The water was flowing fast, carrying the three of them mercilessly, below the night sky. She knew how to swim.

They all learned how to swim when they were younger, since they lived near a river. They played in the river and their lives more or less depended upon it. They also learned that it was bad to swim at night, because of the strong flow of the water, and the confusion darkness brings. What their parents didn't tell them is the horror of actually drowning in water at night.

Her clothes were of no help to her situation. The moment the fabric touched water, it immediately started carrying her underwater, without giving her time to inhale any oxygen. Instead, she inhaled the murky water, which she immediately spat out as she gasped for any sign of air. The water splashed and sloshed around her, as she was carried with the kangkong and water hyacinths in the river.

She was half-conscious, or at least half-aware of what was happening around her. From afar she could hear faint cries, faint screams. She can't make out what it they were saying, as she moved farther and farther away from her, but the word "Saklolo" got tossed about.

The circumstances to his fall was one she still could not comprehend. The carriage was perfectly stable seconds before, but suddenly a crack and loud bashing sound hit their side and soon they were losing control. In the confusion, the horse dove into the river bringing with it the carriage. The others jumped out before it was too late, but she was sure a few of them, Sanchez, and maybe Guelio fell with her.

The water and the weather were cold, and it enveloped her like Death's hug. She wouldn't be able to stay above water for long. As the river became wider and deeper, she knew she was running out of time. Soon, she would be engulfed by the dark river.

Not too far away, she could hear splashing and kicking. Someone was coming near her, she could tell by a muffled voice. She could feel the ripples of the icy water spattering against her. She tried swimming toward it, with the remaining strength she had. She could feel the person near her, just a stroke or two away, even as they were both carried by the rushing water.

With the last pulse of oxygen she had, she lunged forward, briskly swimming in an attempt to connect with the other person in the water. Even as the leaves and grime brushed past her face and body, limiting her, she pushed to find them. Even as her own body began to freeze, making every stroke harder than the last, she swam equally as hard.

Finally, she was able to grab the other person's hand, and she could feel herself being pulled closer to the shore. A wave of relief washed over her, like the icy waters of the Pasig. She had a condition which made her lose body heat faster than normal. A few more moments in the river would've made her pass out. She would've fallen into shock and pass out in the middle of the water, floating dangerously out to sea, and possibly drowning. 

'Thankfully, that wouldn't be the case', she thought.

Until she hit a ten-foot tall river boulder and was sent circling out of control in the water, slowly losing her consciousness.