Look to the Hills: The Diary of Lozette Moreau, a French Slave Girl, New York Colony, 1763 — Patricia C. McKissack / Pat McKissack

January 8, 1763

"You come when you are called. You stay where you are told. . . .You have no say in your life."

I scoffed. Belle was just envious of the freedom I enjoyed. When I accused her of being jealous, Belle looked at me squarely in the face. "You are confused, child," she said. "You are not better off . . .You must lift your head and look to the hills."

"Why look to the hills?" I asked.

"Looking will make you curious about what's on the other side of them. . . ."

Lately I've been thinking about Belle, and I want to see what's on the other side of those hills. Is freedom really there?