The Cellar Quotes
"The heavy clouds made it look way too dark for July, but not even that was going to faze me."
"You’re supposed to accept someone you love for who they were, so I accepted his messiness."
"Apparently the most attractive thing was confidence. But what did you do if you weren’t confident?"
"I sighed again, deeper, and slammed my brush down on the wooden dresser."
"I knew this town and the people in it like the back of my hand, but the graveyard always creeped me out."
"Well, you have a good night, but watch your drinks. You don’t know what the boys today slip in pretty young girls’ drinks."
"I’m not entirely sure, but I think he wants a family. The perfect family."
"She needs you, so quit the bullshit and do something to help her."
"I just want to go home. I want to see Lewis and my family."
"He was easygoing and fun to be around. He could also stress over silly little things and was fiercely protective of the people he loved."
"My mum was expert in finding things. Nothing could stay hidden from her—unfortunately for Henry and his porn stash."
"Like I could just pop to the shops for some bloody hair dye!"
"I hadn’t even been down here one day, and I already felt like a different person—like Lily."
"We couldn’t be too far away from Long Thorpe; we didn’t drive for long."
"It seemed hopeless without Rose, Violet, and Poppy on my side, but I wasn’t going to give up."
"Would he punish me for wearing too much or too little? Wow, yesterday my biggest worry was which top I should wear to the gig."
"The only thing I could think of was poisoning him."
"Just over a year and a half, but I liked him for ages before that."
"How poetic would it be if he died the same way as he’d killed—a stab wound?"
"I’ve been trying to speak with her alone since, but it’s hard with Rose and Poppy always hanging around."
"I wanted to go home so badly that I ignored everything telling me this was too risky."
"Loneliness was like a terminal disease. With every passing day you faded just that little bit more."
"I miss you," I said aloud. "I hope you don’t feel that me getting the family I have always wanted will affect what I feel for you in any way."
"I couldn’t go on alone anymore. 'Good-bye, Mother. I’ll visit again soon.'"
"Society had gone downhill if women thought it appropriate to act and dress like disgusting little whores."
"The truth! The truth is I feel like I’m fucking dying. There, is that what you want to hear?"
"I didn’t want to give up. I was stronger than that."
"It’s not about giving up, Lily; it’s about surviving."
"I used to think my brother would look for me."
"Your family will be, though. You never know, maybe they’ll find us all."
"It’s just that I haven’t ever spoken about the details before; everyone else down here seems to respect each other’s privacy."
"I wish I could turn back the clock and storm up to my bedroom that night rather than out of the front door."
"I need you to trust me. All I want is to look after you. You’re home now, sweet Shannen."
"Just be quiet and everything will be fine. Just be quiet."
"I don’t know if we’ll ever get out of here—alive—but going along with all this is the only chance we have."
"I’m very aware of the situation, Lily, but what do you want me to do?"
"I like being this close to you and, anyway, I’ll be okay after a few minutes."
"It’s a nice pain, and it doesn’t really hurt that much now."
"You’re such a weirdo," he teased and kissed my forehead.
"Leave me alone. Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. He’s already gone,"
"I’ll leave you to it. Call me if you need anything."
"My gran was wrong, though: a cup of tea couldn’t fix everything."
"Summer was slipping away, and I clutched at that carefree, stubborn teenager with my fingertips. I wouldn’t let her go."
"It’s silly, I know, but a family and nice little house is all I’ve ever wanted."
"This was about standing up for what was right."
"I can be good enough. I’m as strong as Mother."
"It’s all because of money," he spat. "My girlfriend is out there somewhere and they’re worried about how much it costs to fund the search. It’s disgusting."
"This world is very money driven now. It’s a shame."
"I wish I did. Wherever she is, I won’t stop until I’ve found her."
"Didn’t mean to hurt him," she repeated, her eyes widening in disbelief. "I wanted to kill him. I still do."
"It’s such shame she got herself tied up in that awful mess."
"Killer. That wasn’t what I was. There is a huge problem out there, and I act accordingly."
"You understand we can't be apart, don't you?"
"You won’t give up, will you? We can’t give up, no matter how long it takes."
"The clothes could be his wife or girlfriend’s, and plenty of people keep old newspapers or forget to throw them out."
"Maybe the way you do things needs to change!"
"Neither of us said a word, and I still hadn’t looked up. It became painful to be in the same room. His footsteps grew louder as he approached. I felt the bed dip and, out of the corner of my eye, saw his leg. I gulped and looked up. The first thing I saw was my family standing just inside the door. We weren’t getting privacy for this, then."
"Lewis held me, kissing the side of my neck occasionally. "It’s okay, baby. You’re safe now. I love you so much." He must have been uncomfortable in his odd bent-over position, but he didn’t move an inch. I felt his body shake, and I knew he was crying too. Lewis didn’t cry. I had never seen him cry. It broke my heart."
"I wanted to comfort him and beg him to stop crying, but I couldn’t stop myself. My sense of relief was so huge—I was completely overwhelmed. He was really here and this wasn’t a dream."
"Lewis’s lips slowly turned up into the most beautiful smile I had seen in a long time. "Hi, you," he whispered."
"I had heard that true love is realized after a couple has experienced and overcome something huge. Was this it?"
""Really. Now, you wanna watch something scary or funny?" he asked, effectively changing the subject."
"Once you’d lived your own personal horror movie, nothing else measured up."
"I rolled my eyes. "I’m not a baby. Put whatever you want on.""
""I’m so proud of you." What? Where did that come from? Complete change of subject. "You’re dealing with all this so well. Better than any of us.""
""You okay? You know no matter what happens, he’ll never get near you again, right?""