Carter's Peak

"i don't tell ppl about my dad. its not like they won't find out. u cant keep the fact that ur dad's the mayor a secret for long, especially in a town this small. i'd just rather someone meet me before knowing that. i just wanna hang out n chill, but when i do it's 'oh shit everyone, the daughter of that rich guy who had an affair is hanging out n chilling' so the whole vibe gets fucked. trying not to be a part of the story is suddenly a story of its own. whole shit's fucked all the way down.

"emma's cool w it at least. she knows how much to talk abt it where it doesn't feel like she's ignoring it but also doesn't seem like she's always thinking abt it. i think lily either legit doesnt know or is trying too hard to pretend she doesn't, n i don't wanna bring it up in case she's like actually clueless abt it. don't wanna ruin such a good lack of context."

"my other mother always told me how important names were to an angel. she had hundreds, each one holding a fraction of her true self. she's told me five, and one of them is the closest to her heart. i don't get all of how it works, but i think saying an angel's name is like bringing a little bit of that angel with you, and if you can say all of an angels names it's the same as the angel itself being there!

"apparently the demons and fae have a bunch of important stuff going on with their names too, but when my other mother tried to explain it to me it was much much too confusing. i don't think i'm gonna run into any of those though so it really shouldn't matter!

"maybe when i find out more of my own names i'll have more for other people to hold on to, but for now i tell my first name to everyone i meet in case they need a bit of me to carry with them :)"

"and by day the sun's heat comes not from above, where it might be blocked by the sparse shade of the young forest, but from all directions- wet and hot, it permeates the humid air. wet and hot, a heat so thick you can breathe it in. wet and hot, a circle beating life and fire above. wet and hot, i feel it pour down my back in sticky rivulets."