“The underlying mechanics of the relationship between ACT and the Anomalies became perfectly clear:We were right to hide from them.And they were right to fear us.”

“I could feel it then like I feel it now, like a palpable thing inside me, like a physical touch; what we shared was not accidental and nothing close to normal. It was not imagined or fabricated out of loneliness or the conditions under which we were brought to New Haven. It was given to us, meant only for us. It was a gift much like the "special gifts" that brought us to New Haven.”

“I was the perfect tool of manipulation, built for deceit and complete with a hunger for immortal souls, but I would use these tools to hunt the souls of those who were already bound for hell.”

“When we were young his hands had been soft but now they were a man's hands, with rough palms and coarse fingertips, but they were still as careful as ever.”

“Everything we were, and all of our wealth was a dark ruse. Shiny magic cards got us whatever we desired and the cloak of darkness that gilded our true intent was never pulled back. He would not allow us to be discovered while we did his work.”

“I realized then that it was a game we were playing; from the very beginning. But we weren’t playing the same game and when it came down to it, he wasn’t playing by the rules.”

“His voice was terrifying and seemed to scrape across my skin as if it were a tangible thing. Something inside me agreed, as if it were even possible to give something like that. I didn’t even really believe in a soul, but in that moment I could feel it writhing inside me.”