Marisa Fendi > Quotes

“Leaves travelled down to her head and lap. For a moment she felt relaxed until her nose caught an unbearable stench. Gagging, she glanced around. Branches creaked against each other above her as the wind grew stronger.
She looked up at the tree.
A pop of blue stuck out between the leaves, a pair of hands draped over long twisty branches.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“He paused as he heard wailing floating outside. He pictured a frail woman in
distress, but the person itself was nowhere to be seen. It faded after a minute as if
it were just passing by.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“Blood trickled onto her dress, but she didn’t mind. It took a while before her horrific appearance transformed into what it used to be. Her skin, though still pale, became smoother, every chapped corner fading away along with its veiny texture. It was all gone, disappearing with the pain.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“You got to face it,” Zurin told him. “He’s gone.”
“He has to be here somewhere.”
“You think all the people who encounter her survive?” She laughed bitterly. “For all we know he’s dead.”
Joe scoffed. “Sweetheart, everybody thought you were dead.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“The last thing she ate was a protein bar at six, right before she set out on the road. So when she saw a familiar red Proton Iswara driving forward she thought she was hallucinating, until it parked near the tent and out came Danial.
Adira stood as he jogged forward.
“What,” she began, “are you doing here?”
“Looking for the best clubs in town.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“Adli skimmed through the book and studied the letters smudged in dark brownish-red ink. “This isn’t what I think it is?”
“Blood,” said Zurin as she picked out a bone from her fish.
“How do you know?” asked Joe.
“Come on,” she said. “No witch would write with a red pen just for the fun of it.”
“So…it’s…blood,” said Adam. “Do I want to ask whose specifically?”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“A soft humming flowed into the room.
She stiffened. Laughter accompanied the song, a sweet little melody. Her chest stung like it had been punched. She coughed her throat dry until she tasted metal in her mouth. Drops of blood splattered onto the floor. She dropped to her knees and fell on her side. The light fixture on the ceiling was no more than a blurry image.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“Though dark, they could feel it, something behind them, chasing them, and it wasn’t going to stop. They heard it, the sound of it moving so fast that they worried their feet wouldn’t be able to run any faster.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“You saw her, didn’t you?” Fatimah said.
Adira felt her body freeze. She blinked, and for a second she saw the young woman on the street, long black hair, black dress.
“The victims’ souls,” Fatimah went on, “are already hers once they step foot into her home.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“The door to Joe’s room slowly opened. It was dark inside, but the light from the corridor was enough to see a body hiding in the shadows.
Anger bubbled up inside him.
“Come out,” he ordered.
She stood there, unmoving, with only her dirty feet showing in the light.
“Come on!” he shouted.
She stepped back, heading deeper into the shadows until she was no longer seen.
He slammed the door wide open and turned on the light. The only thing he found was Joe’s bed, his guitar and a pile of dirty laundry on the floor.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“The rims around her eyes burned red, glistening in the candlelight. Her dress was the only thing normal about her, black with flowery prints, but a closer look and you’d notice the frayed edges stopping at her ankles.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“A strange sound captured his full attention. It was faint, and he felt it odd, as though it didn’t belong in the music of the jungle. He looked at Fatin who was also trying to make sense of it. It drew closer until it was loud enough for them to hear, someone humming, a woman’s voice. It came nearer until it was right beside them. Aman had to make sure it wasn’t Fatin.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“He paused as he heard wailing floating outside. He pictured a frail woman in distress, but the person itself was nowhere to be seen. It faded after a minute as if it were just passing by.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“He turned around, expecting to see Fatin. There was nothing but tall barks in his view. He walked further and about three minutes in he heard scuffling.
He whirled around. “Fatin?”
The owls answered instead.
He scanned the trees, looking up, down and around.
“Aman,” she whispered, but it wasn’t Fatin.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“Zurin…Zurin!”
The longer time passed, the more troubled it sounded, like someone miserably shouting in pain.
Then she saw it. Nadia by the trees. Nadia waving at her.
“Over here!” Nadia called. Her voice was soft as a whisper, and though far away it sounded as if she were speaking right next to her.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“When the tall one laughed the others echoed. He was caught off guard when Adira twisted his arm, causing him to scream. She twisted it again and brought him to the ground.
“You know where she is, don’t you?” she said.
“I thought cops weren’t supposed to harm people!”
“Yeah, well, I’m not a cop.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“Her body went still at the snapping of twigs.
One snap, two snaps.
She paid attention to the sound getting closer until it was directly behind her back.
Three snaps.
She looked to find Chinda in her tattered black dress.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda

“Aman folded his arms and stubbornly stood his ground. After a while, he finally sat down, but his scowl wouldn’t go away.
“This is nice,” Adli murmured. “It’s kind of like having a picnic, you know? Speaking of picnics, I could really use a bowl of ais kacang right now. And nasi lemak. With chicken rendang. What about you guys? What do you want?”
“Freedom,” Joe answered.
“A cigarette,” Zurin replied.”
― Marisa Fendi, Chinda