“So... I take it that's the man in your life.”

“So, your dad's hot.""Thanks. He was that way when I met him, so I can't really take credit.”

“That's cool." Hale nodded, unfazed. "But just so you know, that"---he pointed to the piece of metal peeking out from behind the stage---"is a Hurst 5,000 PSI hydraulic spreader-cutter, more commonly know as the Jaws of Life.""So?" "So I'm not a normal boy.”

“That's a lovely piece," Kat said, pointing at a Louise XV armoire near the fireplace. The man raised his eyebrows. "Did you come to steal it?""Darn it," Kat said with a snap of her fingers."I knew I should have brought my big purse.”

“Is Joe your father, Zach?'I don't know where the question came from, but it was out, and I couldn't take it back even if I'd wanted to.'No.' Zach shook his head. 'I never knew my dad. I don't know anything about him.”

“So I stared out at that cold window, watching my breath collect on the glass, trying not to think about my life after the thaw.”

“I suppose a lot of teenage girls feel invisible sometimes, like they just disappear. Well, that's me—Cammie the Chameleon. But I'm luckier than most because, at my school, that's considered cool. I go to a school for spies.”