The Becoming Quotes

“Suddenly, Catty, Serena, and Vanessa broke into the room and ran toward her. Tianna sensed intuitively that they had come to rescue her, in spite of the danger to themselves. The three Daughters joined hands, forming a ring around Tianna, and together they repeated the prayer Maggie had taught them. Then, silver moonlight appeared, cascading through the tall, narrow windows, even though Tianna knew it was impossible. No moon glowed in Nefandus. The cleansing luminescence cradled her and filled her with unbearable love and happiness. She stretched her arms toward the light, longing for its touch, and anxious to fall back into eternity.
Catty, Vanessa, and Serena each whispered their good-byes, and then everything became blindingly bright, each tiny sound magnified a thousandfold. This time something pure and longed-for penetrated her chest, and she joyously released her soul. Her spirit retreated from her body and rode on tranquil moonbeams, flowing upward, the strength of the universe pulling her away.
At last, Selene reached down and took her home.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“Come here, Ethan. I’m waiting for another kiss.”
He smiled and stepped toward her, then closed his eyes and started to embrace her.
She swung the sword high over her head and plunged the blade into his shoulder, down into his chest.
His eyes flashed open.
“You created me to destroy,” she said. “Now I have fulfilled my destiny.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“You were born from the first stirrings of the dark as the sun gave way to night. The Fates helped me. No one could stop me once they had agreed. Even Zeus had to bow to their decree. They gathered the power of the moon, and Klotho spun the thread of life and gave it to me. Then Lachesis wove a cloth that reached to infinity to give you immortality. Atropos gave me her cruel scissors so you'd never face death."
"But the failures—" Tianna started to say, thinking of Mary.
"There were too many." He nodded. "Treading on the boundary between death and birth is delicate, and countless mistakes were made."
"But if you could create me, then why not a son?" she asked.
The suggestion seemed to anger him. "My son will have a mother to nurture him. No human has ever measured up. I tested many, but all failed me. Now I have you."
"Am I good enough or evil enough to be its mother?" she asked.
He ignored her question and kissed her. Frost covered her lips, spreading out to her cheeks. He pulled back.
"Maybe I shouldn't have given you so much intelligence," he said, as if she had asked too many questions, "and only given you the need to destroy— but then you would never have come to love me."
"Love?" she repeated. The word hung oddly in the air and she couldn't quite recall what it meant. But then its sound filled her with an odd glow and she remembered Jamie, her mother and father, the Daughters, Derek, and Maggie. Memories of them broke the spell seducing her. Desire slipped away and was replaced by fear.
"Why would you want love when you can't feel love yourself?" she bravely asked.
Ethan stepped away from her, angered, as if he coveted most what he could never possess.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“Shadows writhed over her with sensual slowness, lulling her with each caress, and the faint scent of sulfur permeated the air. Something familiar stirred inside her, awakening, and she no longer felt afraid. She stretched, enjoying the sensation of soft air wrapping around her. She slid her hands down her body, reveling in a primitive feeling of wickedness. Her fingers caught on the sword’s hilt. She jerked her hand away and jarred the blade, making the tip slice her ankle. Pain shot up her leg.
Do you have something you want to do? The Atrox asked.
The words slipped across her mind.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Her will to fight had vanished, replaced with only one desire: to please her master. She drew the sword from her waistband. The blade licked her thigh and its energy flared in warning, igniting her blood on the point. She let it fall. It hit something solid, as if she were still standing on the rocky shore. The clatter rang into the universe and echoed through her with terrible, foreboding force.
For the briefest moment she hesitated, unsure, but then the swarming dark twirled lazily around her. She closed her eyes again and fell back, dissolving in the Atrox’s embrace. She was becoming.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“I’ll do this for everyone I’ve loved that it has destroyed.”
“It’s the only way to stop your becoming,” he said, as if that would give her solace. Then he kissed her cheek and started to fall back, dissolving into a flicker of shade.
“Stanton,” she asked, stopping him. “What is this becoming everyone has been talking about?”
His words drifted to her as the wind swept his shadow away. “Becoming the mother of the Atrox’s child.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“He pulled back his cape and his fingers grasped the hilt of a sword. He drew it from the scabbard and pointed it at the sky. Moonlight reflected off the blade in dazzling rainbow lights. The sword seemed to be carved from gray stone.
“Maggie used this centuries back to bind the Atrox to its shadow. Do it again for Serena, Catty, and Vanessa.” He offered it to her.
As Tianna grasped the pommel, energy vibrated up her arm. Maggie’s love enveloped her, as if her spirit still lingered inside the cold stone. “But I thought using weapons only made the Atrox stronger.”
“The sword was forged with love out of rock cut from the moon,” he explained. “It will bind the Atrox to its shadow so it can no longer transform.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“Stanton materialized beside her, his black cape billowing behind him. Emblazoned on his shoulder was a crest depicting two hands holding the eternal flame of evil, the symbol for the Prince of the Night. Sea mist gathered and made a delicate pattern on the silk.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“Tianna stopped suddenly, remembering the meticulous way her mother had reinterpreted every event in her life to give her confidence and make her feel normal.
“She let you see a good side to everything you did or said,” Jimena continued for her. “Even when you felt—”
“Even when I felt I wasn’t good.” Tianna stared at the clock on top of the television. She had less than an hour left. “But I was never brutal or cruel or evil,” she added, hating the feel of the last word on her tongue. “I learned to love and feel compassion.”
“Your mother fed you moon dew, a magic elixir, to give you heart and soul,” Jimena explained.
Tianna remembered walking barefoot in the wet grass, sipping sweet liquid form honeysuckle blossoms under a full moon. She had thought it was only a game.
“My mother loved the moonlight,” she said sadly. Tears spilled from her eyes again and she felt the warmth of her mother’s devotion, love, and care, and then her head shot up as another idea jumped into her mind. “You’re mistaken. I know you are. You must have me confused with someone else, because Maggie said I was—”
Jimena touched her lips and silenced her. “Maggie knew who you were and gave you the moon amulet, hoping the charm would protect you,” Jimena explained. “Any of her deceptions came from love, and were attempts to safeguard you from your destiny.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“When Selene stopped the Atrox from abducting Pandora, it vowed to learn how to create the breath of life and make its own irresistibly beautiful woman. Throughout the centuries it has had countless failures, many monstrous outcomes—”
“What happened to them?” Tianna asked, curious now, and feeling unexpected compassion for the creatures.
“Most live in Nefandus, the Atrox’s realm,” Jimena said. “Some are Regulators, and a few, like Mary, try to live in our world.”
“Mary?” Tianna’s hatred for Mary suddenly fell away, replaced by a terrible pity. “But what does that have to do with what’s happening now?”
“You were its first success,” Jimena said finally. “The Atrox created you.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“Selene stole a baby from the Atrox. She gave the infant to one of her Daughters to rear. The Daughter was turning seventeen and had bravely asked to make the change. The metamorphosis doesn’t always involve turning into a spiritual form. In rare cases it means taking on a difficult duty or an impossible challenge, and keeping one’s goddess powers and memories.”
Tianna nodded impatiently, trying to get Jimena to hurry.
“Selene needed to protect the child from her destiny, and the Daughter accepted the responsibility of rearing the baby as her transformation. She succeeded far beyond anyone’s hopes. The child grew strong and good. That little girl was you.”
“My mother was a goddess, a Daughter of the Moon?”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“At last she unclasped her moon amulet and fastened it around Shannon’s neck. “You keep it. You’re more goddess than I am. I’m just a street kid with the weird ability to move things.”
Then she looked back at the others. “Take care of Shannon for me.”
Catty put an arm around her. “Maybe Kendra can become her foster mom. She needs someone who isn’t always in trouble like me.”
“How do you know I’m not always in trouble?” Shannon snapped.
Her response pleased Catty, and she gave her a wild hug. “You’re a perfect sister for me.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“Tianna listened, wondering why Mary hadn’t turned to shadow and glided up to their hiding place. Maybe Shannon in her innocence had created a magic room. Maggie had said the Atrox was unable to feel love and was therefore blind to anything hidden in loving thoughts. Now Tianna wondered if Mary was unable to sense their presence because the sacred images in the attic concealed them in a circle of love.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“Catty pushed against Serena, trying to see inside. She had changed from her party clothes and now wore blue sweats with the image of a skull and crossbones on the front. The skull was adorned with a large pink bow.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“She pulled on her silver miniskirt, loving the way it showed off her hip bones and belly ring, then she twisted into a black cropped top. The sleeves covered her arms from wrist to shoulder and hid the worst of her bruises. She stretched and let the neckline slip low.
Her heart raced with anticipation. She took a deep breath, trying to quell her excitement about telling Derek her decision. Then she stared into the mirror, brushed on glitter eye shadow, and added sparkle to her hair. Tiny diamonds glimmered against her black curls. She pasted three pink stars on her cheek, then squeezed strobe cream into her palms and rubbed it over her legs. Her skin glowed, and the sweet fragrance of gardenias scented the air. She angled one foot in front of the other and cast a sly smile at her reflection. A thrill rushed through her. She looked like an enchantress.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“Tianna held her power in check. It prowled near the surface, petulant and strong, a primitive urge needing expression. She grimaced. She had been a brat, indulging in a temper tantrum. Why was she acting this way?
Her powers had always been stronger than those of the other Daughters, and her unexplained gift hadn’t come from Selene. Was she by some angry twist of fate going to “become” a Pandora and release something dreadful on the world?”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“Finally, Jimena spoke. "Maybe Tianna is the becoming."
"What does that mean?" Tianna asked.
"I don't remember completely," Jimena said. "In the beginning of the ancient world, when Selene stopped the Atrox from destroying hope, the Atrox vowed to bring an unimaginable curse upon the world. Followers call it the becoming. The gods call it the becoming sorrows, but what that means I don't know yet."
"Do you think Tianna will do something?" Serena asked. "Maybe like Pandora, she'll release—"
"I would never do anything to hurt people." Tianna interrupted, folding her arms tightly across her chest. "Do you think I'd free disease and misery like Pandora? I'm not that stupid."
Catty put an arm around Tianna. "You'd never do it on purpose, but maybe—"
She shrugged off Catty's hand. "I wouldn't do it even by accident. Think about it. If the Atrox asked you to open a jar or a trunk, would you?"
Catty shrugged.
"But suppose there's something you're going to do or have already done that will start an unstoppable series of events," Serena suggested. "Like when you used the Secret Scroll—"
"Would you get off it?" Tianna shot back angrily. "I thought I could defeat the Atrox then."
Serena ignored her and looked at Jimena. "Do you think that could be it? Could Tianna have done something when she summoned the Atrox? Maybe the becoming sorrows only refers to a new era when the Atrox is stronger and Tianna would be the becoming because she helped it escape its binding."
"It's possible," Jimena agreed.
"She didn't do it intentionally," Catty added as if trying to protect Tianna from their accusations.
"Of course it was accidental," Jimena agreed, but there was doubt in her eyes. "Tianna would never do anything like that on purpose. We'll have to wait and see what happens.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“Iridescent purple shadow shimmered around her eyes, her two teardrop tattoos sparkled with silver. Her slacks were tight and sexy-low, revealing old gang markings across her stomach.
“Did you get any new memories back?” Tianna asked.
“Muy pocos.” Jimena nodded with frustration. “Only a few. We need to talk. I’ve got bad news.”
Tianna reluctantly pulled away from Derek and headed after Jimena, threading her way through the kids jammed near the back.
Jimena had turned seventeen already and had chosen to give up her powers, but when she lost her memories of being a Daughter of the Moon, other recollections of past lives had come back to her with startling clarity. She was the reincarnation of the ancient goddess Pandia, the daughter of Selene and Zeus. She had come back to earth many times, but she couldn’t yet remember her purpose for this return. She only knew she needed to help the Daughters prevent a catastrophic event.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“You are a Goddess, a Daughter of the Moon."
But, now more than ever, Tianna was certain it had been a mistake. She felt like a fraud--- just a girl, not a goddess. Besides, she was the outsider; she hadn't been born a Daughter, like Serena, Vanessa, Jimena, and Catty. Selene, the goddess of the moon, had looked down and decided to make her a Daughter because she had saved the others from the Followers of an ancient evil called the Atrox.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming

“In the beginning of the ancient world Prometheus stole a glowing ember from the sacred fire of the gods and gave it to all mortals to protect them from the cold of night. But Zeus, the king of the gods, became angry that such a gift had been taken, and in vengeance he decided to balance the blessing of fire with a curse. He ordered Hephaestus to sculpt a woman of exquisite beauty whose destiny was to bring great sorrow upon the human race. She was to be named Pandora.
As Hephaestus molded the clay into a stunning female, a primordial evil called the Atrox watched covetously from the shadows. Once she was complete, Hermes took Pandora to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus, and offered her to him, as a present from Zeus. When he saw the beautiful Pandora, Epimetheus forgot his brother's warning not to accept any gifts from the great god, and took her for his bride.
For her dowry, the gods had given Pandora a huge, mysterious storage jar, but the Atrox knew what lay inside. At the wedding feast, it shrewdly aroused her curiosity and convinced her to open the lid. And when she did, countless evils flew into the world. Only hope remained inside, a consolation for all the evils that had been set free. But no one saw the demon sent by the Atrox to destroy hope and kidnap Pandora. Selene, the goddess of the Moon, however, finally heard Pandora's cries and stopped the demonic creature.
The Atrox studied this defeat and envisioned a way to inflict even greater suffering upon the world. It journeyed to the edge of the night and found the three sister Fates, goddesses older than time, who spun threads that predetermined the course of every life. Once they had agreed to the Atrox's plan, their decision became irrevocable. Even great Zeus could not alter their ruling. Only Selene dared to scorn their decree, and she alone vowed to change destiny.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Becoming