Chapter 12

• "I honestly prefer you don't, that would be too boring. That fire in your eyes, that rebellious spirit ... that is what drew me to you. Pray to God to protect you, try and shield your friends. I want you to rebel against me. I want you to keep hope alive and dream of a day when this collar with be broken. Hope is the belief that things will change, that even the most horrible situation will come to an end. People cling to hope because they have no choice but to believe that they can outlast their Hell or that something will happen to change all the rules of the game. But every time the sun rises on their bleak world, every time they feel the strike of the whip or club when someone was supposed to catch their tormentor's hand, that hope turns on them.
• I want you to keep hoping, because that will make your suffering all the more terrible. Every time I crush your hope, you will be overwhelmed by heartbreak, by disappointment, by abandonment and even betrayal by God and the world around you. Reach for the sun, my little flower, so that I may clip you and send you falling back to Earth. Wait for someone to come and rescue you, so that every time you feel my touch, you realize that you are all alone. Make this a glorious and eternal battle of wills, make me fight to win your heart."
• He grasped her trinity necklace and held it up to her face. "Keep this close, so that you can learn again and again how useless it is."