“Losing people you love affects you. It is buried inside of you and becomes this big, deep hole of ache. It doesn't magically go away, even when you stop officially mourning.”

“She smirks."Are you attempting to stop me, little one?""Excuse me? Did you just call me 'little one'? What are you? Like, four feet tall?" I ask.”

“Hes fine. Every time any of us are late you imagine were dead. You are no longer allowed to imagine anyone is dead.Im not imagining hes dead, I whisper, but Im totally imagining him bleeding to dea...”

“So theres this annual dance in a couple of weeks.The Winter Ball, I interrupt. There have been signs up everywhere.You want to go?I think about it for a half second. Will you dress up?He nods.I mov...”

“Nick leans down and kisses my eyelids. Loving you, Zara, is a full-time job. Its a great job, dont get me wrong. Its the best job in the universe. But it is not easy, because you tend to . . .Get h...”

“Well fight them. We took down my dad. Weve taken down so many since then. Well take down these jokesters too.I will never let anything happen to you, Nick growls into my hair. I will die before you...”

“Nick leans down and kisses my eyelids. Loving you, Zara, is a full-time job. Its a great job, dont get me wrong. Its the best job in the universe. But it is not easy, because you tend to . . .Get h...”

“Nick leans down and kisses my eyelids. “Loving you, Zara, is a full-time job. It’s a great job, don’t get me wrong. It’s the best job in the universe. But it is not easy, because you tend to . . .”...”

“I push my thigh against his. “Well, thank God.”“Thank God what?” he asks. His hand slowly rubs up and down the place where my shoulder meets my arm. It makes me good shiver.“That I don’t have a nec...”

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,Love like you'll never be hurt,Sing like there's nobody listening,And live like it's heaven on earth.”

“Oh Woman, come before us, before our eyes longing for beauty, and tired of the ugliness of civilization, come in simple tunics, letting us see the line and harmony of the body beneath, and dance fo...”

“And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand, They danced by the light of the moon.”

“Rosy waited as long as she dared then sat forward and let her eye rove Frannys lounge, up and down the shelves, looking for something, not even sure she could bring herself to act if she saw it aga...”

“Over the water of time I call to youIn a language I do not know.”

“Grandmam came back from that distance in time that separates grandmothers from their grandchildren and made herself a mother to me.”