Ruby Holler

Florida is the leader of the twins. She is bold, outgoing, and unapologetic for the “trouble” she causes at Boxton Creek Home. Boisterous and seemingly rough around the edges, she is sassy toward adults who harm or belittle her in any way. When she is frustrated by circumstances, she blames the objects around her; for instance, she blames an egg for breaking when she is the one who has broken it and lashes out at wood she’s attempting to carve. Her hardened exterior is a way of preemptively skirting any criticism from adults.

The abuse she has suffered from the Trepids and various foster parents has made her vulnerable. She has been taught to expect that she will fail at anything she tries and expects the Moreys to severely punish her for minor mistakes or accidents. Florida is the pessimist of the twins; she stresses to Dallas that they should not let their guards down while living in Ruby Holler, that the Moreys’ kind treatment must carry with it some sort of “catch.” She is protective of Dallas, and it is she who insists they must run away by train.

As the novel unfolds, Florida changes and the complexity of her character becomes evident.