Aurora

“An illusion." She stared at the faux leather. "Fear is an illusion to keep us from our full potential. It's what traps Dredgers so they can't be free. What traps us in within their nightmares. But a nightmare is an illusion of what could be. Not what is. Once the fear is gone, it's not a nightmare anymore.”
― A.J. Lexa, Lines Between Stars

“And God above us all," Cybil said. "Observing us squirming on our hooks.”
― Natasha Siegel, As Many Souls as Stars

“One final exhale, so she might breathe common sense into his soul. A single sigh, so Brax would understand the desperation behind what he meant to her. Half a heartbeat to show him though hers might've failed, it'd never fail him.”
― A.J. Lexa, Lines Between Stars

“Grief is like a splinter too deep underneath your skin to remove. At first, it is a sharp pain. Then a dull one that only bites when you press it. But you endure. You shape your new self around it, and you learn to survive. Eventually, they tell me you'll learn to thrive.”
― Beverly Twomey, What the Sea Brings