The mystery of this place was like an itch. Her brain kept circling around these puzzles. She was fascinated by them: her mind was split on them, simultaneously wanting to solve them and aware that she didn't possess nearly enough knowledge of the science behind how it was possible.
She was quiet for a moment after he asked her what she thought about this place. There was a conflicting and powerful sweep of emotions. Because on the one hand: it was too much. So much. So many feelings and too much knowledge and not nearly enough answers. No Simon, the one thing in the world she wasn't willing to sacrifice again. But on the other hand, so many people that were interesting and unlike anything she had ever seen before.
And although she hadn't consciously pinned it down yet, she had people who were like her, too. Like her in a way she had never known before. It had been terrifying in the Academy when she had run into other students they were experimenting on who even more frayed than she was. A collection of trained muscles and stripped neurons, but nothing working concisely anymore. And the ship was certainly a family, but they could care for her and worry for her, and call her crazy in the same breath. Love, but no understanding. But here there were other people who had had their insides taken out and played with against their will, but were still maintaining their sense of self -- building new selves, fighting every day with what was terrifying and establishing themselves as human.
"I like it," River said, unusually concise and simple.