Bethany Griffin

“Thank you for keeping her safe," Elliott tells Will. "I will always keep her safe.”

“Or maybe the ugliness is in us. That's just the way we are.Underneath the pretense of civilization.”

“I’ve perfected the art of the fake smile. It’s not so difficult when you are completely numb.”

“No matter what creatures people fear in the dead of the night, in this city, violence is more likely to be carried out by men”

“You have to remember that there are reasons to live, and that at least a few people are decent, and that the world is worthwhile some of the time, okay?”I raise my face to his, wanting another kiss, but he stops me.“You will remember?”The balloon bumps downward again. His eyes are still closed.“Why don’t you open your eyes?”He opens one and squints at me for a second. “I’m terrified of heights,” he says.”

“I stand alone for several minutes, watching the shadows move across the stones. The mortar that holds them in place is coarse and thick, as if the stones didn't exactly fit together and had to be glued into place. The prince had the entire castle moved from across the sea. A prop for his megalomania. I shiver.”

“I need some fresh air," I say."Then by all means go outside. If it doesn't clear your head, it will probably kill you." Will might be teasing. I can't tell.”

“where do you want to go?Back to violinist. I want to hear songs about suicide.”

“Oblivion. It is what I am always looking for.”

“She has to live, Eliott. I owe her a lifetime of apologies.”“Sometimes I think that’s all we owe our parents.”

“Bursts of hope make despair harder to live with.”

“I won't cry. When the guilt is this heavy, you can't. It just settles and stays with you, and it's cold.”

“Just because you don't want to see something doesn't mean that it will go away. Do you think inhumanity doesn't exist if you pretend not to see it? Or maybe get too drunk to understand? We've forgotten the things that make life worthwhile.”

“And I'm falling in love with you," he whispers. "But I would throw you in the water and watch crocodiles tear you to bits, if I thought that doing so would accomplish my goals. Do. Not. Trust. Anyone. Especially me.”

“He thinks I'm going to fall apart. But I won't.”

“Hours trickle by, and I wilt. The magic isn't here for me tonight. I can't get away from the heavy feeling of being me. I want to blend in, to be someone besides myself, someone who is part of something secret and subversive and exciting.”

“She's made herself so artificial; it's okay to wear next to nothing because we aren't real people any longer.”

“Do the pamphlets follow the mood of the people, or do the pamphlets encourage certain opinions among the masses?”

“I hate the word shy. I don't ever use that word. Shy was when I was seven and my one Princess signature got smeared across the pastel yellow page because I dripped tears all over it, because I was afraid and couldn't lift my head no matter how much I wanted to. That's how the shyness works. You want to talk, but you can't. People look at you with scorn. Being ice princess is infinitely better, even if some people think you're a total bitch. A snob. Reserved. Those are choices a person makes, to be reserved, to be quiet, or to be a snob. Shy isn't a choice.”

“Oh, high school and everything. The first day I met you, you were almost crying because those guys were teasing you, and it was just because they thought you were cute. You have attention, that's a given. But I like it, okay? I like to get some attention at school and when we go out. I'm kind of jealous of you, Parker.”