Out of Darkness

Naomi Vargas, along with love interest Wash Fuller, is the protagonist of Out of Darkness. A young Mexican American woman, 17-year-old Naomi is the older sister and primary caregiver to her twin half-siblings, Beto and Cari. She is described as attractive, tall, and elegant, with large, beautiful eyes and a lovely, open face. One of her most distinct physical features is her long, lustrous black hair, which she wears in a thick braid down to her hips. Naomi resembles her mother, Estella. Estella died when Naomi was 10 years old, a few days after the twins were born, due to complications with the dangerous pregnancy. Naomi’s biological father died when she was young, a victim of drowning; Estella went on to marry a man named Henry Smith when Naomi was six. Henry sexually abused Naomi early on, coinciding with Estella’s doctor insisting that she not have any more children. When the twins were born, Henry abandoned them. Naomi and her half-siblings have lived with their maternal grandparents in San Antonio ever since their mother died, speaking Spanish at home, and helping out at their family’s grocery store. At the beginning of the novel, Naomi and the twins are brought to Henry’s home in New London, Texas to live with him and attend school.