After grabbing one of my blankets from the foot of the bed, I drape it over her body as softly as I can, not wanting to wake her.She needs to rest.
I keep my phone close beside me as I rest my head on my pillow in case Lily gets back to me.A million thoughts race through my mind.Things I want to ask Jewel.To find out more.Who else is behind this, and what’s going on behind those closed doors?I found out a little tonight, but there’s more to discover before I go in there, guns blazing.I need to know the facts.But I won’t push Jewel until she’s ready and has been reunited with her mother.
My gaze gets heavy and everything disappears.
***
Vibration buzzes next to my head, and I groan, reaching around for my phone.I grab it and bring it closer.The light burns my eyes.Lily’s name fills the screen, and I sit up straight.Jewel doesn’t stir from beside me, so I silently move off the bed and answer, opening the bathroom door and shutting it behind me.
“Hello.”
“Everything okay, sweetie?”Lily asks, and I rub away the sleep from my eyes.
“She’s here with me.”
There’s silence on the other end.
“Jewel?”she asks, and tears fill my eyes.
“Yes,” I say, and loud sobs come through the speaker.
“I’ll be there soon,” she manages to get out, then hangs up.
I rest back against the door, checking the time.It’s six in the morning.We’ve only been asleep for a couple of hours, and I’d love to fall back into bed, but I can’t.Jewel and Lily need me.
I shower quickly and get dressed in a pair of yoga pants and a crop top, then I throw on a cropped sweatshirt.I shut my closet door as softly as I can and turn around.Jewel stirs, her gaze flying open.She sits up straight, her fingers gripping the sheets.Her eyes stop on me and her shoulders deflate.
“Your mom is on her way.”
Jewel wets her cracked lips.“Part of me doesn’t want to see her yet.I’m not sure I’m ready.I feel so broken.”
I move toward her, then sit on the edge of my bed and turn to face her.“You’re not broken.It’s going to take some time, but you’ll find yourself again,” I say, and she starts picking at her fingernails.
I want to take away all of her pain, to help her feel better, but I can’t.I can be here for her, create a safe space for her to heal, and give her everything she needs, though—that, I can do.
“I’m here for you.If you want to talk or hang.Anything.Okay?”I say and Jewel keeps her gaze on her hands.“Thank you, and thanks for rescuing me.I owe you my life.”
My chest burns.“There are more people just like you, aren’t there?”I ask, knowing the answer but not wanting it to be true at the same time.
“Yes, but, Amirah—” She grabs my hands, clutching them like they are her lifeline.“I’m one of the lucky ones.There’s so much worse behind those closed doors.The way those girls and women are getting treated.It’s so much bigger than what I’ve gone through.You have to help them.”
My stomach drops, and my hands tremble in hers.This is bigger than I ever imagined.
“I promise.I won’t stop until I’ve saved them all,” I say, and I mean every word.
She wraps her arms around my neck, and I rest my head on her shoulder.Heaviness weighs down my chest.
There’s a soft knock on my bedroom door before it opens.I pull back, and Lily bursts in, running straight for Jewel.She jumps onto the bed, falling into her daughter’s embrace.
I step back, giving them some space.Soft sobs come from both of them.Tears fall down my cheeks.This is everything.I feel so empowered that I can make some kind of difference in this world.Reuniting someone lost with their loved one.Saving someone’s life.
This is my purpose—to help save those who can’t save themselves.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Amirah
I pull the hoodie over my head and stare at myself in the mirror.I don’t even recognize the girl in the reflection anymore.She’s different.Changed.Bare skin without an ounce of makeup to enhance my features.I don’t feel the same.I’m not the same woman who came in here.
