Azia woke up the following morning and wondered if the kiss had been a dream. She rolled around on her mattress, wishing she could convince herself that it was so. But she knew it had happened. It could not be taken back.

A few hours passed, but all Azia managed to do was change into a fresh pair of clothes. She kept staring at her bedroom door, as if it were made of laser beams she dare not cross. Stepping out into the compound meant facing the outside world, and that world ...