CHAPTER 1: The Radiant Sun.

I am Sonia Cristina Pérez Olmedo. I have been an educator for 20 years, and I love my work with unrivaled passion. This year, I was assigned a group of only 10 seventh-grade children. Among them, there is a little genius named Samuel, who, despite being smaller than the others, is very active and fits in well with the group. He always takes 10 minutes of his recess to sit and chat with me. With a smile on his face, he tells me everything that happens around him. I adore that child. I have never seen anything as radiant as the sun. He comes from an affluent family, with his mother as a housewife and his father as an office worker.

"Teacher Sonia!" Here comes the aforementioned. In his hand, he carried an apple and a bottle of water, which is unusual since he always has sandwiches, cookies, sausages, or other things packed for him.

"Hello, Sami, how are you?" The little one, with a smile on his face, started telling me what happened at his home on Friday. Apparently, when he arrived, there was no one in his house, and when he looked through the window, it was completely empty. He told me that for a moment, he was scared and cried because he thought he had been abandoned until his neighbor Rocío told him that his parents were waiting for him at his aunt Rosa and uncle César's house, which was four blocks away from his own. He said he was very happy because his aunt was very attentive, and his uncle always brought him ice cream when he went out.

Nothing changed in the following days. It was the same routine as always. Samuel, with his radiant smile, took a seat in front of me, but this time, he had nothing in his hands. He told me with a smile that on Friday, he had gone to the movies with his parents and his uncles. While his stomach growled, I offered him one of my sandwiches and a small cup of chocolate. Then, once again, Samuel, with disheveled hair and a downcast expression, forced a smile when he saw me. He told me that his mom no longer woke up early because she was very tired. Once again, Samuel, this time he didn't force his smile. He greeted me and sat silently, with his head bowed. Even though I asked him, he told me very little. And once again, Samuel, this time he didn't stay for 10 minutes. He left with the others, and from a distance, I saw him sitting on the swings, crying.

Worry engulfed me. The next day, I decided to keep a close eye on him during recess. I watched him from a distance as he played in the park with his friends. But something about him wasn't the same cheerful and active Samuel as before. He had lost his sparkle, his spark. He had become nervous, solitary, and silent.