“She would rather remain silent, but her voice is no longer something to fear. Its strong. Powerful. A weapon of emotions.”

“It hurts, Summer cries, head shaking back and forth. Please, make it stop. Sweat beads on her forehead.What hurts? Cameron asks.My eyes.Summers eyes open. Everyone gasps. Theyre no longer blue; the...”

“She draws back, yet refuses to lose skin contact. Golden light flickers across his face. He is the night, the stars. His soul shines so brightly, she could pour it into a jar, and itd be as bright ...”

“Why wont you look at me? she murmurs.He doesnt speak, seemingly at a loss for words.Its my scars. It comes out as barely a whisper.Horror spasms across his face. What? No, he says, a bit breathless...”

“Refusing to listen to him any longer, Julian backs up. Whenever you realize working together is in Summers best interest, come find me, Boy Scout. Until then, Ill just pretend you dont exist. Then ...”

“Why arent you smiling? Cameron asks. She picks up the Astropad and stops the video.Because this is the beginning, not the end.”

“Why wont you look at me? she murmurs.He doesnt speak, seemingly at a loss for words.Its my scars. It comes out as barely a whisper.Horror spasms across his face. What? No, he says, a bit breathless...”

“Why arent you smiling? Cameron asks. She picks up the Astropad and stops the video.Because this is the beginning, not the end.”

“She waits for his reprimand or words of disapproval.He kisses her instead. Hard. Lips demanding, fingers tightening on her chin. He consumes her with this single act.”

“Im scared to fall asleep. I dont want to see it...”

“A couple hours went by, and the storm began to turn back to the sea. The dark clouds rolled away, leaving white, fluffy ones in their place. We were safe, and the rock in the distance was still the...”

“I sat at my desk, poured myself a glass of wine, and pondered life...my profession...was it meaningless? I took a long, drawn-back swig of the bourbon and slammed down the glass. I only then notice...”

“You matter.”

“It's taken me all this time, all this loss, to realize what really matters is now.”

“They filled our world with weapons aimed at foreheads and smiled as they shot 16 candles right through our future. They killed those strong enough to fight back and locked up the freaks who failed ...”