2
" I wish I could say we all lived happily ever after. I can't. But I can say we lived. Our love for Nate lives, and he's left us this piece of himself in his art; it was his gift to us. We know him through his art, and I can take comfort in that.
I guess the thing about high school is, it's the moment when you start to cross from a being a kid to being an adult, and this journey to know yourself begins. Nate's journey ended to early, and I thought I had to run away to some far-off land to start mine. But, for now, it seems to me that I have enough to explore right here. There's a whole continent to discover in myself, and I know that it's love - love for my parents, my friends, my brother, and my art - that will guide me. Love will be my map. "
― Lisa Ann Sandell , A Map of the Known World
11
" Oh my gosh, he smells good, like some exotic but comforting spice, nutmeg or cardamom. Slowly Damian lowers his head to mine and I think my chest might explode, my heart is tap-dancing so quickly.
He's going to kiss me.
I've imagined this and now it's really happening, I am like a block of wood. I can't move. I can't breathe. I close my eyes as the lightest feather of a breath , then lips, brushing over my lips. His breath is sweet and the taste of coffee barely lingers in his mouth. I feel as though my whole body has turned to liquid, into a river of millions of droplets, rushing apart and then back together.
"You have the softest lips," he whispers as he pulls back to look at me.
"So do you," I murmur. Oh, was that a stupid thing to say? I turn my face into his jacket and breathe in his scent. "
― Lisa Ann Sandell , A Map of the Known World
18
" I am in a sun-filled tent, and my father's face, wrinkled, drawn, and pinched with worry, grows clear. He kneels beside my head, and as I look at him and ask, disbelievingly, I live? a smile widens, smoothing the creases at his brow and mouth... Tristan sits beside Lavain, his golden eyes so filled with fear, his face haggard and fraught with shadows. Elaine, he breathes, thank God. "
― Lisa Ann Sandell , Song of the Sparrow