Nancy "Nansi" Rivera had always felt out of place in her small town of Meadowbrook. At 16, she spent her days doodling surreal landscapes in the margins of her chemistry notebooks and sneaking into the Velvet Canvas , a quirky underground art gallery owned by her artistic older cousin, Lila. The gallery was a kaleidoscope of student creations, indie music, and experimental performances—unlike anything else in town. Nancy’s classmates called it a “scene”; she called it her sanctuary.