Jessica Khoury Quotes

Everytime he looked at her she felt brighter inside, and she yearned to keep his attention, to hold his gaze. ~ Jessica Khoury

He makes a face and tosses the flower at me. It lands on my cheek, and I pick it up and twirl it between my fingers. I could lie out here all day, not moving an inch, feeling the sun above and the grass below. With a contented sigh, I stretch my arms wide, raking the grass with my fingers - and find myself brushing Aladdin's hand with my own. I pull it away quickly, my cheeks warming. He laughs a little.
"Sometimes," he says, "I forget you're supposed to be four thousand years old. You act as shy as a girl of sixteen."
"I do not!" I sit up and glare at him.
He grins and shrugs, sliding his hands under his head. There are bits of grass stuck in his hair, and after a moment's hesitation, I reach over and flick them away.
Aladdin watches me silently, his throat bobbing as he swallows. I drop my gaze. ~ Jessica Khoury

I twirl away, then back to him, staying on my toes, my hips always lightly rotating. He reacts clumsily at first, but soon the awkwardness fades away and he begins matching my movements, reflecting them in reverse. We dance like this, wrist to wrist, twirl and turn, step for step, for several more minutes. He holds my gaze, our eyes connecting at every turn, anticipating one another's movements.
His pulse is so strong against my wrist that it echoes through me, almost like a heartbeat of my own. My skin warms; my breath catches in my throat. I know how closely I dance along the line of destruction, but I cannot pull myself away. He is intoxicating, his force of life an addiction I cannot refuse. I have not felt this alive in centuries, not since you, Habiba, when you taught me the dance of Fahradan. Ours was a dance of giddy laughter, a dance of friends, sisters, a dance of life and youth and hope.
But this dance is different.
It is not I but he who entices, reversing the ancient roles of the dance. And I resist because I must, because if I don't, because if I give in to the all-too-human desires racing through me - then it is Aladdin who will pay the terrible price.
"Stop." I drop my wrists and step away, and he does the same, still caught up in mirroring me. Except that he is breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling with exertion, his eyes filled with a strange, wondrous, curious look as he stares at me. He moves closer, his eyes fixed on mine, an ~ Jessica Khoury

He pulls out the pipe I stole and sticks it between his teeth.
"What do you think?" he asks around the stem. "Do I look noble?"
I snatch it away, and his teeth close with a clack. "Don't you know that will kill you?"
He stares at me a minute, a mischievous light coming into his eyes. Then suddenly he lunges at me.
"Give it back!"
"It's mine! I stole it!"
"I saved you from getting flogged!"
He makes a grab for the pipe, and I roll aside, holding it out of his reach. With a wicked laugh, he tickles my side, and I drop the pipe as I hasten to shove him away.
Aladdin picks up the pipe and brandishes it triumphantly, while I lie in the grass and laugh. ~ Jessica Khoury

I pour upward through the long dark tunnel of the spout. I am a funnel of smoke, a whirlwind of fire. I open myself and multiply, swelling into a great cloud over the boy's head. I press a thousand smoky hands against the stone ceiling of the cave. I roll a thousand fiery eyes and stretch a thousand glittering legs. I unfold and unfold and unfold. How good it feels to be out! I crackle with energy and excitement, my blood lightning and my breath thunder. ~ Jessica Khoury

Stop thinking like a princess and be a queen. She ~ Jessica Khoury

There is only one thing more numerous than the stars," I say, looking up to the heavens. "And that is the darkness that holds them. ~ Jessica Khoury

There is no brightness without darkness. There is no body without its shadow. ~ Jessica Khoury

We are adrift on a sea of moonlight sand, the silence as infinite as the space between the stars. ~ Jessica Khoury

I have no form, I have no name. I am the Slave of the Lamp, and your will is my will. Your wishes are my commands." ~Zahra ~ Jessica Khoury

WHERE IS MY SON?" Uncle Antonio bellows, levelling the two AK-47s he's holding at the lot of us. "Get away from him, you bastards! ~ Jessica Khoury

Unable to go forward, afraid to go back ~ Jessica Khoury

I don't trust you, she whispered, her gaze caught in his as if hypnotized. He was close enough to kiss. He could dominate a room and make her head spin, and his sudden vulnerability confused her. I barely know this boy. She had to remind herself of that when he ran his fingers down her arms, leaving goose bumps in his wake. ~ Jessica Khoury

You mean you want me to throw rocks at a bunch of monkeys in a tree in order to compete for food and prove that I, man, am the superior species? Chica," he said, clicking his tongue, "I've been waiting for an opportunity like this my whole life. ~ Jessica Khoury

The things that were once sweet to me are now bitter. The sun is not half so bright. The stars seem dimmer. All this wealth and luxury feels meaningless. All the world is in your shadow, Zahra. I cannot help but see you when I close my eyes. ~ Jessica Khoury

Smoky, if there's one thing I am, it's adaptable. ~ Jessica Khoury

Her mind drew him in, hid his image at its center, folded over him, the world slid into place, the chaos ceased. ~ Jessica Khoury

Whore!" he snarls, slamming me into the wall so hard stars burst in my eyes. I hiss at him, the tiger in me threatening to emerge and rip out his throat, but a shout brings me back to myself.
"Zahra!"
I turn my head and see Aladdin running toward us. When he sees that it's Darian holding me roughly against the wall, his face twists into such rage that he seems unrecognizable.
He crashes into Darian before the prince has a chance to say anything. The two slam into the ground, Aladdin throwing a punch that cracks against Darian's jaw.
"Stop it!" I cry. "Prince Rahzad!"
The boys ignore me, rolling and thrashing like dogs.
Leave them! Zhian roars. Let me out!
"How dare you touch her?" Aladdin spits, grabbing Darian by the hair and pressing the prince's face into the stone floor. "You bastard!"
"I didn't give her anything she didn't ask for," Darian hisses back. "Get off me or I'll have you executed! ~ Jessica Khoury

Now, when he touches me, I feel nothing but Eio, pure and whole and constant. Now, when I look into his eyes, I don't see death- but eternity. For the first time in my life, I am looking into someone's gaze and realizing that not only do I understand what's in his eyes ... he understands whats in mine. ~ Jessica Khoury

That your eyes are like bits of sky seen through the leaves. And that, like the rain washes the mud from the leaves, you ... how did he say it? Oh yes. That you wash the darkness from the world. ~ Jessica Khoury

You insist you're a monster because you're afraid of being human. ~ Jessica Khoury

You've ruled before, so tell me, does it get easier?"
"No, but you get stronger. ~ Jessica Khoury

For a moment we are weightless, eyes open and locked underwater, flowers drawn down with us, swirling around us in a current of white bubbles. My hair floats around us both like black silk. His hands are still around my waist, mine pressed against his bare chest. My lamp drifts between us.
Aladdin plants his feet against the bottom of the pool and kicks off, pushing us upward to burst through the surface. He gasps in air and shakes the wet hair from his eyes. Without pulling away, we float in silence, and I cannot take my gaze from him. Water runs down his cheeks and lips, dripping from his jaw. A lock of his hair is stuck to his forehead, and I gently lift it away, curling it around my finger before letting it go.
"What are we doing?" he whispers, pulling me closer.
I cannot reply. I don't trust my own voice. He brings his forehead down to rest against mine, and everything outside this pool and this moment ceases to exist. All that matters is the gentle sound of our breathing, our reflections on the water, the feel of his hands around me. ~ Jessica Khoury

No! Aguaje is for girls. If a man eats to much of it, he starts to look like a woman.

That is the most unscientific thing I've ever heard.

Then you haven't met my cousin Jacari. Too much aguaje. Now the mothers use him as wet nurse. ~ Jessica Khoury

No one should live forever," I whisper. "Isn't that how it goes? There must be a balance. No birth without death. No life without tears. What is taken from the world must be given back. No one should live forever, but should give his blood to the river when the time comes so that tomorrow another may live. And so it goes. ~ Jessica Khoury

He is the sun, and I am the moon. We must stay apart or the world will be thrown out of balance. ~ Jessica Khoury

I still can't believe it's really you," he murmurs, running his fingers down my cheek. "This face...it's yours, isn't it?"
"The one I was born with," I admit, heat rising under my skin as I feel a surge of shyness. I look down at my hands. "Do you...like it?"
"Zahra."
I can't help but lift my gaze at the warmth in his tone. His eyes are shining, his lips slanted in a small smile.
"You're beautiful," he says. "I mean, you were beautiful before, of course, but knowing that this is the real you...I didn't think I could love you more, but I do. ~ Jessica Khoury

It slowly dawns on me what it is, the sensation that has bridged the gap between how I saw the world yesterday and how I see it today. It compensates for my lost keenness and even makes everything around me a little brighter.
Hope. ~ Jessica Khoury

The way he looks at me- steady and silent, bold and bright - makes me feel as if the storm outside were trapped inside me, thunder and rain and light, rolling and crashing. ~ Jessica Khoury

Less a point on a map and more a region of the soul, but it is a path I can follow. ~ Jessica Khoury

I'm not what you think I am, Aladdin! I will betray you, and I will hurt you, because that is what I am. Why do you think Nardukha rips souls from the living and creates jinnis? Why do you think he sends us into the world? To make your miserable dreams come true? To bring you happiness?" I laugh sourly. "He gives you the thing you want most and uses it to destroy you. Look at yourself. You're a prince. You have money, power, privilege. The chance to avenge your parents. And you're miserable."
Aladdin stares at me, and in his eyes is pity. "I've been making myself miserable my whole life," he says softly. "I convinced myself long ago that if I could get revenge on Sulifer, I could finally move on. That I could erase the memory of the day my parents died, when I held their severed heads and watched their blood run in the gutters. But as you say, here I am, a step away from that vengeance - and it has soured on my tongue. I don't want it anymore."
He sighs and looks up at the sky, as if searching for words among the stars. "You don't make me miserable, Zahra. I do that to myself, because I'm too weak, too afraid to admit that it isn't Sulifer I'm angry at - it's me. My parents were killed because of me. The day before they were executed, I was caught by the guards for stealing an earring, and when they found out who I was, Sulifer had me whipped until I told him where my parents were. And after they were dead, he gave me back the earring as payment for turning my mothe ~ Jessica Khoury

You think that nothing matters as long as you're together, that nothing can harm you two or come between you because you're somehow protected by your feelings for one another.
-Uncle Antonio ~ Jessica Khoury

When I saw you in the hall with Darian," he says at last, "I felt more angry than I've felt in a long time. I was angry and . . . and afraid, that you wanted to be there, that you wanted him touching you. In that one look, I felt more than I've ever felt with Caspida. Zahra, I think you're right - love isn't a choice. If I could choose to love Caspida, maybe this would all be going differently, but I don't think that's possible. Not anymore."
All the smoke inside me sinks as I stare at him. "What are you saying?"
He turns and meets my gaze squarely. As much I want to, I find it impossible to look away. The intensity of his copper gaze holds me entranced.
"I think you know," he says softly. "Or am I the only one who feels it? ~ Jessica Khoury

I've been chased, shot, cut, beaten, and dragged a hundred leagues in the blink of an eye. I need a drink. ~ Jessica Khoury

You're a - you're a - "
Say it, boy. Demon of fire. Monster of smoke. Devil of sand and ash. Servant of Nardukha, Daughter of Ambadya, the Nameless, the Faceless, the Limitless. Slave of the Lamp. Jinni.
". . . a girl!" he finishes. ~ Jessica Khoury

Even a thief may have honor, and even a jinni may have a heart. ~ Jessica Khoury

And what does he want?" I turn and face the serving girl. "The same thing we all want. He just won't admit it." I see longing in her eyes, and also anger, when she looks at Aladdin. "Freedom from the past." I ~ Jessica Khoury

Because, well, you're not immortal anymore. At least as far as we know; just because you can bleed doesn't mean you'll grow old and die. Maybe you won't."
"How can we know?"
"There's only one way to find out."
"What?"
He smiles. "You'll just have to live. ~ Jessica Khoury

My lady," says Aladdin, extending an arm toward the sun, "I give you gold as a token of my love."
"All I want is you," I reply. I turn and kiss him, pulling him against me, feeling the warmth of the dawn in my hair. Then I rest my head on his shoulder, simply feeling his arms around me, his heart beating against me.
"Are you cold?" asks Aladdin. "You're shivering."
"A little."
"I'll go get a blanket. And breakfast. If I can find the kitchen."
"Galley, love. It's called a galley."
"Right. Galley. Got it. I'll ask the captain. What was his name?"
"Sinbad, I think?"
"I'll be right back."
But I catch his hand. "I'm all right. Don't go yet."
He stays with me, and together we watch the sun stain the sea and sky a thousand and one shades of gold. My thumb rubs the ring on my finger, its dents and contours as familiar to me now as my hand.
So this is what it feels like to have all your wishes come true. ~ Jessica Khoury

I may as well shackle my wrist to a bolt of lightning as attach myself to a mortal. ~ Jessica Khoury

The universe sings a deep, eternal song, sound in waves, in deep sighs, in whispers, in swirling chords and rising, falling tones. The music of the worlds, weaving in a pattern that is both chaos and order, both beauty and terror, without beginning, without end. ~ Jessica Khoury

Use your wish," I whisper to Aladdin, opening my eyes. "Please."
"If I do," he replies softly, "I'll lose you. ~ Jessica Khoury

It seemed to her that living without control of your own will was hardly a step above not living at all. ~ Jessica Khoury

She sobbed into her hands, tears winding down her arms and dripping onto her knees. We all stared uncomfortably at our shoes, the ground, anything except Avani.
I felt someone should say something, so I said gingerly, You probably shouldn't cry. You need to conserve your water. ~ Jessica Khoury

Ladies. I'm fine," said Sam.
"Mm-hm," said Avani, her hands on her hips. "You be sure and tell me that when you wake up in the middle of the night and pus is leaking out of your stomach and your skin's turning green."
He looked a bit taken aback and studied his middle more closely.
"You'll be fine," I said. "At least for a little while."
"Or we could cauterize it," said Avani, her face lighting up.
"Cauterize?" Sam echoed, looking slightly panicked. "Like, with fire?"
"Yes!" She grinned even wider. "I've read how to do it. I definitely could."
"I should've let the sexually frustrated elephant rip my guts out," Sam muttered. "At least it had the decency not to smile while it contemplated my murder."
Avani rolled her eyes. "Sam, you gonna put your shirt back on? Before Sarah here starts to hyperventilate?"
Looking thoroughly chastened, Sam shrugged his shirt on. I hissed at Avani through the corner of my mouth as he walked away. "Hyperventilate?"
She shrugged and inspected her nails. "You were studying him like you were prepping for an anatomy exam."
"I was not! ~ Jessica Khoury

Love.
Such a sweet, simple word. A word I've been searching for my entire life - but especially since I met Eio - and I never knew it. Until ow. When I hear it on his lips, I know as I can never know anything else - no numbers, no formulas, no scientific names - I know it's true. A piece slides into place in my heart, filling a hole I never knew existed. ~ Jessica Khoury

Zahra, what happens to you when I make my last wish?"
"When your third wish is granted, you will cease to be my master. You may possess the lamp, but you cannot call me. I will return to it and await the next Lampholder."
Abruptly he stands and walks across the room. When he reaches the wall, he turns and stares down at me. "So to win my revenge, I must lose you. ~ Jessica Khoury

How many have died that I might live?
And who has died that I might live? ~ Jessica Khoury

May you carry the weight of this betrayal to your grave. ~ Jessica Khoury

I know plenty of dances. My favorite is called Not Getting Your Legs Broken for Stealing Figs from That Baker on Pearl Lane." "That's sure to charm the princess right into a wedding pact. ~ Jessica Khoury

Wishes are born in the will of men and women, and it is the true and pure source of power all humans hold. ~ Jessica Khoury

Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven. ~ Jessica Khoury

It's too hot out here. Let's go inside. I'll teach you how to properly enter a room based on who is already there, and whether they are sitting, standing, or eating." Aladdin groans. "I'm sick of playing prince. Let's pick pockets. ~ Jessica Khoury

I chanced a shy look at Sam, and found he was already staring at me. When our eyes met, we both blushed but didn't look away. His curiosity, his energy, his wonder for the world had reawakened the part of me I was so sure I'd lost.
"What now?" he asked.
I smiled. "Next stop the pyramids?"
He grinned, and impulsively I lifted my chin and kissed him. For a moment, the warmth of that kiss drove away the pain and the horrors of the last few days. I leaned into him as much as my bandages allowed, until at last I pulled my lips away and rested my forehead against his.
"The pyramids, the North Pole, the moon," Sam replied, his voice a bit hoarse. "Next stop anywhere, as long as you're there. ~ Jessica Khoury

Who knows that each day is not a gift but a prize that is to be seized ~ Jessica Khoury

Not all battles can be fought in the light. ~ Jessica Khoury

I want someone who will look into my eyes and understand everything behind them.
-Pia ~ Jessica Khoury

It's a limitless new world, and we are only just beginning to explore it. ~ Jessica Khoury

Because you are young and free and one with the jungle. You are mortal, but instead of clinging to the hope of immortality, you embrace each day, one at a time, and never worry about tomorrow. ~ Jessica Khoury

You clumsy wench - Gods above! Are you trying to rob me, girl?" The nobleman seizes my wrist and yanks it from his pocket. My hand comes up with the pipe clenched in it. I stare at him, horrified.
"I . . ."
"I'll have your head for this!" the man rages. "I'll have you whipped!"

***

"I got the pipe," I say, holding it up.
He stares for a minute, blinking, and then bursts into laughter. A few curious deer stick their heads through the shrubs to see what the racket is. Aladdin doubles over, laughing loud enough to startle birds from the trees overhead, and after a moment, I start laughing too. I haven't laughed this hard in a long, long while, and it feels wonderful. We sit on the grass and laugh until our faces are red and we're out of breath.
"You are the worst thief I have ever seen," declares Aladdin.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I got it, didn't I?"
"My grandmother could pick pockets better than that! Though that's not quite fair; my grandmother was the best pickpocket in Parthenia. She taught me all her tricks. Drove my mother crazy. ~ Jessica Khoury

Habiba. It's an old word that means dear friend. ~ Jessica Khoury

I feel shock splinter through him, his body going rigid. Then he relaxes, melting into me, stepping forward until I am caught between him and the wall, the torch crackling beside me. His hands slide down my back, over my hips and thighs, leaving a trail of fire. His heart beats fast enough for the both of us, its thunderous pulse echoing through me.
I bury my hands in his dark hair, fingers knotting around those thick locks. Desire pulls at my stomach, and I lean into him, lifting one leg and wrapping it around his waist. He lifts me, and my other leg coils around him, my skirts sliding up my thighs, my back pressed against the column.
His lips are soft and warm and gentle, underlined with barely restrained urgency. I cannot get enough of him. I pull his kurta over his head and let it fall on the floor. I press my hands against his bared chest, feel his heart against my palm, his lungs rising and falling. His shoulder is knotted with the scar from the arrow he took for me. He kisses me again, this time more strongly, and I run my hands down his jaw and neck, over his shoulders, the taut muscles of his back.
He turns, without letting me go or breaking our kiss, and we tumble onto the soft divan. Aladdin holds himself over me, his abdomen clenched and his hair hanging across his forehead. His lips wander downward, to my chin, to the curve of my jaw, to my neck.
My hands are ravenous, exploring the planes and angles of his body. His fingers find mine, and our ~ Jessica Khoury

I think of the five generations it will take before [Mr. Perfect]'s born, and I want to scream. I want someone now. I want someone who will look into my eyes and understand everything behind them. ~ Jessica Khoury

If it's a monster they want, then a monster they shall have. ~ Jessica Khoury

Love is a path lined with roses." I say bitterly. "But it leads to a cliff's edge and all who follow it tumble to their doom. You will not find your happiness there. ~ Jessica Khoury

Joey, like an idiot, began clucking and calling to the calf, which only startled it into motion, and it raced off to join its parents.
"Moron," said Avani in a low voice.
"Oh, come on. What's the matter, Canada, did they confiscate your sense of humor at the airport? ~ Jessica Khoury

This has been the great lesson of my long life: To love is to destroy. ~ Jessica Khoury

Keep your eye on the goal, not the steps you must take to reach it. The goal is everything. The steps are nothing. No matter how difficult the journey is, the goal is always worth it. ~ Jessica Khoury

But my heart is a treacherous star, refusing to dim when the sun rises ~ Jessica Khoury

He lifts my hand from the root and presses it to his bare chest, over his heart. My breath stops. I wonder if he can feel the pulse racing in my wrist, because it's beating just as quickly as his heartbeat.
"Do you know the Ai'oan word for heart?" he asks.
I shake my head.
"It's py'a." We're so close, his whisper is right in my ear, and his breath warms the side of my neck. "You are my heart, Pia"
I lick my lips. When did they get so dry?
His other hand cradles the back of my head, tipping my face upward. "A body can't live without a heart. And I can't live without you. ~ Jessica Khoury

The answer cannot be found. That should be my new life motto. ~ Jessica Khoury

As we walk, he begins telling me all the names of the plants we pass. I already know their names, but I don't tell him that. He seems to think that scientists always want to know the names of things, and so I guess he thinks he's being helpful.Anyway, I like listening to his voice. It's deep and a little hoarse, as if he's been yelling all day, and his accent makes every word sound new and exciting, as if he's speaking another language I don't have to strain to understand.
Here is annatto,for repelling insects and curing snakebites. The girls say it makes a love potion, but I don't believe them. They have all tried it on me, and I don't love any of them. ~ Jessica Khoury

Reminding me how fragile this life is and how easily it can be lost. Compelling me to live and to live well, while I still can.
Because sooner or later, we must all face eternity. ~ Jessica Khoury

Your mother has the mind of a genius and the eyes of a child. You won't find better than that. ~ Jessica Khoury

For the last few centuries, these jeweled fruits have been my constant and sole companions. The greatest treasure in all the world, as comfortless as light to the blind. ~ Jessica Khoury

The will of this boy thief flows in golden streams. It is the thread with which I weave, the colors with which I paint, the element with which I create. ~ Jessica Khoury

All the world is in your shadow, Zahra. ~ Jessica Khoury

My imagination is the most powerful muscle I possess. ~ Jessica Khoury

I do, and the now-familiar warmth of his lips steadies me. He tastes of salt and the wine we shared with the others at our small farewell party.
Aladdin pulls away first and lifts one of my hands to his lips, kissing the delicate henna patterns on my skin, then turning my arm over to kiss the inside of my wrist. The ship's crew makes themselves busy on the other side of the ship, giving us privacy.
"You're the most beautiful girl in the world," Aladdin murmurs. "Have I ever told you that?"
"Enough to make me wonder if your father was a parrot. ~ Jessica Khoury

Because when you love someone, that's what you do - you get involved. ~ Jessica Khoury

We were too greedy, grasping for immortality too soon. Perhaps if we had only been patient, content to wait, we would all have forever in the end. ~ Jessica Khoury

He said that seeing and understanding are two different things. Our eyes show us one side of an object, but that doesn't mean there aren't five other sides we can't see. So why thrust your eyes? Why live your whole life thinking that just because you can't see every side to something, those other sides don't exist? ~ Jessica Khoury

Well, that's the thing, isn't it? Everyone always blames the monster
but no one ever blames the one who created it. Isn't that right?" He sneered at Moira's limp form. "Tell me, who is the monster? The creation or the creator? It has to start somewhere. ~ Jessica Khoury

It's not too late," he says. "Zahra, I - "
"Sh." I lay a finger across his lips. "Don't say it. You will marry Caspida, and you will learn to love each other. You will live a happy life, long after my lamp has passed to new hands."
"I won't make my third wish," he says. "That's the answer! If I don't make the wish, you can stay here in the palace for as long as you want. You'll never have to go back to your lamp. We can fight off anyone who tries to take you from me. ~ Jessica Khoury

This is Roshana, the last queen of the Amulen Empire, back when my people ruled all the lands from the east to the west. She is something of a legend among us. Every queen aspires to learn from her mistakes."
"Her mistakes? Surely you mean her victories."
"What?"
I frown at her. "Roshana was one of the greatest queens in the world. She ended the Mountain Wars, she routed Sanhezriyah the Mad, she - "
"For a foreign serving girl, you are strangely well versed in Amulen history."
"I spent a lot of time in libraries as a girl."
"Were you there to dust the scrolls or read them?"
"Surely Roshana's victories outweigh her errors."
"The higher you rise, the farther you fall. For all her wisdom, Roshana was fooled by the jinni, believing it was her friend, and then it destroyed her. Ever since that day, my people have hunted the jinn. There is no creature more vicious and untrustworthy."
"This is not the story I heard," I say softly. "My people tell it differently. That the jinni truly was a friend to Roshana but was forced to turn against her. That she had no choice."
"Surely I know how my own ancestress died," returns the princess, a bit hotly. "Anyway, it was a long time ago, but we Amulens do not forget. ~ Jessica Khoury

She said, 'People are like stars, but it's stories that turn us into constellations. If we don't tell our stories, we burn alone in the dark. ~ Jessica Khoury

He laughs. "No! Aguaje is for girls. If a man eats to much of it, he starts to look like a woman."

"That is the most unscientific thing I've ever heard."

"Then you haven't met my cousin Jacari." Eio swings the string of fruit back and forth. " Too much aguaje. Now the mothers use him as wet nurse."

My mouth freezes in mid-bite, and I stare at him. "You're teasing me."

A smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Maybe. ~ Jessica Khoury

There's just one rule, just one basic law that everyone lives under : take control or be controlled. ~ Jessica Khoury

You understand why you must go through with this marriage."
"You say you couldn't live with yourself if anything happened to Caspida. Yet you ask me to live with myself, knowing I sentenced you to this!" He holds up the lamp. "What's the difference?"
I look away angrily. "The difference is that this is my choice, Aladdin."
"Well, it's a stupid choice!"
I stand up. "Promise me you'll go through with it."
He shuts his eyes.
"Promise me! Please!"
He opens his eyes then, and they are filled with pain. But he nods.
"I have to hear you say it."
"I promise. ~ Jessica Khoury

What good is it Habiba, to deny the truth? Your friendship woke something in me all those centuries ago, some dormant humanity that had lingered through the years, and after you died, it recoiled and hid again.
But Aladdin has woken it once more. With his sun-bright smile and his laughing eyes and his way of asking the hardest kind of questions. After you, I swore to never love again.
But I love him.
And so I must let him go. ~ Jessica Khoury

Remember, Pia," he whispers. "Perfect is as perfect does. ~ Jessica Khoury

Love is nothing more than elevated levels of dopamine, nor-epinephrine, and other chemicals. But the way Uncle Antionio's face lights up as they dance ... I wonder what it would be like to feel that. To let the chemicals of romance take over for just a little while. Then I remember that I am immortal and that my body doesn't work like everyone else's. Who knows if I can even feel love? ~ Jessica Khoury

A name is a powerful thing. It sets one apart and gives significance. ~ Jessica Khoury

They all seem infected with a vivaciousness that isn't common in our compound, and there are more smiles on their faces than I've ever seen at once. And yet as I watch them, I feel more intensely than ever the knowledge that I'm not one of them. For these moral humans, birthdays are a kind of countdown to the end, the ticking clock of a dwindling life. For me, birthdays are notches on an infinite timeline. Will I grow tired of parties one day? Will my birthday become meaningless? I imagine myself centuries from now, maybe at my three-hundredth birthday, looking all the way back to my seventeenth. How will I possibly be happy, remembering the light in my mother's eyes? The swiftness of Uncle Antonio's steps as he dances? The way my father stands on edge of the courtyard, smiling in that vague, absent way of his?

The scene shifts and blues in my imagination. As if brushed away by some invisible broom, these people whom I've known my entire life disappear. The courtyard is empty, bare, covered in decaying leaves. I imagine Little Cam deserted, with everyone dead and gone and only me left in the shadows.

Forever. ~ Jessica Khoury

The price of every lie is that the truth will always come out. ~ Jessica Khoury

You can't choose what happens to you, but you can choose who you become because of it. ~Aladdin ~ Jessica Khoury

You're very pretty," he murmurs, his voice thick with sleep, "for a jinni." "Have you met many jinn?" "No." His lips curl into a dazed grin. "But I've met a lot of pretty girls. ~ Jessica Khoury

Some people never changed, could always be depended on to be exactly the way they should. ~ Jessica Khoury

We ... do things a lot differently, yes, but in many ways we are just the same as you ... We eat, we sleep, we breathe. We smile when we're happy, and we cry when we're sad. When we swim, we must come up for air. When we work all day, our backs get sore. When we get cut, we bleed. ~ Jessica Khoury

It's time for both of us to be free. ~ Jessica Khoury