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“Sam, there comes a time when the world no longer needs heroes. And then the true hero knows to walk away.”
― Michael Grant Lies

“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

“There were dozens of theories about what it was, that dome. Every scientist in the world, it seemed, had made a pilgrimage to the site. Tests had been conducted, measurements taken.
They had tried drilling through it. Under it. Had flown over it. Had dug beneath it. Had approached it by submarine.
Nothing worked.
Every species of doomsayer from Luddite to End Times nut had had his say. It was a judgment. On America鈥檚 technological obsession, on America鈥檚 moral failure. This. That. Something else.
Then the twins had popped out. Just like that. First Emma. Then, a few minutes later, Anna. Alive and well at the exact moment of their fifteenth birthday.
They told tales of life inside the bowl. What they called the FAYZ.
Connie Temple鈥檚 heart had swelled with pride for what she had learned of her son, Sam. And crashed into despair with tales of her other son, her unacknowledged child, Caine.
Then, nothing. No other kids arrived for a while.
Black despair settled over the families as they realized that it would be only these two. Months passed. Many lost faith. How could kids survive alone?
But then, the Prophetess had reached into their dreams.
One night Connie Temple had a lurid, incredible dream. She鈥檇 never had such a detailed dream. It was terrifying. The power of it took her breath away. There was a girl in that dream.
This girl spoke to her in the dream. It鈥檚 a dream, the girl said.
Yes, just a dream, Connie had answered.
Not just a dream. Never say 鈥渏ust鈥� a dream, the girl had corrected. A dream is a window to another reality.
Who are you? Connie had asked.
My name is Orsay. I know your son.
Connie had been about to say, Which one? But some instinct stopped her. The girl did not look dangerous. She looked hungry.
Do you have a message for Sam? the girl asked.
Yes, Connie said. Tell him to let them go.
Let them go.
Let them go off into the red sunset. ”
― Michael Grant, Lies

“You weren鈥檛 going to tell us about Orsay?鈥�
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 say I鈥斺€�
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 get to decide that, Sam. You鈥檙e not the only one in charge anymore. Okay?鈥�
Astrid had an icy sort of anger. A cold fury that manifested itself in tight lips and blazing eyes and short, carefully enunciated sentences.
鈥淏ut it鈥檚 okay for all of us to lie to everyone in Perdido Beach?鈥� Sam shot back.
鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to keep kids from killing themselves,鈥� Astrid said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a little different from you just deciding not to tell the council that there鈥檚 a crazy girl telling people to kill themselves.鈥�
鈥淪o not telling you something is a major sin, but lying to a couple of hundred people and trashing Orsay at the same time, that鈥檚 fine?”
― Michael Grant, Lies