Sentence Sneak Peek - Wax

Wax by Gina Damico

The first sentence from each chapter of Wax, it's a mini summary of what you can expect to read.

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“THE TOWN OF PARAFFIN SMELLED OF ROT.”

“POPPY PALLADINO HAD TRIPPED, FALLEN, AND HUMILIATED herself on live television in front of thirty million Americans, but convincing the CVS touchscreen to reverse its stance on her bungled self-checkout transaction ​— ​ that was pure torture.”

“GIVE YOU A TURD, JERKFACE,” POPPY MUTTERED, returning to the school’s main hallway just as the final bell rang.”

“POPPY PERCHED ON THE EDGE OF THE LIVING ROOM COUCH and stared at the television screen, DVR paused on the Channel Six eleven o’clock news graphic and the face of lead anchor Veronica Fahey.”

“WHEN POPPY CALLED HER AROUND MIDNIGHT, JILL DIDN’T waste time with pleasantries.”

“GOOD HEAVENS,” SAID THE VOICE THAT HAD BECKONED HER INSIDE.”

“POPPY GASPED AND STAGGERED BACKWARDS AS IF SHE’D BEEN SHOT.”

“WHO ARE YOU?”

“THIS QUINOA IS DELICIOUS,” POPPY SAID, shoving a spoonful into her face.”

“MOST SATURDAY NIGHTS, POPPY AND JILL DID WHAT ANY SELF-RESPECTING high-schoolers without alcohol problems or criminal records did: they went out for ice cream.”

“HER PARENTS COULD BE HEARD HURRYING DOWN THE HALLWAY, but Poppy cut them off at her bedroom door, closing it behind her.”

“POPPY BOOKED IT UPSTAIRS, TAKING THE STEPS TWO AT A TIME and nearly knocking over the stone candle as she grabbed it from her nightstand and read the words that had appeared overnight: THEREFORE, CONSIDER THIS THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT ​— ​ AND CONFESSION ​— ​ OF ANNE-MARIE GROSHOLTZ. OR, IF IT PLEASE YOU, BY MY OTHER NAME: MADAME TUSSAUD.”

“POPPY HAD EXPECTED WHATEVER WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF the door to be as cold and dank and dark as the tunnel they’d gone through to get there, but when she stepped over the threshold, what struck her was: Warmth.”

“THE NEXT MORNING, POPPY WAS IN HER CAR AND OFF TO school before her parents came down for breakfast.”

“DUD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

“POPPY?”

“ON THE DRIVE HOME, THE THOUGHTS SWIRLED AND TORNADOED, jumped and bucked, but they always landed on the same conclusion: Keep it together, Palladino.”

“SO THEY FINALLY KICKED HIM OUT?”

“I THINK,” POPPY WHISPERED, BACKING UP AND PULLING DUD with her as she gaped at the scores of figures, “we should leave.”

“FROM THE MOMENT SHE GOT HOME UNTIL HER FAMILY RETURNED, Poppy’s pen never stopped moving.”

“GOOD HEAVENS,” HER FATHER SAID FROM THE BREAKFAST TABLE, “you look like a malnourished zombie.”

“POPPY HAD NO IDEA HOW SHE MADE IT THROUGH THE REST of that class.”

“POPPY TURNED THE LIGHTS BACK ON AND BLINKED A FEW TIMES, pretending that the sudden brightness was bothering her ​— ​ when in fact she was trying to recover her faculties, restore her breathing, and not FREAK THE HELL OUT.”

“6: 59 A.M.”

“ANY SENSE OF RELIEF OR SUCCESS THAT HAD BUILT UP OVER the course of The Plan vaporized in an instant.”

“THE FIRST THING POPPY HEARD WAS SCREECHES OF TERROR.”

“IF THERE IS ONE THING THAT TREADING POTION FOR TWENTY-FOUR hours with nothing to sustain me but my own will to survive has taught me to appreciate, it’s the humble appetizer,” said Jill.”

“THE TOWN OF PARAFFIN SMELLED OF NOTHING.”