Two days later, a police officer returned with unbelievable news. My family had told authorities that I had run away after an argument during the trip. They claimed they looked for me but assumed I had left on my own. Even the video my cousin recorded had been edited to hide the moment they drove away, leaving me alone in the desert.
An elderly woman named Ruth Yazzie and her husband became the people who saved my life. They gave me a safe place to stay, helped me finish school, and reminded me that I was not worthless because my family had treated me that way. When I turned eighteen, I changed my last name, moved away, and decided I would never go back.
