“she whispers it aloud, 'lorelei.' the sound makes her ache, makes the word even more beautiful, even more real. ”

“abuelita speaks no english. she doesn't need to, zoe thinks. her smile fills and communicates so much more than the empty, half-said words of zoe's life. ”

“I used to be someone.Someone named Jenna Fox.That's what they tell me. But I am more than a name. More than they tell me. More than the facts and statistics they fill me with. More than the video clips they make me watch.More. But I'm not sure what.”

“except for the muffled strum of her fingers against metal, the house is still, quiet, but then she hears another sound, this one coming from deep within. a numbing furrow slides through her soul, sliding into her brain, a furrow that seperates one part of her heart from the other. and then it goes quiet agani. ”

“The thought weaves into her unexpectedly, as so many thoughts do, time again. How do you make the remembering stop?”

“But I am more than a name. More than they tell me”

“ChoiceI needed it like I needed air.Bit no one could hear me. No one could listen. No words. No sound.No voice.I couldn't even dream myself away.Choices were made.None of them mine.At first I wondered if it was hell.And then I knew it was.”