Sydney

My dad used to tell me I was a strong child.

He said I endured a lot alongside him when we first moved to Newston when I was a year old. For most of my life, I believed him. I tried to see everything through that lens.

And when I arrived at Lakeview, Mom looked me straight in the eye and told me I was different—special.

She said nothing was wrong with me. That everything that came my way wasn’t meant to pull me down, but to make me stronger.

I really wished I’d asked Mom to explain what she meant by that.

Because what on earth was the...