“I was thanking him for...well, for something I'm not sure I can explain even now. For showing me that something besides cruelty could be found in the world, I suppose.”

“Something has happened, hasn't it? ... It's like being up close to something so large you don't even see it. Even now, I'm not sure I can. But I know it's there.”

“I guess I should be thankful. Full of thank. But what is thank? I can't eat thank, so I know my stomach isn't full of thank. I can't smell or breathe thank, so I know my lungs aren't full of thank. I'm not even sure how much thank I could fit in the trunk of my car. But I do know one thing. It's much easier to give thanks than something that actually costs money to give.”

“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.”

“I mean you'd be different in some way- I can't explain what I mean. And even if I could, I'm not sure I'd feel like it.”

“I feel like I owe him something, and I hate owing people. Maybe if I had thanked him at some point, I'd be feeling less conflicted now. I thought about it a couple of times, but the opportunity never seemed to present itself. And now it never will. Because we're going to be thrown into an arena to fight to the death. Exactly how am I supposed to work in a thank-you in there? Somehow it just won't seem sincere if I'm trying to slit his throat.”