Chapter 9
Finding Her Voice
Embarrassed but strangely liberated by her mistakes, Akeli starts to speak her mind. She finds unexpected allies and begins to understand that true acceptance comes from within.
Akeli stumbled out of the classroom, her cheeks burning hotter than the midday sun. The echo of laughter, sharp and merciless, followed her like a swarm of angry bees. She’d meant to impress, to be witty, to finally, finally, earn a nod of approval from Aketch and her gilded entourage. Instead, she’d tripped over her own tongue, spewing out a nonsensical jumble of words that had sent the entire class into hysterics. Her carefully rehearsed anecdote about a particularly plump mango had somehow morphed into a rambling tale about a runaway chicken and a misplaced pair of loincloths. It was a disaster of epic proportions, a masterpiece of mortification.
She wanted to disappear, to melt into the dusty earth beneath her worn sandals. But the world, it seemed, had other plans. As she rounded the corner, head bowed, she nearly collided with Ojede. He was sketching in a tattered notebook, his brow furrowed in concentration. He looked up, his eyes – the color of warm earth after a rain – widening slightly.
“Akeli?” he asked, his voice soft, a stark contrast to the raucous jeers she’d just endured.
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