I’m Hana,” Hana says. “And this is Lena.” She jabs me with an elbow. I know I must look like a fish, standing there with my mouth gaping open, but I’m too outraged to speak. He’s lying. I know he’s the one I saw yesterday, would bet my life on it. “Alex. Nice to meet you.” Alex keeps his eyes on me as he and Hana shake hands. Then he extends a hand to me. “Lena,” he says thoughtfully. “I’ve never heard that name before.

Things change after you die, though, I guess because dying is the loneliest thing you can do.

What glitters may not be gold; and even wolves may smile; and fools will be led by promises to their deaths.

That is the rule of the Wilds: You must be bigger and stronger and tougher. You must hurt or be hurt.

Until, one day, she wasn’t.

Of all the systems of the body - neurological, cognitive, special, sensory - the cardiological system is the most sensitive and easily disturbed. The role of society must be to shelter these systems from infection and decay, or else the future of the human race is at stake. Like a summer fruit that is protected from insect invasion, bruising, and rot by the whole mechanism of modern farming; so must we protect the heart.

Here's another thing to remember: hope keeps you alive. Even when you're dead, it's the only thing that keeps you alive.