Stacey Kade

“There's always that one thing, right? A particular action that is your own personal line in the sand. The nuclear threat you keep in your back pocket, never even mentioning it because it will escalate any conflict beyond the chance of reconciliation. And yet, here I was, declaring war, turning that line in the sand into a mere dot in the distance behind me.”

“I leaned back to look at her, seeing only her, this girl who was Ally but also Alona, and who bore a resemblance to a friend i'd once had but was someone new. Someone i could live without, but didn't want to”

“I think, uh, I might be in love with you," I said, my voice sounding gruff and awkward even to my own ears.”

“But I was beginning to think the real problem might be that who I was was just not good enough.”

“It said something about how much the soul or spirit in charge mattered.”

“I thought for sure you were going straight to hell.”

“Killian wasn't dead. He just dressed like it.”

“Trust me, you see the dead walking around, you learn not to scream, laugh, or piss yourself pretty quickly.”

“I couldn't figure out how the system worked. And maybe that was the point. If you aren't sure how it works, it's a lot harder to game it.”

“The truth is, it's really only okay to be yourself if that self is within an accepted range of 'normal'.”

“And no, I think i'm better than you because I am better than you.”

“ Yeah. Having a corporeal form was way less of a party when you had to think of other people’s feelings. Ha. Welcome to my world.”

“Would Alona be gone before I even got a chance to say good-bye? A real good-bye? One last kiss and the chance to tell her that she’d made my life better even as she’d made me crazy? That we were better together than I would ever be by myself, but that because of her, I would be okay? Not great, but okay, and I owed that all to her? No. I needed to see her one last time.”

“Have some pride, will ya? Begging someone to like you is so pathetic.”

“I was going, going, gone-like falling off the side of a cliff in the movies-until I managed to find a foothold and stop myself. But who knew how long it would last? That bit of rock or vine always gives out, doesn't it? The only question was when.”

“Teachers, parents, guidance counselors... all of them are always pushing this crap about how it's okay to be different, just be yourself. Don't give in to peer pressure, blah, blah, blah. The truth is, it's really only okay to be yourself if that self is within an accepted range of "normal." You like soccer instead of basketball, Johnny? Well, okay, I guess, so long as you still like sports. What's that, Susie, you want to wear the blue sweater instead of the red? You know we're all about expressing individuality here... so long as it's still a sweater.”

“Just thinking.” “Why start now?”

“My shirt is gray,” I pointed out. “You’ve expanded my fashion horizons dramatically. I wear three colours now.”

“My mouth fell open, and I swear, I got chills. He’d actually done it. He’d told his mom no. Somewhere along the line, Will Killian had grown a mother-proof spine.”

“It’s called a near-death experience. You should try it sometime,” I said sweetly. “Maybe without the ‘near’.”

“I know who you are, no matter what you look like,” he said quietly, surprising me.”

“At least Madame Selena had her own building…about sixteen inches from the edge of the highway, but still. And she had a turban. Say what you will, but it certainly added an air of mystery to her, like what, exactly, she was hiding under it.”

“I couldn't loose somebody else like that, without even the chance to say good-bye. Not again. Not her.”

“At least I graduated," he muttered, stabbing the key in and unlocking the door. I sucked in a breath. "I think dying was a little out of my control, thank you very much.""If you say so". He shrugged, but I saw the corner of his mouth turn up into a faint smile.”

“Do you have any idea who Erin was kissing?""Yeah, so we'll brush out teeth really, really thoroughly afterwards," I said, bumping her nose with mine gently. I wasn't going to let anyone spoil this moment.”

“What happened to you?" she asked."Ben was feeling artistic. Wanted to rearrange my face.”

“This girl who equally drove me crazy and made me care about her more than I should. She was the only one who understood. The only one who could help make what I was more bearable, even if she occasionally tortured me in the process.”

“What part of Vivis servimus non mortuis do you not understand?” she asked. “All of it?”

“Not five minutes after Alona had vanished through the far wall of my bedroom, my mom had poked her head in my room to say good night, and let’s face it, probably check up on me. Her face was glowing with happiness. She must have had a good time Sam at the movies. Where I was absolutely sure they did nothing but actually watch the movie, and refused to believe any evidence to the contrary. It was too...weird.”

“I resisted the urge to point out that since Alona was already technically dead, it wouldn’t really be homicide. I do have some sense of self-preservation.”

“I whispered, taking advantage of her momentary distraction to try to adjust the front of my pants. If I had to run now, I’d be in big trouble.”

“Over the years, I’d seen all kinds of smiles from her. The kind designed to make all the blood drain from your head and gather behind your zipper...”

“What is that phrase the kids use today? Oh, yeah. You’re his bitch, his spirit-world bitch”

“I’d ended up sprawled across his chest, which was actually broader than it looked. Navy blue is a slimming colour, I guess.”

“Three days isn’t that long to go without human contact, unless everyone you touch turns your insides into a cold, shaky mess. Then it feels like forever...and touching Will Killian actually felt pretty good.”

“Nice. I like a little desperation ina guy. It builds character.”

“Great. Not only do I have an angry spirit guide, but an angry spirit guide with a vindictive streak and an unnatural knowledge of show tunes. Better and better already.”

“What are you doing, meditating?""No, I'm trying to calm down so I don't kick your ass," she said through clenched teeth.”

“You better smile, or we're toast," I said. "Everything about you screams social malcontent with a grudge and a trunk full of weapons.”

“I suspected those people were seeking to make sense of the world by turning her into a cautionary tale, the lesson being, look both ways. And don't be such a bitch.”

“My mother's voice intruded on a dream in which a large animated eggplant named Bob teetered on the edge of a cliff with thoughts of suicide and Parmesan.”

“Why? What happened to her? Did you get her pregnant? Shove her down a flight of stairs? Help her evil twin abduct her and take her to Mexico for some face altering plastic surgery?”

“From what I'd witnessed, Alona Dare was single minded, determined, and ruthless. If high school was a zoo, she was the lioness running the hunt on the hapless tourists who'd wandered into the wrong enclosure.”

“God, buses are so ugly when you see them that close.”

“She shrugged and flipped her glossy hair behind her shoulders. "What else do you have to do with your time besides think about stuff like this? It's not like you're real heavy into extracurriculars. Besides, you're all, like, goth and into the dead, right?"Alona Dare, queen of the insult-compliment. "Wow. Thanks. Anyone ever tell you you're good with people?"She frowned. "No.""Good. I'm not goth.""Your hair is black, you have piercings, you wear black all the time and act all freaky-""My hair is naturally this color. I have three earings in one ear, that's it. This shirt" -I tugged at the fabric across my chest- "is navy blue, and if I act weird all the time, it's because of ghosts like you.”