Quotes from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“I sat on the hill, the wind whispering through the long grass that surrounded me. I stared at the stars and wanted more than what I was and more than what the world was and just - wanted.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“I tried to picture her in a class, any class, anywhere on campus, and failed miserably. I pictured her frolicking in a forest glade around some guy she'd just sacrificed to a heathen god. That image worked way better.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“Do you ever get the feeling that something awful might happen?' James asked me. . . I sat up. 'I'm the awful thing that happens.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“We dance, we dance. You hold the thread of my soul. You spin, you spin. And you unravel the part from the whole. We laugh, we laugh. I'm so far from where I began. I fall, I fall. And I forget that I am.-from Golden Tongue:The Poems of Steven Slaughter”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“You needn't tell a bird it's a bird. Or remind a fish of its purpose. It's only us who lose our way. We have names because we must. - from Golden Tongue: The Poems of Steven Slaughter”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“Look, I realize both of you could happily strangle each other across the table, but I don't think that's the most effective use of our time, and frankly, I don't think I have enough money to tip the waitress for that kind of clean-up. And look, here's lunch. Let's eat that instead of eachother.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“The fact was, I didn't know if I was built for happy endings.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“It's like thinking you're going to heaven, but when you get there it turns out to be Cleveland.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“Nuala, can we just have, like, a cease-fire? I mean, you can go back to calling me an ass and trying to lure me to my death tomorrow and I'll go back to treating you like a psychotic bitch and researching ways to exorcise you in the morning, but seriously, can we just have a cease-fire for tonight?”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“I've been waiting for you forever."

"Forever' as in several hundred years, or forever as in since my lesson began?”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“M'Dear," I said cordially, "Your butt's blocking my bumper. Do you think you could move your loitering five feet to the south and let me leave?”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“I gave Paul a withering look but the truth was I was curious as hell. First of all, to find out what Sullivan wanted. And second, to see what a teacher's room looked like. I'd always sort of figured they came out during the day to teach classes and then got stored in shoe boxes under someone's bed until they were needed again. (James)”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“Eleanor's voice was below zero. 'My finest horse to whichever faerie in this room brings me that woman's left eye.'

My thoughts exactly.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“The most dangerous and wonderful creature alive is the human.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“People being nice for no apparent reason always made me suspicious. People being nice to me with no apparent reason made me even more suspicious.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“Interesting choice," Sullivan said. He slid his gaze over to Paul, who was drumming his fingers on the table in a manic, caffeine-inspired way and blinking a lot. Paul wasn't out-and-out singing along with the king of the dead, but he might as well have put out a big neon sign saying "How's My Driving? Ask Me About My Nerves: 1-800-WIG-N-OUT."
--James”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“My friend is having his period," I told the pizza guy, and handed him his tip. "He needs Britney and extra cheese to get him through it. I'm trying to be supportive.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“A frightening menagerie, my emotions are
Too many and varied to number
Like creatures they crawl and they fly above
Tearing my body asunder.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“Unrequited love," I'd say. He'd look at me sideways in that cunning way he did and say, "what about it?" and I'd reply, "it's not your color." Pithy. Just to show him that I'd noticed. Or maybe I'd show myself to her and say, "Guess I'm not the only one who uses humans around here." And then I'd summon some of Owain's hounds to chew off the bottom bits of her legs. Then she wouldn't fit just right into his arms. She'd be too short. It'd be like hugging a midget.
Nuala- pg. 75”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“Nuala shot me a hard look. "Shut up. I don't think love has anything to do with how the other person is. I mean, maybe a little. I think what really matters is you yourself. Like, you know, let's say you lo- really liked a self-involved ass. That doesn't matter. What matters is how that ass makes you feel. If you feel like the best person in the world when you're with him, that's what makes you like him. It really isn't about how nice of a person he is at all.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“When they say "my heart skipped a beat," they're full of crap. Really, what they mean is, your heart sort of stutters and thinks about stopping for a second before it remembers that beating is good for it.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“When the end comes, dark and hungry I'll be alone, love When the end comes, black and starving I'll say good-bye, love.-from Golden Tongue: The Poems of Steven Slaughter”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“I was thinking about attraction. I have this theory on it. On love." She wouldn't look at me.
I swallowed, but managed, "This ought to be good."
Nuala shot me a hard look. "Shut up. I don't think love has anything to do with how the other person is. I mean, maybe a little. I think what really matters is you yourself. Like, you know, let's say you lo- really liked a self-involved ass. That doesn't matter. What matters is how that ass makes you feel. If you feel like the best person in the world when you're with him, that's what makes you like him. It really isn't about how nice a person he is at all."
I ran my tongue over my bottom lip. "I like it. It's like the selfish person's guide to love. It's not you, baby, it's me I'm in love with.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“I couldn't remember the last time I hadn't had to fake gratitude for a gift, and now that I actually was grateful, thank you didn't seem to cut it.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“I didn't know what to say. It kind of hurt just to look at her, in a way i'd forgotten. Sort of like a splinter - not when you first get it under your skin, but the slow ache after it has been taken out.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“El sueño tiene su propia cadencia, su propia melodía, como la muerte. A veces es silenciosa, a veces se eleva en una hermosa armonía, que no se recuerda muy bien cuando uno está huyendo de ella.
-de Lengua de Oro: Los Poemas de Steven Slaughter.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“I'm just not a good psychic. I can tell when something's not right, sometimes, but I can't tell what it is, or when it is, or if I'm supposed to do anything about it. I've tried to make it make sense, but I can't. It's just feelings instead of words.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

“But that drummer – the one who could make his drum sound like water dropping into a bucket or like the footfalls of a giant or like rain scattering on a roof – he was the one to watch. He was the one who could make you forget yourself.”
― Maggie Stiefvater, quote from Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie

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“You were right to end it with us,” I said harshly. “And I’m not willing to do it again.”

He stared at me, shocked. My words were a lie, of course. Part of me wanted to try again, to endure anything to be with him. But I couldn’t stop thinking about Maddie. Couldn’t stop thinking about the hurt she would go through. It was ironic, really. Last time, he’d gone out of his way to hurt me purposely because it was for the greater good. Now I was doing the same for both of them, saving her from heartache and him from more grief with me. We were in an endless cycle.

“You can’t mean that. I know you can’t.” His face was a mixture of incredulity and pain.

I shook my head. “I do. You and me are a disaster. What we did during this stasis...it was wrong. It was disgraceful. Immoral. We betrayed someone who loves both of us, who wishes nothing but the best for us. How could we do that? What kind of precedent is that? How could we expect to have a solid relationship that was built on that sort of sordid foundation? One that was built on lies and deceit?” Saying those words hurt. It was tarnishing the beauty of these precious few days we had, but I needed to make my case.

Seth was silent for several moments as he assessed me. “You’re serious.”

“Yes.” I was a good liar, good enough that the person who loved me most couldn’t tell. “Go back to her, Seth. Go back to her and make it up to her.”

“Georgina...” I could see it, see it hitting him. The full weight of betraying Maddie was sinking in. His nature couldn’t ignore the wrong he’d done. It was part of his good character, the character that had gone back to save Dante, the character that was going to make him leave me. Again. Hesitantly, he extended his hand to me. I took it, and he pulled me into an embrace. “I will always love you.”

My heart was going to burst. How many times, I wondered, could I endure this kind of agony? “No, you won’t,” I said. “You’ll move on. So will I.”

Seth left not long after that. Staring at the door, I replayed my own words. You’ll move on. So will I. In spite of how much he loved me, how much he was willing to risk, I truly felt he’d go back to Maddie, that he’d believe what I said. I’d driven home the guilt, made it trump his love for me.

You’ll move on. So will I.

The unfortunate part about being a good liar, however, was that while I could get other people to believe my words, I didn’t believe them myself.”
― Richelle Mead, quote from Succubus Heat

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