Her name means "priceless," but 13-year-old Ain feels anything but valuable. Perhaps "expendable" is a more accurate description. She is one of 10 children living in a two-room house in the outskirts of Cairo. At night, she curls up next to her sisters on the corner of a thin mattress laid on the floor. Ain is quiet. She has never been one to draw attention to herself or burden anyone with her needs…but she is a burden—another mouth to feed.

Girls like these young Egyptians may soon be forced into an early unwanted marriage.

It was not difficult for her to discern her parents' disdain, and disappointment that she was not born male. Her brothers will grow up and provide for the family. She is nothing more than a nuisance. When her mother would grow impatient with her, she would bolt the front door and keep Ain from entering. Ain cried herself to sleep on the ground outside the house.

A few days after Ain's 13th birthday, a man came to the door. Her father warmly shook the hands of the man and motioned for him to enter. Ain was shocked when her father introduced her to the man. Badru looked to be about her father's age, but the way he smiled at her made her suddenly feel embarrassed. Did he find her attractive? How could he? Thin. Gawky. Barely older than a child, she had not yet attained the curves of a woman Badru’s age. "Ain," Badru said. "What a beautiful name. You are a beautiful girl."

Badru’s visit was followed by several more. He showered her with compliments. She actually started to believe some of them. Within a few weeks, Badru asked Ain to marry him. He promised to take her away from the crowded little house and the unloving family. He promised her a new life. How could she refuse?