and "I wanted to change the world, you know. Sitting in that cafeteria, that's all I could think about. I was going to keep convincing people to come to Shifty University, I was going to set off an explosion of peace and equality and respect. I never realized that I was the one who needed to change, not the world. and " and "But I'm getting a little ahead of myself. Let's slow down, back to step one in my change-the-world plan. Step one: Stop being sick. and " The last three years, Brooke has been sick. She was told that the sickness would only go away when she met her mate, and she's been holding onto that hope like a lifeline. When her soulmate shows up and tries to take her away from the friends she loves and the life she's built and doesn't automatically cure her sickness, what's a girl to do?