Morgan Tonkin > Quotes

“Prisha stared, unable to move, unable to speak, unable to answer. Her skin prickled as goosebumps erupted over her body. The air stood up all down her arms. The breeze turned from cool to cold. ‘What is it? Prisha? What is it?!’ Prisha’s throat was dry as she swallowed. ‘It’s a spaceship.’ ‘No it’s not.’ Renee gave a nervous laugh. Classic. Undeniable. Could it be a joke? Prisha doubted it. Secret human technology? Possible. Alien? Jesus Christ. Her heart was slamming in her chest as all her most terrifying, dramatic and astonishing fantasies exploded into life all at once.”
― Morgan Tonkin, Artificial Heart

“Footsteps. Actual footsteps! They thudded heavily against the floor. They seemed to circle the room. Prisha bit down hard into her knee as they passed right by her hiding space. They stopped. Another creak. Then silence. Silence except for Prisha’s panting breaths and the hum and vibration of the ship. For a long time she sat there, waiting, dreading, tense, arse aching against the hard floor. It was cold too. Goosebumps prickled her arms and she couldn’t stop trembling. Every now and then she heard a click and a creak but nothing more. He/she/it was quiet for an alien.”
― Morgan Tonkin, Artificial Heart

“Prisha turned to the window. She stepped back with a gasp. The night was black. Blacker than black. The stars were twinkling with a brightness that was uncanny. Outer space. Was she already in outer space? She couldn’t be. What about gravity? Shouldn’t she be floating?”
― Morgan Tonkin, Artificial Heart

“A rainbow of dim lights gently circled around its circumference. The red light was beaming from somewhere high up. Its purpose—Prisha didn’t attempt to fathom. All of that, however, was hardly the most heart-pounding thing—below the red light was a ramp. Expectant. Dangerous. Tempting. ‘It’s like they’re waiting for us,’ Prisha whispered. ‘We have to get out of here,’ her sister hissed in her ear. Her cold hand was like a vice around Prisha’s wrist. She tried to drag Prisha away. ‘No.’ She pulled back. ‘No. I want to stay. I want to see.”
― Morgan Tonkin, Artificial Heart