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

“In New York, everything was permissible. No one cared what you wore, how you looked. Only you cared about those things. And if they didn’t worry you, then they didn’t matter.”

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

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

“I can almost see the processes whirrling clunkily in his singularix, as his excited nervous system battled with his logic circuits.”

“Out here we speak Malspeak, a mangle of English and old languages like Spanish, Mandarin, and Russian. Dialects from a time when the land was defined by many borders. Now there’s only one that matters. And I am on the wrong side of it.”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“There’s no such thing as ugly.”

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