She gazed toward the marsh that grew thicker, deeper, greener with approaching summer. Mosquitoes whined in there, breeding in the dark water. Alligators slid through it, silent death. It was a place where snakes could slither and bogs could suck the shoe right off your foot. And it was a place, she thought, that went bright and beautiful with the twinkling of fireflies, where wildflowers thrived in the shade and the stingy light. Where an eagle could soar like a king. There was no beauty without risk. No life without it.

Couples take care of each other, Clare, that's what makes them a couple. And couples tell each other when something happens that scares them.

You love tests?" "Well, yeah. There are questions and answers. True or false, multiple choice, essay. What's not to love?

And still she felt more confident at the prospect of taking on the Russian Mafia than she did attending a backyard barbecue.

A good story's like a door, and you can go through it whenever you need to. After you've read it or seen it or heard it, you can still go back through it. Once it's yours, it's always yours.

Once love found you it clung, no matter how much you tried to shake it off.

Anyone that has character leaves a mark on another. Would you like to leave the world without making a ripple?