Prologue
The years passed by quickly living with Betsy Morris. She was very generous to me, buying me everything I ever needed. I grew to love her very much. I went back to school and felt as though I was living a normal life for the first time since I had entered the attic so many years ago.
I still had trouble making friends at school but it didn't really matter to me since I always had Betsy to go home to. She was my best friend and I didn't feel like it was necessary to have any others. I kept to myself at school and I was happy that way.
I got pretty good marks in school but I never felt proud of myself. I saw it as a way to get as far as I could in life. I was determined not to let my past experiences effect who I grew up to be. I wanted to make Betsy proud of me. I sort of thought that the only way to make people like me was to be smart. Even though I didn't have many friends, I still cared very much what people thought of me.
I hated being in the spotlight because I was so preoccupied with what everyone must be thinking as they watched me. It wasn't a good feeling to be so self conscious all the time but I just couldn't build any confidence when it came to being around strangers.
One thing that was always at the back of my mind was my family. I was happy with Betsy but there was a small part of me that still felt empty. I knew the void would never be filled until I was reunited with Chris, Cathy and Carrie again. I realized that I was too young to do it on my own and that was another reason why I made sure I did well in school. I had to be successful enough to have the right connections to find them again.
When I started high school I continued to keep to myself but it was a little more difficult because I wanted so badly to fit in. I tried sports but I wasn't very coordinated. Art wasn't something I liked or was good at. Finally I tried music. It was by far my favourite class. My teacher Ms. Cole told me I was very talented and urged me to try the piano. She helped me the basic scales and I mastered those in such a short time that she told me I should get a private teacher.
Betsy found a teacher for me that came very highly recommended. I knew she was spending a lot of money on him but when I asked her about it she said she would do anything to make me happy.
I learned very quickly and my teacher, Mr. Walters, praised me every lesson. He was very happy with my progress and was convinced that I could be a famous pianist. His confidence in my abilities helped me become more and more sure of myself in many aspects of my life.
By the time I entered my junior year in high school I was playing very complicated pieces of music. I was even becoming interested in writing music. But no matter how preoccupied I got with my music and schoolwork, I never forgot my real mission.
Finding my family
The years passed by quickly living with Betsy Morris. She was very generous to me, buying me everything I ever needed. I grew to love her very much. I went back to school and felt as though I was living a normal life for the first time since I had entered the attic so many years ago.
I still had trouble making friends at school but it didn't really matter to me since I always had Betsy to go home to. She was my best friend and I didn't feel like it was necessary to have any others. I kept to myself at school and I was happy that way.
I got pretty good marks in school but I never felt proud of myself. I saw it as a way to get as far as I could in life. I was determined not to let my past experiences effect who I grew up to be. I wanted to make Betsy proud of me. I sort of thought that the only way to make people like me was to be smart. Even though I didn't have many friends, I still cared very much what people thought of me.
I hated being in the spotlight because I was so preoccupied with what everyone must be thinking as they watched me. It wasn't a good feeling to be so self conscious all the time but I just couldn't build any confidence when it came to being around strangers.
One thing that was always at the back of my mind was my family. I was happy with Betsy but there was a small part of me that still felt empty. I knew the void would never be filled until I was reunited with Chris, Cathy and Carrie again. I realized that I was too young to do it on my own and that was another reason why I made sure I did well in school. I had to be successful enough to have the right connections to find them again.
When I started high school I continued to keep to myself but it was a little more difficult because I wanted so badly to fit in. I tried sports but I wasn't very coordinated. Art wasn't something I liked or was good at. Finally I tried music. It was by far my favourite class. My teacher Ms. Cole told me I was very talented and urged me to try the piano. She helped me the basic scales and I mastered those in such a short time that she told me I should get a private teacher.
Betsy found a teacher for me that came very highly recommended. I knew she was spending a lot of money on him but when I asked her about it she said she would do anything to make me happy.
I learned very quickly and my teacher, Mr. Walters, praised me every lesson. He was very happy with my progress and was convinced that I could be a famous pianist. His confidence in my abilities helped me become more and more sure of myself in many aspects of my life.
By the time I entered my junior year in high school I was playing very complicated pieces of music. I was even becoming interested in writing music. But no matter how preoccupied I got with my music and schoolwork, I never forgot my real mission.
Finding my family
