I am better off doing as abnegation taught me: turning away from myself, projecting always outward, and hoping that in whatever is next, I will be better than I am now.

There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved for the sake of something greater.

So how can I hold Tobias’s desperation against him, like I’m better than him, like I’ve never let my own brokenness blind me?

The first step to loving someone else is to recognize the evil in ourselves, so we can forgive them.

I get the strange urge to hit my head against the wall. Other people's sobs make me feel uncomfortable.

If I don't survive," I say, "tell Tobias I didn't want to leave him.

I have your back. I didn't mean only when it's easy. All the time.