“There's always more to the story, Catriona," She replied. "That's the wonderful thing about stories.”

“Aunt Anne's lips quirked up in a smile. "Life is not a neat equation to be solved," she said. "It's messy and wild and unpredictable. That's the heartbreak of it, but that's also the glory of it.”

“She's right, of course. My mother usually is. She's a librarian.”

“...But Aunt Anne has encouraged me to continue. In many regards, life itself is a voyage, she says. We never know where its winds and currents will carry us, she says, or what adventures lie ahead, and surely it's worth keeping record of this journey as well.”

“Never say 'I can't.' 'I can't' is a limit, and life is about breaking through limits. Say 'I will' instead.”

“She forks up a little nibble and wedges it in her mouth. "Yum," she croaks.Mrs. Wong looks pleased. "It's made with tofu."I can't resist. "Free-range tofu?"My mother looks over at me sharply. Mrs. Wong takes the bait. "Now, Cassidy, tofu isn't an animal," she chides. "It's soy bean curd. Soy bean curd doesn't need to roam free."On the floor below me, Emma lets out a little snort. I nudge her again with my foot. We're both grinning at the thought of a corral somewhere with little cubes of tofu wandering around. "Home, home on the range," I sing to her under my breath. "Where the deer and the tofu roam free...”

“Of course, Zach Nortan could show up at school in a garbage bag and still look great.”