“The last thing the justice system is, is just.”

“The rising and falling cadence of words, carried on the wind, spoken in a language other than human.”

“But I couldn't get the image out of my head of the beast strapped to the table, Father humming while the candle wax slowly dripped, and Montgomery assisting. I felt betrayed, as though the boy I'd idolized was nothing more than a fantasy.”

“A scream hurled up my throat, but I never heard it. I'd slipped into a welcoming darkness.”

“Thwack. The nail drove deeper, as if Montgomery was driving it into my very heart. How hard was it to fix a loose nail? He hit it again and again, determined to set that bookshelf straight. Determined to do something right, after so much wrong.”

“He left slowly, as if he had to pry himself away before he something improper. A growing part of me wished he'd stayed.”

“We're going to die, aren't we?" I asked bitterly. He held me so tight I could hardly breathe. But I wanted tighter still. "Not here. I swear it.”