Nine Lives

Chapter One

The moon beamed through her window, one, quiet night. She was laid flat on her bed, as she stared blankly at what's above her. No one could possibly know what's going on through her mind at the moment, but one thing's for sure—it wasn't empty.

When tears gathered in the corner of her eyes, it stung without a doubt. She kept her silence, nevertheless. For her, this was nothing new. She got used to that occurrence and got better at it each time. She believed that it's easier to carry these things alone, asking for help would only be troublesome, anyway. It wasn't because she was afraid to be deemed as weak.. or was it? Tired, she finally hushed and wiped her tears away. She remained awake as though she was waiting for someone to arrive. But the clock ticked and more minutes passed, still, no one came. A frown became visible on her face almost immediately and she said, "you weren't even here when I need you."

"Wheein," the faint voice calling her name and the gentle knocks on her door woke her up. She could tell that it was already morning by feeling the warmth on her skin alone. She was welcomed by the sun rays surging through the windows as soon as she opened her eyes. She got up and replied, "I'm awake!"

"How was your sleep?" Her mother, Nari, asked while setting up the table for breakfast. Wheein sat on one of the seats and smiled behind her back.

"It was better since I started taking my prescribed medications." Nari heaved a sigh, feeling rather relieved, as this was another step to her daughter's recovery. She was made aware that this would be a long process, but she was trying to be grateful for anything that helps Wheein. She turned to her daughter only to be greeted with a smile. She responded with a smile, too, and said, "let's eat?"

Nari had always been a good mother. She never failed to remind Wheein when it's finally time to take her medications, she was always present in her check ups, making sure everything was going alright for her, she supported her every passion—especially for arts, she had always been the proudest of her daughter's accomplishments—even how small they were for other people. She made sure she's the mom Wheein could only wish for. Hence, she couldn't figure out why her daughter was having a hard time when she did everything she knew to make it easier for her. In the back of her mind was always the thought, "wasn't all of it enough?"

She was sat still as she watched Wheein eat on the other side of the table, unaware that she was staring at her daughter the whole time. She thought Wheein always had that smile on her face at a perfect time, which was whenever she was around her. She felt miserable that her own daughter had to fake her mirth in front of her. It made her feel incompetent as a mother. Why couldn't she break her wall when there wasn't supposed to be any, in the first place?

"I will have to prepare for school now, mom." Wheein stood up to put the dishes in the sink. She knew her mother had a lot of questions in her mind right now, and she didn't want to talk about it. She wouldn't ever allow herself to break in front of other people, let alone her mother. Hence, she dismissed it and proceeded to prepare for school. After an hour or so when she had readied herself and the things in her bag, she took a last glance at the mirror to make sure everything looked fine. She then headed out of her room and walked to her mother who was doing the dishes. She greeted her goodbye. Nari smiled at her and said, "take care, sweetie."

Wheein walked her usual route to school. She always made sure no one ever keeps up with her pace, and today wasn't any different. No—she wasn't running late. She hated the thought of being left behind, and she would do anything to be the first to reach the finish line. The obstacles—the people in her way—irritate her. Even in the simplest things, like heading to school, she wanted to be the fastest. She was driven to banish all of her so-called enemies just to remain at the top, even when most of the time, her enemy was none other than herself. And after a few minutes of walking, she was, again, the first one to arrive at the classroom.