You know I love a good family feud and I carry a big stick.

The library was home away from home to my mom, and my family. We had spent every Sunday afternoon there since I was a little boy, wandering around the stacks, pulling out every book with a picture of a pirate ship, a knight, a soldier, or an astronaut. My mom used to say, "This is my church, Ethan. This is how we keep the Sabbath holy in our family.

Darkness, real darkness, was more than just a lack of light.

I smiled at her, but she was already lost in thought, looking around the library as if it held all the answers to all our problems.

Mortals. I envy you. You think you can change things. Stop the universe. Undo what was done long before you came along. You are such beautiful creatures.

It’s funny how the good things are all tied up with the bad. Sometimes it’s hard to tell which is which. But either way, you end up taking your sugar with your salt and your kicks with your kisses.

She had the power to destroy. I had only seen the power to love. When you discovered both, who could figure out what to do with that?