Mina Murray Quotes

“I loved him and honoured him more than I can say, and that my latest and truest thought will be always for him.”
― Bram Stoker, Dracula

“Guinevere loved Arthur until she met Lancelot. Do you not agree that it is possible to love one person but encounter another whose very soul speaks to you?”
― Karen Essex, Dracula in Love

“I raised the hood of my cape and opened my umbrella. Headmistress had given it to me for my twenty-first birthday, knowing how fond I was of the purple foxglove that bloomed in the park. When open, the underside revealed in each of the panels a spray of painted stems, lush with lavender bells. "No matter how bad the weather, you will always be able to look up and see something that will cheer you," she had said, knowing that my quiet moods often concealed an orphan's melancholy.”
― Karen Essex, Dracula in Love

“Then I have a vague memory of something long and dark with red eyes, just as we saw in the sunset, and something very sweet and very bitter all around me at once; and then I seemed sinking into deep green water, and there was a singing in my ears, as I have heard there is to drowning men; and then everything seemed passing away from me; my soul seemed to go out from my body and float about the air. I seemed to remember that once the West Lighthouse was right under me, and then there was a sort of agonizing feeling, as if I were in an earthquake, and I came back and found you shaking my body. I saw you do it before I felt you.”
― Bram Stoker, Dracula

“You see, Miss Mina, the air is thick with the spirits of the young sailors and fishermen who died in the sea. They still yearn for the love and touch of beautiful women, young men that they were when they were forced to leave their bodies and earthly pleasure behind. I tell you this to warn you, beauty that you are with your jet-colored hair and your lovely skin more pure and delicious than the top of the cream, and those eyes of yours that stole their green from a sultan's emerald.”
― Karen Essex, Dracula in Love

“I suppose that Lucy and I were worthy of the male gaze, what with her pale blond beauty shown off nicely in a peach summer frock, in contrast to my black hair set against light skin. Tonight I wore my favorite dress of pale green linen, which everyone said complemented my eyes, and a cotton bolero jacket perfect for a summer evening.”
― Karen Essex, Dracula in Love

“I could see into the shadows, where the very blades of grass and the leaves and buds of plants were sharply defined though it was a dark night. I was acutely aware of my ears, hot, pulsing, and humming. Now fragrance took command, and I was struck with the scents of the evening. Unable to resist, I rolled on the ground, breathing in the wet tang of dewy grass and the musk of the mud in which it grew. I glided my muzzle through the blades, letting each soft edge tickle my nose. When I lifted it, I caught the delicate fragrance of wildflowers and the powdery sweetness of red clover. The aromas permeated my body as if I could smell with my eyes, my toes, and my tail. I detected the essence of living fowl on the feathers of a fallen bird, but was quickly distracted by the blood-warm effluvia of rabbits and voles wafting up from a small hole in the ground.
The air carried the scent of wet leaves after a forest rain. My senses were torn in two, with one thing calling my attention into the air and another, even more compelling, back down to the earth. The miasma of fetid earth, God's creatures, and the aromatic night air swirled in my head and through my body, competing with a cacophony of noises that grew louder and louder. The muffled sound of my paws as they made contact with the ground resonated in my ears. I felt in my body the vibration of all things touching the earth- animals small and large, as they interacted with the same soil that I was treading. The rustle of leaves in the trees, the screech of the wind blowing the hairs on my face, the fluttering of bees' wings, the distant cry of an owl- I heard each as a distinct, sharp sound. My senses were in control of my body. I was a living machine that processed sights, smells, and sounds.”
― Karen Essex, Dracula in Love

“I think every emergency vehicle in town wee-ooh-wee-oohed to whatever was happening--- a car crash or something. Be careful on your way to school."
Car crash? Mina thought back to her dream, which was already fading, as dreams do. "Another reason to continue my commitment to the pedestrian life."
"You are going to need to practice driving at some point---"
"Can't crash if I don't drive. Safety first, Mom.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“The town of London, Georgia, was on a grid, with the old-fashioned town square in the center. Smack in the middle of the square, the courthouse rose above the other buildings. Constructed of red brick, with white ionic columns lining the front, the courthouse sported a clock tower with a copper dome that had developed a green patina after years of oxidation. The residents jokingly called it the “The Tower of London” for the historic castle in London, England. But while the English tower housed the Crown Jewels, the Georgian tower graced the building where citizens of London paid their parking tickets. The only Beefeaters at this Tower of London were the retirees who ate steak and eggs and played checkers at the diner nearby.
Established by a few founding families who had sailed over from its namesake city a couple hundred years ago seeking religious freedom, London leaned into its Anglophile origin. On the corner of the town square sat the Olde Towne Shoppe— and that was “Shoppe” with an E at the end— which sold everything from “Werewolf of London” tees to English breakfast teas.
Rumors abounded about the religion the founding families had needed freedom to practice, and people whispered that the families hadn’t just brought old-world culture and Christianity but also old-world demons. The blood-sucking, fangy ones. Londoners didn’t put any stock in the vampire tales, but they provided great fodder for tourism, much like trolls in Norway and Mothman in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The Shoppe took tourists on walking tours called “Legends of London: A Bite on the Town,” sharing stories of the macabre and selling fruit punch in pouches designed to look like blood bags from the Red Cross.
Yet there were other stories that floated down from generation to generation— ones that weren’t touted on the tours, about mysterious deaths and other odd happenings in their town. Londoners whispered of people disappearing overnight and secret rooms behind bookshelves where the undead hid their victims. When Mina’s third-grade teacher had passed away suddenly halfway through the year, kids swore weeks later that they’d seen her lurking around the playground at night. Mina knew this was all just folklore but still loved to hear the stories. Maybe because she considered herself a mystery of London.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“Jackie’s mom, Dr. Seward, enjoyed gardening when she wasn’t at her psychiatry office, so the yard overflowed with azaleas, and hydrangeas, goldmound spirea, leucothoe, and lemongrass. She grew mint, basil, thyme, and rosemary in pots on their back porch, and sometimes Jackie and Mina would put sprigs of mint in their iced tea and pretend to be fancy.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“She knows this novel much better than I do.”
I’m not just saying it to make amends. It’s true.
“Actually, you’re the newly crowned expert,” says Salma without looking at me.
Our teacher is still staring at me like she’s trying to figure something out, and not for the first time, I get the sense she knows all my secrets.
“You can keep your crown,” I say, and I hear Tiffany’s heavy exhale, like Salma and I are being childish. “I don’t know why any woman would like this novel, given how misogynistic it is. Lucy is pretty much the portrait of a damsel in distress, and she and Mina and the brides of Dracula are only seen through the male gaze.”
“That’s ridiculously reductive,” says Salma in a haughty tone that reminds me of William. “Mina is the strongest character in the book. She defies gender roles by playing a crucial part in defeating Dracula. She’s the fu-reaking heroine of the story!”
― Romina Garber, The Last Vampire

“We have been discussing Jonathan Harker and Dracula, but by now you should also have met Lucy and Mina. We already heard from Lorena and Salma on this matter a couple of days ago, so I will ask the rest of you: What do you make of them?”
No one says anything right away.
In my peripheral vision, I see Salma’s head turn toward me, and I meet her gaze for the first time today. And even though our teacher was specifically not asking us, she volunteers an answer anyway.
“I think they had a great friendship until Dracula came along.”
― Romina Garber, The Last Vampire

“Mina wasn't sure how she ended up running for class representative in the student council. Maybe because she was naturally argumentative. Maybe it was her deep need to do something important. She didn't know. One day she'd gone off in the media center about her hefty library fines and how they discouraged reading, and the media specialist encouraged her to take that passion and run with it. She'd still had to pay the fines, but she'd entered her name in the student council race, spent a week hanging posters all over the school, and annihilated her opponent in the debate in the school auditorium.
At least that was what she'd thought at the time. Becca's words from yesterday came back to her and smacked her in the face. I got everyone to vote for you. It was a pity vote because of your tragic awkwardness. When she got to the media center, she pulled the caricature of Becca out of her sketchbook and displayed it with some books of poetry on an endcap where people would see it.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“She didn’t know why she loved torturing him, but she did. Torturing Jonathan Harker ranked up there for her with eating chocolates and cuddling puppies. Made her feel delicious all over.
Maybe Becca was right. There was something wrong with her.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“One: He thinks he’s so spectacular. Seriously, he mansplains everything and thinks he’s so amazing, so even if I thought he was a little amazing— which I don’t— there’s no room for anyone else to think he’s amazing because he’s too full of himself.
“Two: Why is his hair always in his eyes?” Mina rolled her eyes.
“Three: He has all the teachers wrapped around his finger. I saw the student council advisor literally swoon over his speech last week. Swoon. I mean, pull yourself together, ma’am, you are a grown-up.
“Four: He’s all ‘Oooh, I’m gonna be a lawyer.’ Oh, okay— well, lawyers are shady, and therefore you are shady, Jonathan. I asked him why he wanted to defend criminals, and he said he was interested in estate law like his parents, and then I lost interest because he is boring.
“Five: He is boring.”
“You don’t seem that bored,” Jackie cut in, looping a piece of web around the edge of a bush.
Mina made a mock-affronted face. “Rude.”
Jackie laughed and motioned for Mina to continue.
“Six: Why does he need everyone to like him? Get over yourself, Jonathan, because I don’t like you.
“Seven: Hello? Can we say TOO INQUISITIVE? He asks too many questions. All up in my business.
“Eight: He never remembers my name. I know he’s a big junior and I’m a lowly sophomore, but we are on student council together, and it’s not that hard. I’ll make you remember my name, Jonathan. My name will be infamous!” Mina thrust her arms toward the sky, looming over Jackie and trailing webs all over them.
“Nine: I saw him steal a fry off his friend’s plate at lunch. That’s unforgivable. What a mooch.
“Ten: He makes me forget what I’m saying. I never forget what I’m saying. I’m great at linear thought— in fact, I’m known for it. Clearly this is one hundred percent his fault.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“She comes in my room and helps herself to my stuff. It serves her right, finding more than she bargained for.”
“Mina, I’m concerned about your fixation on this macabre world. These drawings… monsters tearing flesh and blood dripping from teeth. What’s a girl doing, drawing this stuff?”
“What— like it would be okay if I was a boy? Sexist!” Mina shouted.
“That’s not what I… you’re right. That’s sexist. I’m just worried about you. You’re delving deeper into this world of horror, and I don’t want you to—”
“Become a serial killer? Wasn’t gonna.” Mina thrust her chin out.
Stab, stab, stab!
Mina balled her fists. “If I were you, I’d worry more about your kleptomaniac younger daughter always pilfering my stuff.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“Mina changed into her dress, and Jackie blew out her breath. It was a black lace fit-and-flare that emphasized Mina’s waist and swung out around her hips. Paired with her red Doc Martens, of course.
“You’re telling me you clicked and bought that without even reading the description, and it looks great on you, while I spent seven hours trying on dresses?”
“I was going for effortless beauty— as in, I put in zero effort,” Mina shrugged.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“Mina tried not to dry-heave. “Happily Ever After” had rendered the school like they’d detonated a crepe paper bomb.
“Happily ever after?” Let’s not jump to conclusions, Mina thought. Prince and princess meet, fall in love, slay the dragon, and get married, but there’s still a lot of living to do, and the dragon probably has friends. “Happily two days after” might be more accurate. The happy couple should play it by ear before they’re flame-broiled in bed on a Saturday morning.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“Mina pulled out the tissue paper to reveal something black. She liked it already. Lifting it out of the bag, she discovered a zip-up hoodie. When she unfolded it, she saw the Lore Club logo that she’d drawn on the board at their first meeting. Her fingers traced the letters. Her letters. Her eyes filled with tears.
“I screenshotted the video I took that day, with the logo on the board,” Arthur said.
“We really liked it and thought it would look cool on a hoodie,” Jackie nodded.
“I love it,” Mina said, pulling on the hoodie and zipping it up. The inside was soft and warm. “It’s perfect. Thanks, guys. This means… this means everything.”
“We love you, Mina, our fearless leader of lore,” Jackie said, resting her head on Mina’s shoulder.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“Mina wound her way through the gravestones and arrived at the mausoleum. Her mausoleum. She smiled. She loved her creepy clubhouse.
She opened the iron gate with the broken latch. It made a soft creak as she stepped inside and inhaled the mossy smell of the stone, letting her eyes adjust to the shadows. She slid down onto the cold floor and clipped a book light onto her sketchbook.
Mina relaxed into the darkness. She felt anonymous, comforted by the silence, surrounded by the dead who needed nothing from her and held no judgement.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“That symbol on your wrist is the mark of the guardian, a mark that’s passed down from Carfax to Carfax. Only those with Carfax blood can bear the mark. Mina, you’re a Carfax.”
She couldn’t believe it, but it made too much sense not to. Of course. She was a Carfax. As in Carfax House, as in the Carfax mausoleum where she’d spent so much time. No wonder that mausoleum was where she felt connected to London, where she felt safe. It was her family’s.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“Once I’m gone, it falls to you as the last remaining Carfax to keep the Old One from rising and destroying London and the world beyond. Everything you need is in this book, and in yourself. You also inherit the loyalty of our immortal canine protector, Willow. She will allow you to see through her eyes. As you learn to use the book, you’ll develop the ability to communicate with her as well as most other creatures.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“The wolf padded to her and butted Mina with her nose.
She let out a startled laugh. “Willow. Thanks for protecting me. That was you growling in the dark all those times, wasn’t it? Chasing the vampires away.”
Willow pressed her forehead to Mina’s.
“And my dreams—some of those were through your eyes.” Mina remembered the back seat of the car in the sinkhole. “Do you like ear scratches?” she asked, and when Willow didn’t move away, she reached a hand up and scratched behind her ears.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“Willow’s connection with the Carfax family extended her life, the Carfax bond making her immortal. Mina’s father, Theodore, had developed a connection with the Carfax wolf over decades, and Mina felt like such a bumbling newbie. It was a steep learning curve, but Willow was patient, as Mina learned to travel between their minds, seeing through Willow’s eyes. She was slowly able to hold the connection while Willow moved farther away, starting in the room, and then the backyard, down the street, across town. Mina had done it a few times accidentally since receiving the mark that bound them to one another, but she was working hard to develop the skill. It wasn’t such a stretch, sharing a mind with a wolf. After all, she’d spent her life sharing her brain with OCD.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore

“She stepped inside and trailed her fingers along the crypts. Two fresh names were etched into a crypt at the back. Isabella and Theodore Carfax, her mom and dad. She pressed her hands against their crypt and leaned her forehead against the cool stone. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for keeping me safe, and for this legacy. I wish you were here.”
― Melanie Dale, Girl of Lore