Where the Forest Meets the Stars

“‘I’d never have believed that dog would eat from a human hand,’ she said.

‘Even though it’s a human hand, he knows I’m from Hetrayeh.’

‘How does that help?’

‘We have special powers. We can make good things happen.’”

This quote shows how quickly Ursa has gained the trust of Little Bear, implying that something is special about her, and introduces the concept of Ursa’s quarks, though she doesn’t expand on her abilities until later. In addition, the quote shows how adamantly Ursa maintains her alien identity, as she makes a point to clarify only her hand is human, not her brain.

“Kids are smarter than we think. They know how to survive the sh** that’s dealt them better than some welfare worker who never spent a day in one of those kids’ shoes.”

This quote comes from the first police officer Jo speaks to regarding Ursa. The officer’s unconcerned demeanor, combined with Ursa’s proclivity to run from police, influences Jo’s actions regarding Ursa for the rest of the story, effectively removing police involvement from Jo’s plan altogether. In addition, the quote describes Ursa’s unnatural intelligence and survival instinct, foreshadowing how Ursa defies social workers to be with Jo, whom Ursa has declared is best for her.

“Her face was thinner and her hair still wasn’t long enough to pull back, but she almost looked like herself again.

Almost. The hazel eyes in the mirror mocked her. But who was reflected there, the old Jo or the new almost Jo? […] Maybe this was how it would be from now on, two versions of herself living inside one body.”

This intimate moment in the bathroom shows that Jo is still recovering from her battle with cancer and the grief from her mother’s death. The duality she experiences as a result of her trauma parallels the duality within Ursa of the girl before the trauma and the alien after.