I couldn't help what I'd done before I learned it was wrong. I could only do better in the future.

But the world moves on, even when you don't want it to, even when change feels like the end of everything. It never stops.

You could miss someone, but it did no good to fixate on loss. I wished I had the ready words of a Breeder or the ability to comfort with a soft touch. I didn't. Instead I had daggers and determination. That would have to do.

Don't worry he tells me tenderly. It doesn't matter who you've been, who you are, or who you become. I'm with you every step of the way.

Dying isn’t like living; it requires no effort at all.

I never belonged anywhere until I met you.

His reply offers infinite solace in a single word. Always.