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Chapter 1

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.
Edgar Allan Poe, “A Dream Within a Dream”

’d be safer if I tried to blend in, but I’ve never been the kind of
Iperson who hides.
My black lace-up boots announce my arrival at Detroit River
High. I own the corridor like I’m a model on an ironic linoleum
runway in New York City. To my left, a group of band nerds snicker
and stare at my glossy black lipstick. It doesn’t matter. You learn a

lot of rules as a foster kid who transfers between schools every few
months. Want to know what the most important one is? Foster Care
Pro-tip number one: The new girl is always a freak. Just embrace it.
“Hey, new girl!” someone yells. I pause, then turn to face a
tiny blonde with the build of a ballerina. She’s holding a plas-
tic Starbucks cup in her hands. Her posse stands a few feet back,
watching with obvious excitement. I smell a dare.
“Can I help you?”
“I think I saw you in The Wizard of Oz,” she says through a fit
of giggles.
I roll my smoky eyes and start to turn back around, but not
before I get a face full of ice water. The shock of the cold makes
me gasp. Everyone screams in laughter.
“Look! She’s melting,” someone yells.

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4/21/22 11:35 AM
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