I hate this, I want this to stop, how are we supposed to live with this, and how am I supposed to walk away? Youโre real and I hate you for it.
Sarah Rees BrennanWho ever he is, I agree with your mother," said Dad as he entered the kitchen. "Stay away from him. Stay away from them all until you're of marrying age. Once you reach a nice, mature fifty-four, gentlemen callers will be welcomed here.
Sarah Rees BrennanOnce you start thinking about the lies people tell when they don't know they're telling them, the truths people reveal when they think they're lying, then you can start to build a world.
Sarah Rees BrennanThey walked to school, talking about how much they were longing for the summer holidays. "Oh, I am planning things," said Jamie. "Great, great things. I could join a band." "You gave up the guitar after two lessons." "Well," he said, "I could be a backup dancer." "Backup dancers have to wear belly shirts and glitter," said Mae. "So obviously, I support this plan.
Sarah Rees BrennanI donโt know what I saw. It couldโve been a hallucination. You get those from sniffing glue.โ โYouโve never sniffed glue!โ โIโve smelled glue,โ Jamie said after a pause. โIn art class.
Sarah Rees BrennanOh," she said, in a very different way. "Well. Thanks for my part in the compliment. Naturally I'd love to be watched and controlled, but I think I may be washing my hair that day.
Sarah Rees BrennanMaybe he likes the look of Mae," Nick drawled. "Don't be ridiculous." Nick raised his eyebrows. "Does he like the look of Jamie?
Sarah Rees BrennanJared glared. Some people, Kami knew, had bedroom eyes. She was saddened to have to admit that Jared had filthy alleyway eyes.
Sarah Rees BrennanA leather jacket,โ Kami said as he shrugged into it. โArenโt you trying a little too hard to play into certain bad boy clichรฉs?โ โNahโ, said Jared. โYouโre thinking of black leather. Black leatherโs for bad boys. Itโs all in the color. You wouldnโt think I was a bad boy if I was wearing a pink leather jacket.โ โThatโs true,โ Kami said. โWhat I would think of you, I do not know. So what does brown leather mean, then?โ โIโm going for manly,โ Jared said. โMaybe a little rugged.โ โItโs bits of dead cow; donโt ask it to perform miracles.
Sarah Rees BrennanI don't have deal breakers," Alan said. "I look on tempests, and am never shaken.
Sarah Rees BrennanDon't waste time blaming yourself when you can spend time planning how to destroy our enemies.
Sarah Rees BrennanAnd about that," he continued. "Now that Kami and I have met, she likes me better than you. So you can leave.
Sarah Rees BrennanDo you mean am I worried about people seeing me with my jeans off? Sure. Sometimes people are overcome. They fall down. They hit their heads. It's worrying.
Sarah Rees BrennanYou couldn't do it?" Rob Lynburn sneered. "I know her," Ash said in a low voice. "I can't... hurt someone I know.
Sarah Rees BrennanHonestly, Jared, one thing at a time. Why are you in a well with me? This is a really bad rescue!" [...] "I called the police as I was running to the well. I'm sure they're coming." "Did they say they were coming?" Kami asked suspiciously. "Or did you shout, 'Kami's in the well!' before jumping in the well too, thus loosing your phone and making sure the police think it was some kids playing a dumb joke?" Jared paused. [...] "Alternate plan," Jared said. "Do you have a very intelligent collie who might communicate through a system of barks to your parents that little Kami is in the well?
Sarah Rees BrennanIf the truth didn't help anyone, and love didn't last, what was there left to struggle toward?
Sarah Rees BrennanShe walked beside Jared, four inches of rain-dashed darkness between her hanging wrist and his.
Sarah Rees BrennanNick spoke for the first time. "Can I go to the nurse's office too?" Ms. Popplewell looked at him It obviously took her only one look to decide. "No." "I'm traumatized too," Nick claimed, his voice completely flat. "He's a delicate flower," Alan said under his breath.
Sarah Rees BrennanRemember," he called. "Just be yourself, and everyone will love you!" Nick rolled his eyes and made a rude gesture, and Alan drove the car away laughing.
Sarah Rees BrennanHow many fingers am I holding up?" he inquired. Lucille regarded him blearily and said, "Avocado.
Sarah Rees BrennanYour soul is like the souls of a thousand monkeys on crack, all smushed together.
Sarah Rees BrennanBeen chatting much with Jared?" "We often have special moments where I come into a room and he immediately leaves," Kami said. "I treasure those times.
Sarah Rees BrennanFor a moment, they all stood staring at each other. Then Holly shattered the stillness by throwing herself at Angela. "God, Angie!" she exclaimed, arms locked around her neck. "What Happened?
Sarah Rees BrennanYou're weird," Nick grumbled, but he turned his face back to critically examine the new hand. "You're weird," Jamie returned. "As soon as this whole magical war is over, I'm going to make us some friendship bracelets, and we will wear them everywhere because we are best friends." "Drop dead," said Nick, and Jamie looked serenely pleased.
Sarah Rees BrennanThe poor lady must have dropped that", she said, and undid the gate stepping out to get it. Jared put his hand on it, "No". Mrs Jeffries stared down at him. "What do you mean...no?" Jared and Mrs.Jeffries stared back at each other,neither breaking eye contact in a perfect deadlock. Then Jared smiled at her. "I mean", he said with conviction, "it's mine." "It's what?" Jared stood up, pocketing the lipstick. "I know", he responded. "Everyone tells me i'm more of a summer". Mrs.Jeffries continued to stare. Jared continued to speak. "I'm going to go now. Me... and my lipstick.
Sarah Rees BrennanOh God, Mae," said Jamie in a hollow voice, descending the stairs. "I will never drink again. I'm only seeing in black and white. My arms feel all floppy, like flightless wings. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I looked like a very sad penguin.
Sarah Rees BrennanThey were standing in a very large room. The floorboards stretched in a pale expanse at their feet. There was so much dust on the floor that it had a pearly sheen. โEven you could not nap on this floor,โ Kami told Angela. โI donโt know, a dust mattress might be very comfortable,โ said Angela. โAlso possibly orthopedic.
Sarah Rees BrennanReal life is sometimes boring, rarely conclusive and boy, does the dialogue need work.
Sarah Rees BrennanI have changed my mind. You can help cook by standing in a corner and not touching anything. Do it carefully. -Nick to Jamie
Sarah Rees BrennanWhen Jared smiled, his teeth were stained with fresh scarlet. "Don't you hate me?" he demanded. "I'd hate me." "You just tried to drown yourself," Ash said. "You seem to hate yourself plenty already.
Sarah Rees BrennanHe knew her now. She was the weird girl in the class above him, who dyed her hair pink and always wore a lot of pentragrams and crystals. Right now she was also wearing giant chandelier earings and a violent pink T-Shirt that bore the words ROMEO AND JULIET WOULDN'T HAVE LASTED.
Sarah Rees BrennanI'll do a deal with you McFarlane," he said. "You can exist. And you can even have coffee. But if you raise your voice or make any sudden movements, I shall die. And that'll show you." Seb shrugged in return, hiding how pleased he was pretty badly. "Fair enough.
Sarah Rees BrennanI expected something a little more castle-shaped," said Jamie. Nothing lasts forever," Nick said. "Except demons, of course." Has anyone ever told you that you're a charming conversationalist?" Jamie asked. No," Nick replied honestly. I cannot tell you how much that surprises me," Jamie told him, and Nick gave him a half smile.
Sarah Rees BrennanUnfortunately, the headlights of the car were bright enough for them to see Mae's outfit quite clearly. "Oh my God," said Nick, and shut his eyes. Jamie gave a small, nervous laugh. "What?" Mae demanded. "Alan told us that we were supposed to dress as we truly are!" "And you felt that what you truly are is a Christmas tree with too much tinsel." Nick grinned. "Huh.
Sarah Rees BrennanFear's useless. Either something bad happens or it doesn't: If it doesn't, you've wasted time being afraid, and if it does, you've wasted time that you could have spent sharpening your weapons.
Sarah Rees BrennanHi," Kami said to Dorothy, the head librarianโฆ"Can you tell me where I could find the books on Satanism?" Twenty minutes later, she had Dorothy convinced that it was for a school project, and she really did not have to telephone Kami's parents.
Sarah Rees BrennanAll he said was, "Here, have your dinfast. Then we can start packing." "Dinfast," Nick repeated. "Dinner and breakfast!" Alan said triumphantly. "Like brunch." Nick subjected him to a long, judgemental stare. "There's something very wrong with you," he said at last. "I thought you should know.
Sarah Rees BrennanYouโre crazy,โ said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back at school. โThey said that about all the great visionaries.โ โYou know who else they said it about?โ Angela demanded. โAll the actual crazy people.
Sarah Rees BrennanI do half the cooking, and by 'half' I mean three quarters," Dad pointed out. "And if you're going to turn up your nose at all my carnivorous delights, ingrate child, you can sit under the table and gnaw sadly on a raw Brussels sprout at mealtimes.
Sarah Rees BrennanOh, Alan Ryves," she said. "You're such a fantastic liar. You are the smoothest con man of them all.
Sarah Rees Brennan