How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"Sometimes, when something hurts us, our hearts break a little—in a slightly more… literal way than for humans. Our pain sort of spills out and onto anyone around us. We call it a cracked heart." (17.141)
Some really bizarre stuff goes down at the Christmas Dance when Cole's song leaks out into the audience and causes fights to erupt. As he explains to Nikki afterward, Everlivings work a little differently than humans in that the pain of a broken heart for them can touch the people around them. Eek.
Quote #5
He looked at the floor. "What are you, Nikki?" (18.155)
When Nikki finally comes clean to Jack about the Everneath, he asks for proof. So she shows him what she can do, busting out her yummy-emotion-sucking trick. And he freaks out. We can't blame Jack for being spooked about the supernatural stuff he's learning about, but it seems hard on Nikki, too. No one likes to be asked what they are, as a general rule.
Quote #6
"You said Cole steals energy," Jack said. I nodded. "He explained it to me once. All of us are alive because of what amounts to a series of electrical impulses inside our bodies. He steals the electricity. But to the people he steals it from, it feels like he's draining them of emotions." (20.62)
According to Nikki, there's a somewhat rational explanation for why it feels like Everlivings are eating your emotions. But it's still something we consider supernatural, because Cole and his kind walk and talk like humans, but need our electrical energy to survive. That's pretty unnatural-seeming. We bet there's more to the story, though.