The girl started to remove her hands from covering her ears and slightly lifted her head and looked at Nate, he was offering his hand so she could take it and stand up, the girl hesitated to take his hand but the smile he had made her took the hand and stand up.
She stoop up, but Nate saw her book was on the ground and he bent down to get the book and observed that her shoe lace was untied, so Nate who took the book and gave it to her and still bent to the ground he reached for her shoe lace and started to tie it, the bushy girl was flustered and scared at what Nate was doing, and after he tied her lace, Nate too stood up and said "shall we sit?" and pointed his finger towards the bench that the girl was sitting earlier.
The girl just gave a nod and she followed him, they sat on the bench and they both watched the dusking sun and it's final moments for the day, and Nate said "why do sit idle and take what those boys are doing?" the girl hesitated to talk to him but she mustered the strength to speak and courage from her heart and said "wha..what can i do?" tears are welling up from her eyes, Nate, who caught that said "i am sorry for asking" and he asked her another question "what is your name?" the bushy girl with her bangs over her spectacles said "Maria" and Nate who listened what she said, is still waiting for her to finish her full name but she didn't, so he said "i am Nate", the girl nodded and started to read her book.
Nate just watched her read the book and he just sat there and enjoyed his sunset and then the girl spoke in a low voice that only the ones who sat beside could listen it "why did you bother to help someone like me?", Nate was just puzzled by some particular words in the question, they are: "bother" and "someone like me" so said "why shouldn't i help you, and why i should bother to help someone who is in trouble" said Nate, and after hearing the answer, she for the first time in her life she lifted her head high so Nate can meet her eyes, and Nate continued "and i don't know what happened to you or what happened in your life, but when i see you just sit there and let those students bully means something happened in your life, i don't know if you are just scared to confront them or if you are just ignoring them, but i can clearly see something in you that you are strong than everyone that are bullying you and when you hide behind the tree when i approached you, means clearly something very terrible happened in your life which made you forget that there are no one to help to get through your troubles, and you lost hope in this world..." he said while looking at the setting sun and then he moved his eyes to meet the girl's and said "do not loose hope in this world, my mother once said to me, early beings in the universe thought that after they first saw the sun setting they taught that they will never see the sun again, but the next morning they saw the sun brightly rising from the horizon, so there is still hope in this world, the sun is there hope to go out to the world, so do not loose the hope and i slightly altered the story, do no wait for the hope, be the sun and you will be the sun to many".
The girl had big band in her mind, she just remembered a voice, a female, "Maria...Maria" this voice could make even a man who saw and fought thousand battels cry,
"Maria...it's alright, baby, mom will protect and even if i couldn't, i know my baby girl is strong so she can take care of herself"
"but remember, mom will always watch you...."
the lines made the girl even harder than ever, Nate freaked out at seeing her crying and thought if anyone sees this they might think i am bullying this girl and then the girl had approached Nate and fallen on his shoulders and she is crying a lot more, Nate who understood her let cry on his shoulders.
After a the girl stopped crying and she got up from his shoulder and said "thank you for everything" and she now said properly "i am Maria Pheonix" and i am a time power user.
Nate smiled at her said "well it is getting more dark, we should get going", "alright" said Maria.
Even though Nate wanted to ask what that book was she is reading and thought not to ask, and they gone to dining hall together and they decided to meet at the hall after dropping their bags in their dorms.
A few lines from our mother is all we need to get through our tough time and her image in our minds will make us even defy the gods and in case of Maria, she decided to let go all that was pulling her back into her past and that Nate after talking to Nate she was finally able to cut through the shackles that were binding from moving on.
That day a new chapter had begun in her life and she is very greatful towards Nate, but little that they knew, the shackles that she severed are very important to bind something her from getting on loose.