I cross my arms. "It was a two minute conversation." "I don't think a smaller time frame makes it less unwise." He furrows his eyebrows and touches the corner of my bruised eye with his fingertips. My head jerks back, but he doesn't take his hand away. Instead he sighs. "You know, if you could just learn to attack first, you might do better." "Attack first?" I say. "How will that help?" "You're fast. If you can get a few good hits in before they know what's going on, you could win." He shrugs, and his hand falls.

It's strange how a word, a phrase, a sentence, can feel like a blow to the head.

Those who seek peace above all else, they say, will always deceive to keep the water calm.

What is wrong with you?' I shake my head. 'Pull it together.' And that's what it feels like: pulling the different parts of me up and in like a shoelace. I feel suffocated, but at least I feel strong.

So this is where you grew up. Did you like it here? I guess you couldn't have, if you wanted to leave.' CHRISTINA 'I liked some things and hated some things. And there were some things I didn't know I had until I lost them.' TRIS

Some people believe that I will go nowhere, and maybe they're right, but maybe they're not.

I know that I'll be writing for young adults for a long time. Mostly because I just love the readers and the teachers and librarians that I interact with.