Chapter one{1}

  A Silent Sanctuary

In the known town of Coastnig, where shadows whispered the secrets of the past, lived Zitel. Her journey through childhood had been marred by the cruel hands of abuse, a torment inflicted by a neighbor that cast a dark shadow over her earliest years.

The scars from those early years lingered as she entered her 5th year of secondary school. The hallways of Elites outstanding secondary school echoed with the chatter of classmates, but for Zitel, the wounds were silent, hidden beneath a facade of normalcy.

At age 15, a divine intervention changed the course of Zitel's life. She found solace in her faith, discovering a connection with God that became her silent sanctuary. It was a revelation that healed the unseen wounds and brought a glimmer of light into the darkness of her past.

As Zitel navigated her way through the challenges of secondary school, the echoes of abuse still haunted her, but a newfound strength emerged. The abuse had ceased when her menstruation began at age 11, a physical transformation that marked the end of a harrowing chapter.

In the privacy of her room, Zitel spoke to God, sharing her thoughts and finding refuge in the divine. These conversations became the pillars of her resilience, a lifeline that guided her through the complexities of adolescence.