Names carry power. They reflect who we are, where we come from, and what we hope to become. In Rejected, the protagonist’s shifting identity is shown through the names she is forced to carry at different stages of her life. Readers often notice that she is called Helena, Honey, and Hillary at various points in the story. These changes can feel confusing at first, but they reveal important parts of her trauma, survival, and ultimate restoration.
This article explains each name, where it comes from, and why it matters.
Helena Downs: Her birth name
Helena Downs is the name she is given at birth, long before her world fractures. It reflects her true self and the life she should have had. It connects her to her family, her childhood memories, and her identity before her exploitation. Helena is the girl her parents knew. She is the girl her community loved. She is the girl who disappeared.
Helena is her truth.
Honey: The name forced on her by the cartel
When she is taken and held by the cartel, her name is stripped away. They replace Helena with Honey. This new name is not a gift. It is a tool of control. It is meant to erase who she used to be and to fit her into the role the cartel forces her to perform.
Honey represents captivity. It shows how the cartel reduces her to something they believe they can own. It signals a world where she cannot speak for herself and cannot protect herself. Honey exists only because the cartel demands it.
Where Helena had roots, Honey has chains.
Hillary Morales: The name on her forged identification
During her escape from the cartel’s territory, she receives a fake Mexican passport that identifies her as Hillary Morales. This becomes the name she must use to survive in South Texas. It is what is used to get her work visa, so the Serug family and anyone who checks her documents will know her as Hillary.
Hillary Morales becomes her shield. It allows her to work. It allows her to avoid immediate detection. It keeps her alive while she hides in plain sight on the Serug ranch.
However, Hillary is also a reminder of how fragile her safety remains. Each time someone calls her Hillary, she remembers that she is still living behind a false identity. She has escaped one cage but still carries a different kind of confinement. She cannot be Helena yet. She can only protect Helena by pretending to be Hillary.
Returning to Helena: Her final step toward freedom
The moment she chooses to reclaim her birth name marks the beginning of true freedom. She no longer needs the cartel’s label. She no longer needs a false identity for survival. She steps out of fear and walks back into her own name.
Returning to Helena is not simply a correction of paperwork. It is a declaration of healing. It is the first time she controls her story. It is the moment she becomes whole.
Helena is not the girl who vanished. She is the woman who survived.
Why This Matters for Readers
Multiple names can make a character feel fragmented, but in this story the fragmentation is intentional. The world tries to rename Helena several times. Each name reflects her circumstances, her danger, and her resilience.
Here is a quick summary for clarity:
• Helena Downs: her true self
• Honey: her enslaved identity under the cartel
• Hillary Morales: her forged identity used for survival in South Texas
• Helena again: her restored identity once she gains freedom
Readers who understand these layers will see her transformation more clearly. Her story is not only about survival. It is about reclaiming the identity she never should have lost.
If you ever feel unsure about which name appears in a scene, you can return to this guide. Each name signals a different season of her life and a different step in her journey toward freedom.
Buy Rejected today
Rejected can be found on Amazon for preorder until Black Friday 2025. 50% of the royalties from all preorders will go to The Mekong Club, an advocacy group that brings awareness around human trafficking in the supply chain.
The ebook will be released November 28, 2025. The paperback and hardcover will be available on Cyber Monday (December 1, 2025).
Buy on BarnesandNoble.com.
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