“I PACED the apartment, feeling restless. I started to explore, to see what treasures might be hidden in the place.”

“She turned back to Asha, her eyes SOMBER. ‘We must find them. And we must destroy them. Before they try something even worse.’”

“‘That feeling of ending one of those monsters? There’s nothing like it in the world’. [Noah’s dad] glanced down at his arm tattoos and gave a RUTHLESS grin.”

“She knew she should stop talking, before she angered her mother any further. But somehow the words continued to TUMBLED from her mouth.”

“‘Great,’ I said, trying to muster up some ENTHUSIASM without much luck.”

“Then he turned to me, a grave look on his bearded face.‘Guess we’re not going to make it to the park,’ he said WRYLY.”

“She looked down at her THROBBING leg. It had swollen to twice its normal size, and the wounds had begun to turn a disturbing shade of black.”

“I remembered Dad talking about laying traps to DETER the dragons from the subway entrance and keep those down below safe.”

“...I couldn’t imagine the ALTERNATIVE. That she’d decide to stay out there, with her traitor friends. That she would choose dragons–actual dragons–over her own loving family.”

“I watched with a mixture of FASCINATION and horror as it began to dive-bomb the van, fire erupting from its mouth, setting the van ablaze.”

“Then he walked over and grabbed his gun, SLINGING it over his shoulder.”

“...She could read the monster’s thoughts as he worked. Not exactly as words, spoken aloud, but more like SENSATIONS, feelings.”