It's true what they say, you know. First fuck. First love. First kill. You never forget your first.

Maybe in a way all living things are like flickering flames in a precarious night, always on the verge of being extinguished. Whether we kindle slowly but steadily, or go out in a brilliant burst of light and color, is our choice. Perhaps the most important choice we'll ever have.

Jay had forgotten how good it could feel to be consumed—so good that you didn't feel the pain of it until you were already long gone.

I'm only gilt on the surface. Below that, it's darkness all the way down.