How we cite our quotes: (Section Break.Paragraph)
Quote #7
I tried to ignore what was happening on the dashboard, and kept driving. I looked straight ahead, focusing on those shadows shimmering on the horizon. The land stretched on and on, never ending. No tracks. No telegraph lines. There was nothing to say that humans had ever been there. Only me. (55.4)
Gemma's sense of power at getting the car away from Ty is short-lived once she realizes there's nowhere to go. Also, those shadows on the horizon end up just being sand dunes. Not exactly helpful for planning her escape and guiding her to civilization.
Quote #8
I climbed the dune […] There was nothing any different on the other side. There was no mine site, no people. There was only more sand, more rocks, more trees, and again, more shadowy dunes in the distance. As far as I could see I was the only person out there […] If I died right there on that dune, no one would know about it. Not even you. (57.8)
Have you noticed how many times Gemma climbs stuff in this book only to realize there's nothing on the other side? It's interesting how, even in the middle of this extreme isolation, some part of her still can't give up.
Quote #9
I lowered myself onto the crate outside the door as it all sunk in. I'd always kept a small seed of hope alive, hope that I'd be able to escape. But suddenly I realized something. That view of sand and endlessness … that was it, that was my life. Unless you took me back to a town, that was all I'd ever see. No more parents or friends or school. No more London. Only you. Only the desert. (65.8)
Gemma may spend a lot of time climbing things to see what's on the other side, but she eventually reaches the point of realizing that unless Ty decides to send her back, she's not going to escape this isolation. Ever. The idea of not seeing any people except for him has to just make things worse.