Smiling, I Cut Across The Quadrangle Toward

The Training Part," I Guessed. "yup. You're Going To Be Dimitri's Partner." A Moment Of Funny Silence Fell, Probably Not Noticeable To Anyone Except Dimitri And Me. Our Eyes Met. "guarding Partner," Dimitri Clarified Unnecessarily, Like Maybe He Too Had Been Thinking Of Other Kinds Of Partners.

What Was Love, Really? Flowers, Chocolate, And Poetry? Or Was It Something Else? Was It Being Able To Finish Someone's Jokes? Was It Having Absolute Faith That Someone Was There At Your Back? Was It Knowing Someone So Well That They Instantly Understood Why You Did The Things You Did—and Shared Those Same Beliefs?

Life, Unfortunately, Doesn't Seem To Care What We Want.

Throughout History, People With New Ideas—who Think Differently And Try To Change Things—have Always Been Called Troublemakers.

Life And Death Were So Unpredictable. So Close To Each Other. We Existed Moment To Moment, Never Knowing Who Would Be The Next To Leave The World. I Was Still In It, Barely, And As I Looked Up From The Ashes, Everything Around Me Seemed So Sweet And So Beautiful. The Trees. The Stars. The Moon. I Was Alive -- And I Was Glad I Was.