My heart beats so hard it hurts, and I can't scream and I can't breathe, but I also feel everything, every vein and every fiber, every bone and every nerve, all awake and buzzing in my body as if charged with electricity. I am pure adrenaline.
Veronica RothHe pulls me over the railing and against his chest, gathering me into his arms, easing an arm under my knees. I press my face into his shoulder, and there is a sudden, hollow silence.
Veronica RothOkay, okay.โ I set my hand on top of his and guide it to my chest, so itโs right over my heart. โFeel my heartbeat. Can you feel it?โ โYes.โ โFeel how steady it is?โ โItโs fast.โ โYes, well, that has nothing to do with the box.โ I wince as soon as Iโm done speaking. I just admitted to something. Hopefully he doesnโt realize that.
Veronica RothBeatrice," she says. "Beatrice, we have to run." She pulls my arm across her shoulders and hauls me to my feet. She is dressed like my mother and she looks like my mother, but she is holding a gun, and the determined look in her eyes is unfamiliar to me.
Veronica RothAnd heโs right to say that every faction loses something when it gains a virtue: the Dauntless, brave but cruel; the Erudite, intelligent but vain; the Amity, peaceful but passive; the Candor, honest but inconsiderate; the Abnegation, selfless but stifling.
Veronica RothI suppose that now would be the time to ask for forgiveness for all the things I've done, but I'm sure my list would never be complete. I also don't believe that whatever comes after life depends on my correctly reciting a list of my transgressions...I don't believe that what comes after depends on anything I do at all.
Veronica Roth