“I tell you to think black thoughts and you come up with that?!" the lieutenant had screamed. "Is a guinea pig bad? Do you consider a guinea pig the representation of all that is evil?"
Maybe... if it's an evil guinea pig.”
“You can't spend so much time in a place and not carry a bit of it inside you.”
“But I killed you,” Alyss said. “Did you?” Red turned to The Cat. “Why wasn’t I informed?”
“Silence is hereby outlawed. Silence breeds independent thought, which in turn breeds dissent.”
“She didn't bother to understand it all; it was history--boring boring boring.”
“For most of the universe's life is not all gummy wads and tarty tarts; is a struggle against hardship, unfairness, corruption, abuse, and adversity in all its guises, where even to survive - let alone survive with dignity - is heroic. To soldier through the days in the wake of failure is the courageous act of many.”
“I've finished running from you, Redd. It's time for you to run."
--Alyss”
“We're family," Alyss said.
Redd snorted. "Is that supposed to mean something?"
Family," Alyss said again, trying to convince herself more than Redd.
Don't talk to me about family! You were never disowned by your parents!"
I'd rather have been disowned by them then see them murdered.”
“I think I speak for all of us when I say, "Huh?”
“After the temper subsides and one has a moment to calmly reflect, it isn't uncommon for declarations shouted in a fit of rage to strike one as untrue, and because they may have been hurtful to family, friends, lovers, husbands, or wives, one wishes them unsaid.”
“Redd shed caution like an outgrown skin.”
“Do you know what they call themselves, all these people?"
Alyss shook her head. How could she know?
"Alyssians." Bibwit spelled it out.
Her heart gave a little jump. Alyssians? No, they ask too much of me. "I don't think I'm ready for all of this," she said.”
“He talked to himself because there weren't many people as learned as he, and he liked to talk to learned people.”
“The black, hungry roses that Redd sent snaking towards the princess were easily squashed, the orbs and and unmanned, airborne blades of effortlessly waved off, and the spears of black energy (Alyss was flattered, her aunt borrowing this idea from her) pinned motionless to the air by Alyss's own white spears with no trouble.”
“What am I to do with you?" Redd asked.
"M-maybe you could-" Jack began.
The Cat raised a paw. "I know."
"It was a rhetorical question, fools! You don't answer it! Since when do I need help making anyone suffer?”
“The queen is head. Long live the queen...me."
The platoon of renegade soldiers cheered. Redd kicked The Cat where he lay on the floor, tongue lolling in his mouth, the picture of death. "Get up! You still have seven more lives."
The Cat's eyes fluttered open.
Find Alyss and kill her."
With a wave of her hand, the looking glass was once again whole. The Cate jumped through, in prosuit of the only living Heart besides Redd.”
“I'm stronger than you are, Redd.”
“Redd's face contorted with a sudden realization. "How could I have been so stupid?"
The Cat was trying to decide if this was a rhetorical question when she roared, "It's a construct!"
With a dismiissive swing of Redd's arm, Alyss and her army began to shimmer, the billon points of engery that formed them monentarily visible before exploding apart into nothing. Redd scoped the queendom with her imagination's eye. "Where are you, Alyss? Where is my dear little niece?”
“Lesson number 1b in Bibwit's carefully planned curriculum: For most of the universe's inhabitants, life is not all gummy wads and tarty tarts; it is a struggle against hardship, unfairness, corruption, abuse, and adversity in all its guises, where even to survive - let alone survive with dignity- is heroic. To soldier through the days in a wake of failure is the corageous act of many. To rule benevolently, a queen should be able to enter into the feelings of those less fortunate than herself.”
“Ah, ah, no buts. You’ve just returned to us and it is too soon to express whatever doubts you undoubtedly have with that most cowardly of words, that qualifier of qualifiers, but.”
“I tell you to think black thoughts and you come up with that!?” the lieutenant had screamed. “Is a guinea pig bad? Do you consider a guinea pig the representation of all that’s evil?” “Maybe…if it’s an evil guinea pig?”
“But like many young men who grow up as privileged as Jack of Diamonds, he didn’t suspect his own ignorance.”
“What’s the rush, little fellow?” asked Bibwit Harte. “What seems to be the trouble?” “You’re the little fellow!” Jack said. “Hmm, well…in the grand scheme of the cosmos, I am a little fellow. We’re all quite little, if you think about it that way. Good point, Jack.”
“You have to understand that it is your attempt to get special experiences from life that makes you miss the actual experience of life.”
“Charm me into giving you the red M&Ms. They’re my favorite.'
I looked Hades in the eyes. 'Give me the red M&Ms.'
'Still not good enough.'
'Give me the damn M&Ms,"'I snapped.
He snickered. 'That wasn’t very charming.”
“My Sabine,
I just left your room. You were so beautiful lying there sound asleep that I couldn’t bear to wake you. But I’m not feeling so great and there are things I promised to tell you that I fear I may not get the chance to.
I know you had once hoped that I would be the one to pass on your letters to Maddie once you were gone. But, as it turns out, I think it is going to be me who ends up leaving the letters behind.
Be mad at me. You should. But after that try to understand that I did what I thought was best. I wanted to tell you. So many times I snuck down to your room planning on telling you everything, but I just couldn’t.
Partly it was for you – yes. You needed time and I didn’t want to influence your choices, even once I realised what was happening between us, even more so then. Falling in love with you only made those choices more complicated and I feared that you might choose to stay for me and then, after I was gone, change your mind. I couldn’t let that happen.
Partly the choice was selfish, and for that I am sorry. For so long now people have been trying to fix me, but where they failed, you succeeded. You’ve given me more life in the last couple of weeks that I’ve had in years. Being with you, loving you, making memories with you, fearing for you, wanting to show you the beauty of life instead of the terror – it was bittersweet, but more importantly Sabine, it was real.
I know this is the part when I beg you to go on, live your life and be happy. But I don’t need to say those things. I know you. Your lives will be extraordinary. You certainly made mine feel that way.
Please find it in your heart to forgive me one day. I wish we had more time, but I want to thank you – for giving me life in my time of death.
My love for you is eternal.
Ethan.”
“His eyes blazed at me, but it was the best kind of heat. He smiled, and for the first time in my life I believed that, for him, I could be more than I’d ever dreamed.”
“If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does anyone give a crap?" I mutter.”
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