She knew that the dead hid pieces of themselves in the world. They buried organs in the living. They stuffed memories into trees and clouds and other innocuous things.

— Lauren DeStefano

She’s a commodity in a sea of broken girls.

— Lauren DeStefano

She's been conned, ruined, left for dead, and she's not going to forgive any of it. She will soldier on, if only out of spite.

— Lauren DeStefano

She smiles at our husband as she moves, and he blushes, overcome by her beauty. But I know what her smile really means... Her smile is her revenge.

— Lauren DeStefano

Stone gnomes and angels filled the gardens, and it seemed that they were also sleeping, as though a witch had cast a spell on them.

— Lauren DeStefano

Stroller wasn't told the story of her birth. But even as a very small girl, she felt deep in her chest that she was alive and dead at the same time.

— Lauren DeStefano

The clouds took on the shape of dancers; from somewhere far off, Stroller heard music before the clouds became normal again.

— Lauren DeStefano

The madness of youth made me unafraid.

— Lauren DeStefano

There is a dark place calling to me, but I will not go just yet. I know I can't return from it.

— Lauren DeStefano

There is a silence so great that I can hear the ice crystals cracking and falling from eyelashes of girls who will never blink again.

— Lauren DeStefano