Georgia Clark

“My fingers find his. They are warm, pulsing with genetically altered blue blood, powered by mirror matter.”

“Her mouth connected with his. Everything inside her collapsed and was constructed, simultaneously.”

“I’m using beauty to subvert the system.”

“You are a goddess. You are a catch. You are, like, the outcome of every self-help book ever written.”

“There’s no such thing as ugly.”

“The most intimate moments in the world don't happen in nightclubs or backstage or even on the movie screen. They were moments like this: sitting silently, comfortably, holding hands on a darkened bedroom floor.”

“I catch movement from the corner of my eye. A tell slender boy stands near us, just a few feet away. Adrenaline bangs through my system. I shove Abel behind me and whip my knife from where I’d hidden it in my boot. “Who the hell are you?”

“She was a professional. A professional who didn’t need five inches of makeup and f*ck-me cleavage to do her job.”

“We’re a nonviolent collective working to undermine the Trust and free the Badlands. Once the Trust is exposed as lying and corrupt, we believe Edenites will do the right thing. Open the borders. Save the Badlands.” Ling lowers her voice with deliberate control. “Kudzu is going to destroy something called Aevum.”

“What do you think Amy Poehler is doing right now?”

“Owning her face, unapologetically, or—even more revolutionarily—happily was the bravest thing she could possibly do.”

“I smile broadly, feeling as warm and full as the sun.”

“I focus all my energy into become a faster, stronger, and better version of myself.”

“Technology won’t protect you from being attacked for fresh water. A badass blade will. Back in Eden where I grew up, the closest thing to knifework I’d experienced was cutting up a loaf of warm bread. Last night, I’d gutted a wild prairie chicken after scaling a rock face to find its nest and slit its throat. What a difference a year makes.”

“A mix of revenge, sadness and anger funnels into a decision that’s so simple and neat, it could fit in my pocket. I will help Kudzu destroy Aevum. Just like Magnus destroyed my mother.”