Exactly," said Maddie. "What’s your favorite flavor?"
"I bet I can guess," said Simone. "Chocolate."
"Strawberry," said Maddie.
Losers. It was vanilla.
"Vanilla,” said Seth.

You should make her call you ‘Miss Georgina,’” added Hugh with a mocking southern drawl. “Or at least ‘ma’am.’”
Niphon’s presence and Jerome’s lecture had put me in a grouchy mood. “I’m not doing any mentoring. She’s so gungho to take on the world’s male population, she doesn’t even need me.”
The three men exchanged more smirks. Cody made some hissing and meowing sounds, scratching at the air.
"This isn’t funny,” I said.
"Sure it is,” said Cody.

What were good and evil, really, but stupid categories? Stupid categories
that restricted people and punished or rewarded them based on how they responded to their own natures, natures they really didn't have any way to control.

We all have moments of weakness. It’s how we recover from them that really counts.

Bless you, daugher of man," Carter said, his eyes luminous and almost silver now. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes and caught my breath. His lips were both burning hot and icy cold.

Wait,” he said. “That’s not a word.”

I looked down to where, in a moment of desperation, I’d played zixic on a triple-word-score space.

“Uh, sure it is.”

“What’s it mean?”

“It’s sort of like…quixotic, but with more…”

“Bullshit?”

I laughed out loud. I’d never heard him swear before.

“More zeal. Hence the z.”

“Uh-huh. Use it in a sentence.”

“Um…’You are a zixic writer.’“

“I don’t believe this.”

“That you’re zixic?”

“That you’re trying to cheat at Scrabble.” He leaned back against my couch, shaking his head. “I mean, I was ready to accept the whole evil thing, but this is kind of extreme.