My Name is Memory

by Ann Brashares

I have fallen in love, and she is the one who endures. I killed her once and died for her many times and I still have nothing to show for it. I always search for her; I always remember her. I carry the hope that someday she will remember me.

It seemed to her as though no one had taken care of him and he didn’t even realize it.

I wonder where you come from, she thought. I wonder why you ended up in this place.

She caught his smell once, and it made her dizzy. She couldn’t fall asleep that night.

Her parents took it all with heads bent so low it was like an invitation for more. Their shame was boundless,

Every moment of freedom or success was outmatched by a moment of guilt and grief. She hated that she wanted anything from them, but she did.