Tiffany
Richter
Tiffany is a very beautiful
young girl, and she knows it. Her beauty, like her mother’s, is a very
powerful tool. It fuels her power almost as much as her Richter name.
Tiffany knows she’s the best; she has been told so ever since she was
born. She has been a model practically all her life, and she also
excels at her dance, piano, and voice lessons.
Though she is not as gifted as Caleb academically, most people would
say she is an extremely good student. However, being a Richter and
bringing home B’s just doesn’t add up, so a tutor was hired to help
Tiffany "bring her grades up to where they should be." Justin and
Lauren are thorns in Tiffany’s side. They’re just a little too smart
for her and a little too confident in themselves. She just can’t
understand it. Where does it come from? They’re definitely not
Richters, so why do they seem so confident around her and so undaunted
by her power and beauty? Tiffany doesn’t waste too much of her precious
time thinking about Justin and Lauren, though. She’s got much more
important things to do. After all, she is a Richter!
Tiffany gets along with Caleb fairly well. In fact, they’re pretty
close as Richters go. Maya, however, seems totally unnecessary to
Tiffany. Tiffany’s birth made the Richters the perfect little family,
so she sees no purpose for Maya’s existence. If you ask Tiffany, it’s
just typical of Maya to go soiling their family name by associating
with the Morrisons. Tiffany has a lot to learn. But, will she ever be
willing?
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Maya
Ricter
Maya has never really felt like
she belonged in the Richter family. In fact, Maya has never really felt
like she belonged anywhere. She has felt pressured to excel in
everything she does – to excel as her brother, Caleb, and her sister,
Tiffany, have done. Second-best isn’t an option in the Richter family;
Maya is well aware of that. The problem is that everything Maya is in,
Tiffany is in too, and everyone, including Tiffany, is so busy praising
Tiffany that Maya is virtually forgotten.
So, in the fall of 2000, Maya finds the Morrison household a breath of
fresh air. Though she puts on her usual Maya front for awhile,
eventually she sees that not only can the Morrison’s love for her help
to fill her heart, but that Christ’s love can fill her heart
completely. Maya does still struggle after accepting Christ as her
Savior, but she is truly a new creation in Christ and is now as much of
a blessing to the Morrison family as they are to her. Maya’s joy,
however, remains shadowed by her family’s unbelief. Will they ever
share her faith?
Maya’s decision for Christ has caused her home life to become even more
unbearable than before. Tiffany now thinks Maya doesn’t deserve to be a
Richter at all, and Maya’s parents are more aloof and indifferent to
her than ever. Caleb’s attitude toward Maya hasn’t really changed
because of her salvation, but then, there was never really much of a
relationship between the two of them to start with. Maya does love
spending time with Grace and, of course, the Morrisons even though
sometimes it makes her sad that her family isn’t more like them. Deep
down inside, Maya knows that Jesus loves her more than her family or
even the Morrisons or Grace ever could, and that keeps her hopeful of
things to come.
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Grace
Andrews
Grace Andrews was raised on
Gilead Lane by her parents, Scott and Virginia. They were both very
strong Christians. Grace spent many hours rocking in the swing on the
front porch with Mom and Dad, reading books together and telling
stories. After returning home from a weekend camping trip one night,
the Andrews were in a car accident on Gilead Lane, which claimed the
lives of Scott and Ginny. At the age of only seven years old, Grace was
left all alone in the world, blind and orphaned.
Once Grace was well enough to leave the hospital, she was sent to the
New York Institute for the Education of the Blind, where she met Mrs.
Neary, an English teacher for the older students. Mrs. Neary had heard
about Grace's background, so she and Mr. Neary decided to take Grace
under their protective wing. They helped Grace face the anger and hurt
of so much tragedy. After a long, hard road, the little girl was
brought into healing.
Besides learning more about God and His love and mercy during that
time, Grace began to deepen her love for words, and so began her
writing career. Grace still had her house back on Gilead Lane. It was
paid off, and it was hers. Although it was just a small home, it was
priceless in her memory. When Grace grew older, she decided to return
to Coleraine, despite her painful memories. But she could feel the
community shunning her, and she had no idea why. Mr. Key was the one
who came to Grace one Christmas night, and told her what happened when
she was sent to New York...
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Lauren
Fisher
Lauren is the firstborn of Peter
and Kelly Fisher, and she has lived in Coleraine since she was 18
months old. She loves the small town life of Coleraine, but she doesn’t
always love being the daughter of workaholic parents. Ever since Patrik
was born (Lauren was six at the time), Lauren has felt the need to give
him the care and love she had often missed. With Mom and Dad so busy
all the time, Lauren quickly took on the role of worry wart where
Patrik was concerned.
Lauren’s closest friend is her cousin, Justin. Being the same age and
in the same classes growing up has made it seem natural to be close to
each other. Their personalities are also complimentary to one another,
since Lauren’s stubbornness balances out Justin’s passive demeanor.
Though she definitely enjoys learning, she isn’t quite as intellectual
as Justin, and her artistic tendencies in music and photography set her
apart from her strictly scientific cousin.
In the Fall of 2000, the tensions in Lauren’s family are at the
breaking point, and Lauren turns to Uncle John and Aunt Mary for help.
They love Lauren and her family very much, and they step in to try to
restore a love of God and family in the Fisher household. Though the
Fishers are on the road to recovery, Lauren still finds the Morrison
household a much more pleasant place to spend her time. And so it is
that Lauren can often be found hanging out with Justin and the rest of
the Morrison family almost as though she was a Morrison herself.
TopMr. Key
Mr. Key is
another one of the folks who live "down Gilead Lane." He runs all of Grace's errands for her. Mr. Key's
wife died after becoming a Christian, but Mr. Key has steadily resisted the Gospel.
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