“I told myself that it took forty-two facial muscles to frown and only four to stretch out my arm and bitch-slap the witch.”

“It takes forty muscles to frown, and only twelve to jam a cupcake in your mouth and get over it.”

“Smile! It takes thirty-four muscles to frown and only thirteen to smile. Why make the extra effort?”

“I walked to Montevallo.''Forty miles?!''Forty-two,' he corrected me. 'Well. Forty-two there. Forty-two back. Eight-two miles. No. Eight-four. Yes. Eighty-four miles in forty-five hours.''What the hell's in Montevallo?' I asked.'Not much. I just walked til I got too cold, and then I turned around.''You didn't sleep?''No, the dreams are terrible.”

“Aryal yawned. She had stretched out on the floor, her long legs crossed at the ankle. She said in a drowsy voice, “I could start bitch-slapping people. Sooner or later somebody would squawk.”

“It takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile, which make sense because yesterday I frowned so much I ended up pulling my groin muscle.”