Donโt I have a choice in this?โ But when she looks behind her, the answer is clear. There are two guards waiting to make sure that she has no choice at all. And as they lead her away, she thinks of Mr. Durkin. With a bitter laugh, Risa realizes that he may get his wish after all. Someday he may see her hands playing in Carnegie Hall. Unfortunately, the rest of Risa wonโt be there.
Neal ShustermanYou think you want to know the secrets of the universe. You think you want to see the way things all fit together. You believe in your heart of hearts that enlightenment will save the world and set you free. Maybe it will. But the path to enlightenment is rarely a pleasant one.
Neal ShustermanWhat he's really saying is: Please be a human being. With a life so full of rules and regiments, it's so easy to forget that's what they are. She knowsโshe seesโhow often compassion takes a back seat to expediency.
Neal ShustermanHope can be bruised and battered. It can be forced underground and even rendered unconscious, but hope cannot be killed.
Neal ShustermanI was asking if unwinding kills you, or if it leaves you alive somehow. C'monโit's not like we haven't thought about it." (...) What do you think, Connor?" asks Hayden. "What hapยญpens to your soul when you get unwound?" Who says I even got one?" For the sake of argument, let's say you do." Who says I want an argument?
Neal Shusterman