing another boy against the wall.
Without thinking, Aira stepped forward.
"Stop!" she said.
The boy in the jacket looked at her for a moment, then turned and walked away.
The scared boy thanked Aira nervously.
Just then, she saw Liza.
Aira told her about what she had seen.
"That boy's name is Rayan," Liza said calmly. "He doesn't talk to anyone. He's not really a bully."
"But he was hitting someone," Aira replied.
Liza sighed. "The boy he hit took pictures of girls from the bathroom and posted them online. That's why Rayan beat him."
Aira fell silent. Her face became thoughtful.
Soon, Liza took her to the teacher's room. The teacher then led Aira into the classroom.
"Introduce yourself," the teacher said.
Aira did.
Then the teacher spoke again.
"You can sit there."
Aira turned her head.
The seat was beside Rayan.
---