“You are my armor and my sword, my faith and my treasure, everything I'm fighting for.”

“My mother's blood that would last forever after. The blood of my brother, my grandfather, my father. ”

“I was beginning to understand. My grandmother's love was cold because she was afraid of things; that was why everything had to be perfect.”

“How could I have been so stupid to ignore everything I’d had in my life? The color red alone was worth kingdoms.”

“I knew that my brother would still be a part of this world no matter what happened next. I felt my love for him so deeply that my blood seemed to flow down the street to him. My blood sang out my prayer for Luis even while he was still living in our world.”

“I thought of the bowl of water my mother taught me to look into. It was true, everything a person ever needed to know was right there in a single bowl small enough to fit in the palm of one hand.”

“Never look at other people's bad fortune,' my mother said. 'If you do, it will come back to find you instead of its rightful owner.”