Prologue

No one cares about me. No one believes in what I do. Everyday these words go through the mind of seventeen-year-old Trish Martins. But yet Trish doesn't give up hope. She has goals for herself and there isn't a single person that can take them from her. Trish dreams of being a writer and sharing her gift of words for everyone and anyone willing to read them. Trish is constantly put down and told that she can never be a writer, and that she will never be able to achieve her dream. Trish has absolutely no one that will believe in her and her dream of writing. So, Trish hopes as she struggles through this difficult journey called life that she will find someone along the way that will believe in her and take her under their wing.

Trish is an orphan; her parents died in a drunk driving accident when she was just 3 weeks old. Trish has been to every foster home imaginable; no one seems to want her. Sure, they will accept her initially; but after a few short months, she is dumped to whomever else is available to take her. Trish is no problem child; on the contrary, she is very quiet girl; which for some reason comes across very threatening to the foster parents.

Trish just turned seventeen a week ago; yet, her birthday was nothing to remember. The only thing that happened on her birthday was that she got transferred to yet another foster home. Trish was devastated. Not only did she have to move to a whole new home on her birthday, but she was just starting to adjust to the Patterson's home. Trish was beginning to feel like she was actually going to fit in in one of these foster homes. Then her world was crushed; she was pulled from the one home that actually had begun to feel like home to her, also no one remembered her birthday. Nobody said happy birthday or hope you have a great day, nothing. Trish was just left alone, nothing special, just like any other day only at a new foster home. For once, Trish was actually looking forward to her birthday because Angie (Mrs. Patterson) was planning a little birthday party for her, but Trish got transferred early in the morning, so she couldn't have her little birthday party. Trish couldn't figure out why she had been transferred, because the Patterson's liked her and they didn't want her to go. It was only later that Trish figured out why she had been moved this time. It was the agency's fault. They had a new foster child who was much younger than Trish and the Patterson's home was the only possible placement for the child. So, Trish was ousted from the Patterson's just to make room. Trish never got to say goodbye to Angie and Mr. Patterson, because the agency came early to take Trish away so there would be room for the child when she came. That hurt Trish a lot; to not be able to say goodbye to the best foster parents she had ever had.

It had been a week at this new foster home. Trish hated it with a passion, because it was so crowded and each small room contained four bunk beds; one beside each wall, with a dresser in the center of the room. Children were assigned half of a drawer to put their belongings into. Trish knew why she was at this very crowded foster home; because the agency didn't have any other single home to place her into. So they just shoved her into an already crowded foster home.

By the second week, Trish was real depressed and seriously considered giving up her dream of being a writer, because now there was no way that would ever happen. Later on that day, Trish was in her room lying on the top bunk of her shared bunk bed when Mrs. Karenberg yelled for her to come downstairs. Trish immediately panicked and wondered what she forgot to do or what she was in trouble for. But by the time Trish reached the bottom of the stairs; all that Mrs. Karenberg did was thrust a letter into Trish's face and walked away. Trish wondered who would possibly be writing to her, since Trish didn't really know much of anyone. She glanced down at the return of address on the envelope and saw that it was from Angie Patterson. Trish wondered what Angie had to say to her, so Trish hurriedly climbed the stairs up to her room, plopped down onto her bed and carefully ripped open the letter…

Dear Trish,

I'm so very sorry that we didn't get the chance to say goodbye. I had no idea they were coming to take you so early and I'm not sure if I would have been able to hold up. I know it's two weeks late, but happy birthday Trish! I'm sorry that you didn't get to have your little get together like we had planned for you. That must have been a terrible day for you. I can't believe that you had to leave our place; I know you were starting to open up a little more and starting to feel at home for once in your life. I would like very much to see you again. So that we can talk, catch up, and so I can see what I can do for you. I would have written to you a lot sooner but with the new child coming into our home and then I had to track down the agency to find out where they had placed you. I'm so sorry that you had to go to Mrs. Karenberg's; I have heard how crowded and uncomfortable it is there. So, I was wondering if you might like to get together sometime to escape the hectic surroundings of your new foster home and maybe you and me could work on that dream of yours. I honestly think you can achieve your goal of becoming a writer you just have to believe in yourself and remember Trish that I believe in you, always have and always will. I pray that you will not give up hope; you must stay strong and know that you will always have me to believe in you.

Sincerely,

Angie Patterson

Trish had tears in her eyes; she couldn't believe that Angie cared about her so much. Then, she smiled to herself and thought that Angie couldn't have picked a better time to send her a letter, because Trish needed the encouragement to keep going with her dreams and not give up.

The next day, Trish dug up a piece of notebook paper and a pen and started her letter to Angie…

Dear Angie,

Thank you for the letter and the birthday wish, you made me feel very happy and wanted. My birthday was a total disaster, I hated it so much that day, having to leave your home and get thrown into some other foster home that couldn't care less about me. I never got a happy birthday wish or anything, just a pick up and drop off from your home to Mrs. Karenberg's. Mrs. Karenberg's home has so many foster kids, it's unreal! The room that I am living in has four bunk beds in it and just one dresser in the middle of the room. I'm on the top bunk of one the beds and all I get for space is half of one the drawers of the dresser. Oh, Angie, I miss you so much! I wish I still lived with you and Mr. Patterson. I actually was finding home at your place, and then I get moved. You think that I would be used to it by now, you know with me moving from home to home as much as I have throughout my life. You don't know how good of timing that you have, earlier in the day I received your letter, I had felt like my dream of becoming a writer was just a waste of time and that it could never happen. But then I got your letter and I just started crying, because you said you believed in me and that I was to not give up hope. Thank you so much for believing in me Angie! That means so much to me, to finally have someone that believes in my ambitions. Yes, I would very much like to set up times where we could get together and talk. So, just name a time and pick me up, but please make sure you clear it with Mrs. Karenberg also. Because otherwise she would get angry, so just please clear it with her and then let me know when you want to meet up. Thank you.

-Trish

The letter was mailed and all Trish had to do was wait for the reply from Angie. For once, Trish was actually happy; knowing that would be able to talk to someone that believed in her dream of becoming a writer. The days seemed to crawl along while Trish waited for Angie's reply letter.

Trish had waited a week already and she still hadn't received a letter from Angie, Trish was starting to get worried. Was this not going to work out? Are Angie and I not going to be able to talk? Soon, Trish's worries vanished when Angie's letter came through the mail…

Dear Trish,

I'm sorry for making you wait so long for a reply, but I was trying to set some things up for you when we meet and talk. Everything is all set up now. Everything is cleared with Mrs. Karenberg. I will pick you up Wednesday at 10:30 in the morning. Also, Trish, could you bring your notebook with all the things you have written? I will see you on Wednesday then. Talk to you soon.

Angie

Trish was relieved to receive Angie's letter and she couldn't wait until Wednesday to see Angie. Trish was confused a little bit though, because Angie said that she was trying to set some things up for her. Trish wondered what Angie could possibly be setting up for her; but Trish's confusion was soon overcome with her excitement for Wednesday.

Wednesday came, and Trish was so excited that she was wide-awake at six in the morning. Four and a half hours till Angie gets here, Trish thought to herself. Trish did some writing and watched some television while she waited for Angie to come pick her up. Later on, Trish heard the doorbell ring and she jumped up to get the door. She grabbed her notebook and told Mrs. Karenberg that Angie was here and that she was leaving. Trish then walked with Angie over to her car and Trish found out that they were going over to the corner café to talk. When they got to the café, Angie directed Trish towards a table near the corner. Instantly, Trish was confused. Why was Angie heading to a table where a man was already sitting? But, Trish's thoughts were interrupted by Angie introducing Trish to the man sitting at the table. Trish's confusion dissolved when she found out that the man sitting at the table was a publisher. Trish's heart almost stopped; Angie set her up with a publisher for her writing, (so that's why Angie told me to bring my notebook) Trish thought. Trish flashed a thank you to Angie through her eyes. The publisher, (whom Trish found out was named Michael) started going through Trish's writings and was immediately pleased with what he saw. Michael asked Trish if she ever thought about publishing her writings and Trish told him about her dream of becoming a writer. Michael smiled and told her that he could help her with that dream. He liked her writing so much that he wanted to publish her stuff. Trish was ecstatic. Her dream was finally going to come true.