Alexandra Adornetto quotes:

We have a host of English teachers in the family. My mum is an English teacher, and so are my dad, my aunt and my uncle. I have grown up with family writing competitions, and I can't remember a birthday or Christmas present that didn't include books.

Imagination and invention go hand in hand. Remember how lack of resources was never a problem in childhood games? Shift a few pieces of furniture around the living room, and you have yourself a fort.

Here is just the beginning of a list of skills that exam results cannot possibly hope to reflect: interpersonal skills, the ability to entertain, how articulate we are as speakers, our ability to work as part of a team, the ability to deal with challenges and invention.

Imagination makes us aware of limitless possibilities. How many of us haven't pondered the concept of infinity or imagined the possibility of time travel? In one of her poems, Emily Bronte likens imagination to a constant companion, but I prefer to think of it as a built-in entertainment system.

The young people I know judge leaders by their deeds and abhor hypocrisy. Inconsistency and point-scoring do not win respect. It's not easy to be engaged in political debate when it is reduced to performers trying to outdo each other. Actions from leaders must mirror the values they claim to espouse.

Childhood is just this amazing place, and in my books, I was trying to express my concern about childhood being eroded. You have kids' TV programs being interrupted by terrorist attacks, and kids are exposed to so much these days.

As the final weeks of my schooling draw to a close and exams loom, I find myself reflecting on the past six years of my secondary education only to realise that many questions are still unanswered. How have I been shaped by my learning experiences? What skills have I developed that are valuable and transferable in the workplace?

I know kids who say they have nothing to do and then go plop themselves down in front of the television to watch a movie or play Nintendo or Xbox. I think there is nothing better for killing creativity and imagination.

Literature has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I can't think back before a time that I didn't love writing and reading. When I was really young, my mother would read poems to me. I loved Edgar Allan Poe - I am sure I didn't understand it, but I loved it.

Writing was something I have always been interested in. I've grown up in a household full of books, with both my parents English teachers and very booky.

Teenagers have a natural curiosity and are keen to clock up experiences. What they need to be wary of is that some experiences may erode their sense of self and lead to a fragmentation of morals.

Molly: So how do you think of Bryce Hamilton crowd so far? Boys hot enough for you?Bethany: I wouldn't say hot. Most of them seem to have a normal body temperature."

Some people really need to be taught some manners," he said disdainfully. I stared up at him. "Would you really have gotten in a fight for me?" "Of course." He didn't hesitate. "But there were four of them." "Beth, I'd take on Megatron's army to protect you." "Who?

Apart from a small minority, teenage boys fall into three distinct categories: macho, metro, or just plain muddled.

I've had a few embarrassing moments in restaurants. I tried to order a quesadilla, and I totally mispronounced the word. And another time, I asked for some toast with Marmite, and they had no idea what I was asking for!

We teenage girls are faced with a quandary: we know what we want but are forced to wait for our male counterparts to grow up. We are ready for intense and meaningful relationships, but research indicates that males will not reach maturity until their mid-20s.

I never thought about writing a novel until I was 13, and that happened by chance. I was on school holidays, and I was bored, and I thought I just wanted to do something to occupy myself instead of asking, 'What can I do, mum? Entertain me.' I started, and it really just took over, and I realised, 'Wow, this is an amazing experience.'

I suppose he'll just have to do," she amendedYou'll have to suffer in silence with your male model...I feel for you.""Oh, stop it, Molly."

Although technology has enhanced our lives in many ways, it has also ensured the erosion of imagination.

The subject of angels and demons really grabbed me. There is a huge mass of information, and the Bible is one of the most amazing reference points.

Beth: "I don't think you realize what you're dealing with here. You can't just mess around with the forces of the universe!" Xavier: "What ever happened to free will? Or was that just a myth?

I have a word quota I try to fulfill every day, and I try to do that in the morning and into the afternoon and then go out with friends at night. I love singing and have lessons and enjoy drama, and so I am involved in that.

My first book was signed up when I was 13, and I've been writing ever since. But penning the 'Halo' series has been so much more rewarding than I ever expected. For three years, from the age of 16 to 19, I poured my life, my experiences, and a love for the supernatural that dates back to childhood into these books.

I'm afraid that's inappropriate behavior for the schoolyard," Xavier teased"I know my charm is hard to resist, but please tray and control yourself.

VCE exams do not showcase students' abilities. By this, I mean that the system fails to recognise the diversity of skills, and most subjects do not allow students to demonstrate skills in a form other than a written exam.

Gabriel: Bethany lacks understanding about the ways of the world. She still has much to learn and that makes her vulnerable." Beth: "Do you have to make me sound like a full-time babysitting project?" Xavier: "I happen to be an experienced babysitter. I can show you my resume if you'd like.

Its okay, Beth.I don't want my life to go back to the way it was before i met you.I thought i had it all,but really i was missing something. feel like a completely different person now.This might sound corny,but i feel like i've been asleep for a long time and you've just woken me up...

My school is very good and quite understanding and know I have to take time off for interviews or writers' festivals.

I'd love to study in the U.S. I visited Vanderbilt in Nashville, and I've been told to check out Ole Miss. There are so many schools that I don't really know where to start. But I do love the U.S. and have met so many supportive and enthusiastic people here while I've been on tour. I could definitely live here!

Did I mention I've finally decided on a nickname for you?""I didn't know you were looking."Well, I've given the matter some serious thought.""And what have you come up with?""Cookie," I anounced proudly.Xavier scrunched up his faceNo way.""You don't like it? What about Bumblebee?""Worse.""Snookie-Wookie?""Do you have any cyanide?""Well, some of us are just a bit hard to please."

Did I mention I've finally decided on a nickname for you?" "I didn't know you were looking." Well, I've given the matter some serious thought." "And what have you come up with?" "Cookie," I anounced proudly. Xavier scrunched up his face. "No way." "You don't like it? What about Bumblebee?" "Worse." "Snookie-Wookie?" "Do you have any cyanide?" "Well, some of us are just a bit hard to please.

(Beth) "I don't care anymore." I turned my face up toward Heaven. "That's not my home anymore. You are.

Find x if (x)=2sin3x,over the domain -2piX=Beth 'Stop goofing around!',I said. 'I'm not! I'm stating the truth.You're my solution to everything',Xavier replied. 'The end result is always you.X always equals Beth.

Sometimes it's better to stop trying to make sense of things. Life isn't clear cut, there are always gray areas.

Because the path of the righteous man was never supposed to be easy,' I whispered. 'Those who are chosen by the Lord are given a hard journey. The rewards will come later.

One does not need to lock up that which is not dangerous.

I'm getting a girlfriend soon," said Michael in a serious tone, and everyone laughed. "You've got plenty of time for that, kiddo," said his father. "No need to rush." "Well, I don't want a boyfriend, Daddy," said Madeline. "Boys are dirty, and they make a mess when they eat." "I'd imagine the six-year-old ones would." Xavier chuckled. "But don't worry, they get better at it.

Don't knock finding nemo," Xavier teased, taking the DVD from my grasp. "It's a modern classic." "Is it seriously about fish?" "Yeah, but really cool fish.

The are some things beyond human comprehension. i know that there's a Heaven and a Hell, and I've seen what can come out of both. For now that's all I need to know - Xavier Woods

I prayed for all his dreams to come true. I prayed that I would always be able to connect with him--even if I was no longer on earth.

There was that half-smirk again, playing around his lips, as if he was deciding whether the situation was amusing enough to warrant a full smile.

I remember once seeing a guy in the grocery store who looked so much like my character the Archangel Gabriel, I wanted to go up to him and say, 'Hey, put that Red Bull down. You've already got wings.' My friend had to sternly remind me that he was a stranger and I did not, in fact, create him.

That was one of the saddest things about people--their most important thoughts and feelings often went unspoken and barely understood.

Gen Y is depicted as self-centred and apathetic when it comes to politics, but it doesn't help that we are largely overlooked. There have been policies to woo parents, pensioners and the sick, but the young do not appear to rank high on any political agenda.

I have never had other kids in the house... I had a huge collection of marbles, and they all had names, which I think concerned my parents. I used to go and sweep outside and talk to myself, and my mum's friends would be over and say, 'Do you realise she is talking to herself?'

While my seemingly compulsive school-hopping has raised some eyebrows among my peers and caused my parents understandable consternation, I do not regret it.

The South is full of memories and ghosts of the past. For me, it is the most inspiring place to write, from William Faulkner's haunted antebellum home to the banks of the Mississippi to the wind that whispers through the cotton fields.

At one school I visited, everyone had read 'Halo,' and they were all dressed up as angels - with halos!

I'd read a lot of books where the girls are in awe of the supernatural male, so I thought it was time to write about an awesome and super-powerful female who is also quite vulnerable and naive about life on earth.

I was the kind of kid who was always making up stories and adventures.

If you try to use Christ as a solution to your problems, it will not work. You have to serve Him in order for Him to serve you.

...nothing is permanent. Everything and everyone you know can change at any moment. That's how I see things now - except for you. You're the one constant in my life.

Never love that which you cannot keep.

Xavier: They, whoever they are, shouldn't have control over our lives. I'm not about to lose you. I've been through that before, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure it doesn't happen again.

You've written three lines" "Three carefully considered lines,"Xavier objected. "Quality over quantity, remember

The righteous ones are always exhausting to have around.

Love you more," I said playfully. "Not a chance," Xavier said, fully awake now. "I'm bigger, I can contain more love." "I'm smaller, therefore my love particles are more compressed, which means I can fit more in.

It's here somewhere," I assured him. "Please tell me you haven't lost it already." "We did fall out of the sky, you know," I said indignantly. "It's easy for things to go missing.

In him I saw my furture In him I saw my friend In him I saw my destiny Both my beginning and end

If he didn't want to be mauled, he shouldn't have put himself right in my path.

The angel came, the angel saw, the angel fell.

Beth: "You're ridiculous." Xavier: "I think you mean irresistible." Beth: "Yes, ridiculously irresistible.

How could you tell children they were playing with fire if they´d never had the experience of being burned?

(...) I don´t want a drink. I just want to know where am I? -You´re not in Kansas anymore!- Jake chuckled at his own joke.

How can the strength of one man stand against Jake and an army of demons?" "He can," I countered, "if he has the power of Heaven on his side. After all, Christ was a man." "He was also the Son of God, there's a difference." "Do you think they could have crucified him if he wasn't human?" I asked. "He was flesh and blood, just like Xavier. You've been here so long you underestimate the power of humans. They're a force of nature.

I hope the two of you will descend from your love bubble long enough to learn something today," he sniped cuttingly and the other kids snickered. Embarrassed, I ducked my head to avoid eye contact with them. "It's all right, sir," Xavier replied. "The bubble's been engineered to allow us to learn from within it.

Envy is a deadly sin!

I think life's too complex to be an accident.

Love has to be reciprocated for it to be real.

Even though Xavier was only human, it seemed he could protect me from anything and everything. I wouldn't have been worried if a fire-breathing dragon had torn of the roof, because I knew that Xavier was there. I wondered fleetingly if I was expecting to much og him, but dismissed the idea.

Some things are beyond human understanding.

You know, you can always pick the lit students," he continued, grinning. "Is that so? How?" "They're the ones who walk around wearing berets and that I-know-something-you-don't expression.

Some say we can't choose who we fall in love with; love chooses us.

It was ironic how love could awaken them to the wonders of the universe, while at the same time confine their attention to one another.

I kept interrupting the movie by asking a lot of questions that Xavier managed to answer with endless patience. "How old do you think Bell is supposed to be?" "I don't know, probably our age." "I think the beast is sweet, don't you?" "Do I have to answer that?" "Why does the crockery talk?" "Because they're really the prince's servants that the beggar woman put a spell on." Xavier frowned suddenly and looked mortified. "I can't believe I know that.

What about this?" I held up a battered copy of Beauty and the Beast. "It sounds romantic." Xavier wrinkled his nose. "Disney... I don't think so." "Why not?" "Because if anyone found out, I'd never live it down." "I won't tell if you don't," I pleaded, and Xavier shook his head in defeat. "The things I do for you," He said with an exaggerated sigh.

Can you at least tell us what these Sevens look like?" He said "could we pick one out in a crowd?" "A long time ago, they used to appear wearing robes and golden girtles," Ivy explained. "They sound like losers," Xavier muttered.

One of the most frustrating words in the human language, as far as I could tell, was love" - Bethany

That is when you need faith the most. Not when everything is going your way, not when you have much to be thankful for, but when there is darkness all around.

Still the hottest angel I know," he murmured. "It's beyond me how you're still on staff.

Well, now that you set him on fire, I'm sure we're well on the path to reconciliation.

Raphael continued to stare at me, in no hurry to get started. "You know the best way to get rid of a demon, right?" He asked with a serious face. I caught Ivy rolling her eyes as I shook my head. "Exorcise alot!" Ivy caught my expression of dismay. "It's okay, Beth. He's famous for his bad jokes. We're still waiting for him to grow up." "And like Peter Pan, I hope to avoid that at all costs.

Life's a game-and I happen to know how to play.

Don't worry, Beth; there's nothing I love more than a challenge.

Sometimes it's the little things that count most.

I suppose he'll just have to do," she amended. "You'll have to suffer in silence with your male model...I feel for you." "Oh, stop it, Molly.

Molly: So how do you think of Bryce Hamilton crowd so far? Boys hot enough for you? Bethany: I wouldn't say hot. Most of them seem to have a normal body temperature.

Sit, Phantom!" Ivy cooed. "On your bottom!" "Oh, for goodness' sake!" Gabriel put down his book and pointed a longer finger at Phantom. "Sit," he commanded in a deep voice. Phantom looked sheepish and sank straight to the floor. Ivy scowled in frustration. "I've been trying to get him to do that all day! What is it with dogs and male authority?

Be grateful for small mercies.

Just because I've walked into this crazy fantasy doesn't mean I can just abandon my other plans, much as I might want to.

Without complexity, there's no intensity.

I believe it stands for 'mother I'd like to...befriend,

Some say we can't choose who we fall in love with; love chooses us. Sometimes people fall for the complete antithesis of everything they believe they're looking for.

I'm afraid that's inappropriate behavior for the schoolyard," Xavier teased. "I know my charm is hard to resist, but please tray and control yourself.

I have church on Sunday.â? â??Of course you do.â? â??Youâ??re welcome to come along.â? â??Thanks, but Iâ??m allergic to incense.â? â??Thatâ??s a shame.â? â??Itâ??s the bane of my existence.â? - Beth and Jake

But I was wrong. I should have known it wasn't owver, couldn't be over quite easily. No sooner was Xavier out of sight than a little cylinder of paper fell from the top of my locker. As I unrolled it, I knew I'd see black calligraphy crawling across it like a spider. Dread settled around me like a fog as the words burned into my brain: The Lake of Fire awaits my lady

She had the face of an angel I saw mirrors in her eyes We were the same, she and I Both bound by potent lies. In him I saw my future In him I saw my friend In him I saw my destiny Both my beginning and my end.

To make one person the center of your world is bound to end in disaster. There are too many factors outside your control.

My girlfriend is an angel." -Xavier

To anyone else, Xavier's use of the word angel would have sounded like nothing more than a lovesick teenager professing his admiration. Only the two of us knew differently and now we both shared a secret- that brought us closer than ever. It was as if we had just sealed the bond between us, closed the gap, and made it final.

Actually Gabrielâ??s an archangel,â? I corrected. â??But otherwise, yes.â? â??Well, that explains why heâ??s so hard to impress,â? said Xavier flippantly

If you're worried about safety, you might like to follow my example and put on that seat belt." "The what?" Xavier shook his head in disbelief. "You worry me," he muttered.

Oh, man," Xavier groaned. "See what you've done--now I'm stressing." "You can't! You're the stable one!" Xavier laughed and I realized his distress had been feigned to illustrate a point. He wasn't worried in the slightest. "Just relax. Go and run a bath or have a shot of brandy." "Okay." "That second bit was a joke. We both know you can't hold your liquor.

Fine - I said huffily. - But I hope I'm at least allowed to fly around the corridors during lunch hour. Gabriel threw me a disapproving look. I waited for him to get my joke, but his eyes remained serious. I sighed. Much as I loved him, Gabriel could be totally lacking in any sense of humor.

Be quiet or I'll be forced to flick you." "Ooh," he mocked. "The ultimate threat. I don't think I've ever been flicked before." "Are you suggesting I can't hurt you?" "On the contrary, I think you have the power to do great damage.

The lake of fire awaits my lady

I'm a girl; of course I have a built-in miss-o-meter.

Sometimes you meet a person and you just click-you're comfortable with them, like you've known them your whole life, and you don't have to pretend to be anyone or anything.

The bubble's been engineered to allow us to learn from within it.