Tahereh Mafi

I touch the tip of my finger to his lips. "There are secrets in here," I say. "I want them out."He tries to bite my finger.I steal it back.

I'm oxygen and he's dying to breathe.

I think wow, I imagine this is what it's like to have friends.

I want you to make a list of all of your favorite things, and I want to be on it.

Right now I can't even control my own imagination as it grips my hair and drags me into the dark

Because it's so difficult to fight what you cannot control and right now I can't even control my own imagination as it grips my hair and drags me into the dark.

Dear, sweet, beautiful girl,

I made so many promises when I arrived here.Now I'm not so sure. Now I'm worried. Now my mind is a traitor because my thoughts crawl out of bed every morning with darting eyes and sweating palms and nervous giggles that sit in my chest, build in my chest, threaten to burst through my chest, and the pressure is tightening and tightening and tighteningLife around here isn't what I expected it to be.

Because it's so hard to be kind to the world when all you've ever felt is hate.

I love you," I whisper. "I love you exactly as you are.

I hope he doesn't know he just touched my leg.And nothing happened.

All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.

Laughter comes from living." I shrug, try to sound indifferent. "I've never really been alive before.

I do know that I don't want to wake him.We were up very late last night.

You will not be alone, I say to them, spinning to see their faces. You don't need to be afraid anymore. We want to take back our world. We want to save the lives of our family members, our friends. We want your children to have a chance at a better future. And we want to fight. We want to win. I lock eyes with them. And we are asking for your help.

The Sun is an arrogant thing, always leaving the world behind when it tires of us. The Moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It's always there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Everyday it's a different version of itself. Sometimes weak and wan, sometimes strong and full of life. The Moon understands what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Cratered by imperfections.

I lived in a really dark place. I wasn't safe in my own mind. I woke up every morning hoping to die and then spent the rest of the day wondering if maybe I was already dead because I couldn't even tell the difference.

Mother often said that she could never be bothered to understand why Alice did the things she did, and now, more than ever, Alice thought never being bothered was a very lazy way to love someone.