Patrick Ness

“Stories are important, the monster said. They can be more important than anything. If they carry the truth.”

“There was once an invisible man, the monster continued, though Conor kept his eyes firmly on Harry, who had grown tired of being unseen.Conor set himself into a walk.A walk after Harry.It was not that he was actually invisible, the monster said, following Conor, the room volume dropping as they passed. It was that the people had become used to not seeing him."Hey!" Conor called. Harry didn't turn around. Neither did Sully nor Anton, though thet were still sniggering as Conor picked up his pace.And if no one sees you, the monster said, picking up its pace, too, are you really there at all?"HEY!" Conor called loudly.The dining hall had fallen silent now, as Conor and the monster moved faster after Harry.Harry who had still not turned around.Conor reached him and grabbed him by the shoulder, twisting him round. Harry pretended to question what had happened, looking hard at Sully, acting like he was the one who'd done it. "Quit messing about," Harry said and turned away again.Turned away from Conor.And then one day the invisible man decided, the monster said, its voice ringing in Conor's ears, I will make them see me."How?" Conor asked, breathing heavily again, not turning back to see the monster standing there, not looking at the reaction of the room to the huge monster now in the midst, though he was aware of nervous murmurs and a strange anticipation in the air. "How did the man do it?"Conor could feel the monster close behind him, knew that it was kneeling, knew that it was putting its face up to his ear to whisper into in, to tell him the rest of the story.He called, it said for a monster.”

“Who cares even if I didn't?!" Conor shouted back. "They're just stupid berries. Woo-hoo, so scary. Oh, please, please, save me from the berries!"The monster looked at him quizzically. How strange, it said. The words you say tell me you are scared of the berries, but your actions seems to suggest otherwise.”

“Todd!” she says again but this time in a way that asks me to look at her and I do and she stops Angharrad at the edge of the square and she’s looking at me, looking right into my eyes–And I read her–And I know exactly what she’s thinking–And my Noise and my heart and my head fill up fit to burst, fill up like I’m gonna explode–Cuz she’s saying–She’s saying with her eyes and her face and her whole self–“I know,” I say back to her, my voice husky. “Me, too.”And then I turn to the Mayor and I’m filled with her, with her love for me and my love for her–And it makes me big as an effing mountain–And I take it and I slam all of it into the Mayor–”

“Men do monstrous things but if you call a man a monster you have absolved yourself of blame. You don't have to think that you might ever do these things. I don't think that's true”

“Hope may be the thing that pulls you forward, may be the thing that keeps you going, but that it's dangerous, that it's painful and risky, that it's making a dare in the world and when has the world ever let us win a dare?”

“And if one day,' she said, really crying now, 'you look back and you feel bad for being so angry, if you feel bad for being so angry at me that you couldn't even speak to me, then you have to know, Conor, you have to that is was okay. It was okay. That I knew. I know, okay? I know everything you need to tell me without you having to say it out loud.”

“There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.”

“Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?”

“you can eff off, too," I say, except I don't say eff, I say what 'eff' stands for.”

“Stories were wild, wild animals and went off in directions you couldn't expect.”

“A monster, I think, remembering what Ben told me once. War makes Monsters of Men.”

“As to how you'll help me," he says. "Well, we have met the Answer, have we not?" He turns back to look at us, his eyes glinting. "It's time for them to meet the Ask.”

“I AM THE CIRCLE AND THE CIRCLE IS ME.”

“So who are you then, Todd Hewitt?" he says. "What makes you so special?"Now that, I think, is a very good asking.”

“A knife is only as good as the one who wields it.”

“Then at the top of the hill, the road forks.Which just figures."You gotta be kidding." I say.One part of the road goes left, the other goes right.(Well, it's a "Fork" ain't it?)”

“We sure as ruddy heck ain't in Prentisstown no more," I say to Manchee under my breath.”

“If one of us falls, we all fall.”

“Except I didn't say eff”

“He is sorry-For everything-For Prentisstown-For Viola-For Ben-For every failure and every wrong-For letting his pa down-And he's looking up at me-And he's begging me-He's begging me-Like I'm the only one who can forgive him-Like it's only me who's got the power-Todd?-Please-And all I can say is "Davy-"And the fright and the terror in his Noise is too much-It's too much-And then it stops.Davy slumps, eyes still open, eyes still staring back at me, eyes still asking (I swear) for me to forgive him.And he lies there, still.Davy Prentiss is dead.”

“But what he's forgetting," she says. "What he's forgotting is that me and Todd, we ran halfway across this planet together, by ourselves. We beat his craziest preacher. We outran an entire army and survived being shot and beaten and chased and we bloody well stayed alive this whole time without being blown up or tortured to death or dying in battle or anything."She takes her hand of Lee so she's balancing just against me."Me and Todd? Together against the Mayor?" She smiles. "He doesn't stand a chance.”

“Or perhaps we should just ask Todd."I pound the glass right at his face. He doesn't even flinch.And then she says, "Todd would never tell you. Never."And the Mayor just looks at me.And he smilesMy stomach sinks, my heart drops, my head feels so light I feel like I'm going to drop right to the ground.Oh, Viola-Viola, please-Forgive me."Captain Hammar," the Mayor says and Viola's plunged into the water again, unable to not scream out in fright as down she goes."NO!" I shout, pressing myself against the mirror.But the Mayor ain't even looking at her.He's looking right at me, as if he could see me even if I was behind a brick wall."STOP IT!" I shout as she's thrashing again-And more-And more-"VIOLA!"And I'm pounding even tho my hands are breaking-And Mr. Hammar is grinning and holding her there-"VIOLA!"And her wrist are starting to bleed from where she's pulling-"I'LL KILL YOU!"-I'm shouting into the Mayor's face-With all my Noise-"I'LL KILL YOU!"-And still holding her there-"VIOLA! VIOLA!"-But it's Davy-Of all people-It's Davy who stops it.”

“He looks up and the loss in his Noise is so great it feels like I'm standing on the edge of an abyss, that I'm about to fall down into him, into blackness so empty and lonely there'd never be a way out."Todd," I say again, a catch in my voice. "On the ledge, under the waterfall, do you remember what you said to me? Do you remember what you said to save me?"He's shaking his head slowly. "I've done terrible things, Viola. Terrible things-""We all fall, you said." I'm gripping his hand now. "We all fall but that's not what matters. What matters is picking yourself up again.”

“Who told you that?" I say. "Davy Prentiss?"He blinks. "What?""What do you mean what?" My voice is harder now. "Your new best friend. The man who shot me, Todd, and who you ride to work with laughing every morning."He clenches his hands into fists."You've been spying on me?" he says. "Three months I don't see you, three months I don't hear nothing from you and you been spying? Is that what yer doing in your spare time when yer not blowing people up?""Yeah," I yell, my voice getting louder to match his. "Three months of defending you to people who'd only be too happy to call you enemy, Todd. Three months of wondering why the hell you're working so hard for the Mayor and how he knew to go right for the ocean the day after we spoke." He winces, but I keep going, thrusting out my arm and pulling up on the sleeve. "Three months wondering why you put these on women!"His face changes in an instant. He actually calls out as if he felt the pain himself. He puts a hand to his mouth to stifle it but his Noise is suddenly washed with blackness. He moves his fingertips of his other hand within reach of the band, hovering over my skin, over the band that'll never be removed unless I lose my arm. The skin is still red, and band 1391 still trobs, despite the healing of three mistresses."Oh, no," he says. "Oh, no."The side door opens and the man who let me in leans out. "Everything all right out there, Lieutenant?""Lieutenant?" I say."We're fine," Todd chokes a little. "We're fine."The man waits for a second, then goes back inside."Lieutenant?" I say again, lowering my voice.Todd's leant down, his hands on his knees, staring at the floor. "It wasn't me, was it?" he says, his voice quiet, too. "I didn't-" He gestures again at the band without looking up. "I didn't do it without knowing it was you, did I?”

“He steps away from her, going to a little side table and removing a cloth that's lying on top. Underneath are severale shiny bits of metal. Mr. Hammar picks one up."And now for the second part of our interview", he says, approaching the woman.Who starts to scream."That was," Davy says, pacing around as we wait outside but it's all he can get out. "That was." He turns to me. "Holy crap, Todd."I don't say nothing, just take the apple I've been saving outta my pocket. "Apple," I whisper to Angharrad, my head close to hers.”

“Free, I think. They're free.(is this why she joined them?)I feel so-So relieved.I pick up the pace as I near the opening, my hands gripping my rifle but I have a feeling I ain't gonna need it.(ah, Viola, I knew I could count-)Then I reach the opening and stop.Everything stops.My stomach falls right thru my feet."They're all gone?" Davy says, coming up beside me.Then he see what I see."What the-?" Davy says.The Spackle ain't all gone.They're still here.Every single one.All 1150 of them.Dead.”

“You do not write your life with words...You write it with actions. What you think is not important. It is only important what you do.”

“I think how hope may be the thing that pulls you forward, may be the thing that keeps you going, but that it's dangerous, too, that it's painful and risky, that it's making a dare to the world and when has the world ever let us win a dare?”

“War makes monsters of men, you once said to me Todd. Well, so does too much knowledge. Too much knowledge of your fellow man, too much knowledge of his weakness, his pathetic greed and vanity, and how laughably easy it is to control him.”

“Stories are the wildest things of all, the monster rumbled. Stories chase and bite and hunt.”

“We are the choices we make. And have to make. We aren’t anything else.”

“The justifications of men who kill should always be heard with skepticism, said the monster.”

“Even when peaceful cooperation is the obvious thing, the only thing that will keep any of us alive- There are still people who won't make that choice.”

“Stories don't always have happy endings."This stopped him. Because they didn't, did they? That's one thing the monster had definitely taught him. Stories were wild, wild animals and went off in directions you couldn't expect.”

“But what is a dream, Conor O'Malley? the monster said, bending down so it's face was close to Conor's. Who is to say that it is not everything else that is the dream?”

“And the pain is too much it's too much it's too much and my hands are on my head and I'm rearing back and my mouth is open in a never-ending wordless wail of all the blackness that's inside me.And i fall back into it.”

“You be as angry as you need to be," she said. "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Not your grandma, not your dad, no one. And if you need to break things, then by God, you break them good and hard."He couldn't look at her. He just couldn't."And if, one day," she said, really crying now, "you look back and you feel bad for being so angry, if you feel bad for being so angry at me that you couldn't even speak to me, then you have to know, Conor, you have to know that it was okay. It was okay. That I knew. I know, okay? I know everything you need to tell me without you having to say it out loud. All right?" He still couldn't look at her. He couldn't raise his head, it felt so heavy. He was bent in two, like he was being torn right down through his middle.But he nodded.”

“I look at the knife-Resting in a puddle of water-Near the ledge by the pulpit behind Aaron-Where I dropped it-And I hear it calling to me- Take me, it says- Take me and use me, it says-Aaron hold open his arms."Murder me," he says. "Become a man." Never let me go says the knife”

“I wish I had a hundred years, she said, very quietly. A hundred years I could give to you.”

“Don't deceive me. Never leave me.”

“Who will remember Todd?Who will remember what he did?Todd -Todd -And my heart breaks even more -Breaks forever -And I fall to my knees in the snow and sand -And I yell out, wordless and empty -And I drop the weapon.”

“ VIOLA Cuz she's here -She came -She came for me -And she calls my name -And I feel her strength coursing thru my Noise like a fire -And the Mayor staggers back like he's been punched in the face by a row of houses -"Ah, yes," he grunts, his hand to his head. "Your tower of strength has arrived.""Todd!" I hear her call again -And I take it and I use it -Cuz I can feel her there, riding to the end of the world to find me, to save me if I needed saving -Which I did -”

“I don't think so," the Mayor buzzes -And my feet stop running -But then I pick up one -And then the other -And I'm running for it again -I hear the Mayor laugh behind me. "Well done," he says.”

“You let me go," I say. "I'll show you all about how I'm gonna transform you.”

“But then I think Viola -I think of her out there -And I push it back -I feel my hands on the floor -I use them to rise to my knees -I lift my head -To see the Mayor's surprised face only a yard or so away, coming toward me, something in his hand-"Goodness," he says, sounding almost cheerful. "Even stronger than I thought.”

“I'll do it, Todd," I whisper. "I'll come with you."And he doesn't say anything, just squeezes my hand harder and brings it up to his face like he wants to breathe me in.”

“Viola?" he says.And I turn to look at him -And when I do, I can hear everything he's thinking.Everything.Clearer than before, clearer than seems possible -And I'm not even sure I'm supposed to, but I look him in the eyes and I see it -In the middle of everything he's feeling -Even after we fought -Even after I doubted him -Even after I hurt him -I see how much he loves me.”

“And changing for the better doesn't mean that he's ever going to reach good.”

“And you," he says, "you need to talk to your boy." He lifts my chin. "And if he needs saving, then you save him. Isn't that what you told me you did for each other?"I let go a few more tears but then I nod. "Over and over again.”