Rysa Walker Quotes & Sayings

Kate, please. You have to focus. I've pulled up a stable point, love. Just slide your fingers over it and go. I'll be right behind you. I promise."
That promise is a lie in one sense, but hopefully, she'll never know it. Six will be there. — Rysa Walker

Kate has been in here every few days for the past eighteen months or so. Helped him behind the counter on many occasions. They flirt shamelessly with each other, and threaten to leave me and Amelia behind so that they can run off to Niagara Falls together. Jess has asked about Kate each time I've stopped by the past few days. — Rysa Walker

I darted across the hallway and took a left at the next intersection, hoping that the doctor would assume that I'd taken the quicker, easier turn to the right. — Rysa Walker

And then I had to jump back and get my gun. I thought it was in your room."
I glare at him. "My gun was in my room. Yours wasn't, because you took it from me this afternoon."
"Because I couldn't find it in your - — Rysa Walker

Maybe it's just the fact that this has been one bitch of a day. Either way, his question annoys me. I kind of want to reach across the coffee table and smack him. — Rysa Walker

Each kid got a small allowance for helping with the harvests, and Kiernan would always head straight to the tobacco shop. Not for cigarettes. At first, he even threw the cigarettes away, but later he'd save them and sell them to the older kids to get enough money for another pack.
Kiernan didn't want the smokes. He wanted the baseball cards.
When we got back to the Farm, Kiernan would sketch out a baseball diamond in the dirt and we'd stage games with the players from the cards he collected. — Rysa Walker

Kiernan leans forward. "I'm guessing that's because you can make it work, Mr. Houdini. Maybe that's how you manage . . ." He pauses when my kick lands on his shin, but finishes the sentence anyway. ". . . some of your more elaborate escapes. — Rysa Walker

I'm not sure why he's flustered until I realize there are now five of us and the table is set for four.
Pru waves her hand dismissively. "Don't bother. The dark-haired one is just my bodyguard. He can stand."
Kiernan seems entirely unfazed by the comment, but her tone pisses me off. — Rysa Walker

Kiernan doesn't answer. He just turns toward the door and walks out, limping. He bangs both the cabin door and the porch door on his way out. Pretty sad for someone who seems to think he's being the adult here. — Rysa Walker

Well, I'm expecting great things from you, young man!"
"Th-thank you, Brother Cyrus." As soon as he released my shoulders, I hurried over to the glass wall where Kiernan was sitting, frowning out at the ocean like it had done something to piss him off. — Rysa Walker

The cake was sinfully decadent, dripping with chocolate, exactly the way a birthday cake should be. — Rysa Walker

But I'm still too wound up to sleep. So I browse through the audiobooks on the intranet, hoping I'll find the one I'm looking for.
It's there. Order of the Phoenix. I skip to Chapter Twenty-One and forward to a section near the end. Hermione is accusing Ron of having the "emotional range of a teaspoon."
I wonder if Aaron is in the car now, listening to the same thing.
And then I shove that thought into the folder with the others. — Rysa Walker

Golden Rule - whoever has the gold makes the rules. — Rysa Walker

Someone dropped her off in a shopping mall food court just before her third birthday. Pinned to her dress was a note with the name Anna, a date of birth, and the words, This child is possessed. — Rysa Walker

I'm not following any of this, you know. Beecher who?"
"Henry Ward Beecher." Another slug from the bottle. "He's a preacher. Hey, that rhymes."
Well, that answers any questions about whether the alcohol is working. — Rysa Walker

Unfortunately, I'll need to watch them again at some point, because my mind keeps straying back to reality. I envy Deo's ability to lose himself in fantasy for a while. That type of break seems almost as useful as sleep for keeping stress at bay, and I've never really mastered it. — Rysa Walker

The Kiernan kid was there when it happened, near the back of the barn. He'd been hanging out earlier with a younger version of Simon and this electrical engineer we recruited. Kiernan helped them set up the lighting so that I'd look all ethereal and otherworldly.
I saw Kiernan's face after those people slit their throats to show their devotion to Cyrus. The boy's mouth hung open and he just stared at the bodies, as huge tears rolled down his cheeks. Seeing him there, seeing someone else looking the way I felt - I think that's the only reason I was able to hold it together until I got out of there. — Rysa Walker

So why didn't he vanish?" Charlayne nods toward Kiernan. "After Max took his key, he should have disappeared, right?"
"I would have," Kiernan says, "except someone was wise enough to give me a backup when I was eight. This isn't the first time it's saved me. — Rysa Walker

Charlayne is in front of me, holding a rifle identical to the one in my hand, raised to shoulder height and pointed at Kiernan, who's sitting on the bed. He looks more bored than afraid. — Rysa Walker

And I'm just thinking he doesn't have the right to guilt-trip me about this when he says, "I'm not out to make you feel bad. You were upset, and it's only natural you'd seek out comfort. It's just . . ."
"You needed comfort, too."
"Yeah. I'm not asking you to hold my hand and tuck me into bed at night, not that I'll argue if you find yourself so inclined. But we're partners until this is over, and I'd like to think that you at least consider me a friend - oh, Kate, don't cry, okay? You look like a shamed pup, and I never want to make you feel that way. If you cry, I'll end up crying, too. — Rysa Walker

After a few miles, I push play and the audiobook starts. It might be nice to ride through the night, believing in magic for a while, magic of either the Hogwarts variety or the Muggle sort that will keep Daniel alive.
But Aaron and Taylor must have been in the car a lot over the last few days, because they're way past the point where we left off. And I'd forgotten how dark this one is at the end. They're past the Ministry of Magic and back at Hogwarts now, where Dumbledore and Harry are arguing about Voldemort. About Voldemort crawling inside Harry's head and trying to control him.
Way too close to what happened in the lab for comfort.
Deo and I both reach to turn it off at the same time. — Rysa Walker

Kiernan reaches to pull out my chair, but I beat him to it and then nudge the chair across from me out about six inches with my foot.
He pulls it out the rest of the way and says, "Thank you, dearest," in a droll tone before retreating behind the menu. — Rysa Walker

The heel of my white kidskin boot ripped a six-inch gash in the hem of my skirt as I whipped around the corner. — Rysa Walker

I think it's important to know you're wanted, maybe even needed, don't you? Gives you somethin' to hold on to when you're off in a strange place. — Rysa Walker

I haven't eaten," Aaron says, nodding down at the large white bag in his hands. "And I'm guessing Daniel didn't feed you on the way over, because . . . well, because he's Daniel . . . so I bought extra. Do we have plates in the kitchen, Sam?"
When Aaron and Sam go off in search of utensils, Deo says, "The older brother is a pain in the ass. But this one, I could learn to like. — Rysa Walker

Kiernan, the less you know, the better. You're always telling me to just trust you and do what you're asking, and I do - "
He snorts. "When it suits you."
"Okay, but I do when it seems important. And this is really, really important. — Rysa Walker

Okay," I tell Aaron, once I've hung up. "Just so you know, Deo will call Dr. Kelsey, the police, the FBI, the entire Avengers team, and anyone else he can think of if I don't check back in half an hour."
Aaron rolls his eyes. "You have a very possessive boyfriend."
I start to correct him, but maybe having Aaron think Deo's my overprotective boyfriend is a good thing. I could say he's at the gym, lifting weights. — Rysa Walker

Some people feel they're being oppressed or held back, even if they have everything they need or everything that a reasonable person could want. Some people always want more. — Rysa Walker

Kiernan hoists one of the bags and slips the strap over my shoulder. I grab the other one, and soon I'm loaded like a pack mule, lugging two bulky military duffels in addition to my backpack.
Trey leans down to give me a goodbye kiss, but his lips are quivering with barely suppressed laughter.
"What?"
"You should see yourself. The toga, the sandals, and now this. You look like a short Greek Rambo."
"Athena, Goddess of Modern War," Kiernan cracks as they get into the car. And now they're both laughing.
I pull up the stable point and blink out, now completely certain that the two of them riding in the same car was a very bad idea. — Rysa Walker

So I sat at the kitchen table chopping the "holy trinity" of Creole cuisine - bell peppers, celery, and onions - — Rysa Walker

An annoyed huff when he sees Trey suggests Max considers him an add-on rather than true Fifth Column. But he probably thinks the same about me. Too bad we can't just step aside and let Max save the day. — Rysa Walker

Before you start what?"
He shakes his head. "Not telling. You have to come and see."
There's a mischievous light in his eyes, and in that moment he looks so very much like his eight-year-old self, waiting for my decision to hire him as a guide at the Expo. Who could say no to those big, dark puppy-dog eyes?
I laugh. "Okay, okay. You win."
And even though I don't want to give him false hope, I can tell from his smile that I have. — Rysa Walker

I'd like to think those laws will be overturned, but the Supreme Court is as useless as tits on a bull these days. — Rysa Walker

I'm not delusional, Aaron. I know he's nearly six feet tall. Deo's not a little kid to anyone but me. But I held him when he cried. When he was a little kid. I promised him I'd keep the monsters away. That I wouldn't let anyone else hurt him. I promised. And now - " I stop and pull in several deep breaths. I don't want to lose it again like I did this morning. "It makes me so angry! — Rysa Walker

I miss, but I do hit the board, and all eight cans tumble to the ground as a result.
"I win," I tell him. "The goal was to knock down the cans, right? I knocked down all eight with one bullet. Can't beat that."
"I'm afraid that's not how it works, love. — Rysa Walker

Additional thanks go out to everyone at Skyscape and Amazon Publishing, especially Courtney Miller, Terry Goodman, and Tim Ditlow. This has been a wild ride and you've all been very patient with a newbie author. — Rysa Walker

Things that are different, things that don't fit into our own typical surroundings, do tend to set off some sort of subliminal trigger in most people. Your pulse beats faster, you become more aware of your environment, more in touch with your fight-or-flight response. — Rysa Walker

Not bad," he said. "Chewy and sweet, too. They sell these in New York?"
I nodded, washing it down with lemonade. That wasn't where Connor had bought it, but I was pretty sure they sold them in New York and pretty much anywhere else in the country, although definitely not in 1893. I wondered how much Kiernan knew about the CHRONOS key from his time on the Cyrist farm, and what his reaction would be if I told him he was eating something purchased by his great-grandson. — Rysa Walker

What if you had the chance to go back and tell yourself not to make the mistakes you made? A chance to change everything you think went wrong in your life?" "Well, — Rysa Walker

You can skip the part in the middle where he goes off on a tangent about how the Delphi psychics contacted the Grand Duchess Anastasia while on these drugs. Pretty sure she'd have been dead by then - "
"Never stopped me."
He pauses for a moment. "That's . . . true. Very good point. — Rysa Walker

Why? Because your grandfather gets hunches and you have some sort of psychic abilities, do you automatically believe everything? Someone walks in your door saying she can torch the place using her mind, do you accept it as fact? Demons, vampires, werewolves? Sounds like a good idea for a TV show. Your partner is named Sam - are you sure your name isn't Dean? — Rysa Walker

time is it?" I'm hesitant to ask, since it means she'll speak again and my head really can't take it, but — Rysa Walker

She doesn't say anything for a few seconds. "Are you sure, Kate? A year is a long time, especially at your age."
"True. It would be a shame for you to miss my first step."
She rolls her eyes. "You know what I mean. — Rysa Walker

Victoria Woodhull and her sister were the 1870s equivalent of the Kardashian sisters. — Rysa Walker

He said he doesn' have it. Pick on someone your own size." You could really hear the Irish in Kiernan's voice back then. I mean, you can still hear it, but it's more of a lilt when he's older. Back then, it was a full-on brogue. — Rysa Walker

Waiting politely won't get you across the street in Boston," he informs me, "at least not in 1905. There aren't any of those blinking idiot signs that show a hand and count down the seconds for you. — Rysa Walker

I smiled up at him with a hopeful look. "You could just unlace it now? — Rysa Walker

The Urban Simulation Team at UCLA has created a truly incredible online simulation of the 1893 Columbian Exposition that made me feel as though I'd actually strolled the sidewalks of the Wooded Island, toured the Palace of Fine Arts, and explored the Midway Plaisance. — Rysa Walker

Mom says I should erase it. That this present is our reality and everything on this little drive is fiction.
She may be right. But there's plenty of truth in fiction. — Rysa Walker

God, would you just come here, Kate? I'll behave, I promise. It wrecks me to see you cry and not be able to hold you. Or if you can't do that, go to him and let him hold you. I'm making a bloody mess of everything. — Rysa Walker

And one day, if I see your smile on her face, maybe that'll keep me from feeling I've left a piece of my heart behind. — Rysa Walker

Kiernan and baseball - it's like waving a carrot in front of a mule. Put tickets to a ballgame in front of Kiernan's face and he'll follow you pretty much wherever you want to go. After that first game we attended in 1905, it didn't take much for me to convince him to see another game in 1912, and then one in 1924, and so on. — Rysa Walker

You ever heard that bit about don't look a gift horse in the mouth?"
"I've heard it. Although the Trojans would have fared better with Athens if they had ignored that advice."
I had to look up that reference when I got back to Saul's. — Rysa Walker

Whenever a stray thought about Aaron, Taylor, or their relationship with Molly wanders into view, I push it into the folder near the back wall so that I can quickly shove them away from Dacia's prying eyes. I visualize that inner wall as an impenetrable fortress, surrounded by a force field, encased in a Cone of Silence, and covered by a Cloak of Invisibility. — Rysa Walker

And with that, he began walking at a rapid clip toward the Sixtieth Street station. Several members of the crowd I'd just pushed my way through came over to help me up, and one rather gallant gentleman, who was eighty if he was a day, tottered a few steps after Simon, shouting and shaking a fist in the air. — Rysa Walker

holy trinity" of Creole cuisine - bell peppers, celery, and onions - while — Rysa Walker

Saul is a devout believer only in himself, and he was convinced that the religious faith of others, if manipulated skillfully, was an excellent path to the power he sought. He was studying religions of the world in order to pick up tips on how to build his own. — Rysa Walker

History is sacred - like a nature hike. 'Leave only footprints, take only memories. — Rysa Walker

I always dreamed 'bout ridin' the big wheel," Mick added, looking down at his shoes with a plaintive expression. "But me mom needs all the money I c'n make." He glanced around at the others and then back at me. Those big brown eyes - with long black lashes that were going to make him a real heartbreaker in a few years - were all the more effective because they were still brimming with tears from the ear twist. "But it's okay, Miss Kate. I don' wanna make no trouble for you. — Rysa Walker

Verse after verse follows, her voice rising to a crescendo and then falling, only to rise again with a new passage, each echoing the same refrain. I never realized how many verses of the Bible boil down to, I tried to tell you idiots, but no - you wouldn't listen. — Rysa Walker

The manager rolls his eyes. "Sorry, miss, already picked my dozen - "
"So make it a baker's dozen," someone yells from the back.
"Bet she can't hit the bloody nail anyway. Give us somethin' to laugh at." That voice is clearly Kiernan's, and most of the men chuckle.
-
Kiernan comes back about ten minutes later and takes his seat. "Good work."
I snort. "Don't give me that. I heard you back there."
"Just seeding the crowd. A time-honored practice among showmen and politicians alike. — Rysa Walker

Some things, however, should happen in the correct order. Shoes go on after socks. Peanut butter is applied after the bread comes out of the toaster, not before. And grandchildren are born after their grandparents. — Rysa Walker

I pull my T-shirt over my face and am about to plunge in when it occurs to me that I'm approaching this, as Kiernan would say, far too linearly. — Rysa Walker

He recorded me once, so I know exactly how I look when I'm engaged in one of these internal dialogues - and that makes me determined to avoid them in public. My eyes go blank, unfocused, like no one's home - which is ironic if you think about it, since the problem isn't that nobody's there, but rather that we've exceeded the maximum occupancy of one. — Rysa Walker

Don't even think it. Move all the way back. Both of you. On your stomachs, hands behind your heads. Now!"
Yeah, it's straight out of NCIS. I guess Mom's crush on that Gibbs guy came in handy. — Rysa Walker

For the past year, food of some sort has been a permanent appendage to Deo's hand. Sometimes both hands at once. At first, I teased that he was going to get fat, but then he shot upward - six full inches since last summer. Now I have to look up at him, not the other way around. This amuses him. I don't really care as long as he doesn't call me "Short Stuff. — Rysa Walker

You know, this would be a lot easier to get used to if you had to go back to your TARDIS or whatever before you disappeared. — Rysa Walker

It's like saving up that perfect comeback you read in a book or heard on TV - it always sounds good in your head, but it never quite fits in real life. — Rysa Walker

Timebound is her debut novel. — Rysa Walker

I don't know anything for certain. You and I could both explode in the next two seconds. Or the swimming pool over there could have a clone of the Loch Ness monster swimmin' about on the bottom, ready to spring out and have us for a midnight snack."
He's trying to make me laugh, but I'm tired enough and jumpy enough that I cast a wary glance at the pool before looking back at him. — Rysa Walker

Will, Oksana, and two other women. Only four. ONLY four? — Rysa Walker

He'll sit stock still for hours if there's something to occupy his mind - something loud and blaring, like a computer game or an action movie. But sit still and read a book? Or just look at the stars? I've known him since he was nine and I've never seen that happen for more than five minutes straight. — Rysa Walker

Watching people you love walk into danger is a hundred times harder than walking into it yourself. — Rysa Walker

Where's Kiernan?" I asked.
"He's with Brother Cyrus. Your turn."
The blood drained from my face and I stepped back, toward the wall. One of the older women, Glory, had died from a heart attack the year before. At the burial, all of the adults patted each other on the back and said she was with Brother Cyrus now.
The key suddenly felt like a lit coal in my hand, and I dropped it to the floor.
Patrick must have realized what I was thinking from my expression. "No, stupid," he said, as he bent down to pick up the key. "He's not dead. He's with Cyrus. In the future. He's fine. You'll be fine. — Rysa Walker

He pushes his chair back and goes to the kitchen. "Are you hungry?"
"Yes. I'm thinking Kentucky Fried Rooster."
There's another chorus of cock-a-doodle-doo just as I finish speaking, and he laughs. "Henry's just doing his job, love. — Rysa Walker

If your faith is so shaky that it can be undermined by books that challenge it, then something is rotten at the core. — Rysa Walker

If you look back through history, most visionaries are one step away from madmen." I — Rysa Walker

Amelia hides a soft heart behind a shrew's tongue. — Rysa Walker

It seemed a bit silly to be sad about saying good-bye to Katherine and Connor when I'd be seeing them in just a few minutes, but I was. They wouldn't be the same Katherine and Connor. Our relationship would have to be rebuilt, and I could tell that they were thinking the same thing. I kissed them both, — Rysa Walker

It's a hard lesson in life, but you have to accept that some things are out of your hands. Otherwise, you'll never know a single minute of peace. You mend what you can, and you let the rest go. You just let it go. — Rysa Walker

He shrugged. "Yeah, but me dad said th' only way to learn is t' ask questions. An' it's hard to do that with buttoned-up lips. Anyway, I c'n tell that one you're followin' is a bad bloke. He has those eyes. He always give me the evil look when he comes up that hill, kinda like you did this mornin', but I could tell you was jus' scared. Not mean."
"I was not scared," I said.
"'Course you were," he replied matter-of-factly. "You're new here and followin' some bad guy. But you got a good guide now, so you'll get your story and then your boss'll be happy, right?"
It seemed pointless to argue with an eight-year-old kid, especially when he was essentially correct, so I just buttoned my lip and followed. — Rysa Walker

Abel was arrested. So was the guy with me. Help me get Delia out of the trunk."
His expression borders on horror.
"Well, you knew you'd have to let her out eventually when you put her in there, didn't you? — Rysa Walker

having the wisdom to tell what you can't change from what you can? — Rysa Walker

humans have failed to protect the Planet, the Planet shall protect itself. — Rysa Walker

But if the coast is clear and we go check out the cabin in the back, do not - "
"Touch anything," Taylor says, tugging on the boots she kicked off during the drive. "Even if most of my freakin' family weren't cops, I've seen enough NCIS to know that. — Rysa Walker

Do you still have the tux you wore as Boudini?"
"It's in the loft at the cabin. Why?"
"You'll need it in order to pose as a server. Unless you'd rather be a male companion?"
"No thanks."
An evil little part of me is dying to say he has more experience as a companion, given his time with Prudence, but I bat it down. — Rysa Walker

That surprised me. Not that it wasn't a damn good game. We saw it again, in fact, after he took up with Kate. Not that either of them paid much attention to what was going on down on the field. That was actually the day I had to accept that things had gone too far between the two of them. Otherwise, she never could have taken his mind off baseball. — Rysa Walker

Upton Sinclair's The Jungle — Rysa Walker

Do you have a lot of books?" I asked. Dad snorted as he slathered some cream cheese on his bagel. "Katherine's collection puts Amazon to shame. — Rysa Walker

Didn't anyone ever teach you why it's a bad idea to make assumptions?"
He raises his eyebrows, waiting for an answer.
Oh, dear God. Does he really think that joke is original or witty?
"It makes an ass out of you and me."
"I see you're both smart and pretty." He laughs and settles into another smile.
That's the one he thinks is sexy. The smile he practices in the mirror. — Rysa Walker

I'd pegged you as cute-but-boring. But it looks like Kate's little pet has claws. — Rysa Walker

photographs at my grandmother's house - her — Rysa Walker

I nearly miss it, given Tate's need for speed, but as we zip by the guy in the alley, I catch a brief glimpse of his face.
It's Kiernan. How did he get out before we did when he was behind us?
A few seconds after we pass, Kiernan darts out of the alley, but he can't keep up. Usain Bolt couldn't keep up with Tate. — Rysa Walker

I was young and in love, and that rarely leads to wise decisions. — Rysa Walker

You see, I've read Mr. Grumbine's treatise on auras, and while it does depend on the shade, a green aura can be a mark of deception or dishonesty."
I shoot Kiernan a smug glance. While I'm certain this aura stuff is total bunk, he and Prudence both see the light as green. "Does this Mr. Grumbine say anything about blue auras?"
"Again, it depends on the shade. But it's usually associated with truth. — Rysa Walker

The mistakes of one generation build upon the mistakes of the next and you get a society that no one really wanted. — Rysa Walker

Having your existence completely erased has to qualify as a life-changing event, by anyone's definition. — Rysa Walker

Even though I can't hear or see it from this distance, I know that Katherine and my younger self are currently having a brief, nearly silent squabble over who goes through the window first. I'd promised Kate that I'd get her grandmother back to safety, and I took that promise seriously. On the other hand, I was used to getting my bottom whacked if I argued with my elders. And since Katherine's expression suggested she might just toss me out the window if I didn't go willingly, I didn't hesitate long before following her orders. — Rysa Walker

There's no shower, no paper towels. Just the sink, cold water, and hand soap.

Girl, you look like a poster for that Carrie movie.

He has a point. There's blood on my arms and neck, even in my hair. Nothing to do but start scrubbing, hopefully before someone walks in with sleepy kids in need of a bathroom break. I'd probably give them nightmares for a week. — Rysa Walker

Kiernan. I had a sudden memory of the small, scuffed-up shoe I'd seen just before I fell. He must have snatched the bracelet when the crowd gathered around me. If I managed to get out, I resolved to give him every last penny I had and cover his little face with kisses. — Rysa Walker