“I’ve perfected the art of the fake smile. It’s not so difficult when you are completely numb.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“And I'm falling in love with you," he whispers. "But I would throw you in the water and watch crocodiles tear you to bits, if I thought that doing so would accomplish my goals. Do. Not. Trust. Anyone. Especially me.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“Bursts of hope make despair harder to live with.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“Just because you don't want to see something doesn't mean that it will go away. Do you think inhumanity doesn't exist if you pretend not to see it? Or maybe get too drunk to understand? We've forgotten the things that make life worthwhile.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“I won't cry. When the guilt is this heavy, you can't. It just settles and stays with you, and it's cold.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“She has to live, Eliott. I owe her a lifetime of apologies.”
“Sometimes I think that’s all we owe our parents.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“Hours trickle by, and I wilt. The magic isn't here for me tonight. I can't get away from the heavy feeling of being me. I want to blend in, to be someone besides myself, someone who is part of something secret and subversive and exciting.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“Or maybe the ugliness is in us.
That's just the way we are.
Underneath the pretense of civilization.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“She's made herself so artificial; it's okay to wear next to nothing because we aren't real people any longer.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“Thank you for keeping her safe," Elliott tells Will.
"I will always keep her safe.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“I need some fresh air," I say.
"Then by all means go outside. If it doesn't clear your head, it will probably kill you." Will might be teasing. I can't tell.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“where do you want to go?
Back to violinist. I want to hear songs about suicide.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“No matter what creatures people fear in the dead of the night, in this city, violence is more likely to be carried out by men”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“You have to remember that there are reasons to live, and that at least a few people are decent, and that the world is worthwhile some of the time, okay?”
I raise my face to his, wanting another kiss, but he stops me.
“You will remember?”
The balloon bumps downward again. His eyes are still closed.
“Why don’t you open your eyes?”
He opens one and squints at me for a second. “I’m terrified of heights,” he says.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“Araby is good at getting men to sleep beside her without anything... happening”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“I stand alone for several minutes, watching the shadows move across the stones. The mortar that holds them in place is coarse and thick, as if the stones didn't exactly fit together and had to be glued into place. The prince had the entire castle moved from across the sea. A prop for his megalomania. I shiver.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“You're April's closest friend. I wasn't expecting you to fall into bed with me, but the two of you haven't exactly
been living a chaste lifestyle.
"I was". My voice is small.
"What?"
"Chaste. I made a promise."...
"So there you are, drinking and taking drugs to the point of incapacitation, and you've been missing out on the
best part of debauchery?"
"I wouldn't know"
"If you want to know, tell me”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“Will leans forward, pulls off his mask, and kisses my forehead. "I'm glad I was the one to save you this time
" he whispers.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“So there you are, drinking and taking drugs to the point of incapacitation, and you've been missing out on the
best part of debauchery?"
"I wouldn't know."
"If you want to know, tell me.”
― Bethany Griffin, quote from Masque of the Red Death
“When did you know?” Brie asked her. “When did you know for sure he was absolutely perfect for you?” “Not right away,” she admitted. “I wanted no part of a man who claimed he could take care of me, for obvious reasons. But John moves real slow.” She laughed. “Real slow. It was all in the way his frown would slowly go away when he looked at me, the way his voice would get all tender and soft when he talked to me. His caution, his shyness. It takes a lot for a man like John to make a move. He has to be sure of everything. By the time he got around to telling me he loved me, I thought I’d die waiting for him. But he’s a careful man—and he doesn’t change his mind.” “How’d he do it?” Brie wanted to know. “Propose.” “Hmm.” She thought. “Well, we’ve talked about this for a while—about making a commitment when things got under control. He told me at Christmastime he wanted to be with me forever, add to the family, and I wanted that, too. But when you come down to the exact, official proposal, he was peeling potatoes. He stopped what he was doing and looked across the kitchen at me. My hair was stringy, I was sweating from the heat of the stove and doing dishes, and he said, ‘Whenever you’re ready, I want to marry you. I’m dying to marry you,’ he said.” “Well,” Brie said, unimpressed. “That must have knocked you right off your feet.” “Yeah, it did,” she said in a sigh. “John’s the only person I’ve ever known who could look at me in my worst physical and emotional state and think I’m perfect.” Mel”
― Robyn Carr, quote from Shelter Mountain
“Traffic in Joburg is like the democratic process. Every time you think it's going to get moving and take you somewhere, you hit another jam.”
― Lauren Beukes, quote from Zoo City
“In some ways I liked the struggle better, I think. It clarified what was important.”
― Robin Oliveira, quote from My Name is Mary Sutter
“I want to escape with you, Jack."
"I'll always be your escape, Lex.”
― K.A. Linde, quote from Avoiding Responsibility
“Into your hands at last I have come vanquished." She obeyed. "Where I know that I must die,”
― Gabriel García Márquez, quote from No One Writes to the Colonel and Other Stories
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