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By the tiates of the ceates of the cemetery sat on a busy lare of headlights as cars frequently passed

I waited until there were no cars, then I stepped up onto the ledge of the brick pillar the gates were bolted into, grabbed hold of the iron bars, and hauledcare to not let the spear-pointed tips of the bars bite intoon the other side, the i everywhere Taking out an to h the ceht It had become my sanctuary where I was safe from the outside world It was a quiet place to rest hbors were soe cemetery and I walked for quite a bit toward my spot The council had been out towith the usual faled floral scents fro their relatives The srew fainter as I moved toward the small copse of trees way up in the back that I liked to set ravings had faded until some were near i out, a pillow, the throw blanket I’d got on sale and used for extra warot comfy, and pulled out one of the two books I carried with me

Poison Study by Maria V Snyder I’d read it a million ti by Kristin Cashore I was a fantasy fan And I loved reading about wicked-strong heroines who kicked ass despite the odds

As I read, I forgot about where I was, or that it was cold I forgot about the outside world entirely for a while I knew Ham, Mandy, and a lot of the other homeless folks in the city kept in touch with the outside world with their phones I didn’t kno they got phones If they stole them or stole ers gave them to buy a cheap phone so they could connect with each other and the world But they did it They charged the points in coffee shops and used free Wi-Fi there to go on the internet Soes No hoe

I, however, didn’t want anything to do with the outside world The outside world was a distant memory

Instead I read about Yelena learning about poisons as she studied to be a food taster I read about her survival and her strength And that night I closed my eyes and fell asleep in the ce I had what it took to survive this life I’d chosen

THE AIR HELD THE COPPERY scent of rain Diesel fuht of i rain worrySaturday I was too busy trying not to let the little shit who had set up close besideto bother ant smirk my way as he halted closer tobuskers, and he was breaking itsto drown reat job of it Anyone who took the ti to listen to him mimic Shawn Mendes

Yet, I continued I’d beco under my skin I mean, I’d been in a band with three of theether, for God’s sake This kid had no idea how good I’d gotten at pretending assholes like him didn’t exist

And when to take my opportunity for payback

It happened as soon he lowered his voice to sing a Coldplay ballad

I belted out "Chandelier" by Sia A notoriously difficult song to sing and one that tended to i around me as my voice rose above the kid’s PA systeodda before someone on the internet went, "Hey, she sounds exactly like Skylar Finch Waitthat is Skylar Finch!"