Things change around the 11-year-old orphans from Grace Field as they approach their twelfth year of life.
✦ Will these four eldest children, who have placed so much faith in their sole guardian, Isabella, be able to betray that trust after learnin...
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Chapter One | Ninelie
[Narrator]
The dim moonlight poured through the window and casts long shadows across the chilly, silent room. Ninelie exhaled as she closed the uninspiring book she had been reading, experiencing a tinge of annoyance at its dull plot. Her restlessness increased as she observed the wooden floor, which creaked with every step.
The girl was unable to find solace in sleep as she reclined on her bed with her hands entwined over her abdomen and her mind contending with the elusive prospect of falling asleep. She gazed unblinkingly at the ceiling, pining for the rest that her fellow children appeared to appreciate. Nevertheless, jealously gnawed at her as she observed them lost in dreamland while she fought insomnia.
"Ninelie," a gentle voice whispered, jolting her from her musings. She turned her head to see Ray sitting up in bed while wiping his eyes and yawning.
"Can't sleep?" he inquired, his tone concerned.
She nodded, "Yeah."
Ray, her friend since childhood, was a boy of the same age as she, and one of the few with whom she could converse effortlessly. "Do you think you can go back to sleep?" he asked, repressing another groan.
Her response lacked clarity. "I'm not sure."
"So, what will you do?" Ray probed further.
Ninelie resolved to retrieve a glass of milk in the hopes that it would help her drift off to sleep. Ray insisted on coming along.
Together, they descended the stairs, engaging in a casual, meandering conversation that gradually calmed down Ninelie. As they conversed, she became increasingly drowsy, her yawning more pronounced.
Returning upstairs, Ninelie paused and turned to face the boy. "Hey, Ray?" The question she posed was sudden, but she needed his insight. "You've read about the 'Downfall of Clementine', right?"
Ray nodded. "Mhm. Why?"
Her gaze locked with his, Ninelie inquired further, "About Clementine, what do you think about her? You know, how she died just like that, I just wondered—if she seemed like a weak person."
The boy raised a brow at her question. "Yeah, she seemed like a weak person in my eyes."
"What makes you think that, though?"
He replied matter-of-factly, "Obviously it's because she chose to kill herself over the loss of her child. It's a stupid way to go."
Ray turned away and resumed walking, while Ninelie trailed after him, contemplating his response. In the depths of the night, she found herself reflecting on the seemingly trivial story she had read earlier, now understanding the profound message concealed within its words.
A revelation dawned upon Ninelie, and a small smile curled upon her lips. "Right, of course..." she whispered.
"What a stupid way to go."
Ninelie; #41176. Admitted to Grace Field at the age of three.
Characterized as a girl who possesses a pair of mysterious ruby-hued eyes, radiant platinum hair; as white as snow, and fair skin.
