- 4 -

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        Something had happened. Cinder thought when she woke up.

        It was noon and the sun was out. Through windows, warm sunshine shone on the clean bricks. She sat up and saw with their eyes closed, her friends lying beside her. She checked each of them and felt relieved when she found that they were just sleeping.

        Then she noticed that she wore a dark gray hood. She looked up and saw the mirror was intact. Just before some hours in the morning, she saw it was cracked. In the mirror, there was a woman with clean short white hair and wearing a gray hood, which the woman she had killed wore. In the mirror, she saw not her own face, but the face of the dead women. The tower revitalized, and she became the woman.

        "Cinder?" Birds and rabbits woke up, too. They stared at her eyes in confusion, "Are you Cinder?"

        "Yes, but I... I don't know what has happened..."

        "Don't worry." said Bella when she jumped on the floor, "We know you from your soul, though your figure has changed to be that woman. We just want to make sure."

        "The tower has changed as well." Guz said.

        "Yes." Cinder replied. Then she felt that someone -- or say, a spirit -- was in her body.

        Is anyone there? She asked in her mind with hesitation.

        Yes. Unbelievably, a voice replied her in her mind. It was hard to say it was from a male or female.

        It continued. You are the first one who is cursed but realize my existence.

        Cinder kept silent for a while. "I'm sorry, but I might need some time by myself." Finally, she said to the birds and rabbits.

        "Sure. We will try to find food for lunch, and we will be back later." answered these animals.