Veronica Rossi

“Love was like the waves in the sea, gentle and good sometimes, rough and terrible at others, but that it was endless and stronger than the sky and earth and everything in between.”

“I miss you.I miss you. I miss you, I miss you.Be ready, because when I see you, I'll never let you go again.”

“Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame.”

“She knew how to put one foot in front of the other even when every step hurt. And she knew there was pain in the journey, but there was also great beauty. She'd seen it standing on rooftops and in green eyes and in the smallest, ugliest rock.”

“Because people are more than emotions. People have thoughts and reasons for doing things.”

“If there was no fear, how could there be comfort? Or courage?”

“But when a cut is deep, it’s still just flesh beneath.”

“The wise ask questions, Perry. The weak doubt.”

“At nearly six feet, she's only a few inches shorter than him and every bit as stubborn. At times like this I wonder if they're twins who were somehow born a year apart.”

“With Liv, there is always something unexpected, but not the way she makes me feel.”

“The more I try to catch up, the farther I fall behind.”

“In the afternoon, they stopped to eat on a rocky outcrop. Perry brushed a kiss on her cheek while she was chewing, and she learned that it was the loveliest thing to be kissed for no reason, even while chewing food. It brightened the woods, and the never sky, and everything.”

“His hand snapped shut over the device and then he crossed his arms. Aria stared in horror. Her Smarteye was buried in a Neanderthal’s armpit.”

“She did it, though she hated opera. She hated everything about it. The overblown sense of drama. The violence and lewdness. No one had ever died of heartbreak in Reverie. Betrayal never led to murder. Those things didn’t happen anymore. They had the Realms now. They could experience anything without taking risks. Now, life was Better than Real.”

“She'd survived the outside. She'd survived the Aether and cannibals and wolves. She knew how to love now, and how to let go. Whatever came next, she would survive it, too”

“It's time, Perry". He let her go. She took a step back, taking in his face one last time. His green eyes. The bend in his nose and the scars on his cheek. All the tiny inperfections that made him beautiful. Without a word, she turned and made her way downhill.”

“How do you restart something that had never been turned off?”

“In the sounds of the night Aria heard footsteps, far off and faint, but she recognized them instantly.She shot into the darkness, letting her ears guide her. She followed the crunch of his feet on stones and small twigs, coming faster, louder, as his walk became a jog, then a run. She chased the sounds until all she heard was his heartbeat and then his breath and his voice, right by her ear, telling her, in tones as warm as fire, exactly the words she wanted to hear.”

“Oh, this was champ. She’d found herself a Savage prince. Don’t laugh, she told herself. Don’t laugh, Aria.”

“They were like her rocks. Imperfect and surprising and maybe better in the long run than certainties. Chances, she thought, were life”

“And in life, at least her new life, chances were the best she could hope for. They were like her rocks. Imperfect and surprising and maybe better in the long run than certainties. Chances, she thought, WERE life.”

“She looked up. “A world of nevers under a never sky.”She fit in well then, he thought. A girl who never shut up.”

“He kissed her slowly. Everything went slowly so he could follow her temper, and search into her eyes. When they joined, her scent was brave and strong and certain. Perry took it into himself, breathing her breath, feeling what she felt. He'd never known anything as right.”

“The real food in Ag 6 looked like old people before aging-reversal treatments.”

“Roar leaned across the table and smiled at her seductively, his dark hair falling into his eyes. 'When you say everything happens in the Realms, do you mean everything?' Aria laughed nervously.'Yes. Especially that.There are no risks in the Realms.' Roar's smile widened. 'You simply think it and it happens? And it actually feels real?' 'Why are we talking about this?' 'I need a Smarteye,' he said.”

“Your voice sounds like a midnight fire. All warm and worn in and golden. I could listen to you talk forever." "I could never do that". She laughed at him. He brought his lips to her ear. "Your scent is like violets early in spring," he whispered. Then he laughed at himself because though it was true, he sounded like the worst kind of fool.”

“Without thinking, he reached for her hand. Tucked it against her chest, feeling that was where it should be. Perry's heart slammed against his ribs. She had to feel it.”

“She absorbed the terror and beauty of him and his world. Of every moment over the past days. All of it, filling her up like the first breath she'd ever taken. And never had she loved life more.”

“Killing a man should be more different than killing a game. It was not.”

“It's hard to follow a person's logic if you don't know how they feel.”

“She’d fallen into a deep silence once, when the sun appeared, and it was then he’d wondered most what she was thinking.”

“She found it curious and frightening that she could deeply dislike someone she didn’t even know. It wasn’t her. At least, it wasn’t how she used to be.”

“Un buen ejercicio de aproximación, Aria. Eso no te lo he enseñado yo, pero se te da muy bien. Creo que has ganado tú.”

“Can you believe I have a favorite cave?”

“Come on, Paisley. What's the worst that could happen?"Aria meant it as a joke,but her voice sounded too high so she tacked on a laugh. That came out sounding mildly hysterical."What could happen in a damaged dome?"Paisley counted on her slender fingers. "Our skin could rot off. We could get locked out. An Aether storm could turn us into human bacon. Then the cannibals could eat us for breakfast.”

“There are other things I'd rather do when I'm alone with you." Time to step off the edge. "Then do them.”

“Fall off your own roof.”

“He watched as she pressed the berry to her lower lip. He kept looking at her mouth after she'd done it. He knew he should look away, but he couldn't. "Right. Good. If there's no stinging, you'd put it to your tongue."Perry shot to his feet before he finished the words, nearly tripping over himself. He ran a hand over his head, feeling skitty, like he needed to laugh or run or do something. He picked up a stone and tossed it into the creek, trying to get the image of her tasting the berry out of his mind.”

“Oh her deathbed, when her hands could no longer weave or paint or mold clay, she'd told stories and filled them with the colors she loved.”

“Aria... everyone feels lost and low. It's how a person acts that makes them different”

“You drink from a rabbit and you think I smell?”

“People can be cruelest to those they love.”