Shi Jia

“Scoot over," she whispered.
The mattress shook with his movement.
"A little more," she said.
"If I get any closer to the wall," he hissed, "I'll have to buy it dinner.”
― Melissa Landers, Starflight

“I’m not sorry it happened,” she told him.
Doran turned to meet her eyes, shaking his head as he took her face in his palm. “Me neither,” he said. “I’m sorry how it happened.”
― Melissa Landers, Starflight

“What have they done to your poor arm?' - Holly
'Oh, don't worry, it's just a graze.' - Lucy
'I'm talking about the bandages. That's simply the most incompetent bit of first aid I've ever seen. Lockwood, George - how much dressing did you use?”
― Jonathan Stroud, The Creeping Shadow

“Strange how close the darkness is, even when things seem brightest. Even in the glare of a summer noon, when the sidewalk bakes and iron fences are hot to the touch, the shadows are still with us. They congregate in doorways and porches, and under bridges, and beneath the brims of gentlemen’s hats so you cannot see their eyes. There is darkness in our mouths and ears; in our bags and wallets; within the swing of men’s jackets and beneath the flare of women’s skirts. We carry it around with us, the dark, and its influence stains us deep.”
― Jonathan Stroud, The Creeping Shadow