Atbash (Emma)

“But in another part of her head, the dark part where her oldest fears were housed, she knew there was another sort of reason for staying at home: she was afraid to go away alone.
[...] The characters in stories she read always seemed to go off without a thought or care, but in real life– well, the world was a dangerous place. People were always telling her so. And she would not be able to manage without protection. They were always telling her that, too.”
― Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

“They made her feel old. And the way they spoke to her, the way they looked at her, made her feel special. Important. It was a warm, spreading feeling, entirely new. She liked it, and in spite of their story, she liked them, too...”
― Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

“And all at once she was elated. Where were the terrors she'd been told she should expect? She could not recognize them anywhere. The sweet earth opened out its wide four corners to her like the petals of a flower ready to be picked, and it shimmered with light and possibility till she was dizzy with it. [...] Why, she too, might live forever in this remarkable world she was only just discovering!”
― Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting

“She was able to believe in this because she needed to; and, believing, was her own true, promising friend once more.”
― Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting