Those Beyond the Wall (The Space Between Worlds #2)

by Micaiah Johnson

I remind myself that wanting to shift someone else’s boundaries is a burden and a threat, not a gift or a compliment.

Real names are for lovers and children.

Being in love with someone doesn’t entitle you to them; wanting someone doesn’t obligate them to want you back.

But if I’m going to choke on poison by my own hand, you can at least let me congratulate myself on how well I take it.

Spite can look just like care, if you squint.

But mostly using Mr. was just a way of weaponizing the gender roles of Senior’s enemies against them. A rival could intercept a message saying, Mr. Tatik is going to rob you tomorrow, and still never see her coming.

That’s all growth is, getting too big to stay somewhere that used to feel good. Just having one less place in the whole world that fits right.

Every story needs a villain, especially one with as many dead as this tale has. I just didn’t know it was going to be me.

It seems impossible to live in a world where the man who understands me best is among those I hate most.