I woke up at exactly 5 a.m., the way I always did. My eyes snapped open in the dark, heart already racing a little, like my body knew it was time to move before anyone else stirred. I slipped out of bed quietly, tiptoeing across the cool floor in my socks so I wouldn’t wake Zainab or anyone else. It was a habit from childhood—moving like a shadow so Uncle Fred wouldn’t hear me if Aunt Clara was out. I pulled on my uniform, smoothed my hair into a neat ponytail, and crept toward the ...