Lucy Adlington

“You don't have books?!' Rose almost sat up and banged her head on the roof rafters. That made the rats jump. 'How can you live without reading?'
'Pretty well so far.' I laughed. 'Stories are just made-up stuff anyway.'
'Says who? I think they're a different way of telling the truth.' Then, 'Seriously - no books? Oh, Ella, you have no idea what you've been missing! Stories are food and drink and life...I mean, haven't you heard the story about a girl who made a gown out of starlight?'
'A gown out of starlight? How could you even do that...?'
'Well,' said Rose. 'Once upon a time...'
And that was that. No sleep for me till Rose wrapped up with a triumphant The End.”
― Lucy Adlington, The Red Ribbon

“You've got to cram it into your thick heads: the sickos that sent us to this place are so stuffed with hate they've got to spew it out on someone, it almost doesn't matter who. If it's not one race, face or religion it'd be another. Right now it's us they vomit on. Next war it'll be some other poor beggars, then some others, then -'
'I want to go home!' the poor woman gasped, in between shakes and sobs.
'And I want to murder every last beast in this hellhole with my bare hands,' Girder raged. She had hands as big as dinner plates. 'The best we can do instead is live. Are you listening? The only way to beat them is by not dying. So shut up and survive, you miserable cow. And let the rest of us sleep.”
― Lucy Adlington, The Red Ribbon