I have never had parents who set good examples, parents whose expectations were worth living up to, but she did. I can see them within her, the courage and the beauty they pressed into her like a handprint.
Veronica RothFour flips the gun in this hand, presses the barrel to Peter's forehead, and clicks a bullet into place. Peter freezes with his lips parted, the yawn dead in his mouth. "Wake. Up," Four snaps. "You are holding a loaded gun, you idiot. Act like it.
Veronica RothI have done bad things. I can't take them back, and they are part of who I am. Most of the time, they seem like the only thing I am.
Veronica RothSo now we all know," says Four, quietly, "that you are afraid of a short, skinny girl from Abnegation." His mouth curls into a smile.
Veronica RothYesterday he told me he thought I would have to pretend to be weak, but he was wrong. I am weak already. I brace myself against the wall and press my forehead to my hands. Itโs difficult to take deep breaths, so I take short, shallow ones. I canโt let this happen. They attacked me to make me feel weak. I can pretend they succeeded to protect myself, but I canโt let it become true.
Veronica Roth