1
The thing Tedros liked about girls is that they always started the conversation. Most of the time, his job was just to listen, ask questions, and try to understand what in God’s name was going on in their complicated little heads. He rarely had any idea what girls were talking about or why they made everything so torturous in their logic, so playing the role of the strong, silent type usually gave him time to catch up.Soman Chainani
2
Sophie bristled. “About to die with your beloved prince and still thinking about me. My story will go on without you, Agatha. I don’t need you anymore or your pity, like one of your decrepit cats. I’m no longer your Good Deed.”“But I’m still yours, ” said Agatha. “Because without your love, I’d never have become who I really am. So even if I die, I’ll always be your Good Deed, Sophie. And no Evil in the world will ever erase that.Soman Chainani
3
Professor Manley begins his first day of Uglification class by explaining why villains must be ugly to succeed. Ugliness releases you from the surface - from the prison of vanity and youur own looks - and sets you free to embrace the soul within.Soman Chainani
4
And yet knowing all these mistakes were yours, beautifully yours, and you came out the better for it... the boy I left behind well on his way to becoming an extraordinary man and an extraordinary king." Merlin smiled. "If only from your choice of princess alone.Soman Chainani
5
I'm afraid I've already found my Ever After, Hort, " said Sophie."What? With who?" Hort asked, aghast." On my own, " she said, her voice sure and clear. "I'm happy on my own." And for the first time, she knew it was true.Soman Chainani
6
But as they grew closer and closer, Sophie had opened Agatha's wings to a love so strong she thought it would last forever. It was she and Sophie against the world. But on that first day of school, watching Sophie with a prince, Agatha realized how blind she'd been. The bond between two girls, no matter how fierce or loyal, changed once a boy came between them.Soman Chainani
7
You aren’t jealous that Agatha gets a boy and a crown and a kingdom and everything else?” Hort pressed in disbelief. “You aren’t jealous that Agatha’s a queen?” He saw her stop at the gates, faced away as students streamed past. “A tiny bit, of course, ” she said softly. “But then I remember . .  .” Sophie looked back, smiling bright as a diamond. “I’m me.Soman Chainani
8
To find a happy ending with someone else, first you have to find it alone.Soman Chainani
9
But sometimes to keep Evil from getting in, you have to let Good out.Soman Chainani
10
Dear girl, it will be a very long road if you spend more time looking backwards than forward.Soman Chainani
11
Even fairy tales have limits, " said Sophie. "Three people can't have an Ever After. Not without me being alone.Soman Chainani
12
Hester glowered at her. “The biggest mistake a villain can make is to get caught up in revenge. Hansel and Gretel were two hungry kids trying to survive in the Woods. Mother thought she’d captured another pair of greedy, gluttonous brats, only to grossly underestimate them. Hansel and Gretel killed her because they had to. It wasn’t personal.” She glanced back at the old siblings. “Doesn’t mean I can stand the sight of ’em, of course. But it also doesn’t mean their story has anything to do with mine anymore.Soman Chainani
13
Nothing will ever be enough to satisfy the black hole in our hearts.Soman Chainani