I always thought the world outside would be brighter and livelier—something far more exciting than the suffocating place I was born into. The walls of my tribe felt like a cage, every breath a little harder to take, every day dragging on like a chain tied to my neck. I wanted out. I wanted to feel the wind that wasn't trapped between those same trees and the same dirt paths I'd known all my life. Maybe I was just being stubborn, maybe even foolish, but back then, I didn't care. I didn't know what awaited me, and honestly, I didn't think about it. I just wanted freedom.
But that choice… was the biggest mistake I ever made.
