"You are so talented and smart. The dexterity in your work is astonishing. You, my dear, are going to be a star." These were my mother's words to me as she held my face in her hands, her eyes glistening with the hopes and dreams she held for me.
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Grandpa’s Dying Gift
By the time she was nine, Chloe was well on her way to becoming a really, really spoiled brat. As an only child, she got her way with almost everything. Her parents doted on her like crazy and indulged her every whim, being firm subscribers to the belief that she would eventually grow out of her selfish streak. They railroaded over well-meaning objections from her cousins, uncles, aunts and other relatives and persisted in allowing Chloe to live out her childhood unfettered in every way. There was time enough, they felt strongly, for her to face up to the inherent meanness of the real world.
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Runaway Tobias
Like any other orphan, Tobias was curious about so many things. When he was younger, he wanted to know who his real parents were and why they had abandoned him. As he got older, he wanted to know what it was like to be outside the walls that surrounded the orphanage, or what it was like to attend a big school, or join a basketball team, or go to a mall, or own a mobile phone or fall in love.
