Chosen Quotes

“All these years, I thought the first Watchers were a bit dense for giving power to only one girl. One Slayer to fight everything? One Slayer to make impossible choices? But... that's the beauty of it. Because the Slayer is young. The Slayer is a girl. The Slayer isn't some rich dude, insulated from life and pain and struggle, sitting in his Mr. Darcy house deciding who gets to live and die.
The Slayer is on the streets, in the dark, in the night, walking right alongside the things she hunts. So when she makes life-or-death choices - they're life-or-death choices for her, too. Not just for the things she's hunting. She's not a committee, a council, a group working at a remove.
She'd part of the darkness.
And when you're already in the dark, you can see the subtle differences in the shadows.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“We can't spend every moment afraid of what's waiting for us. What's waiting for us out in the world, or inside ourselves, as I've learned.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“The darkness isn't going anywhere. But there's a difference between walking through it and becoming it. It doesn't control you. You got more of it than you should? Good. Use it. Use it all.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“You can't handle the pain and anger inside you? Welcome to the club. You're so much more than that, though. Maybe you messed up. You'll mess up again. But you're doing the best you can, and that's not nothing, you know?”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“You can't stop what's inside you. If you fight it, it'll win. Figure out how to live with it, how to direct it instead of letting it drag you in its current. And only you can do that.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“Change we don't choose is hard. Trauma puts things inside your soul you never asked for. Sure, sometimes it's demonic. But sometimes it's just growing up.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“Some things you can't fight," she says, crouching low and fixing her sad green eyes on me. "Some things you have to just survive.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“You can't go back. You can't undo whatever triggered this extra bad you're struggling through. So discover the new you. Learn to live with her. To love her, when you're ready. And find people who will go on this journey, too. Because not everyone will, but the ones who do - you fight for them and they fight for you.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“We live in the darkness. Fight it or embrace it. But accept that even in a world of powers and gods and Slayers, nothing is going to magically heal you and make you the person you used to be. And would you want it to, if it meant sacrificing everything you've learned and become?”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“He leans in to kiss her, but she pulls back. "Not right now! This is beatdown time, not happy time.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“You can’t stop what’s inside you. If you fight it, it’ll win. Figure out how to live with it, how to direct it instead of letting it drag you in its current. And only you can do that.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“No one said anything about an apocalypse,” my mother says, her mouth twitching with the hint of a smile. “But I do agree that spring is a nice season for apocalypses to be triggered. Come to think of it, most of the near-apocalypses in recent memory have happened in May.” She frowns thoughtfully. “I wonder why that is.” I”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“You know how American's feel about King George's tea.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“Prophecies and ancient forces have tried to claim me. Generations of tradition have tried to steer me. Trauma and fear have tried to stop me. But today, right now? I'm exactly who I'm supposed to be. I smile. "Welcome home, Slayer.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“Everyone dies eventually. Nothing we can do will prevent that. I mean, unless you fancy a lief as a zompire, in which case, grrrr argh," I growl. It doesn't elicit a laugh. I sigh. "Dad wasn't a failure. He was everything he was supposed to be. I wish he would have lived longer, but he lived right. I'm proud of him, and I know he'd be proud of us. The world is messed up, yeah, but it's also pretty great sometimes.. We can't spend every moment afraid of what's waiting for us." What's waiting for us out in the world, or inside ourselves, as I've learned. I wish I could take all Artemis's fear away, but it's part of her. She'll have to learn to live with it in her own way too.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“All you had to do was shove that sword in her stomach and release the power to end it all. God, you are so hard to corrupt, you know that?"
I shrug. "Hufflepuff.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“Anything is better than feeling powerless. But to be powerless is to be human. To be vulnerable is to be human.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“The pounding of dozens of sets of feet surrounds us with metallic rumbling as black-cloaked minions pour into the cavern. They're behind us and in front of us, totally blocking any paths we might take.
Tsip pops in existence in front of me. "Just so you know, you're surrounded. Okay, bye!"
I don't have time to ask if Jade, Maricruz, and Chao-Ahn are all right before Tsip disappears again. Teleportation is wasted on her.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“Do the job, Save the world. Don't lose what makes you you in the process. And, above all, look good doing it.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“Maybe you messed up. You'll mess up again. But you're doing the best you can, and that's not nothing, you know?”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“You were supposed to be unconscious." Honora's hair isn't even mussed, a sleek high ponytail showing off her lustrous dark locks. She's wearing perfectly fitted black pants, combat books, and a black sweater. She's like an advertisement for traitorous assholes - betray your people, but look good doing it!
Now it's not the grit that's making it hard to see. It's the pulsing red on the edges of my vision. "Yeah, well, you were supposed to be screaming 'my arm!'"
She tilts her head in confusion. I rip one of the heavy doors the rest of the way off and throw it at her. She only has time to raise one arm to protect herself, and the door slams into her forehead with a bone-shattering blow.
"You bitch!" she screams, clutching her arm and dropping to her knees.
I shrug. "It's not 'my arm', but it's close enough.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“So reconcile what you did however you need to. Figure out how to come to peace with it. But you dying is not the right way. That wouldn't fix what your mom did, or make the world a better place. It would just make it emptier, and with everyone and everything we've lost, isn't it already empty enough?”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“When I woke up and saw the remora filling the room, my first thought was how proud of you I was."
"Really?"
He cracks one dark eye open. "Well. No. My first thought was Oh god, I'm going to die. But my second thought was how proud I was of how clever and strong you are. You stopped her with nothing but yourself. No powers. No mystical Slayer abilities. Just you. And then my third thought was a refrain of Oh god, oh god, I'm going to die”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“All these years, I thought the first Watchers were a bit dense for giving power to only one girl. One Slayer to fight everything? One Slayer to make impossible choices? But . . . that's the beauty of it. Because the Slayer is young. The Slayer is a girl. The Slayer isn't some rich dude, insulated from life and pain and struggle, sitting in his Mr. Darcy house deciding who gets to live and die.
The Slayer is on the streets, in the dark, in the night, walking right alongside the things she hunts. So when she makes life-or-death choices - they're life-or-death choices for her, to. Not just for the things she's hunting. She's not a committee, a council, a group working at a remove.
She's part of the darkness.
And when you're already in the dark, you can see the subtle differences in the shadows. Some things are so absent of light that there's no question. And other things, like werewolves, like the Dougs and Clems of the world, they're delicately shaded.
I think of Artemis and Honora behind the wheel of that truck. All those shades of darkness in demons. Just like in humans.
My ancient ancestors actually got this one right. The whole one-Slayer thing wasn't a flaw. It was a feature. The fact that there are more of us now doesn't change that. This is my calling. My duty. My right.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“I pick up a teacup to cover my confusion, accidentally snapping the delicate handle off. "Whoops. Slayer strength. You know how it goes." I smile innocently.
His left eye twitches. "That cup was hand-painted by King George's mistress."
"Shouldn't have given it to me then. You know how Americans feel about King George's tea."
"Not that King George, you imbecile."
"I mean, you're had one King George, you've had 'em all, am I right?" He's not amused.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“After another ten minutes of driving through lush forestland, we emerge into sunlight and I'm convinced we drove out of London and into Jane Austen's imagination. A massive golden-brick mansion sneers at us with stately disregard. White pillars decorate the exterior, and a series of fountains line an expansive, perfectly manicured green lawn. I half expect to see Mr. Darcy emerge from one of the ponds. "It is a truth universally acknowledged," I whisper, "that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a demon."
Doug snickers next to me. He's remained carefully limp in case there are more cameras.
"Oh my gods. What if - what if it actually is Colin Firth? If Colin Firth wants to hunt you, I might let him. Well, I'd let early- to midnineties Colin Firth hunt you. I'll have to see how he looks in person now."
"I can support that.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“He puts his hands out. "I don't like this plan at all. It didn't work in A New Hope."
I tie his wrists together, making sure the rope is tight enough to look convincing but loose enough that he can slip out. "They rescued Princess Leia!"
"Obi-Wan Kenobi died, though, even if it was on purpose. And I'm not really sure who's who in this scenario. I'm obviously a Han Solo type. You're maybe a Luke Skywalker. Good hair. Better at fighting than you have any right to be. A bit on the whiny side."
"Just for that, I'm declaring you the C-3PO of this mission."
"Hey now! That's not fair."
"Whatever you say, 3PO.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“Much as I'd love to give up this guilt, I need it. It drives me, directs me. And combats the anger. If I could live guilt-free with what I've done, I'd be a monster.
How many of the humans here actually know what's going on? How many of them sell their emotions and feelings for a wad of cash? It's one thing for Doug to feed on happiness without taking it away. This is something else. That new viciousness nestled inside me flares, and I see these two demons for what they are: predators. They might not kill people, but if they really can permanently suck away my guilt or confusion, they're taking something that makes me me. That makes me human. Just because it isn't blood doesn't mean it's not part of me.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“I forget sometimes just how demon-y Doug really is. He fits in so well at the castle. The differences between us don't seem to matter. Differences like the fact that I eat food and he eats emotions.
His stomach rumbles in response to my thoughts. "No offense, Nina, love, but you are barely a snack these days. More like an after-dinner mint. One of those unwrapped buttermint that's been in a tin for years, and when you try to pull it out, it's stuck to three others, and you know you don't want it, but you're already committed, so you pop it in your mouth and regret every decision you've ever made that brought you to that point."
"I think I should be offended by that."
Doug shrugs. "I think you and I should talk about why you're so unhappy.”
― Kiersten White, Chosen

“Rhys clears his throat. "Which brings us to outstanding threats."
"Outstanding like phenomenal?" Doug asks, frowning.
"Yes, all our phenomenal enemies," I answer.
"We really do have some excellent ones," he agrees.
I shrug. "We could do better. I mean, look at Buffy. Our enemy caliber is nowhere near hers."
Doug pats my shoulder. "I have faith that you'll get there. Give it some time. She's had years to build up her rogues' gallery."
Rhys clears his throat in a decidedly annoyed manner. "Back to the subject at hand of outstanding as in still active threats. Any word on Sean?”
― Kiersten White, Chosen