Character Portrait- Nadia "Dreamer"

Nadia
female
age: 14

Mother: Works 2 jobs
Single mother
Father: Deceased
formerly a writer

Nadia is a quiet girl who often has moments when she seems to be frozen in place for minutes at a time. To others, she is odd and most just keep away from her. She is very friendly and energetic, and would like to make friends, but she can't. To Nadia, the world is aesthetically pleasing in every way. Every little detail and object has a story, and only Nadia can see it magically come to life. Her daydreams/visions seem completely real to her until they dissolve away. Nadia has a dream of someday, and somehow, showing the world to the world through her eyes.

Nadia has just started the ninth grade. Her mother works all night and sleeps all day. Things were once different. Her mom used to be a happy housewife; and her father, Noel, was a very successful fictional writer of children's stories. Nadia was a happy and well-adjusted child who spent many hours playing with her dad. Two years ago he was diagnosed with lung cancer and after a year, he was dead. Noel and Nadia were very close; in fact, many of his short stories were created by Nadia during their play. Even at the age of three, Nadia could dream up delightfully detailed origins stories about random objects and toys.

After her father's death, Nadia became a loner; however, her gifted imagination was in did not disappear. In fact, something inside her changed and it stayed with her for the rest of her life. At her father's funeral, Nadia sat next to her crying mother starring into the air. She did not move nor did she speak for the entire ceremony- only her eyes moved. No one knew it, but Nadia was having her first vivid daydream. While her father's favorite song was being sang, Nadia saw golden angels and multicolored butterflies emerge from the stained-glass painting behind the choir. They gracefully glided down to Noel's casket and lifted his golden soul into the air. He was wearing a golden robe and had wings that seemed to stretch ten feet. His soul slowly rose through the air like a spinning rocket and as they flew up into the ceiling, he looked at Nadia as he danced with the angels and flew away.

After this Nadia had visions often, sometimes fifty a day.They were triggered by little things: a pencil, a crack in the floor, patterns in woodgrain, the wind, a smell. At first, she thought something was wrong with her, but many of her visions made her think of her father so Nadia told no one of her secret. Although she didn't speak of the things she saw, other people noticed something weird about her. Most thought it was just her way of dealing with her father's death, so they left her and any questions alone.

Since her mother slept and worked so often, Nadia often spent her free time roaming the city. Neither television nor playing with friends enticed her interest. Instead, Nadia explored her surroundings thoroughly imagining magic.

Not all of Nadia's visions are delightful. She has a dark side, and her visions many times stem from her emotions. Six months ago, she caused a huge scene in a grocery store because she saw something that scared her.

She reads her father's books everyday and also keeps a diary of all the things that she sees.

Ten years from now, Nadia will be a writer of fantasy novels.