Julia Quotes

“I got stuck in this horrible loop. I became completely preoccupied until I focused on my breathing and surroundings and forced myself to write a list of reasons as to why [my thinking] was untrue.”

“Amá just shakes her head. “You know, Julia, maybe if you knew how to behave yourself, to keep your mouth shut, your sister would still be alive. Have you ever thought about that?” She finally says it. She says what her big, sad eyes were telling me all along.”

“She knows I’m no stranger to trauma. I’ve seen what the world is capable of.”

“The sky is still dark, but it’s beginning to brighten. There are beautiful, faint streaks of orange over the lake. It looks like it’s been cracked open. I think of Jazmyn’s face when I told her about Olga. Everywhere I go, my sister’s ghost is hovering.”

“But how do we live with these secrets locked within us? How do we tie our shoes, brush our hair, drink coffee, wash the dishes, and go to sleep, pretending everything is fine?”

“I hate this feeling, the not knowing. These in-between places are scary, but then again, I understand that nothing is ever certain.”

For months, I’ve tried to forget what happened, but it comes back in flashes and specks, no matter how much I try to drown it out [...] There’s so much I wish we could both unsee.