She hated him and loved him, longed for him and loathed him, and cursed herself for feeling anything at all

Miss Marks, you see, makes her living by...entertaining young, and not so young, sailors...or any other members of the armed forced, or civilians, who enjoy...being entertained by ladies who...entertain.

We'd stared into the face of Death, and Death blinked first. You'd think that would make us feel brave and invincible. It didn't.

How oft do they rescue or ruin us, through whimsy or design or a combination of both, the adults to whom we entrust our care!

And then Evan Walker kisses me.

Perhaps that is our doom, our human curse, to never really know one another.

To hell with monsters and to hell with men. There is no difference to me.