The Choice Quotes

“In ancient times, the Gorgon Medusa lived on the far side of Oceanus in the land of Night. She was an awesome dragonlike creature with bronze claws, great golden wings, and fierce eyes that turned her beholder to stone. At one time she had been a beautiful young woman who filled the world with joy, not death, but in a moment of foolish pride she had compared herself to Athena. Such arrogance enraged the noble goddess, and in revenge she turned Medusa's lush hair into a tangle of vile, hissing snakes. From that moment on, Medusa's stare brought the stillness of death to anyone who dared look into her eyes.
Meanwhile Polydectes, King of Seriphos, wanted to destroy Perseus, so he sent him off to bring back Medusa's head, knowing that her gaze would kill the young hero. But Athena heard the king's command. Still angry with Medusa, she gave Perseus her bronze shield to defend himself when he attacked the Gorgon. Holding the shield as a mirror, Perseus saw only Medusa's reflection, and her deadly stare did not harm him. He cut off her head and put it into a cloth bag, then flew away with the aid of a pair of winged sandals given to him by Hermes.
As Perseus soared over the African desert, blood seeped through the bag and fell to the hot sands below. As each drop hit the scorching ground, it turned to steam, and the rising vapors transformed into three dangerously beautiful nymphs.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“I want to stay,” Jimena said with certainty.
“More than anything, I want to remain on earth.”
“You have made the right choice.” Maggie stood.
“You knew?” Jimena asked.
“Of course I knew, but you had to make the decision on your own.” She held out her hand. “Now, come with me so you can experience the mystery of the moon’s renewal, the rite of death and rebirth.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“If I hadn't had the premonition of my own death, I wouldn't have been forced to think about life and how much it means to me. Now I know I don't want to leave and become something else. I have too many hopes and dreams for this life.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“We were so worried about you,” Vanessa said when Jimena finally joined them. She was vamped-out in a lavender bustier, her arabesque tattoo luminescent. She had extended the design with makeup over her chest and spiked her soft curls with strands of purple.
“We weren’t sure what to do, so we came here and hoped you’d show up.” Catty hugged her. Her makeup gave her a sassy look. She wore an off-the-shoulder T with iridescent pants. Shocks of hot pink flashed in her hair and down her bare arm in body-paint swirls.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“Your moon amulet is gone.”
Jimena nodded and rubbed her chest, missing the comfort the charm had always given her.
“Perhaps this one will help you.” She held a small cameo in the palm of her hand. The face of a beautiful woman was carved into the stone, but when Jimena looked closer she saw the flowing hair was actually a nest of snakes.
“This is the Medusa stone,” the woman explained. “After Medusa’s death, the ancients continued to believe in her power, and they carved images of her into their shields and breastplates. Her gaze protected them against enchantment and warded off malicious spirits. Be careful with its magic.”
Jimena took the stone and had the eeriest feeling that the snakes were writhing in her hand. She tied it around her neck and felt an unfamiliar power sweep through her.
Then the woman spoke to her in Latin. “Si sine misercordia oppugnabis, tenebrae fies.”
“If I attack without compassion, I’ll become the darkness,” Jimena translated into English to make sure she had understood correctly.
The woman nodded.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“Each of the Daughters had a powerful dark side. Vanessa was a Daughter of the Moon, but she was also a Daughter of Pandora. Serena was the key, the one with the power to alter the balance between light and dark, and she was in love with Stanton, a Follower. Catty's father was a powerful member of the Inner Circle, and her birth mother had been a Daughter of the Moon who had turned to the Atrox. Kendra had found Catty walking along an Arizona highway after her real mother had deserted her.
Then Jimena glanced at Tianna. Did she have another side? She hadn't been born a goddess.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“They’re nymphs,” he explained. “They’ve been sent to destroy you before you can change the future back to the one that was meant to be.”
“But aren’t nymphs supposed to be fun-loving spirits who live in forests and help humans?” Jimena asked.
“Most are,” Chris agreed. “But these were formed from the blood of the Gorgon sister Medusa.”
“You mean the monster who turned men to stone?” Jimena remembered how she had felt cold and paralyzed when she gazed into Lizelle’s eyes.
“She wasn’t a monster,” Chris went on. “She had once been beautiful, but when she compared herself to Athena, the goddess changed her into something deadly. After that her gaze turned her beholders to stone, but men still risked death for one glimpse of her beauty.”
“I know the story.” Jimena felt stunned to think that the myth could be true. “Perseus used Athena’s bronze shield so that he didn’t have to look at Medusa directly.”
Chris nodded. “He cut off her head, then placed it in a magic pouch and flew away. But drops of her blood fell on the desert and created three nymphs.”
“Lizelle, Zonda, and Azera,” Jimena whispered.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“After lunch, Jimena sat on her cot and watched the three new girls. Azera stretched her hands over her thighs and licked her lips as if she had just tasted something delicious. Zonda sat on the bunk next to her, her gaze intimidating. The third one, Lizelle, had an eerie sweetness in her voice. She turned now, her green eyes fierce, and grinned at Jimena, but her smile was like the warning of an animal baring its teeth.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“Giant shimmering wings curled from the backs of their ghostly forms. The wings seemed more reptilian than angelic, soft membranes stretched over thin, narrow bones. Slender claws extended from their fingers, like the talons of birds of prey, capable of ripping flesh. Delicate gold scales sparkled on their arms, and slippery black snakes twisted in their hair, tongues flickering.
Jimena was awestruck. She had never seen anything look so terrifying and yet so beautiful.
The phantom figures turned and stared at her, green eyes stormy, as if they had just found what they were looking for.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“Look what I found." Payasa motioned with her head. "Risky from El Nueve."
Risky was Jimena's gang name. It was tattooed over her hipbone.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“I'm not scared of you." Jimena folded her arms across her chest with confidence. A holstered gun couldn't shoot anyone but the owner.
"You should be." Payasa bared her teeth in a wicked grin. "I got the power."
"I never needed a gun to make people afraid of me." Jimena smirked. "You don't even have half my reputation.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“But it was only her old rival Payasa standing behind her.
"¿De dónde?" Payasa sauntered toward her, head thrown back, joy on her face. She wore a blue plaid Pendleton jacket over khakis. Harsh, thick liner circled her defiant eyes.
Her real name was Graciela. Payasa was her placa. It meant "clown." Her street name came from the way she wore her makeup, definitely not from her sense of humor.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice

“She breathed the spicy smells of frying onions and chilies from the taco stand on the corner and tried to figure out where she was.
In the distance the familiar shining office buildings of the Los Angeles skyline stood tall in the smoggy brown air. Behind her, faded stuffed animals pressed against the barred glass of a liquor store, their black eyes peering over advertisements for cigarettes, cerveza, and lottery tickets. Next door a fanfare of lace and satin filled the window, waves of quinceañera dresses jamming the display.
She didn't need to see more. She was on the wrong side of Wilshire Boulevard, east of Alvarado. Enemy territory.”
― Lynne Ewing, The Choice