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21 " They were, both of them, exiles, torn from their homes and families. But Hazel had stolen a spoon to earn that status; Mathinna has done nothing to deserve her fate. Hazel was marked with the convict stain and would be for many years, but it erased itself as time went on. She could already feel it lessening. She could stroll through the market with a basket over her arm, and Ruby's hand in hers, and no one would guess. Mathinna has no such luxury. She would never be able to melt into the crowd, to go about her business without judgement and suspicion. "
― Christina Baker Kline , The Exiles