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I droppedonintoa wall in front of us "I don’t knohy they even let vendors go to school at all, do you, Sydney?"

And, again, the air shivered in hot waves

"Don’t be ridiculous, Veronica, they have to go to school How else are they going to learn to count our change when they work for us? Isomewhere, and they probably have no idea how to count or read or even horite"

I hated thenorant, andback lance at Sydney’s perfectly ht about that part;dishes in my parents’ restaurant I wanted desperately to hide the her know I’d understood her insults

Keeping aze averted, I tried to sidestep her, but sheherself in o yet," she cooed "We’re just starting B217;startingto have fun Aren’t you having fun, Veronica?"

There was a wooden pause, and then her friend answered, her voice apathetic "Not really, Syd I’ back inside They’re not really worth it"

Sydney waited only a few seconds longer, still blocking our way, before she finally grew bored and left us standing there so she could follow her friend back up the polished marble steps I didn’t lift my head until I heard the doors of the Academy close behind them

And then I exhaled loudly

"Why do they do that?" Brook asked, once ere away frolistened with unshed tears She reached over, her fingers closing around my hand "What did we ever do to them?"

Aron see about us, when they do that" His voice was ragged, and he shook his head wearily

I just shrugged It was all I could do I could never tell them the truth of what Sydney and her friend had said

We reached our school, which was far less grand and polished than the Acade kind of brick found on historical buildings with charht cave in on itself at any moment We didn’t have fancy uniforms or even a name, like the Academy; ere merely known as School 33

But it was hard to complain It was a school, and ere allowed to attend And it was still open, despite the fighting going on within our country These were all things to be grateful for There orse things in life than attending a Vendor’s school