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Starlee Nye

That was randmother’s name

Movie star Legend Pioneer

She narandmother after herself, who then named my mother the same and out of some kind of forced tradition, my mother named me Starlee, too

It’s weird because the name is unusual—unique—my classmates mocked it Their parents frowned or rolled their eyes, thinking it was just another special-snowflake na to be “different” and wanted me to be “different”

The problem is, naers The other Starlees

Sure, we may look similar Put the four Starlees in a row and there’s a resemblance Dark hair, blue eyes and fair skin None of us are very tall, but the first three Starlees ht with spirit Me? Soh these women dissipated by the time I was born

Honestly, I’m a little bit of a freak

Who wouldn’t be after five years of being isolated fro all my time at home Locked aith stacks of books and my mother as my only true companion

That is, until I started online school and I made some friends—virtual friends, but still friends--and suddenly it’s like a whole world opened up to es and witty comments

Those friendships, thoseinal Starlee Nye to live with the second Starlee Nye, randmother

It’s why I’ out theof the tiny rental car with my two suitcases stowed in the back, one filled with clothes, the other books

The outside world isn’t forpunished and sent to the most desolate place on earth

The landscape of barren rocks and dry earth passes by, mile after mile, while the sun beats down froht it would be more sandy—more like an endless beach, but this isn’t like that It’s just long, endless stretches of infertile ground that leads to jagged, gray uelife, but e