I came running down the stairs that morning, like it was Christmas. My parents were already up. In my family, presents never waited; they were there upon waking. Our family has a problem with what they called delayed gratification. We want what we want when we want it, and we always want it now.

The rides are different for everyone. I'm convinced of that now. I mean, sure, there are some we ride together. Either we find ourselves drawn to some common experience, or maybe we're pulled in by the people we care about. Our friends, our families can drag us onto coasters and Tilt-A-Whirls that are really meant for them. But in the end, no matter whose rides we find ourselves on, the experience is all our own.

There's ordinary people out there doing extraordinary things.

A family is a collection of strangers trapped in a web of DNA and forced to cope.

How can you do the right thing when you can't figure out what that is? When all you have before you are choices in various shades of wrong?

No," says Ariana. "It was a dream. Reality got in the way, that's all.

With hardly any effort at all, she made me feel special. Just like all the other people she toyed with.