I ended up being sentenced to twelve months in jail – proper jail thanks to the fact I’d turned eighteen somewhere along our journey. 

The judge who sentenced me said I got six months for my initial sentence, a further five months for evading the police, and an extra month for (accidentally) knocking Gus the court security guard unconscious when I jumped over the stand to try to hug Ayamin. 

Gus was fine with it though – he even came and visited me in prison – I said I owed him a beer or two when I got out. 

Still. Prison must’ve had some effect on me. Last week I went before the parole board. They told me I was being let go three months early – good behaviour apparently. 

One of my wardens said I was a ‘model prisoner’ and put my success down to their new prisoner training regime.

I told the parole board the real reason I’d behaved so well – I couldn’t put up with seeing Ayamin only once a week any longer.

I’m writing this on my first day out of prison while I catch the number two bus to the East Angles Polytechnic where Ayamin is studying. 

They’ve given her a special course where she can train to be a nurse and finish high school at the same time. It’s much harder than a normal course – but she’s Ayamin – what more do I need to say? 

While I was in prison, I organised a job for myself – stacking shelves at a supermarket. I start work on Friday, and next week Ayamin and I are going to look at a flat together. 

It’s not that flash, or in the most scenic location, but it has a yellow door and it comes with a second-hand Vespa scooter. I hope we get it. 

My bus is pulling into the polytechnic now. I can already see Ayamin waiting. God she’s beautiful. 

Tonight, we’re going to have fish and chips by the ocean to celebrate. We talked about going to a flash restaurant – but the ocean’s more our style. Plus, it means we’re saving a little more for our summer road trip through Europe. 

The bus has stopped. Ayamin’s waving at me. I don’t think I’ll ever get over her smile.

It’s funny, all the papers said our story had a happy ending – in some ways I guess they’re right – but at the same time, I feel like our story is just beginning.

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On quitting jobs and sleeping rough (AUTHOR'S NOTE) 

Thank you for reading Syria Girl. 

I love Ayamin. I love Danny. I think hard times can often make us better people. 

It took a lot out of me writing this book – I quit my job and stayed on friends’ floors, huts in the forest, and the back of a van in order to have enough free time to finish it to a standard that I thought was okay.

If you like this book, please, please recommend it to a friend. Every bit helps undercover books like this get seen. 

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A lot of people have been asking for Syria Girl paperbacks – and I’m proud to say they’re now available from booksellers worldwide.

Your local bookstore should be able to order it in using this ISBN number: 9780473597856

Otherwise, it’s also available from Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, Walmart, and Book Depository as well as many other stores.

Click here to view a list of bookstores that stock it by continent.

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You can rate it on Goodreads here: www.goodreads.com/book/show/57832105-syria-girl

Thank you so much.

Elijah.