Shatter Me Starter Pack: Books 1-3 and Novellas 1 & 2: Shatter Me, Destroy Me, Unravel Me, Fracture Me, Ignite Me

by Tahereh Mafi

Raindrops are my only reminder that clouds have a heartbeat. That I have one, too.

My parents emptied their pockets of me and left me to evaporate on a concrete slab.

“Oh, so you’re talking to me today?” He’s angry. His eyes flash before he looks away and I realize he’s more embarrassed than anything else. He’s a tough guy. Too tough to make stupid mistakes in front of a girl. Too tough to show pain.

“Aren’t you hungry?” His voice is lower now, a little worried now. I’ve been starving for 264 days. “No.”

Something punches me in the stomach. His eyes. Something about his eyes. It’s not him not him not him not him not him. I close the world away. Lock it up. Turn the key so tight. Blackness buries me in its folds.

“Why won’t you answer me?” He’s too close too close too close. No one is ever close enough. I suck in my breath and wait for him to walk away like everyone else in my life.

The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It’s always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day it’s a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands what it means to be human.

Animals were so desperate for food they were willing to eat anything and people were so desperate for food they were willing to eat poisoned animals. We were killing ourselves by trying to stay alive.

“There’s no . . . group therapy?” He almost laughs. “Until you arrived, I hadn’t spoken a single word in two hundred sixty-four days.” His silence says so much.

No one has ever treated me like an equal. Then again, he doesn’t know I’m a monster my secret.

Look at me, is what I wanted to say to you. Talk to me every once in a while. Find me a cure for these tears, I’d really like to exhale for the first time in my life.

Prepared. He was always prepared. To run. To escape. I wonder why.

Interesting…. Adam has secrets

only wonder how he turned out so well despite having such a despicable father. And I wonder why he ever joined the army if he hates it so much. Right now, I’m too shy to ask. I don’t want to infringe on his emotional boundaries.

Step up faster girl because this is becoming sus…. Adams Motive are unclear

His touch. His lips, God his lips, his mouth on my neck, his body wrapped around mine, holding me together as if to affirm that my existence on this earth is not for nothing.

👁🫦👁

“It’s really nice to meet you,” I manage. James cocks his head. “So do you always dress like that?” I’d like to die a little.

Wow the sass I like James

“How old are you?” “I’ll be eleven next year.” I grin. “So you’re ten years old?” He crosses his arms. Frowns. “I’ll be twelve in two years.” I think I already love this kid.

He’s adorbs

Omg he didn’t say it back…… sus Adam so sus

Thank god they got cock blocked James I owe you one

“I thought you said it was getting better,” I hear him whisper, but his words are kind, not accusing.

The author is doing this on purpose right? Right? They get it on but get interrupted? So Jules won’t have any more regrets? Losing her flower to him? Is it that?

“That seems awfully convenient.” James narrows his eyes. Adam laughs out loud. “Where’d you learn to talk like that?” James frowns. “Benny says that a lot. She says my excuses are ‘awfully convenient.’” He makes air quotes with two fingers. “She says it means I don’t believe you. And I don’t believe you.”

James is precious he must be protected at all cost

My daily struggle, girl.

James’ door squeaks open. The two brothers step out, the younger before the older. James looks a little pink and he can hardly meet my eyes. He looks embarrassed and I wonder if Adam punished him. My heart fails for a moment. Adam claps James on the shoulder. Squeezes. “You okay?” “I know what a girlfriend is—” “I never said you didn’t—” “So you’re his girlfriend?” James crosses his arms, looks at me.

Adam stop traumatizing your poor brother, the only good character beside the hot villain (I mean Warner of course)

I feel human.

What I’ve witnessed till now was that you were mostly horny for adams abs

Finally something that isn’t horny thought and in character for Jules

He grins. Tries to wink. “I guess I was dreaming about you in my sleep.”

Sympathisch man kann sich unterhalten

Kenji turns to face me. “Well I’m not sure I blame you. I look like hell right now. But I clean up okay.” He attempts a grin. “Give me a couple days. You might change your mind—” Adam elbows him in the face and doesn’t apologize.

I love kenji

“I’m sorry—is a lonely man not allowed to make a move, Kent? Maybe I’m actually interested. Maybe you should back the hell off and let her speak for herself.”

Facts facts facts

I wish he would say something to Kenji—I wish he would tell him that we’re together officially, exclusively. But he doesn’t. And I don’t know why.

So sus

Man-made manipulations that we can still fix.”

You’re just explaining climate change bro

He stops at a glass wall. Points through to the room beyond. Doesn’t answer my question. “Your Adam is healing because of our people.” I nearly trip in my haste to see him.

Clumsy bitch

Kenji grins. “You and James are going to be my new roommates.” Adam swears under his breath.

I wanna be your roommate

The worst compliment even She’s a purple killer gymnastic

I’ve been shot. And, as it turns out, a bullet wound is even more uncomfortable than I had imagined. My skin is cold and clammy; I’m making a herculean effort to breathe. Torture is roaring through my right arm and making it difficult for me to focus. I have to squeeze my eyes shut, grit my teeth, and force myself to pay attention. The chaos is unbearable. Several people are shouting and too many of them are touching me, and I want their hands surgically removed.

“Why?” I reach for a slice of bread. “I am perfectly capable of keeping my eyes open. Only an idiot would rely on the energy of a bean or a leaf to stay awake throughout the day.”

The sass I love it

“Consider your message received.” I move to unlock my door. He steps forward, blocking my path. I turn to face him.

The authority is so sexy on him wtffff

There was a time when things were better, when my father wasn’t always so angry. I was about four years old then. He used to let me sit on his lap and search his pockets. I’d get to keep anything I wanted as long as my argument was convincing enough. It was his idea of a game. But this was all before.

Kinda nice

That’s how I knew, for example, that Private Seamus Fletcher, 45B-76423, was beating his wife and children every night. I knew he was spending all his money on alcohol; I knew he’d been starving his family. I monitored the REST dollars he spent at our supply centers and carefully observed his family on the compounds. I knew his three children were all under the age of ten and hadn’t eaten in weeks; I knew that they’d repeatedly been to the compounds’ medic for broken bones and stitches. I knew he’d punched his nine-year-old daughter in the mouth and split her lip, fractured her jaw, and broken her two front teeth; and I knew his wife was pregnant. I also knew that he hit her so hard one night she lost the child the following morning. I knew, because I was there.

He’s a good guy actually ahhh

And then I called for an assembly. I’m well aware that the majority of my soldiers steal from our storage compounds. I oversee our inventory closely, and I know that supplies go missing all the time. But I allow these infractions because they do not upset the system.

Omg I love him

I do not pretend to know the difference between right and wrong. But I do live by a certain kind of code. And sometimes, I think, you have to learn how to shoot first. Seamus Fletcher was murdering his family. And I shot him in the forehead because I thought it’d be kinder than ripping him to pieces by hand. But my father picked up where Fletcher left off. My father had three children and their mother shot dead, all because of the drunken bastard they’d depended on to provide for them. He was their father, her husband, and the reason they all died a brutal, untimely death. And some days I wonder why I insist on keeping myself alive.

“Just a little longer and I’ll leave,” he says, pointing the gun directly at my forehead. My palms are sweating. My pulse is racing. “You’ll be all right,” he lies. “I promise.” Three. Boom.

Omg I love him and I ahhh nejdjfmvv

Because in the end it is our emotions that make us weak, not our actions.

Banger Satz

“Where’s the coffee?” I ask, my eyes scanning the table. Delalieu drops his fork. The silverware clangs against the china plates. He looks up, eyes wide. “Sir?” “I’d like to try it,” I tell him, attempting to spread butter on my toast with my left hand. I toss a look in his direction. “You’re always going on about your coffee, aren’t you? I thought I—” Delalieu jumps up from the table without a word. Bolts out the door. I laugh silently into my plate.

I enjoy they silly interactions and that shows that Aaron is not heartless, that he doesn’t act violent or mocks Dieleie for his clumsiness

I feel her hands move down my chest, my stomach; her fingers run along the edge of my underwear. Her hair falls forward, grazing my skin, and I have to clench my fists to keep from pinning her to my bed. Every nerve ending in my body is awake. I’ve never felt so alive or so desperate in my life, and I’m sure if she could hear what I’m thinking right now, she’d run out the door and never come back. Because I want her. Now. Here. Everywhere. I want nothing between us. I want her clothes off and the lights on and I want to study her. I want to unzip her out of this dress and take my time with every inch of her.

26 letters are all I need. I can stitch them together to create oceans and ecosystems. I can fit them together to form planets and solar systems. I can use letters to construct skyscrapers and metropolitan cities populated by people, places, things, and ideas that are more real to me than these 4 walls.

I tug off my glove and reach into my pocket for the Danish I grabbed at breakfast this morning; I hadn’t had a chance to eat anything before our early start today. And though I haven’t the faintest idea what dogs eat, exactly, I offer the Danish anyway. The dog practically bites off my hand. It chokes down the Danish in two bites and starts licking my fingers, jumping against my chest in excitement, finally plowing into the warmth of my open coat. I can’t control the easy laughter that escapes my lips; I don’t want to. I haven’t felt like laughing in so long.

Kenji. I want to laugh out loud. Kenji would be the only one willing to risk working with me. I injured him once. By accident. But he and I haven’t spent much time together since he first led our expedition into Omega Point. It was like he was just doing a task, fulfilling a mission; once complete, he went back to his own life. Apparently Kenji is important around here. He has a million things to do. Things to regulate. People seem to like him, respect him, even.

But then Adam’s lips press against my head and my worries put on a fancy dress and pretend to be something else for a while.

“That’s so gross.” “You know, you have a really strange way of telling me you’re attracted to me.”

“but you should try living with him. The man is moody as hell.” “I am not moody—” “Yeah, bro.” Kenji puts his utensils down. “You are moody. It’s always ‘Shut up, Kenji.’ ‘Go to sleep, Kenji.’ ‘No one wants to see you naked, Kenji.’ When I know for a fact that there are thousands of people who would love to see me naked—”

He’s sooo funny