“Thank you, Wanda. My sister. I will never forget you.Be happy, Mel. Enjoy it all. Appreciate it for me.”

“Mel? Mel, I love you. Mel, come back . Mel, Mel, Mel."It's Jared's voice, trying to call me back the way Wanda called back the Healer's host, the way she taught Kyle to call to Jodi.I can answer him. I can speak now. I can feel my tongue in my mouth, ready to move into whatever shape I ask it to. I can feel the air in my lungs, ready to push out the words. If I want this. "Mel, I love you, I love you."This is Wanda's gift to me, paid for with her silver blood. Jared and I, put back together again as if she'd never lived. As if she hadn't saved us both. If I accept this gift, I profit from her death. I kill her again. I take her sacrifice and make it murder. "Mel, please? Open your eyes."I feel his hand on my face, cradling my cheek. I feel his lips burn against my forehead, but I don't want them, not at this price. Or do I?”

“The thing about obsessing about a happy ending is that you forget to enjoy the journey along the way, You forget to appreciate the people alongside you.”

“NO!" She shouted through my lips. Jared caught her hands, then caught me against the wall before I could fall. I sagged, my body confused by the conflicting directions it was receiving."Mel? Mel!""What are you doing?"He groaned in relief. "I knew you could do it! Ah Mel!"He kissed her again, kissed the lips that she controlled, and we could both taste the tears that ran down his face.She bit him.Jared jumped back from both of us, and I slid to the floor, landing in a wilted heap. He started laughing, "That's my girl. You still got her, Wanda?""Yes," I gasped.What the hell, Wanda? She screeched at me.Where have you been? Do you have any idea what I've been going through trying to find you?Yeah, I can see that you were really suffering.”

“Something I've never seen in all my lives. I'm staring at... hope." - Wanda”

“Of course it's not enough to sit around wanting to be happy; you must make the effort to take steps toward happiness by acting with more love, finding work you enjoy, and all the rest. But for me, asking myself whether I was happy had been a crucial step toward cultivating my happiness more wisely through my actions. Also, only through recognizing my happiness did I really appreciate it. Happiness depends partly on external circumstances, and it also depends on how you view those circumstances.-Gretchen Rubin”