欧宝娱乐

“When we talk to our fellow men and they tell us about their troubles, we will listen to them carefully if we have love for them. We will have compassion for their suffering and pain, for we are God's creatures; we are a manifestation of the love of God.”
― Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica, Our Thoughts Determine Our Lives: The Life and Teachings of Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica

“I need voices of reason and of hysteria and of empathy. I need to have an Alanis moment. I need advice from Elizabeth Bennett. I need Tim Tams and comfort food.”
― Melina Marchetta, Saving Francesca

“Would you please do me the honor of telling me WHAT THE BLAZES IS GOING ON?”
― Kristin Cashore, Kristin Cashore eSampler

“I鈥檓 bored to death. Perhaps I should pillage one of my neighbors for my own amusement. It seems to work for Drowden.”
― Kristin Cashore, Kristin Cashore eSampler

“King Drowden has given his men instructions to infiltrate the town, bribe townspeople for the secrets of their neighbors, steal the neighbors鈥� hidden treasures. Much more subtle than Drowden鈥檚 usual smash and burn technique. We do hope Drowden isn鈥檛 growing a brain.”
― Kristin Cashore, Kristin Cashore eSampler

“The council is a place where everyone schemes against everyone else, and people talk incessantly about Power with a capital "Pow".”
― James Alan Gardner, Ascending

“Fools only follow their hearts, whereas wise men spiritedly seek the council of bright minds.”
― Sinario Vesta, Shambala Sect

“How do we stop them?鈥� Edilio asked. He raised his head, and Sam saw the distress on his face. 鈥淗ow do you think we stop them? When your fifteenth birthday rolls around, the easy thing is to take the poof. You gotta fight to resist it. We know that. So how are we going to tell kids this isn鈥檛 real, this Orsay thing?鈥�
鈥淲e just tell them,鈥� Astrid said.
鈥淏ut we don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 real or not,鈥� Edilio argued.
Astrid shrugged. She stared at nothing and kept her features very still. 鈥淲e tell them it鈥檚 all fake. Kids hate this place, but they don鈥檛 want to die.鈥�
鈥淗ow do we tell them if we don鈥檛 know?鈥� Edilio seemed genuinely puzzled.
Howard laughed. 鈥淒eely-O, Deely-O, you are such a doof sometimes.鈥� He put his feet down and leaned toward Edilio as if sharing a secret with him. 鈥淪he means: We lie. Astrid means that we lie to everyone and tell them we do know for sure.鈥�
Edilio stared at Astrid like he was expecting her to deny it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 for people鈥檚 own good,鈥� Astrid said in a low voice, still looking at nothing.
鈥淵ou know what鈥檚 funny?鈥� Howard said, grinning. 鈥淚 was pretty sure we were coming to this meeting so Astrid could rank on Sam for not telling us the whole truth. And now, it turns out we鈥檙e really here so Astrid can talk us all into becoming liars.”
― Michael Grant, Lies

“I鈥檓 getting my stuff,鈥� he said, and bolted for the steps.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to move out,鈥� Astrid called after him.
Sam stopped halfway up the steps. 鈥淥h, I鈥檓 sorry. Is that the voice of the council telling me where I can go?鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 no point having a town council if you think you don鈥檛 have to listen to it,鈥� Astrid said. She was using her patient voice, trying to calm the situation. 鈥淪am, if you ignore us, no one will pay attention.鈥�
鈥淕uess what, Astrid, they鈥檙e already ignoring you. The only reason anyone pays any attention to you and the others is because they鈥檙e scared of Edilio鈥檚 soldiers.鈥� He thumped his chest. 鈥淎nd even more scared of me.”
― Michael Grant, Lies

“What happened?鈥� Albert asked.
Taylor looked at Sam. Sam said nothing. He stared. First at his own light, hovering in the air. Then at Taylor. He looked pale and almost frail. Like he was suddenly a much, much older person.
鈥淜id was whipped,鈥� Taylor said. 鈥淚t looked like what happened to Sam.鈥�
Sam lowered his head and wrapped his hands behind his neck. He seemed to be trying to hold on to his head, pressing it hard like it might explode.”
― Michael Grant, Lies

“Man, sometimes you are clueless. You don鈥檛 even see what鈥檚 happening.鈥� He perched himself on the arm of the couch so he could look down at Turk. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about freaks. I mean, you鈥檙e the guy who thinks of ideas and all, but you鈥檙e missing it. You don鈥檛 even notice that the whole council is either black or Mexican. See, that鈥檚 what鈥檚 happening: it鈥檚 all these minorities hooked up with freaks.鈥�
The wheels in Turk鈥檚 mind began to turn slowly. But they were picking up speed. 鈥淛amal鈥檚 with us and he鈥檚 black.鈥�
鈥淪o? We use Jamal. He gets us into Albert鈥檚. You do what you gotta do. All I鈥檓 saying is, you and me, we鈥檙e normal people. We鈥檙e not black or queer or Mexican. And we鈥檙e the ones digging toilets. How come?鈥�
Turk knew the answer: because they had failed in their attempt to take over. But he鈥檇 never thought about this new angle.
鈥淎strid鈥檚 a normal white person,鈥� Turk argued halfheartedly. 鈥淪o鈥檚 Sam.鈥�
鈥淪am鈥檚 a freak, and I think he might even be a Jew,鈥� Lance said. His eyes were glittering. He was showing his teeth, grinning as he talked. It wasn鈥檛 a good look for him. 鈥淎nd Astrid? She鈥檚 not even on the council anymore.”
― Michael Grant, Plague

“What鈥檚 Albert going to do?鈥� a boy named Jim demanded. 鈥淲here鈥檚 Albert?鈥�
Albert stepped from an inconspicuous position off to one side. He mounted the steps, moving carefully still, not entirely well even now.
He carefully chose a position equidistant between Caine and Sam.
鈥淲hat should we do, Albert?鈥� a voice asked plaintively.
Albert didn鈥檛 look out at the crowd except for a quick glance up, like he was just making sure he was pointed in the right direction. He spoke in a quiet, reasonable monotone. Kids edged closer to hear.
鈥淚鈥檓 a businessman.鈥�
鈥淭rue.鈥� Toto.
鈥淢y job is organizing kids to work, taking the things they harvest or catch, and redistributing them through a market.鈥�
鈥淎nd getting the best stuff for yourself,鈥� someone yelled to general laughter.
鈥淵es,鈥� Albert acknowledged. 鈥淚 reward myself for the work I do.鈥�
This blunt admission left the crowd nonplussed.
鈥淐aine has promised that if I stay here he won鈥檛 interfere. But I don鈥檛 trust Caine.鈥�
鈥淣o, he doesn鈥檛,鈥� Toto agreed.
鈥淚 do trust Sam. But . . .鈥�
And now you could hear a pin drop.
鈥淏ut . . . Sam is a weak leader.鈥� He kept his eyes down. 鈥淪am is the best fighter ever. He鈥檚 defended us many times. And he鈥檚 the best at figuring out how to survive. But Sam鈥濃€� Albert now turned to him鈥斺€淵ou are too humble. Too willing to step aside. When Astrid and the council sidelined you, you put up with it. I was part of that myself. But you let us push you aside and the council turned out to be useless.鈥�
Sam stood stock-still, stone-faced.
鈥淟et鈥檚 face it, you鈥檙e not really the reason things are better here, I am,鈥� Albert said. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e way, way braver than me, Sam. And if it鈥檚 a battle, you rule. But you can鈥檛 organize or plan ahead and you won鈥檛 just put your foot down and make things happen.鈥�
Sam nodded slightly. It was hard to hear. But far harder was seeing the way the crowd was nodding, agreeing. It was the truth. The fact was he鈥檇 let the council run things, stepped aside, and then sat around feeling sorry for himself. He鈥檇 jumped at the chance to go off on an adventure and he hadn鈥檛 been here to save the town when they needed it.
鈥淪o,鈥� Albert concluded, 鈥淚鈥檓 keeping my things here, in Perdido Beach. But there will be free trading of stuff between Perdido Beach and the lake. And Lana has to be allowed to move freely.鈥�
Caine bristled at that. He didn鈥檛 like Albert laying down conditions.
Albert wasn鈥檛 intimidated. 鈥淚 feed these kids,鈥� he said to Caine. 鈥淚 do it my way.鈥�
Caine hesitated, then made a tight little bow of the head.
鈥淚 want you to say it,鈥� Albert said with a nod toward Toto.
Sam saw panic in Caine鈥檚 eyes. If he lied now the jig would be up for him. Toto would call him out, Albert would support Sam, and the kids would follow Albert鈥檚 lead.
Sam wondered if Caine was just starting to realize what Sam had known for some time: if anyone was king, it was neither Sam nor Caine, it was Albert.”
― Michael Grant, Plague

“The chamber was possibly the grandest she'd ever entered. The ceilings were impossibly high, held up by slender red pillars with gilded dragons snaking along the sides. On every wall hung tenets from every emperor in the dynasty in the most elegant calligraphy, and statues of China's greatest sages stood in long lines, a reminder of the room's commitment to loyalty, justice, harmony, and peace.”
― Elizabeth Lim, A Twisted Tale Anthology