nora

To completely understand me you must first accept that I am not you.

To struggle against the weight of sleep as reality eclipses the moon of your dreams is the purest sign of true love.

Eleanor had heard talk of the rebellion that existed inside the city of Constance before. Most of the information she gathered was considered an old fairy tale by the general public. There were a few stories here and there about people angered by their present living conditions, who had demanded that the center of Constance be held responsible for it. However, information was never passed between the five different sectors. Over the years the tales of the rebellion had become children__ bedtime stories, and people did not take them seriously.

Try to think of it as though we are rewriting history___he first time this experience occurred you and I never kissed in this Dream Machine room. But now when we leave here, and open our eyes again near the wall around the center of Constance, that kiss will be included in our memories of the day we first met. We could spend a lifetime recreating this moment here, meanwhile, not a single second of our lives would slip by back in our reality. Time seems to move differently inside of our memories.

I love you more than I think I should.

Sometimes, the choices we make have devastating consequences

Don't make me regret this," I said, breathless."You haven't regretted me once.

You sound worked up. Really worked up. No, that's not it. You sound agitated...flustered...aroused." I could feel her eyes widen. "He kissed you, didn't he?"No answer."He did! I knew it! I've seen the way he looks at you. I knew this was coming. I saw it from a mile away."I didn't want to think about it."What was it like?" Vee pressed. "A peach kiss? A plum kiss? Or an al-fal-fa kiss?""What?""Was it a peck, did mouths part, or was there tongue? Never mind. You don't have to answer that. Patch isn't the kind of guy to deal with preliminaries. There was tongue involved. Guaranteed.

Are you hurt?_ the woman asks.__ust my__ Even after the water, her voice comes out as a dry hiss. She clears her throat and tries again. __ust my ankle.___an you tell us where the others are? Are they . . . ?_ Charlie fades off, but she knows how the question ends.__hey__e still out there. Still alive._ Hallelujah will not think about the alternative. But by not trying not to think about it, she__ thinking about it, and it__ making her feel panicky. __ was the only one who could walk, so I__ She gulps. Draws in a shaky breath.Charlie dismounts his bike and squats down next to her. __o on,_ he says. His voice is soft. His accent is southern. But not hillbilly southern. Deep South. He__ not from around here either.She can__ believe her mind is wandering like this. She tries to focus.__e found__onah found a trail, and I followed it to this road. They__e at a campsite by the trail. I . . ._ Hallelujah falters. __ don__ know how far. I wasn__ walking very fast. We haven__ eaten in . . . a while. And Rachel__he__ sick. She was throwing up. And Jonah cut his leg and it wouldn__ stop bleeding. . . .___esus,_ the woman says.

Quit calling me Grey. It makes me sound like I__ a boy. Like Dorian Gray.___orian who?__ sighed. __ust think up something else. Plain old Nora works too, you know.___ure thing, Gumdrop.__ grimaced. __ take that back. Let__ stick with Grey.

There__ an organic grocery store just off the highway exit. I can__ remember the last time I went shopping for food._ A smile glittered in his eyes. __ might have gone overboard.__ walked into the kitchen, with gleaming stainless-steel appliances, black granite countertops, and walnut cabinetry. Very masculine, very sleek. I went for the fridge first. Water bottles, spinach and arugula, mushrooms, gingerroot, Gorgonzola and feta cheeses, natural peanut butter, and milk on one side. Hot dogs, cold cuts, Coke, chocolate pudding cups, and canned whipped cream on the other. I tried to picture Patch pushing a shopping cart down the aisle, tossing in food as it pleased him. It was all I could do to keep a straight face.

Vee never needed a reason to do something stupid. Sad thing was, most of the time I didn't either.

This isn't your fight, Patch," I said qu

I could get you to smile like that, and without sales tax." I whirled around to find the real Patch standing in the fitting room behind me. He was wearing jeans and a snug white tee. His arms were folded loosely over his chest, and his black eyes smiled down at me. Heat that wasn't entirely uncomfortable flushed through my body. "I could make all kinds of pervert jokes right now," I quipped.

I believe in destiny Angel. I believe every choice I've made has brought me closer to you. I looked for you for a very long time. I may have fallen from heaven, but I fell for you.

I couldn't escape him, now or ever. He'd always be there, consuming my every thought, my heart locked in his hands. I was drawn to him by forces I couldn't control, let alone escape.