“Everything I loved was taken away from me, and I did not die.”

“Did you know that wasn’t me, the other Max?” I asked.“Yeah.”“When?”“Right away.”“How?” I persisted. “We look identical. She even had identical scars and scratches. She was wearing my clothes. How could you tell us apart?”He turned to me and grinned, making my world brighter. “She offered to cook breakfast.”

“And then as always, I saw the prayer coming at me. And, as always, Number 1 killed me! Set me on fire, cooked me to medium rare and then ate me!I really, really, really hope I haven't just given away the ending of this story.”

“Oh, my God. It hit me like a tsunami then: how perfect he was for me, how he was everything I could possibly hope for, as a friend, boyfriend - maybe even more. He was it for me. There would be no more looking. I really, really loved him, with a whole new kind of love I'd never felt before, something that made every other kind of love I'd ever felt just seem washed out and wimpy in comparison. I loved him with every cell in my body, every thought in my head, every feather in my wings, every breath in my lungs. And air sacs.”

“Did I want a dog? No. Did I need a dog? Also no. We were six kids running for our lives, not knowing where our next meal was coming from. Could we afford to feed a dog? Wait for it—no.”

“My mom had a soft heart after all! Instead of being chained by both wrists, we were only chained by one ankle!I mean, if I’d been looking for proof that she really did love me, this was it, right?”

“I know where The List is-my father has taken me to see it many times. Maybe for just this reason. And I know what it is: The List of Alien Outlaws on Terra Firma. And I know who I am: Daniel, son of Graff, son of Terfdon- The Alien Hunter. No last name, just Daniel X.”