Kiersten White

“No way!" I yelled, taking it from him. "I can't believe I made a pink knife.""It's so cute! I love it. Finally, a companion worthy of Tasey.”

“I start at the beginning, mentally screaming every obscenity I can in alphabetical order. Then I start setting them to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat”

“- "Control what an interesting word for you to be dwelling on"- "I have other words" I scream the F-Word in my head, over and over again.”

“I should curl up in a ball and cry. Instead i think about everything in the whole entire world that makes me angry - There is a lot, oh, there is a lot - and I start singing Justin Bieber at the top of my lungs.”

“I changed because of you. I could feel you, worming your way into my heart and soul, shifting things. You've no idea how aggravating it is to have to adapt to new feelings and thoughts.”

“Their smiles are lies.Most smiles are.”

“Sometimes it takes a little chaos for things to work themselves out. When we make it through the chaos, we can use it to shape the world around us into something better than it was before”

“The reason faeries don't like iron is that it ties them too strongly to this world. The Paths aren't part of this world - you can't take iron there. It won't let you.'I frowned. "You do realize that makes no sense."'Unlike being able to open a door in the wall and take you to another hemisphere in a matter of minutes? How odd. Everything about Faerie is usually so rational.”

“Wait-you mean the Mall, as in a bunch of museums in DC that we would wander around and I'd pretend like I understood modern art while really thinking, holy crap, a gremlin could have painted that and for all we know did, or the mall, as in picking out a new pair of shoes, eating food that's terrible for us, and making up life stories for all the people that pass us?"'I can see now that I must have meant the second.'"What a smart boy.”

“I could have kisses like that for the rest of my life. Kisses that don't know who I am. Kisses that make me feel more and less than what I am. But my finger tap tap taps on my leg and reminds me that I am not who Adam thinks I am, and it makes me want to cry. It's not that I don't deserve his kiss. It's that the person I am can never really share a life, a soul, with the person he is.”

“Still, I will protect Annie. She is the only person in the world who loves me. She is the only person in the world who would never use me. She is my anchor, the chain around my ankle, the thing that means it doesn't matter what James does or who he is - I will still be his because I will always be Annie's.”

“In this room I have picked which gun was unloaded out of ten options. And then they pulled the trigger on me. I have picked stocks that went on to skyrocket. I have picked which pencil I would shove into Ms. Robertson’s ear until she kicked me out for thinking about it.”

“I turn and walk out, knowing exactly how many steps will take me away from that monster. Once again wishing I were Fia, Fia who could have killed him with her bare hands.Fia who is impossible broken because she can do just that.”

“Planning is not my friend. Impulse is.”

“Please know my deep respect for humans and human life. Such beautiful, fragile animals, so fleeting and easily broken and yet powerful beyond anything faeries can ever hope to be. We cannot create but live forever, unchanging. You change with every breath, dying even as you live, but your thread to eternity and immortality is reborn with every new generation”

“Survival instincts are one of those things that never die.”

“The doorknob twisted. “I’m coming with you.”I ran over and held it shut. “No, you are so not. We can’t carry your unconscious body around the Center. Besides, I need you here. If something goes wrong, I can’t handle you getting hurt.”“Wait, so it’s okay if I get hurt?” Jack asked.“Yes,” I snapped at the same time as Lend and Arianna.“As long as you’re sure, then,” Jack muttered.”

“I opened the door and Lend smiled. 'They look better on you.''Wow, they must look just awful on you then.' I smiled back.”

“Hello,' he said, his voice and smile pleasant.'You can't touch me!' I sat up and pulled the covers over myself.'Yes about that. You need to negate the command.''Excuse me?'He looked at me patiently, like he was explaining something to a stubborn child. 'You need to break that command.''And why on earth would I ever want to do that?' I glared at him. Lunatic.'Because I wasn't finished.''Oh, no, I really think that you were.' I held up my wrist. It still bore the scarlet mark of his hand and, to my eyes at least, was bright against the light of the lamp. Then, since I was holding up my hand anyway, I flipped him off.'You're going to need more.''Well, that's easy.' I held up my other hand and flipped him off with that one, too.”

“-'Perhaps you'd better watch your back, stupid glowy golden faerie man whore.'-'That didn't make any sense.'-'Good. Now maybe I can join your club.”

“-'I don't see what good it's going to do for you to waltz back in there and--'-'Can I tango back in there, instead? So much sexier than the waltz.”

“I smelled it before i saw it, and the same unicorn I'd met on a field trip with Jack pranced up, pleased as anyting to see me again. It wasn't mutual."It's so cute, isn't it?" Arianna said dreamily."Are we seeing the same creature? It's like a demented goat with a bone growth”

“Since my hand was already pulled back, I went ahead and punched Jack."Bloody- What was that for?" he asked hand over his nose.”

“Tell you what." I closed the blade with a satisfying snick. "Remember that time you tried to kill me because I wouldn't open a gate to hell?""The memory's a bit fuzzy..."I opened the knife again."Yes, now that you mention it, I do recall something like that happening, although my motivation was certainly never to kill you. Can't you view it as me inspiring you to figure out how to use the Paths? I didn't actually want you to die.”

“Jack was balancing a spoon on his nose when I walked in."You," I said knocking it off his face."Me!" He answered cheerfully.”

“Fabulous" Jack said, reaching down and plucking a crimson flower. A small scream sounded from it as he severed the stem. He smiled maliciously, then started stomping with abandon through the beds of blossoms, a chorus of tinny, shrill screams punctuating every step.”

“Greed and desireNot peace, but fireCoveting creationCreated damnationPulled alongsideA gate thrown too wideNow our home calls And darkness fall "I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on."A for effort, ladies, but F for clarity. You do realise that your wierd poem things never explain anything",”

“You know, they say when someone keeps making excuses to say your name it means they like you.”

“So who do you want to be?”I smiled, resting my head against his chest. “I’m not sure yet, but I’m looking forward to finding out.”

“Re-forming after the chaos,” I said, remembering Raquel’s words. “Choosing what we’ll do with how things are now, who we’ll be in this new world where the only magic left is what we make ourselves.”

“It’s really over, isn’t it?”He laughed and pulled me into his lap. “That’s the beauty of it all. Nothing’s over. It’s just a new start.”

“I’ll see you in your dreams, okay, stupid?”

“I think I might miss you, too. So few things left in this world to terrorize me and look pretty while doing it. Now get out of here and enjoy your eternity.” He glanced calculatingly at the gate once again, and I raised my hand in warning. “I can drain faster than you can run.”

“The Light Queen’s voice stilled the turbulent waves of my soul, singing calm and grace to every fiber of my being. Neamh. Ah, there, I was pissed off again”

“So, thanks,” Vivian said.“For what?” I looked up at her, confused.“For being stupid enough to love your crazy, murdering lunatic of a sister and being such a pathetic dork that I couldn’t help but love you, too”

“We linked hands—my ex-boyfriend, my boyfriend, and my former friend-then-enemy-then friend and I—and walked through a door to see if maybe empty carbs were good for something after all.”

“Be careful. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to the worst Spanish student in the history of the language.”I laughed. “No problemo.”

“I kind of wish they’d shut up,” Jack said.“Dude, true dat,” Lend answered.Jack nodded solemnly. “For serious.”

“Good luck trying to force Evie to do anything else once she has made up her mind. She is the definition of a stubborn, headstrong teenager.”“And you love me for it.”“I do.”

“I thought I’d learn a few new words, but the men were too shocked to even swear this time.”

“Are you Evelyn Green?”“Sort of. Mostly. I mean, legally. Again, sort of.”

“Reth looked exasperated. “When is something ever not wrong in your life?”I frowned. “That’s my line.”

“This particular type of human carries weapons slightly more lethal than your beloved pink monstrosity”

“Okay. What do I have to do?”“Unless you plan on creating a door and walking the Paths alone, you really ought to take my hand.”“I mean when we get there, you jerk.”

“He smiled at my reaction, the stupid smile of his that was like he knew something you didn’t. And he knew something I didn’t pretty much all the time, so it was pretty much every smile on his face.”

“Subject change time.”

“I’d been fighting for this relationship since the day I first saw his water eyes.”

“You wonderful girl. I’ve missed you so much.”“Well, now that we’re both unemployed fugitives, think of how much time we’ll have to hang out!”

“Bless her head-patting heart”

“I so owed Arianna, that undead little genius.”