NINTH

GIRL POWER: REBIRTH OF THE HEROINE "Ninth" By Jelatine Rojo She thought she was dead. "Where am I? What is this place?" She could hardly make sense of what happened. How she found herself lying on damp rocky ground, and in inexplicable pain, she had no idea. For a brief moment, she couldn't feel her body. She's even having a hard time recalling her name and where she's from. "Am I dead? Is this some kind of place meant for nobody like me? Is this place designed for those who don't belong on earth? Is this where I belong?" Several questions raced through her mind but no answers could suffice. All she could remember was she was running—running away from someone who is about to kill her. She's searching for a safer place where she could hide and escape from the throes of life forever. It seemed she was perpetually running until she stumbled upon something that led her there helplessly lying. The place brought some kind of chill that crept through her skin. She's so sore she nearly cried. She realized how badly hurt she was. Her back, her knees, and arms are bruised and wounded. It took her a while to regain her strength and, at will, she opened her eyes. She realized that she was in a dark, musty place and she was drenched with a rancid smell. She called out for help but her voice was too weak to even utter a word. She's breathing heavily and her heart still pounding. There's total silence except for the faint sound of trickling water from the concrete and mossy walls surrounding her. While she was trying to calm herself, all of a sudden something caught her eye at a far-end corner. Though it was pitch black out there, it looks like she isn't alone. Suddenly what was moving earlier started to come out. She looked at it fiercely with a brave heart and managed to hold a fist ready to counter at any sense of attack. Bright yellow eyes suddenly illuminated the dark area and a form of a creature was revealed. It was a black cat. It looked harmless and slowly went near her. She was about to be ready to kick it but instead, the cat went on, smelled, and licked her wounded knee like a mother cat to a kitten, reassuring as if everything would be okay. She reciprocated the kind gesture and pat her head. For the first time in a long time, she never felt so lonely. Reflexively, she looked up and saw a single ray of light that appeared to be a hole. She fell from a manhole several feet deep and she survived. Well, did she? Moments later, she got up. Held her newfound friend and managed to climb up the stairs of the manhole. Earlier, she thought she was dead, but it looked like otherwise. She gathered all her might, got up, and thought to herself, "Well, not today Ninth, not today."