“Just like an alley in New York -like every alley in the world, apparently- it smelled like cat pee.”

“Damnit.' Isabelle, standing in the mouth of the alley, her wet black hair like a cloak around her shoulders, kicked a trash can out of her way and glowered. 'Oh, for goodness's sake,' she said. 'I can't believe you two. Why? What's wrong with bedrooms? And pivacy?”

“The young man who appeared at the mouth of the alley was pale inthe lamplight—paler even than he usually was, which was quite pale indeed.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you smell like Magnus.”

“The Chairman likes you.”“Is that good?”“I never date anyone my cat doesn’t like,” Magnus said easily, and stood up.”

“You like the party?Is it in honour of anything?My cat's birthday.Where's your cat?I don't know, he ran away.”

“All my life I've felt like there was something wrong with me. Something missing or damaged.""Every teenager in the world feels like that, feels broken or out of place, different somehow, royalty mistakenly born into a family of peasants.”