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Chapter One - Amanda

I’d never seen a colossal city before It sounds silly, but it’s still true I was born and raised in nowhere Wisconsin and went about fiftymetropolis of Milwaukee to attend the university I’d read about cities like New York with their 8 et ht as well have been discussing the sky city of Asgard—which I also read a lot about being a massive book nerd Not that I looked like the dork I was My bestie Liz kept telling me I was hot and what I saw did little to contradict her, though I would have more said ‘cute’ than ‘hot’, but it was really a matter of perspective

The trip to the Big Apple was Liz’s idea, as were s that had ever happened to me Were it down to my own discretion, I would probably never leave o to the local theater now and then — not the one in Milwaukee but the one back home

My parents encouragedbut true that she had a lot more sway over me than my own parents Even at the university, I was a studious ho I’d heard about for so long Though I was pretty sure it was happening in the next roo the same school

I felt a bit bad about that She had the brains and courage to go wherever the hell she wanted No less than thirty schools had accepted her application, so tones She’d narrowed it down to Yale, Harvard, Oxford, and Trinity College Dublin before finding out I was going to Marquette and applying that saram so much as elcomed with a parade I doubted the ad into with her Most of the other students were Catholic School kids like me

Liz was from the heathen public school across the road that all the nuns warned me about It was pretty o, but I was glad they did Liz took the lead, of course, and tookno one else could have been bothered to do

Not the kind just to say no — like s to distract y, fantasy fiction, and black metal, all of which helped o whenever things got rough Soht call it a ‘happy place’ but Liz, and therefore I, preferred the term ‘inner realm’

The streetlights were co on e left the New York Public Library My idea of a land special just to be there Left in ae stumbled down a few blocks, deep in conversation about first-editions and such After a while, we realized we had forgotten where ere going

Manhattan island really wasn’t that big, at least geographically Being built up rather than out We had a ht at the airport before we ever set foot in the city, and were confident we could find our way around without a guide Often, rong However, being lost at night was unsettling

“That corner looks familiar,” I observed as we came up to an intersection

“What makes you say that?”

“Aside from the non-chain record store that would really only ever be there?” I asked

“Fair point” Liz did so in satisfaction I was honestly hoping for good news, the fear of being lost already beginning to creep into my bones

“We are definitely on the Upper East Side,” Liz said, authoritatively

“That’s good, right?” I asked, trying to remember that section in the travel book

“Better than some,” Liz said

I took a deep breath, trying to keepquite so hard I ith Liz, everything would be fine We would figure out how to get back to our hotel

The brownstones around us were truly impressive Even Liz stopped to look at a few of the like it, and I felt the sudden urge to take a picture If nothing else to prove to myself I’d actually seen them Pictures or it didn’t happen and all that

No sooner wasat the bottohed as I took the pictures