“I want to take her into my arms and hold her tight. But at the same time, I know that is the exact opposite of what she wants. She wants to be free, and all I want is to hold her tight against me. ~ Elder”

“She grips my elbow tighter, somehow finding the thinnest skin to dig her fingernails into. I want to pry her fingers from my arm, but when I look down at her, I can tell she’s using me as a lifeline, and I’m not going to be the one to let her drown.”

“Elder mocked me for praying once, and i spent an hour berating him for that. He ended up throwing up his hands, laughing, and telling me i could believe whatever i wanted if i was going to hold onto my beliefs so hard.”

“I open my mouth. I want o say: I'm breaking, and i need someone to hold me together.But no sound comes out.”

“I have no idea why she needs them. I just know that I'd face another plague to get them for her if I had to. Fortunately, it's a lot easier than that. - Elder”

“I want her so much that it overrides everything else, every other thought in my head, every instinct, every restraint.”

“She holds the brightly colored wires in her hand. "Well, that did the trick," she says, smiling.”