Waypoint Eclipse Quotes

“He began taking the stairs in twos, in threes, as long as he could jump. There was no time to be tired and no time to succumb to the temptation to take a short breath. He knew he was racing death, and he wasn’t too certain that he would win.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“Maybe that was why they were so afraid of her. She represented scarcity, want.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“​Each of them had parents. Each of them had scars they didn’t show. How many of their parents tried to do their best despite knowing that? How many of them had even come to that same realization? How many of them came to understand that everyone was mostly just doing their level best to get through the day? That everyone was in some sort of hidden pain?”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“Shep, nobody is good at this stuff. We all just kind of figure it out by the seat of our pants and hope for the best.” ​“How in the world can something like raising a child be so indeliberate? So much can go wrong. A moment’s mistake, one problem, and poof, you’ve ruined them.” ​Tess didn’t make any noise, but Shep could swear he heard her roll her eyes. ​“Damnit, Shep, I don’t know. Kids are more resilient than you give them credit. And do you want to know the dirty little secret about it?” ​“What?” ​“We all screw up our children. They are all scarred by the time they reach adulthood. If we don’t do it, puberty and circumstance do. We all mess them up something awful. We don’t do it deliberately, far from it, but that’s the truth. We try as hard as we can, do the best we know how, but nothing will save them from being human.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“What the hell does that have to do with anything?” ​Shep heard Tess try to stifle another sigh. She coughed, trying to pass it off as something else. ​“My point is, all kids that age want is for you to be with them. You think they care about how great of a parent you’re being? They don’t know it at that age, but later on they’ll be able to say it with more clarity. All they need is for you to try your earnest best.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“Shep, how old is she?” ​He had to think about that for a moment, too long. More guilt. ​“Seven.” ​“Shep, all kids that age are the same to some degree. All of them need to eat, need to shit, need to sleep.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“​Then the guilt would hit him, blending with the fright. Was death really much better than facing the others you’ve wronged, even long after they’ve forgiven you and forgotten the sins you’ve committed? How can you ever look anyone in the eye again like you had before the sin had even been conjured in your mind, long after the guilt was admitted? When was the expiration date for those sins? Was there one? What compensation, what punishment? Was any sentence worse than crippling, earnest self-flagellation? And what good was it if nobody knew the pain you were foisting upon yourself? And every time at that point, he knew his self-inflicted exile was not only warranted, but the best thing for her.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“​There is nothing wrong with me, Anna Lee thought. I am tired of feeling like I’m not enough for someone. Like I need to work to matter to someone. No, there’s nothing wrong with me. There is something wrong with everyone else.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“​Finja didn’t want to be seen with Anna Lee for her own sake, but she wasn’t cruel enough to actively or passively bully her. ​Anna Lee knew all of this was happening and understood every single decision, every single taunt, as a strategy. But her eleven-year-old mind could not conceive of the right words. She could think them, and more importantly, she could feel them. She comprehended what was happening at a visceral level in her gut, but expressing it was another thing entirely. ​Oh, she tried. She tried to tell Father what was going on. He started to listen but didn’t have much to say. He opted for, “Just ignore them.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“​There were the popular kids. They were the ones who were really in charge. Nobody bothered to question their authority or even ask why they were the popular ones in the first place. But they commanded the most respect and they set the standards for everyone else–the popular and preferred fashions, the jokes that were or were not funny, and who was and was not weird (no discernible, consistent logic or reasoning applied, especially to the latter). They were the cruel ones.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“Just one dose, then he would go back to nothing. Just once to take some of the edge away. But of course, that’s never how it went, and he always forgot how hard it was to resist further. The first dose felt like the sun on a rainy day, a gift from a long-lost friend, and a reassurance from someone that he’d done something good. Shivers descended, coherence and self-respect with them. The headaches went away. The second dose felt the same way, but also like eating on a full stomach. ​He”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“That’s one thick door.” ​“Could we blow it?” Gav voice piped in. ​Shep could hear Tanner’s voice come through the public channel. First, a sigh that he probably didn’t intend for the others to hear. ​“Actually, I was thinking we’d just break it down with your thick-ass skull, Gav. We’re in a tube, you idiot! Where would we shelter from the blast? So, no, Gavril the Dim, we can’t just blow the door open unless you’d like a comically accurate lesson in what color your brains are.” ​Tess snickered. ​Gav shrugged non-confidently. “I know that.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“He felt a shiver run through his spine, and his lunch revisited his taste buds.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“It wasn’t what it looked like. But she knew it would never matter. She was tarnished forever. She could explain the facts to everyone until she was red in the face, and still there would be people who thought this was the truth about her. Lies spread far faster than the truth, she knew, and the ones that were rooted in some kind of raw emotion had a way of being sticky. This would stay with her forever.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“Father took a deep breath. ​“Her mother found her. Hung herself in her bedroom with a belt.” ​She said nothing. Father looked confused, shocked, angry, sad. ​“Doesn’t that mean anything to you? Do you realize what you’ve done?” ​“I’ve done nothing. She did it to herself.” ​There was an incredulous pause. Father stood up. ​“How can you say that? Are you so devoid of feelings? Do you have a shred of empathy for anyone anymore? You are not the daughter I raised. I don’t know you.” ​That stung. But very quickly that feeling turned back to cold anger. Why hadn’t Father shown this much compassion when Anna Lee had been a victim? Why did no one remember how Brook had tormented her? But she was still, unwilling to let her face confess anything. ​“Did you have the same empathy for Mother?” ​Father’s eyes went wide, then narrowed further. ​“You are no daughter of mine.” ​That just added fuel to the fire. She felt herself shake. The injustice of it. Why had no one ever stood up for her?”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“How big is she these days?” ​Shep drew in a long breath as quietly as he could, and his head was itchy all of a sudden. When was the last time Shep had even seen Leila’s face? Did Tess know how this line of questioning was making him feel? ​“Oh, about average size, I guess. You know, for her age.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“Friends give each other frank advice,” continued Tess. ​“Friends know each other longer than an hour.” ​“All I’m saying is that if I were in your shoes, I’d be trying to get back as quickly as possible.” ​“You have a family?” ​“Yes, a daughter, too. Every second I’m not with her, I miss her even more.” ​Shep wondered what it was like, to miss them without guilt pushing her further away.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“One thing I learned when I was younger is that we’re all mostly just trying to do our best. Until I learn otherwise, I choose to believe that. You never know how things are going to turn out, but you do your best, too, don’t you?”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse

“This ass clown stole from all of us. He’s getting what’s coming to him.”
― Christopher J.C. Buchheit, Waypoint Eclipse