Mae's first impulse was to die of shame, but she realized after a hot, stomach-clenching moment that this was probably impractical.

all fiction is better with explosions' said Jared. 'Basic fact of life.

Hark,” he said, his tone very dry. “What stone through yonder window breaks?”Kami yelled up at him, “It is the east, and Juliet is a jerk!

So, I was looking through websites about animal sacrifice on the Internet," Kami announced to distract herself. "Apparently it's a feature in Satanic rituals." "Wow," Rusty remarked, his voice slightly muffled. "I sure hope this conversation continues over dinner." "Wait," Angela said, expertly twisting Rusty's arm. "I thought we were dealing with kids? Are we talking about twelve-year-old Satanists?" She paused. "Actually, that makes a lot of sense. I suspect those kids from the cricket club.

There are none so deaf as those listening to ‘All by Myself’ over and over and over again.

Nick could see the gun shaking in Alan's hand now, in tight, terrified spasms. "Last night we put a magician in the river," Alan said, his voice low and intense as if he was making a promise."Maybe we should send you to join him.""You know the rules," the woman whispered. "Don't shoot the messenger."Nick interrupted, leaning down to speak in her ear. "Do they say 'Don't cut the messenger in half with your great big sword'?