"no," Preston Snapped. But He Didn't Protest Long Because, If I'm Going To Be Honest - Which Is Kind Of The Point Of These Reports - I Was Already Unzipping His Pants.

-Ally Carter

Please Wait....
Translating....

"no," Preston Snapped. But

Ally Carter

"no," Preston Snapped. But He Didn't Protest Long Because, If I'm Going To Be Honest - Which Is Kind Of The Point Of These Reports - I Was Already Unzipping His Pants.

Topic

Long

Pants

Honest

More From Ally Carter

What Kind Of Plan B?" Hale Asked. He Was Almost Holding His Breath When A Voice Answered, "my Kind." Macey Tried To Read The Look On His Face Then, But It Was Gone In A Flash. It Had Been A Simple Moment Of Peace And Joy And Pure Happiness. That Voice Made Hale Happy. It Kept Him Calm. It Was His Backup And His Conscience. Macey Couldn't Help Herself, She Envied Him.

Simple

Voice

Joy

Do You Have Any Idea How Hard It Is To Tail An Eighty Year-old Woman Its Hard. Really Hard. Really...slow. -grabrielle

Years

Ideas

Tails

And Yet, She Knew She Could Be.

Denying The Undeniable Just Makes You Sound Like A Fool As Well As A Liar.

Liars

Sound

Fool

There Are Six Reasons Anyone Does Anything: Love. Faith. Greed. Boredom. Fear..." He Said, Ticking Them Off On His Fingers; But He Lingered On The Last, Drawing A Deep Breath Before He Said, "revenge.

Revenge

Drawing

Bored

Dancing. Come On. You Can Do It. It's A Lot Like Navigating Through A Laser Grid. It Requires Rhythm.' He Moved Her Hips To The Beat Of The Distant Music. 'and Patience.' He Spun Her Around Slowly And Back Toward Him. 'and It's Only Fun If You Trust Your Partner.' The Dip Was So Slow, So Smooth That Kat Didn't Know It Was Happening Until The World Was Already Turned Upside Down And Hale's Face Was Inches From Her Own. Count Me In, Kat.' He Squeezed Her Tighter. 'you Should Always Count Me In.

Fun

Dancing

World

I Sprung You Because I've Got A Message For You" "doesn't Your Family Own A Cell Phone Company?" "only A Little One

Phones

Cells

Littles

Cammie's Going To Be Mad She Missed This," Macey Said To Fill The Silence. "excuse Me?" Hale Asked. "nothing." She Shook Her Head. "i Just...i Have A Friend Who Really Likes Air Vents. And Dumbwaiter Shafts. And Laundry Chutes. Of Course, The Last Time I Was In A Laundry Chute, Cammie And I Fell About A Dozen Stories..." "well, That Sounds Like Fun." "it Was Either That Or Get Kidnapped By Terrorists, So I Guess We Got Of Easy.

Fun

Air

Mad

He's A Boy, Kat. I Hate To Break It To You, But We Are Fundamentally Different.

Hate

Boys

Different

Tell Me Or I'll Yell For Mr. And Mrs. Baxter, And You Can Find Out How Bex Became Bex

Gallagher

Gallagher Girl

Mr. Solomon Was Right The Worst Kind Of Torture Is Watching Someone You Love Get Hurt.

Hurt

Someone You Love

Kind

Oh.' I Shot Upright. 'i Was In Mongolia.' Note To Self: Learn To Be A Less Extreme Liar.

Liars

Self

Notes

Why Don’t I Know You?” “does Anyone Ever Really Know Someone Else?” “you Think Your Cute,” She Told Him. “you Think Your Gorgeous. But I’m The One Guy Here Who Knows Better.” “so I’m Not Gorgeous?” Macey Challenged. “of Course You Are,” He Started Away, Turned Back At The Last Minute. “but I’m The Guy Who Figured Out That’s Not All You Are." — Double Crossed By Ally Carter

It Seems You Don't Approve Of The Family Business Katerina. Or Of Me. But These Chances You Take... These Things You Do... This Is A Dangerous Life To Live... Alone.

Chance

Uncle Eddie

Dangerous

If You Can Be Still Enough And Common Enough, Then It's Really Easy To Be Invisible.

Common

Invisible

Easy

I'm Fine I Said For The 2,467th Time This Semester. (i Know. I Was Keeping Count)

Said

Fine

Semester

Don't Believe Everything You Read. It's Very Difficult To Be Accepting Of Our Own Bodies. This Topic Deserves It's Own Book, But Since I'm Not Qualified To Write It, I Won't. Instead I'll Just Say This: The Pictures Staring Out At You From The Supermarket Checkout Stands, The Images We Are All Supposed To Aspire To? They Lie

Lying

Believe

Book

Another Door Swung Open, And Another Guard Appeared, This Time With Gabrielle, Who Wore A Black Catsuit And Rappelling Harness.

Doors

Black

Harness

Sometimes It Takes An Outsider, Someone With Fresh Eyes To See The Truth.

Eye

Outsiders

Sometimes

My Name Is Cammie!” I Didn’t Think About All The People I Could Have Woken, All The Alarms That Might Have Gone Off. I Just Snapped, “how Did You Know About Boston? Why Are You Working With Mr. Solomon Now? Are You My Friend Or Are You My Enemy, Zach? Or, Wait, Let Me Guess, You Can’t Tell Me.

Thinking

Boston

Names

Abby Must Have Been The One Who Found The Safe House, Because Townsend Didn't Like It. "the Building Across The Street Is Under Construction," He Snarled As Soon As We'd Carried Our Bags Inside. "the Elevator Has Key Card Access, And I've Hacked Into The Surveillance Cameras From Every System On The Block," Abby Argued. "we Have A Three-hundred-sixty-degree Visual." "excellent." Townsend Dropped His Bag. "now The Circle Can See Us From Every Angle." "don't Mind Agent Townsend, Girls," Abby Told Us. "he's A Glass-half-empty Kind Of Spy." "also Known As The Good Kind," He Countered. Abby Huffed.

Girl

Block

Surveillance Cameras

We Wear A Lot Of Labels In Our Lives, And It's So Very Easy To Be Defined By Them. We Have Grown Somehow Accustomed To Thinking Of Ourselves As A Size Eight Or A Size Fourteen, As A Capricorn Or A Taurus, As Single Or In Love.

Thinking

Eight

Labels

How'd You Get In Here?" She Raised Her Eyebrows. “you Pick Pockets.” Kat Watched His Hand Fly To His Back Pocket. “i Can Pick Locks. Looking For This?” She Asked, Holding Up His Wallet. “oops. Maybe I Can Pick Pockets Too.

Hands

Eyebrows

Pockets

I Suppose You Should Her It From Me That I Met Your Mother" He Smiled A Litte Sadly. "well. . . When I Say Met I Mean One Time I Tried To Kill Her." "do Me A Favor" Zach's Voice Was Low And Dark And Dangerous. "next Time Don't Just Try

Mother

Mean

Dark

Hey I Bruise," Hale Said. "also, You Are Freakishly Strong.

Strong

Hey

Bruises

Do You Understand Any Of This?" He Said, Pointing To The Lines And Symbols That Covered The Massive Screens. "some People Understand The Value Of An Education." Hale Stretched And Crossed His Legs, The Settled His Arm Around Kat's Shoulders. "that's Sweet, Kat. Maybe Later I'll Buy You A University. And An Ice Cream." "i'd Settle For The Ice Cream." "deal.

Sweet

Ice Cream

People

I'm A Spy, Cam. I Was Born To Do This- To Be This. It's In My Blood. And I Will Do It Until The Day I Die. It's Who I Am... The Thing Is I Don't Think You Realise Is... It's Who You Are Too.

Thinking

Who I Am

Blood

There's A Power That Comes With Silence. I Had Grown To Fear The Unsaid Thing. So It Felt Like A Release To Say It-to Admit That The Risk Wasn't Just Inside Our Walls-it Was Inside My Skin. I Was Willing To Claw, Scratch, And Bleed Until I'd Found It.

Wall

Silence

Risk

Kat," Hale Groaned, Then Fell Back Onto The Pillows. "funny, I Didn't Hear A Doorbell." "i Let Myself In; Hope That's Okay." Hale Smiled. "or The Alarm." She Stepped Inside, Tossed A Pocket-size Bag Of Tools Onto The Bed. "you're Due For An Upgrade." Hale Propped Himself Against The Antique Headboard And Squinted Up At Her. "she Returns." He Crossed His Arms Across His Bare Chest. "you Know, I Could Be Naked In Here.

Alarms

Pockets

Naked

Waiting. Like It Or Not, It's A Skill All Spies Have To Master Eventually.

Skills

Waiting

Spy

You Know You're Smarter Than All Of Them, Right?" Hale Said Flatly. "in Fact, If You Wanted To Prove It..." He Glanced At The Blackjack Tables. Simon Shook His Head. "i Don't Count Cards, Hale." "don't?" Hale Smiled. "or Won't? You Know, Technically, It's Not Illegal." "but It's Frowned Upon." Sweat Beaded At Simon's Brow. He Sounded Like Someone Had Just Suggested He Swim After Eating... Run With Scissors... "it Is Seriously Frowned Upon.

Running

Sweat

Swim

Teenage Girls Read In Packs. It's True Today, And It Was True When I Was A Teen Growing Up In A Small Town In Northeast Oklahoma.

Girl

Growing Up

Teenage

Do You Want To Hold It?' She Asked, Dangling The Padded Envelope In Front Of Hale With Two Fingers. 'no.' 'do You Want To Touch It And Kiss It And Wear It Around Your Neck?' 'don't Be Silly,' He Told Her. 'everyone Knows Green Isn't My Color.

Silly

Kissing

Color

I Always Finish What I Start

Maggie Threw Her Head Back And Laughed. 'so You're Going To Try...what? Birds Of A Feather?' She Quested. 'of Course Not,' Kat Said. 'everyone Knows The French Government Banned The Importation Of Peacocks In 1987.

Government

Bird

Trying

She Looked At Him And Shook Her Head, Smiled A Litle As She Told Him, "you Are So Like Your Father." Then She Looked Past Me And Zach, Past Bex And Abby, To Where Agent Townsend Sttod By The Door With His Arms Crossed. "what Do You Think, Townsend, Darling? Isn't He Just Like You?" She Looked At Zach Again. "i Think He's Just Like You." And Then She Closed Her Eyes And Drifted Off To Sleep.

Father

Sleep

Eye

Every Head Turned To See Two More Security Guards Appear, Each Holding A Bagshaw By The Back Of The Neck (which Might Have Been Considerably Less Conspicuous Had The Bagshaws Not Been Dressed As Chimney Sweeps). Kat Turned Back To Hale. 'the Mary Poppins?' 'seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time.

Security Guards

Ideas

Two

Maybe Wrist Corsages Cut Off Circulation To The Brain? I Mean, Is That Why So Many Girls Do Stupid Things On Prom Night? I Was Really Going To Have To Investigate This Further, I Decided

Girl

Stupid

Mean

Sometimes People Run… To See If You'll Come After Them

Running

People

Sometimes

I Don't Want Tea, I Want Justice!

Justice

Tea

Want

Two Days After My Dad's Funeral, My Mom Went On A Mission. I Never Understood It Until Then--that Sometimes A Spy Doesn't Need A Cover So Much As She Needs A Shield.

Broken Heart

Mom

Dad

Hello, Gallagher Girl --zack

Girl

Hello

Gallagher

Even The Best Thief In The World Can't Steal Time.

World

Thieves

Stealing

Rules Exist For A Reason. Rules Exist Because When People Don't Follow Them, People Get Hurt.

Hurt

People

Reason

Of Course. Because At The Gallagher Academy, "precautions" Usually Equals "voluntary Shock Therapy.

Shock Therapy

Precaution

Gallagher

You're The Gallagher Girl. Figure It Out."- Zach

Girl

Figures

Gallagher

The Operative Tried To Implement The Purusey Breathing Technique, Which Has Been Proven Effective At Fooling Polygraphs. There Is No Conclusive Evidence As To Whether It Is Effective At Masking The Internal Lie Detectors Of Fifteen-year-old Boys.

Lying

Boys

Years

But In The End She Merely Shrugged, Knowing At The Very Least It Would Be Interesting. Knowing, In Her Gut, It Might Just Be The Beginning.

Knowing

Interesting

Would Be

You're Late." Kat Said As Soon As Hale Put The Phone To His Ear. She Wasn't The Kind Of Girl To Wait For Hello. "what Can I Say? Macey Mchenry Has Been Throwing Herself At Me..." "see, That's The Kind Of Thing That Would Make Me Jealous If She Weren't Way Out Of Your League." "you Know, If I Had Feelings, That Might Have Hurt Them.

Girl

Hurt

Jealous

There Are Aspectsof This Life-- Of This World-- From Which You Can Never Walk Away. Ever. The Fact That Almost Everything You Say To Almost Everyone You Love For The Rest Of Your Life Will Be A Lie Is One Of Them.

Lying

World

Rest Of Your Life

For A Genius Thief You Really Are A Stupid Girl Aren't You?

Girl

Stupid

Thieves

It Was Epic. It Was Awkward. It Was Epically Awkward.

Epic

Awkward

That's Good; Don't Deny It. Denying The Undeniable Just Makes You Sound Like A Fool As Well As A Liar. In This Profession, You Can Be One- Sometimes The Other. But Never Both.

Liars

Sound

Fool

What Are You Looking At? Hale Asked. Why Are You Smiling? I Worry When You Smile.

Worry

Hale

Either We're A Team Or We Aren't. Either You Trust Me Or You Don't.

Teamwork

Teammate

Trust Me

Basement?' Hamish Cried, Then Glanced At His Brother. 'you Hear This Fellow? He Thinks We Can Just Go On Down To The Furnace And Start Tinkering?' Angus Laughed. 'he Probably Wouldn't Care At All If The Whole Place Went Boom, He Wouldn't.' At This The Guard Bristled And Stood Up Even Straighter. 'now See Here---' 'no, You See, My Good Man. Out Here, See, We've Got Snow. So In There, I'd Bet, You've Got Heat. And Where There's Heat There's Gas; And Where There's Gas There's...' Angus Trailed Off While His Brother Said, 'boom.

Brother

Men

Thinking

Like So Many Aspiring Writers Who Still Have Boxes Of Things They've Written In Their Parents' Houses, I Filled Notebooks With Half-finished Poems And Stories And First Paragraphs Of Novels That Never Got Written.

Notebook

House

Parent

There Are 6 Reasons That A Person Does Anything: Love, Faith, Greed, Boredom, Fear... Revenge.

Revenge

Boredom

Greed

''women Of The Gallagher Academy, Who Comes Here?" She Asked. Just Then, Every Girl At Every Table (even The Newbies) Stood And Said In Unison, "we Are The Sisters Of Gillian." "why Do You Come?" My Mother Asked. "to Learn Her Skills. Honor Her Sword. And Keep Her Secrets." "to What End Do You Work?" "to The Cause Of Justice And Light." "how Long Will You Strive?" "for All The Days Of Our Lives," We Finished And I Felt A Little Like A Character In One Of My Grandma's Soap Operas.

Girl

Mother

Grandma

You See, Greg, My Mother Is Going Through A Feline Phase. Blinky Is A Persian,' Hale Said Simply, As If That Should Explain Everything. 'binky Has A Nasty Habit Of Shedding All Over The Living Room Furniture, You See.' Gregory Wainwright Nodded As If He Understood Perfectly. 'and So We Had To Get New Living Room Furniture, Which, Unfortunately, Does Not Go With The Monet.' Kat Stood There For A Moment, Staring Into That Small Window Of The World Where Someone Would Tire Of A Monet Simply Because It Clashed With The Couch.

Mother

Doe

World

It Is A Little-known Fact About Covert Operations That You Will Spend A Lot Of Time With People You Can’t Really Trust. They May Be Traitors And Liars. We Call Them Assets Or Informants. But Mostly, In Those Days, I Called Him Zach.

Liars

People

May

The Princess And The Pea?" Gabrielle Suggested. "not Enough Time," Kat Said "where's Waldo?" Gabrielle Went On. "no." Hamish Recoiled. "i Am Still Not Allowed Back In Morocco.

Princess

Enough Time

Morocco

It Felt As If Maybe The Curse Had Lifted, The Tide Had Shifted, But Then The Breeze Picked Up And A Skeet Took A Very Unfortunate Turn. Seconds Later, Angus Was Pulling His Shot Far To The Right, Shooting A Large Hole In The Second-story Galley Not Ten Feet Above Marcus's Head.

Feet

Stories

Shooting

When The Woman Took The Earbud, He Didn't Ask Another Question. She Was A Woman On A Mission As She Placed The Tiny Device In Her Ear And Said, "this Is Special Agent Abby Cameron. Let Me Talk To Macey Mchenry.

Special

Ears

Agents

Don’t Mind Me,” I Said. “i’m Just The Person Who Tried To Rob The Place Last July.” “no, You Diddn’t,” Abby Said, Appearing On The Roof. She Was Wearing A Trim Suit And Tall Black Boots. Her Hair Was Pulled Into A Sleek Ponytail At The Nape Of Her Neck, And Either I Was Imagining Things Or Townsend Wasn’t Quite As Good A Spy As I Thought, Because I Could Have Sworn I Saw Him Drool A Little. Note To Self: Your Aunt Is A Hottie.

Aunt

Hair

July

If He'd Looked Like A Cross Between Mr. Clooney And, Say, One Of The Hobbits, I Probably Would Have Been Far More Capable Of Coherent Thought.

Crosses

Has Beens

Ifs

But The Heaviest Things, I Think, Are The Secrets. They Can Drown You If You Let Them.

Thinking

Secret

Ifs

What Is A Gallagher Girl? She's A Genius, A Scientist, A Heroine, A Spy... A Gallagher Girl Is Whatever She Wants To Be.

Girl

Spy

Genius

Your Test Had Cheese Meteor Questions?" - Bex To Liz.

Liz

Tests

Meteors

The Older Generation Sat Looking At The Younger, And Kat Wondered Exactly When And How The Baton Had Been Passed. She Wanted To Know If It Was Too Late To Give It Back.

Giving

Generations

Too Late

Hey No One Makes Me Do Anything. Not My Family. Not Your Family...not Even You.

Hey

My Family

There Are Some Secrets We Keep Because We Can't Bear To Let Them Out And Some Because It's Better To Keep Them In.

Secret

Bears

Learn Her Skills, Honor Her Sword, And Keep Her Secrets.

Skills

Secret

Honor

You Might Think Being The Target Of An International Terrorist Organization, An Amnesiac, And A Girl With Hair Dyed In The Middle Of The Night By Macey Mchenry Would Make People Stare At You. Well, Try Walking Into The Grand Hall With Seriously Puffy Eyes While Holding Hands. With A Boy.

Girl

Eye

Boys

It's Every Little Girl's Dream," She Said. "interpol Surveillance. And Kittens.

Girl

Dream

Littles

Good-bye Dr. Steve,' I Said, Then Climbed The Stairs And Went To The Fifth Floor To Die.

Bye

Drs

Stairs

They Were Both Totally Laughing, And He Was Twirling Her, And Her Hair Was Flying Around Like She Was In A Shampoo Commercial. Seriously. She Could Have Sold Conditioner To A Bald Man The Way She Looked Out There.

Men

Hair

Laughing

You Were Right, Hale. It Was A Bad Job. It Was A Bad Call. You Were Right To Leave." "kat..." Hale Tried To Reach For Her, But Even In The Sand, Kat Was Quick And Sure On Her Feet, And She Moved Nimbly Away, Leaving Hale With Nothing But A Fistful Of Salty Air. "thanks For Coming Back And Helping Me Find Her And All, But..." She Looked At Gabrielle, Who Stood Leaning Against Simon, Still Bruised And Almost Broken. " I Think I've Got To Take It From Here.".... She Was Sure Right Up Until The Point When Hale Said, "no.

Jobs

Thinking

Air

Hes Gone. Hes Just Gone.

Gone

Can I See You Outside For A Second?" Kat Glared At Hale, Then Walked To The Patio Doors And Out Onto The Veranda. As Hale Closed The Door Behind Him, Kat Heard Angus Say, "ooh, Mom And Dad Are Going To Fight Now.

Mom

Dad

Fighting

I Suppose A Lot Of Teenage Girls Feel Invisible Sometimes, Like They Just Disappear. Well, That's Me—cammie The Chameleon. But I'm Luckier Than Most Because, At My School, That's Considered Cool. I Go To A School For Spies.

Girl

Teenage

School

Hamish's Right Arm Was Around Angus's Waist As The Two Of Them Tangoed Past.

Past

Two

Arms

You Know" - Hale's Breath Was Warm Against Kat's Ear In The Chilly Ballroom- "i Don't Know That Both Of Us Really Have To Be Here...." The Slide Changed. While Hundreds Of Mathematicians Waited With Baited Breath, The Boy Beside Kat Whispered, "i Could Go Make Some Calls... Check On Some Things..." "play Some Blackjack?" "well, When In Rome..." "rome Is Tomorrow, Babe," Kat Reminded Him. He Nodded. "right.

Boys

Rome

Play

So You're Zach." Townsend Didn't Even Try To Hide The Judgement In His Voice As He Looked Zach Up And Down In Some Sort Of Silent But Dangerous Examination. Zach Huffed But Smiled. "so You're Townsend." The Two Of Them Stared For A Long Time, Wordless. It Felt Like I Was Watching A Documentary On The Nature Channel, Something About Alpha Males In The Wild.

Two

Voice

Long

But I Wasn't The Girl I'd Been When I Left, And I Knew It.

Girl

Left

For All The Days Of Our Lives," We Finished And I Felt A Little Like A Character In One Of My Grandma's Soap Operas.

Grandma

Character

Opera

Even Though Kate Had Only Known Hale For A Little More Than Two Years, She Had Seen Him In A Lot Of Situations.

Years

Two

Littles

How Sweet Is That? I Know I'm No Boy Expert, But I Have Heard Entire Lectures On Reading Body Language, And I Have To Say That Assuming That A Person Will Have Forgotten Your Name Is Way High On My "indicators Of Humbleness" List (not That I Have One, But I Totally Have A Starting Point Now).

Sweet

Reading

Boys

Across The Room, Hale Smiled Slightly. 'we Can Draw You A Diagram If You Need It.' 'no Thanks,' Nick Said. 'i Think I've Got Everyone But You.

Thinking

Needs

Rooms

It Was So Rare To Find Someone Who Was Both So Young And So Wise, Both So Fresh And So Jaded.

Wise

Young

Jaded

Did You Hear That? I'm Special.

Special

Zach Goode

Why Do I Feel Like I Can't Trust You Anymore?' I Wanted Him To Lash Out. I Wanted Him To Fight, To Protest, To Argue- To Do Anything But Look Deeper Into My Eyes And Say, 'because The Gallagher Academy Doesn't Admit Fools

Eye

Fighting

Looks

And As Every Spy Knows, Common Enemies Are How Allies Always Begin.

Enemy

Spy

Allies

The Whole Summer Lay Ahead Of Us-time To Rest, Time To Wait. And When The Future Comes-no Matter What Comes With It-i'll Be Smarter. I'll Be Stronger. I'll Be Ready.

Summer

Waiting

Stronger

You Still Don't Get It, Do You, Margaret?' Kat Smiled Almost Sadly. 'we Never Had To Steal The Antony. All We Had To Do Was Get It Next To The Cleopatra And Switch The Signs.

Stealing

Antony

But Then The Girl Moved, And Smiled, And Pulled Her Hand From The Grate- A Gorgeous Green Stone Clutched Tightly In Her Grasp. It Was Covered With Dust And Cobwebs, But It Was Uncracked And Unharmed. And, Of Course, Completely Fake.

Girl

Dust

Hands

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You

Love You

Gun

Macey Mchenry

Covert Operations Report At Approximately 0900 Hours On Saturday, October 14, Operative Morgan Was Given A Stern Lecture By Agent Townsend, A Tracking Device By Agent Cameron, And A Very Scary Look From Operative Goode. (she Also Got A Tip That Her Bra Strap Was Showing From Operative Mchenry.) The Operative Then Undertook A Basic Reconnaissance Mission Inside A Potentially Hostile Location. (but It Wasn't As Hostile As Operative Baxter Was Going To Be If Everything Didn't Go According To Plan.)

Scary

Location

October

She Didn't Protest As Hale Slid His Arm Around Her And Pulled Her To Rest Against His Chest. It Was Somehow Softer There Than She Remembered.

Arms

Hale

Protest

Sitting There That Day, I Knew That The Only Thing I Could Do Was Keep Putting One Foot In Front Of The Other, Hoping None Of The Secrets On My Shoulders Would Make Me Lose My Balance.

Feet

Secret

Balance

I Wonder What Kinds Of Songs Preston's Father Sang To Him." Zach Raised His Eyebrows. "i Wonder If He's In A Cell Humming Them To Himself Right Now." I Should Have Said Something-done Something. He Was In A Dark Place, There In The Moonlight. But Before I Could Say A Word, Zach Took A Deep Breath And Looked Up At The Fortress. "i Wonder If I Should Join Him.

Song

Father

Dark

She Pulled Away And Looked At Him. 'i Kissed You And You Left.' When Kat Heard The Pounding, She Thought It Was The Beating Of Her Heart. It Was Too Loud, She Thought. Hale Was Going To Hear It; He Was Going To See It; And He Was Going To Know How Much Power He Had To Hurt Her.

Hurt

Heart

Loud

You'd Better Not Be Trying To Steal That," She Said. The Boy Shrugged And Reached For The Small Rolling Suitcase At Her Feet. "i Wouldn't Dare." "because I'm An Excellent Yeller." "i Don't Doubt It." "and Fighter. My Cousin Gave Me This Nail File... The Thing's Just Like A Switchblade.

Cousin

Boys

Feet

That's Cool." Hale Nodded, Unfazed. "but Just So You Know, That"---he Pointed To The Piece Of Metal Peeking Out From Behind The Stage---"is A Hurst 5,000 Psi Hydraulic Spreader-cutter, More Commonly Know As The Jaws Of Life." "so?" "so I'm Not A Normal Boy.

Boys

Peeking

Pieces

Yes, Of Course. But ... How?" Kat Felt Her Crew Around Her: Hamish's Arm Hung Around Simon's Shoulders; Gabrielle's Delicate Hands Draped Through The Arms Of Angus And Nick. Kat's Own Hand Found Hale's, Then, Fingers Interlacing, Palms Pressing Together So Tightly That Kat Knew Nothing Could Come Between Them. Nothing. She Looked At Him. No One. "it's Easy," Kat Said, "when You Don't Have To Do It Alone.

Hands

Together

Arms

She Watched Him Stop To Pat The Mayor On The Back. He Stumbled A Little In The Crowd, And His Left Hand Disappeared Ever So Briefly Inside The Mayor’s Tuxedo Pocket. It Was Over In A Flash, A Blink, A Second. And Macey Was Quite Certain She Was The Only Person In The Entire Room To Have Seen It, But That Was Just As Well. At Least, Macey Had Seen Enough. And At Last, The Boy Made Sense." — Double Crossed By Ally Carter

Boys

Hands

Allies

When Zach Said, "im Going To Kill Dr. Steve." It Wasn't The Angered Threat Of A Worried Boy; It Was The Calm, Cool Statement Of An Operative Trained To Do Exactly That. And That, I Think, Is Why It Scared Me. But It Wasn't As Terrifying As The Look In Bex's Eyes When She Said, "not If I Find Him First.

Eye

Boys

Thinking

She'd Absolutely Adored The Library_an Entire Building Where Anyone Could Take Things They Didn't Own And Feel No Remorse About It.

Building

Feels

Remorse

Hamish Smiled And Rubbed His Hands Together. "sure We Can. What Do You Say? Pigs In A Blanket?" He Leaned Over The Cool Counter And Raised His Eyebrows At Gabrielle. "the Only Way I'll Get Under A Blanket With You Is If Both Of Us Are On Fire," She Told Him.

Hands

Eyebrows

Fire

You Don't Need A Search Warrant To Go Through Someone's Trash. Seriously. Once It Hits The Curb It Is Totally Fair Game - You An Look It Up.

Games

Needs

Looks

Townsend Shrugged. 'with All Due Respect To The Good Doctor, I Highly Suspect He's A Moron.

Doctors

Moron

Dues

As Buckingham Talked, I Couldn't Help But Remember That There's A Reason They Call Us Gallagher Girls. It's Not Just Because The Youngest Of Us Are Twelve. It's Also Because Our Founder Was Under Twenty. From The Very Beginning We Have Been Discounted And Discredited, Underestimated And Undervalued. And, For The Most Part, We Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way.

Girl

Way

Twenties

I'm Someone Who Doesn't Have Anything To Lose.

Loses

Go To Bed, Cammie,” My Aunt Ordered, Sounding Exactly Like My Mother. “no,” I Said, Sounding Exactly Like My Aunt.

Mother

Aunt

Bed

Easy There," Zach Said When I Stumbled Into Him. "now's Probably Not The Time To Get Handsy. You Might Want To Control Yourself.

Want

Might

Easy

You're Girls!' He Shouted As If The Fact Had Totally Eluded Him Until Then.

Girl

Facts

Ifs

Hey, Macey, Sorry To Drop In But Cammie Just Had To Be Alone With Me. You Know How She Gets.

Sorry

Hey

Know How

After Finals And Winter Break...after I'm Back To Full Strength, We'll Go Get Preston. Whether Mom And Abby And Joe And Townsend Like It Or Not, We'll Go Get Him. And Then...' I Trailed Off. 'and Then We'll Finish This. Next Semester, This Thing Ends.

Mom

Winter

Finals

Sleep Every Chance You Get. Eat Every Chance You Get. Those Were Two Of The Many Lessons That Kat Learned At Her Father’s Knee And Her Uncle’s Table.

Uncles

Father

Sleep

I Didn’t Know What Was More Disturbing—the Fact That Something Was Obviously Wrong, Or That Three Faculty Members Of The World’s Premiere Spy School Had Forgotten To Lock The Door.

School

Doors

Faculty Members

Acting Like You Don’t Care Is A Whole Lot Easier When You Don’t Care

Acting

Care

Like You

The Window Can Be Fixed, Katerina. I'm Far More Concerned About Him.

Window

Fixed

Uncle Eddie

"good For Him," Hale Said. And Then He Stopped. There Were Four Other People In The Room, But Hale Only Looked At Kat, And Something In His Gaze Burned Her, Froze Her, Made Her Want To Run.

Running

People

Four

Do You Know What Pain Is, Cammie? It’s The Body’s Physical Response To Imminent Harm. It Is The Mind’s Way Of Telling Us To Move Our Hand Off The Stove Or Let Go Of The Broken Glass.

Letting Go

Pain

Moving

You Cannot Con An Honest Man.

Honesty

Men

Honest

And, Of Course, There Are The Perfect Day, Perfect Moment, Perfect Life Dreams That Come Sometimes And Make A Person Hit The Snooze Button For Hours, Trying To Go Back To Sleep And Make The Perfect Moments Last.

Dream

Sleep

Perfect Days

Fear Is A Weakness. It Makes A Person Lose Her Nerve And Her Cool. It Makes People Jumpy And Organizations Nervous, And When That Happens, There Is Always A Chance To Take Advantage.

Fear

Organization

People

I Never Knew There Were This Many Stars." "i Can't See Them," He Told Me. "i Just See You." "that's One Of Your Cheesier Lines," I Told Him. "it's The Altitude," He Told Me. "i Don't Have Enough Oxygen In My Brain." "i See.

Stars

Oxygen

Brain

And Then, Despite Everything, I Smiled And Looked At The Note And Knew That Spring Would Come —it Always Does. So I Stared Out That Cold Window, Watching My Breath Collect On The Glass, Trying Not To Think About My Life After The Thaw.

Spring

Thinking

Glasses

I've Thrown Enough Punches In My Life To Know When Someone Is Hurting.

Hurt

Enough

Thrown

Hey Anyone Who Thinks A Non-military–grade Rappelling Cable Can Support The Weight Of Two Grown Men And A Miniature Donkey Deserves To Fall Off A Cliff.

Military

Fall

Men

We're Seniors." "i Know," I Said "so Aren't You... Curious?" "about What?" "about Life. Out There. Life!" She Said Again. "tell Me, Cameron Ann Morgan, What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?" We'd Reached Another Door, And I Stopped And Looked Up At The Camera That Monitored The Entrance, Just As I Whispered, "alive.

Senior

Growing Up

Doors

So You Just...left?' Zach Huffed. 'all The Cool Kids Are Doing It.

Kids

Cool Kid

Left

I For One Like Chaos. Chaos Looks Good On Me.

Looks

Chaos

I Wrapped My Arms Around My Knees And Stared Through The Window's Wavy Glass. The Red Velvet Curtains Were Drawn Around The Tiny Alcove, And I Was Enveloped By An Odd Sense Of Peace, Knowing That In Twenty Minutes, The Halls Were Going To Be Crowded; Music Was Going To Be Blaring; And I Was Going To Go From Being An Only Child To One Of A Hundred Sisters, So I Knew To Savor The Silence While It Lasted.

Children

Glasses

Knowing

And Then Zach Said A Really Bad Word, But I Doubt Deedee Noticed Because It Was In Farsi

Doubt

Said

Bad Word

The Bagshaw's Blew Up An Armored Truck One,' Gabrielle Offered.

Truck

If You Die Of Pneumonia,i'm Pretty Sure There Are At Least A Dozen Guys Who'll Try To Kill Me And Make It Look Like An Accident (hale)

Pneumonia

Guy

Trying

It's Good To See You, Little One." He (uncle Eddie) Scanned Her Short Skirt. "i Only Wish I Were Not Seeing Quite So Much Of You.

Uncles

Wish

Littles

I Think You’re Freaked About What Happened At Cambridge. I Think It Scared You." “i’ve Been Through Worse, Bex,” I Said, Joining Her On The Lower Stairs. “way Worse.” “oh, Not The Attack.” Bex Raised Her Finger In Contradiction. “what Happened Before The Attack. I Think You Saw The Future. Which Is Kind Of Freaky When - Two Months Ago - You Didn’t Think You Were Going To Have One.

Thinking

Two

Joining

So The Quesiton Is," Bex Said Slowly,"how Far Are You Willing To Go?" I Looked At My Three Best Friends In The World. "how Far Is There?

Three

World

Said

It's Not Cam's Fault," Bex Told Her. "we Rigged Her Bed So That If She Gets Up, I Get An Electric Shock." "liz Designed It," Macey Said, And Bex Shrugged "we Told You We Were Taking Precautions." Of Course. Because At Gallagher Academy, "precautions" Usually Equals "voluntary Shock Therapy".

Electric Shock

Faults

Bed

Crouched On The Roof Between Bex And Liz, I Wasn't A Girl Who Had Just Broken Up With Her Boyfriend; I Looked At My Watch And Check My Gear Instead Of Crying. I Had A Mission Objective And Not A Broken Heart.

Girl

Heart

Broken

Kat Looked Down At Her Lemonade. 'do You Think He Betrayed The Love Of His Life...because Of Us?' 'she Used The Name Romani, Kat,' Was Gabrielle's Answer. 'and Besides...' She Let The Words Draw Out. Her Gaze Went To The Distance, And There Was A Sense Of Peace In The Way She Said, 'we're The Love Of His Life.' She Raised Her Glass Again. 'to Family.

Distance

Thinking

Glasses

He Was Beside Me Then, His Arms Wrapped Around Me, Holding Me Tightly. "i'm Not Crazy," I Whispered. "i Know." Believe It Or Not, That's The Most Romantic Thing Zachary Goode Ever Told Me. And I Kind Of Loved Him For It.

Crazy

Believe

Arms

Either We're A Team Or We Aren't. Either You Trust Me Or You Don't." Hale Took A Step Toward Her. "what's It Going To Be, Kat?" It Is An Occupational Hazard That Anyone Who Has Spent Her Life Learning How To Lie Eventually Becomes Bad At Telling The Truth; In That Moment Kat Didn't Have A Clue What To Say. I Carn't Do This With Out You Sounded Trite. What They Were Doing Was To Big For A Simple Please. Hale I-" You Know What? Never Mind. Either Way, I'm In Kat." He Seemed Utterly Resloved As He Slipped On His Sunglasses. "i'm All In

Team

Lying

Simple

If We Hadn't Hated Him A Lot, We Might Have Liked Him A Little At That Moment. But We Did. So We Didn't.

Littles

Might

Moments

It’s The People You Hold Closest Who Have The Most Power To Make You Bleed.

People

Closest

Now, Now, Hear Me Out," Hamish Went On. "we Don't Have To Kidnap Garrett. Not If We Kidnap The Buyer." "or Distract Him," Angus Added. "like The Bulgari Job," Hamish Said. "you Mean The Job That Landed Half The Dimarco Family In A South African Prison?" Kat Said. Angus Shrugged. "nobody Said It Was Perfect.

Jobs

Mean

Perfect

Okay, First Thing Tomorrow We Hit The Streets Around Taccone's Place. Somebody Saw Something.' 'i Got It Covered.' 'the Dimarcos Might Be In Town.' 'actually, They're In Jail.' 'all Seven Of Them?' Hale Shrugged. 'it Was An Interesting October.

Jail

Interesting

Might

When Hale's Hand Disappeared Inside His Tuxedo Jacket, Macey Wasn't Exactly Sure What He'd Find Inside The Pocket. It Could Have Been Another Phone Or A Breath Mint. Really, Nothing Would Have Surprised Her. Well Nothing Except... "is That An Earbud?" She Whispered. He Smiled. "are You On Comms?" "shhh," He Told Her Softly.

Phones

Hands

Pockets

If You Ever Put A Student At This School In Danger Again-' 'oh, I Thought You Gallagher Girls Were Immune To Danger.' Despite The Hundred Girls The Filled The Foyer, No One Moved Or Gasped Or Tried To Defend Our Honor. We Stood Silently, Waiting For Our Headmistress To Say, 'oh, We Are Quite Used To Being Underestimated, Agent Townsend. In Fact, We Welcome It.

Girl

School

Waiting

Listen To Me." He Grabbed My Arms, Holding Me There. " I Couldn't Find You. And I Will Never Forgive Myself For That. Ever.

Girl

Forgiving

Arms

She Thought She Kept Seeing Him Because She Wanted To See Him," Macey Explained. "ooooh," Bex And Liz Sighed Together. "it's A By-product Of Very Dramatic Kissing," Macey Went On Like A Doctor Identifying A Common Side Effect.

Kissing

Doctors

Together

His Hands Are Off," Gabrielle Pointed Out. "posture's Wrong," Kat Said. "he's Still ... Hot," Gabrielle Said, As If It Were The Greatest Insult In The World. "i Feel So Objectified. So ... Cheap," Hale Told Them.

Hands

Hot

World

You Know, Ms. Morgan, That Was Your Mother You Just Hammered," Mr. Solomon Said.

Mother

Said

Solomon

If It Works, It Works,' Kat Told Him. 'and If It Doesn't?' He Asked. She Looked At Him. 'if It Doesn't, Then I've Heard Monaco Has The Nicest Prisons In All Of Europe.' 'it Does,' Both Hamish And Angus Said In Unison. And With That, It Was Decided.

Europe

Doe

Prison

Kat Had Been Picking Things Up Since Her Third Birthday, When Hamish And Angus's Father Took Them All To The Circus Because He Needed To "borrow" An Elephant.

Father

Elephants

Circus

First Time It's A Stranger. Second Time Its Just A Coincidence. Third Time It's A Tail

Tails

Firsts

Coincidence

I Wouldn't Mind Meeting A Dashing Thief," The Woman's Friend Whispered. Hale Winked At Kat. Kat Raised Her Eyebrows And Whispered, "i'd Like To Meet One Of Those, Too.

Eyebrows

Mind

Thieves

Angus Looked At Hamish. "i Hate It When Mom And Dad Fight." Hamish Smoothed His Brother's Messy Hair. "me Too.

Mom

Brother

Dad

I Saw The Gun. I Sensed The Van As It Rushed Forward, Seconds Away And Coming Faster. I Heard The Screams Of The Fight Behind Us. But Nothing That Night Was Louder Than The Masked Man's Astonished Whisper As He Looked At The Boy Who Stood Beside Me And Said, 'you?

Fighting

Gun

Boys

The Only Way Bex Would Miss This Would Be If She Were Unconscious. And Tied Up. And In A Concrete Bunker. In Siberia.

Friendship

Missing

Would Be

Waffles. Im Craving Waffles." Bex Rolled Onto Her Side. "tell Your Waffles Hi For Me.

Waffles

Sides

Craving

Wait. Far Be It For Me To Say This" — Hamish Looked Around The Compartment — "and If Anyone Tells Uncle Eddie I Suggested Being An Upstanding Citizen I'll Kill 'em, But Aren't There...laws And Stuff? I Mean, Can't You...you Know...sue Him Or Something?" Asked The Boy Who Had Once Stolen An Entire Circus, All Three Rings.

Uncles

Mean

Boys

Sometimes You Forgive People Simply Becuase You Still Want Them In Your Life.

Apology

People

Forgiving

I'll Be Back. And When I Am,i Promise I'll Have Answers.

Promise

Answers

I Promise

Quietly, Macey Went Through Her Options. Even Though The Masked Men Were Asking For Cell Phones, The Gunmen Were Making So Much Noise That She Was Sure Someone Had Already Called 911. The Obvious Exits Were Blocked, And The Elevators Had No Doubt Been Disabled. The Men Moved With Confidence And Order, But They Weren’t Trying To Be Quiet. There Was Nothing Covert At All About This Operation. Unlike The Boy Beside Her.

Boys

Men

Phones

Cammie: I Never Knew There Were This Many Stars. Zach: I Can't See Them. I Just See You.

Stars

I Can

You Can’t Really Yell At Your Boyfriend For Stealing Your Seat And Your Best Friend. You Also Can’t Yell At Your Best Friend For Stealing Your Boyfriend. Or You Can…but Hi Seemed Like A Much Easier Way To Start The Morning.

Morning

Your Boyfriend

Way

Because Sometimes Not Liking Someone Is Easier.

Liking Someone

Sometimes

Easier

Its Vermeer" Kat Turned To The Boy Who Lingered In The Doorway. "it's Stolen" "what Can I Say?" Hale Eased Behind Her And Studied The Painting Over Her Shoulder. "i Met A Very Nice Man Who Bet Me He Had The Best Security System In Istanbul." His Breath Was Warm On The Back Of Her Neck. "he Was Mistaken.

Nice

Boys

Men

Sometimes The Biggest Lies We Tell Are To Ourselves.

Lying

Sometimes

Where's The Fun In That?

Fun

I Also Packed Explosives." -liz

Liz

Explosives

Kat!” Gabrielle Hissed. “you’re Going To Get Caught." The Smile Kat Flashed Over Her Shoulder Was Almost Wicked. “i Know.

Wicked

Caught

Shoulders

Life Is Classified. There Is Always So Much That Goes Unsaid.

Life Is

Unsaid

The Bagshaws? They Didn't Know She Was A Nun!

Nun

Knows

She Looked At Him, Watched Hum Toss The Remote On The Table And Say," So Maybe I'm Going To Handcuff Myself To You The Next Time You Decide To Take A Stroll.

Tables

Toss

Mariano The Second Had Been The Son Of A Fisherman, But He'd Suffered From An Unfortunate Tendency Toward Seasickness And Was Forced To Find A Respectable Career That Could Be Safely Conducted On Dry Land. So He Built Boats. Mariano The Third Built Bigger Boats. And By The Time A Girl From A Very Different Type Of Family Business Arrived At Their Shopfront On The Mediterranean Coast, Mariano The Fourth Had Built And Patented At Least Half A Dozen Of The Most Advanced (and Justifiably Expensive) Watercrafts In The World.

Girl

Son

Land

I Heard Someone's Playing Hooky,' Zach Told Me. He Smiled. Standing There, It Felt Almost Like Nothing Bad Had Ever Happened- Or Would Ever Happen Again 'there's A Boy In My Life,' I Told Him. 'he's A Very Bad Influence.' Then Zach Nodded. 'bad Boys Have A Way Of Doing That. But They're Worth It.

Boys

Way

Bad Boy

Maybe Liz Was Right And She'd Wanted Someplace Safe. Maybe Mr. Solomon Really Did Understand That Running Was The Only Way Macey Would Find Out If We'd Run After Her. Or Maybe, Like Me, She Just Wanted To Disappear For A Little While

Running

Liz

Safe

And I Remembered With A Pang What Had Happened To Me The Previous Summer - That Even Gallagher Girls Aren't Always As Strong As They Need To Be.

Girl

Summer

Strong

"cammie!" I'll Never Forget The Tone Of Macey's Voice In That Moment. "cam," She Said Slowly, Moving Toward Me, "i Know How It Feels To Be Watched Every Second Of Every Day. I Know What It's Like To Trust Fewer And Fewer People Until It Seems Like You Are Completely Alone In The World. I Know You Think The Only Things That Are Left In Your Life Are The Bad Things. I Know What You're Feeling, Cam." Her Hands Were On My Shoulders. Her Blue Eyes Were Staring Into Mine. "i Know."

Moving

Eye

Thinking

So, Your Dad's Hot." "thanks. He Was That Way When I Met Him, So I Can't Really Take Credit.

Dad

Hot

Credit

Excuse Me, Abigail, But Whose Shift Did She Get Away During?' Townsend Asked With A Glare. 'excuse Me, Townsend, But Who Was Supposed To Booby-trap The Doors?' 'i'm An Agent Of Her Majesty's Secret Service,' Townsend Said, Indignant. 'i Do Not Do Booby Traps.

Doors

Secret

Majesty

Did You Say Something Macey?' I Asked, But She Cut Me A Look That Could Kill. She Reached Into Her Bag, Ripped Off A Sliver Of Evapopaper, And Scribbled: 'can We Study Tonight? (tell Anyone, And I'll Kill You In You Sleep!)

Sleep

Cutting

Bags

But I Should Have Known That It Doesn't Take That Long For Change To Happen - It Takes A Second.

Should Have

Long

Happens

Don't Let Two Men Fall In Love With You, Girls. It's Not The Sort Of Thing That Ends Well." -uncle Charles

Girl

Falling In Love

Uncles

That’s The Thing About Spies. Most Of The Secrets We Keep Are From Each Other.

Secret

Spy

His Mother Got Her Purse. His Father Reached For The Door. "scooter," He Said, By Way Of Good-bye, "have Fun With Your Friends." But Hale Was Shaking His Head. He Put His Arm Around Kat's Shoulders. "she's Not My Friend, Dad. She's My Girlfriend." Hale's Parents Must Have Walked Away, But Kat Wasn't Looking. She Was Too Busy Staring Up At Hale, Trying To See Into His Eyes And Know If He Was Okay. The Sadness That Had Lingered For Weeks Was Fading, And The Boy That Held Her Was The Boy She Knew. A Boy Who Kissed Her Lightly.

Mother

Girlfriend

Fun

Kat Picked Up A Folder Labeled Senior. "what Are These? Bank Records?" She Did A Double Take, Looking At Hale. "did Your Dad Really Pay Two Million Dollars To The Campaign To Elect Ross Perot?" "i..." Hale Said, Stumbling For Words And Thumbing Through Another File. "wow. I Guess My Cousin Charlotte Isn't Really My Cousin." "don't Worry," Kat Said. "it Looks Like There Might Be A Kid In Queens Who Is.

Senior

Cousin

Queens

Eventually, We All End Up Alone.

Ends

Turns Out, You Can Take The Girl Out Of The Spy School, But You Can Never Take The Spy School Out Of The Girl.

Girl

School

Spy

You Switched The Days," I Said, Dismayed. "you Blew The Tire. You..." I Trailed Off, Probably Because The Next Words Out Of My Mouth Were Either Going To Be "you Are Enough To Do This?" Or "you're Destined For A Life Of Crime." It Was A Toss-up Either Way.

Mouths

Way

Toss

You Look Disappointed To See Me, Zach," Macey Teased. "don't You Like My Jacket?

Looks

Jackets

Disappointed

I Am Practical By Nature, And I'd Heard That Being A Writer Or An Artist Is A Good Way To Starve! So I Was An Economics Major At Oklahoma State, And Then Received An M.s. From Cornell In Agricultural Resource And Managerial Economics. I Knew If I Wanted To Write I Would Do It On My Own, But I Knew I Wouldn't Make Myself Study Economics On My Own.

Writing

Artist

Oklahoma

You Really Saw Some?" Liz Said An Hour Later. Sure, We Had The Stereo Blaring And The Shower Running, But Liz Still Whispered, "they Really...exist?" "liz," I Whispered Back, "they're Not Unicorns." "no," Bex Said Flatly, "they're Boys. And They're...good.

Running

Boys

Liz

Real Strength Is Not Hitting When What You Most Want To Do Is Kill.

Real

Hitting

Want

Understanding Quotes: Their Essence and Application

Quotes, or quotations, are powerful tools in communication, encapsulating ideas, emotions, and wisdom in concise expressions. They serve various purposes across different contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.

1. Defining Quotes

A quote is a repetition of someone else's statement or thoughts. It can be a direct replication of words spoken or written by another individual, often used to support arguments, provide evidence, or convey profound insights.

2. The Importance of Quotes

2.1. Enhancing Credibility

Incorporating quotes from authoritative sources can bolster the credibility of your work. By referencing experts or primary sources, you demonstrate thorough research and a solid foundation for your arguments.

2.2. Providing Evidence

Quotes serve as concrete evidence to support claims. In academic and professional writing, they validate points made, offering readers a basis to trust the information presented.

2.3. Conveying Emotions and Perspectives

Quotes can encapsulate emotions and perspectives succinctly. They allow writers to express complex feelings or viewpoints through the words of others, often more eloquently than paraphrasing.

3. Types of Quotes

3.1. Direct Quotes

Direct quotes involve copying the exact words from a source, enclosed in quotation marks. They are used when the original wording is significant or particularly well-expressed.

3.2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)

Indirect quotes restate the original message in your own words. While not enclosed in quotation marks, they still require proper attribution to the original source.

3.3. Block Quotes

Block quotes are lengthy direct quotations, formatted as a separate block of text. They are typically used for quotes exceeding a certain length, varying by citation style. For instance, in APA style, quotes longer than 40 words are formatted as block quotes.

4. Proper Usage of Quotes

4.1. Contextual Relevance

Ensure that the quote you choose is relevant to the topic and adds value to your content. Avoid inserting quotes solely for decorative purposes.

4.2. Integration into Your Writing

Seamlessly integrate quotes into your writing. Introduce them appropriately and follow up with analysis or commentary to connect them to your main points.

4.3. Attribution and Citation

Always attribute quotes to their original authors and provide proper citations according to the required style guide (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

5.1. Overusing Quotes

Relying too heavily on quotes can overshadow your voice. Use them sparingly to support your arguments, not replace them.

5.2. Lack of Analysis

Presenting a quote without analysis or explanation can leave readers questioning its relevance. Always follow up with your interpretation or discussion.

5.3. Misquoting or Taking Out of Context

Ensure that quotes are accurate and not taken out of context, as this can mislead readers and undermine your credibility.

6. Quotes in Different Contexts

6.1. Academic Writing

In academic writing, quotes are used to support arguments, provide evidence, and engage with existing literature. Proper citation is crucial to avoid plagiarism.

6.2. Journalism

Journalists use quotes to provide firsthand accounts, add authenticity, and present multiple perspectives within a story.

6.3. Literature and Creative Writing

In literature, quotes can be used to convey character voices, themes, and stylistic elements. They enrich narratives and provide depth to storytelling.

7. Punctuation and Formatting

Understanding the correct punctuation and formatting of quotes is essential:

Quotation Marks: Always enclose direct quotes within quotation marks.

Punctuation Placement: In American English, periods and commas are placed inside quotation marks, while colons and semicolons are placed outside.

Block Quotes: For longer quotes, format them as block quotes without quotation marks, and indent the entire block.

8. Ethical Considerations

Ethical use of quotes involves accurate representation, proper attribution, and respect for intellectual property. Misuse can lead to plagiarism, which carries serious academic and professional consequences.

9. Tools for Managing Quotes

Utilize tools like citation generators and plagiarism checkers to manage quotes effectively. These tools help ensure proper formatting and originality in your writing.

Conclusion

Quotes are invaluable in enriching content, providing evidence, and conveying complex ideas succinctly. When used appropriately, they enhance the quality and credibility of your writing. Always ensure relevance, proper integration, and ethical usage to maximize their impact.

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