“Respect the sheep.”

“If I wasn't going to be a world-famous journalist and if I didn't have such respect for truth and justice, I could be an amazing master criminal.”

“I don't imagine Sin gets that alot," Mae commented."What?""Boys not liking her," said Mae. "She's kind of amazing. And beautiful."She spoke almost absently, forehead pressed against the glass as she tried hard not to sleep. There was morning mist obscuring the fields on either side of the road, so dense and white it looked like there were mutant sheep lurking on all sides.It was possible that she was overtired."You're just as beautiful as she is," said Alan. That was a flat-out lie, like so much of what Alan said. Like so much of what Alan said, it sounded true. "And you read," he added."Uh, hot," said Mae, feeling quite a bit more awake. "Well," said Alan, faint color in his cheeks, "I think so." She wasn't the only one in the car feeling tense. There was a slight defensive posture to his shoulders now, as if admitting any sort of honest emotion, even something as simple as liking girls who read, was bound to get him hurt... "I'd rather be amazing than beautiful." "I think you are.”

“Actually," Alan said, earnest and clear-eyed, "this is my first time playing poker.”

“Sin met Mae and Alan coming into the flat.Mae frowned. "Is it no-shirts festival day?""Every day with Nick is no-shirts festival day," Alan said absently, but he was frowning too.”

“I read The Hunger Games voraciously and was extremely annoyed when interrupted by such inconsequential things as 'Christmas dinner.' (God, Mom, did you not understand Katniss was being pursued by the mutts? You have several children, why does it always have to be about collecting the whole set all the time?)”

“Nick could see the gun shaking in Alan's hand now, in tight, terrified spasms. "Last night we put a magician in the river," Alan said, his voice low and intense as if he was making a promise."Maybe we should send you to join him.""You know the rules," the woman whispered. "Don't shoot the messenger."Nick interrupted, leaning down to speak in her ear. "Do they say 'Don't cut the messenger in half with your great big sword'?”