“I'm find," her voice squeaked out. Remembering the maggots-and not one hundred percent sure the ghost had taken them with her-Kylie leapt up, yanked the covers off the bed, and tossed them on the floor, she backed away from the pile of bedding."Yeah. You look just fine," Della said sarcastically.Kylie jumped from foot to foot and brushed off imaginary maggots that she felt crawling on her skin.Della stood there in Mickey Mouse pajamas, staring at her as if she didn't' know whether to laugh or run.Kylie stopped dancing and tried to breathe normally. "If I die, promise me I'll be cremated."Della frowned. "Die?""Not that I'm planning to die anytime soon." She gave her arm one more swipe. "But still."Della shook her head. "I don't know why you pretend you're okay.”

“She tossed her towel on her dresser and turned to the bed where shed left her PJs. Only it wasn't just her PJs on the bed anymore. Lucas, eyes wide, sat on the foot of her bed, about four feet from where she stood completely naked. She squealed. He laughed. She dashed for the towel. Once she had it around her, she glared from a still grinning Lucas to the door. "I'm killing Della!" He laughed again. "I'm afraid I might have to protect her for this one.”

“Did you want me to stay?"Kylie's yes and Lucas' no chimed out at the same time."Sorry," Lucas said, not sounding sorry as he looked at Della. "But I need Kylie's full attention to teach her, and you would just distract her.""Right," Della said in a tone of complete disbelief.Lucas frowned at the vamp."Okay," Della said. "I'll just mosey along.”

“You're lucky your mother died,' she said.I didn't like that. 'I'm lucky my mother died?'Between sobs she said, 'Your mother would have stayed if she could. My mother chose to leave me. She's still out there somewhere. I wish she had died instead.'I sat down next to her and put my arm around her. 'I'll never leave you.'She laid her head on my shoulder. 'I know.”

“Whoa!" she says as I plow into her. " What are you DOING? Get off me!" I hang on tight. "Can't a girl just hug her big sister?" She stops fighting me. "Are you dying? Am I dying? Did Grandma die? I laugh. "No one died." "Then get off!”

“You're dying with the way things are," Della Lee said harshly, causing Josey to lower the handful of popcorn she was about to put in her mouth. "You're going to lose yourself in this, Josey. It's going to happen if you don't change. I know. I lost myself trying to find happiness in things that didn't love me back.”