I Know What You Are: The true story of a lonely little girl abused by those she trusted most

I Know What You Are: The true story of a lonely little girl abused by those she trusted most
Jane Smith

Taylor Edison

The moving true story of a little girl with Asperger syndrome, controlled and abused by the one person she called her friend.Taylor had always struggled to make friends – she felt ‘different’. Taylor never knew her father and her mother wasn’t around much. She just didn’t understand people, and was alone and scared most of the time.That was until, aged just 11, an older married man called Tom befriended her. She loved having someone who would talk to her, listen to her, a protector. But when he moved away a few months later she was easy prey to the gang of drug dealers and petty criminals who groomed and abused her, using her as a form of currency to appease their debtors and amuse their friends.Increasingly isolated and desperate, it began to look as though the pattern of Taylor's life had been set – until she started to fight back, determined to build a safe future for herself, however long it took.

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Copyright (#u8e3adb8e-bdb6-524d-bda5-7127df3c8be2)

Certain details in this story, including names, places and dates, have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.

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First published by HarperElement 2017

FIRST EDITION

© Taylor Edison and Jane Smith 2017

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers 2017

Cover photograph © Mark Owen/Trevillion Images (posed by model)

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

Taylor Edison and Jane Smith assert the moral right to be identified as the authors of this work

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Source ISBN: 9780008148027

Ebook Edition © February 2017 ISBN: 9780008157388

Version: 2016-12-20

Contents

Cover (#u2b68b1c6-d742-5005-b8aa-7990ef18b8ce)

Title Page (#u5d4aeea9-d2be-5b93-8037-47b937ed01dc)

Copyright (#uf244c56f-f775-59a4-8d3a-be850a56bc61)

Preface (#ufbdfeb0a-bdce-56d9-9cf0-2e793baa913a)

Chapter 1 (#ue7297c15-c3ec-5293-8e8d-fb3ce8ecebb8)

Chapter 2 (#u7d84c92c-79d4-5da9-8241-90fd21f61eba)

Chapter 3 (#u8ebb5cee-77b2-540c-a16b-b2adc30bc783)

Chapter 4 (#uc9fcde4e-7734-587f-b43a-12da3138ee49)

Chapter 5 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 6 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 7 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 8 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 9 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 10 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 11 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 12 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 13 (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter 14 (#litres_trial_promo)

Poems by Taylor Edison (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)

Moved by I Know What You Are? (#litres_trial_promo)

Moving Memoirs eNewsletter (#litres_trial_promo)

About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

Preface (#u8e3adb8e-bdb6-524d-bda5-7127df3c8be2)

I used to feel angry with my mum because she didn’t intervene in what was going on when I was a child. But I realise that she’s got problems of her own and I just feel sorry for her now. What made me look at things differently was becoming a mum myself: I try really hard to do what’s best for my child – it’s just a natural instinct; so I think my mum must have been trying hard too.