Rachel

“He was as powerless as the dead, but with none of the relief of it. At every moment he knew, awfully, that he was still alive, and that while he was alive he had to keep going.”
― Shelley Parker-Chan, He Who Drowned the World

“I stand up from the piano stool and clasp my hands above my belly as I wait, finding a dark satisfaction that, as the stairs clack, she’s coming directly to me. I feel the pull of her, her stubborn heartbeat.”
― Morgan Dante, Unholy with Eyes like Wolves

“Hi,” she says, her voice level and cool. “This bitch’s name is Irene.”
― Kelly Quindlen, She Drives Me Crazy

“Thanks for backing me up, my midnight hagette,” said Gideon, placing her back down. Harrow had not struggled, but gone limp, like a prey animal feigning death. She had the same glassy thousand-yard stare and stilled breathing. Gideon belatedly wished to be exploded, but reminded herself to act cool. “I appreciate it, my crepuscular queen. It was good. You were good.”
― Tamsyn Muir, Gideon the Ninth