“Mamma was just pulling your tail to see if it squeaked.”

“Not bein' right isn't always somebody's fault. Sometimes it's just a fact, like the cards you pull.”

“I needed to know what thread to pull. I needed to be the one who knew the right direction. She couldn't see her way clear of where she was right now, so it had to be me.”

“It’s funny how you can live somewhere your whole life, but not really see it.”

“Even in the slippery blur of heat and arms and noise, Lena affected everything in her wake, a pull as powerful as the moon to the tides, or the planets to the sun. I was caught in her orbit, even as she pulled away from mine.”

“Until then, you can do what everyone else your age does. Listen to music. Watch the television. Just keep your nose away from those books.”

“Stairway to Hell or Yellow Brick Road? Why don't you give your Magic 8 Ball a shake and see if it's ready to play again.”