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Cherum and Percy accompanied us outside, but after a little pleading, I got them to agree to watch us from the stone walkway as Yasmin and I strolled down to the water’s edge by ourselves.

We rid ourselves of our shoes, walking barefoot in the sand. The grainy particles between my toes felt comforting. The waves were crashing on the shore, the water soaking the bottoms of our skirts made us giggle as it tickled our feet. The fragrant ocean air soothed me and helped to keep me calm as I began to tell her my story.

As we walked along the beach, I told Yasmin about my mother, and the suffering she went through because of my uncle and his men. There are so many rumors of my mother being a whore and a loose woman, but she was forced into doing those things by my uncle, until the day of her death.

I even brushed over some of the abuse I endured, leaving out the more gruesome details that had yet to happen. I did tell her that I knew her pain. I had been in similar situations where I was