THE RAIN WASHED me. Tried to clean me. But didn’t finish the job. JuJu did. She walked me upstairs and undressed me. Told Maleeka to run my bath. Getting in the tub I felt broken, in pieces, not myself at all but me for sure. Sitting down, hugging my legs, I listened to JuJu for once. “We going to the police station and filing a report. You will give them that man’s full name and address and tell ’em about them other girls. They got female police officers that say they will meet with us, give you as much time as you need. Listen and not judge. I saw a trauma center, Char, downtown. I looked it up soon as you came home. They got groups. They will speak to you alone. We did this thing your way, now we need to take a different road.”

I watched the water turn black, the tub empty out, the next tub of water turn brown, the next batch end up light gray till it was clear as the rain that I ran in. The water was colder every time the tub got refilled. So in between, JuJu brung scalding hot water she boiled on the stove.

When Maleeka left, it was dark. Her mother drives now, has a car, so she came and took her home. I got put to bed by my sister, who spent the night beside me just like when we was younger and my parents first died. Every once in a while, I thought about Sister, plus me and the girls in the house. Wasn’t none of us safe. Couldn’t nobody protect us. How’s it any different now?