“She told herself that life is short. This didn't mean that nothing mattered, only that when strange things happened there was often no turning back.”

“Diana knew it wouldn't be right, but then she told herself that things only looked wrong when there was someone to see you.”

“Life is short. And when all is said and done, our relationships with Jesus Christ and each other are the only things that will matter.”

“She tried to remind herself that beauty was only skin deep, but that didn't offer any helpful excuses when she was berating herself for never knowing what to say to people. There was nothing more depressing than an ugly girl with no personality.”

“Emily felt the sweet strains of paranoia drifting back. They told her to look over her shoulder, and when she did, they told her to check the lock on the door, and when she did that, they told her that her fears had meaning and depth, and that she was right to feel them. Each shadow meant something different and strange, an unfamiliar animal or a line of weapons. These visions were terrifying, but after they went away, she felt a strange kind of peace that those things existed in the world, that her world was powerful enough to conjure them. My world, she thought.”

“It’s strange how things can change back as suddenly as they changed originally. When one thing happens and suddenly, things are back to normal.”