Once, there was a girl who vowed she would save everyone in the world, but forgot herself.

I don't lie," I lied.

She loves the serene brutality of the ocean, loves the electric power she felt with each breath of wet, briny air.

I consider kissing her right there on the dirty couch, but self-preservation stops me. Once someone hurts you, it’s harder to relax around them, harder to think of them as safe to love. But it doesn’t stop you wanting them. Sometimes I actually think it makes the wanting worse

Philip Sharpe was a soldier in God's army," says the minister. "Now he marches with the angels.

He let out a hiss of pain,then smiled that crooked, sheepish smile he always fell back on when he was caught doing something bad. "Sorry. I-I didn't mean to. I just- I've been lying here for hours, thinking about blood.

Farewell, Father," she said. He fell back upon his chair, choking. She laughed, not with mirth or even mockery, but something that was closer to a sob. "You crafted me so sharp, I cut even myself.