MARTIN PAREDES
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Martín looked up from his writings and for a second admired everything around him. The grandfather clock tocked to the rhythm of his heart. Striking paintings populated almost every surface of the walls, giving a rather cluttered but intriguing environment. His grandmother's hums from the kitchen could be softly heard through the sound of running water. The sun slightly peeked through the red veiled curtains from the window he was seated at, warming his face and his spirit. Martín smiled to himself. "Don't ever let this feeling end."
Martín Paredes was born to a rather elite family in the neighborhood of Carrasco, one of the most affluent places of Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. The Paredes family had achieved their riches through excellent real estate endeavors as a consequence of the rapid expansion into Montevideo more than a century ago. Martín's home in Carrasco was all he and his family had ever known; his great-grandparents had built this home with their very hands so long ago, and the home became a true testament of time as she saw the Paredes generations fly by. Martín's father, Tomás, was a prominent businessman who knew his way around the Uruguayan Stock Market. Tomás flew to the furthest corners of the world, from Japan to England to South Africa. He became a very worldly man, a man that Martín greatly aspires to be. Martín's mother, Valeria, was well-versed in the fashion design industry, and was a part of the elite designers that helped promote Uruguayan clothing to the rest of Latin America and the world. Needless to say, the Paredes family was well-known and spoken about in the Carrascan circle, and Martín's future success is paramount to continue the good of the family name.
Martín had the luxury of attending The British Schools of Montevideo, a small enclave of the British schooling world within Carrasco. He played football (soccer, as it is known elsewhere), organized the school's creative writing team, and regularly wrote back-and-forth as a penpal to curious British students around the United Kingdom. He was very outgoing, but not confrontational, and his fellow classmates couldn't help but admire him, whether platonically or romantically. His teachers also favored him greatly, coming to him for help in organizing projects, from school plays to morning announcements. Even though things may come easily to him in life, he always worked hard and demonstrated a profound spirit. Of course, this attention put the spotlight on him for other particularly jealous classmates to try and break him down. Unfortunately, most of the time they succeeded, and Martín's inability to stand up for himself allowed untrue rumors about his family to proliferate, resulting in many needless arguments between Martín and his parents.
Regardless, Martín excelled in school, and he was destined to do great things. News came to him in his last year of primary schooling that he should consider attending Saint Lynmouth Academy in Wales; it would help refine his character as an elite boy and as a British student. After countless nights of research, coffee, phone calls, reading, studying, and rehearsing, it was determined that this would be Martín's (and his family's) greatest opportunity yet. Lots of tears were present in the Paredes family as Martín boarded the plane for the United Kingdom, but everyone knew that he was on the brink of an exciting, scary, and potentially deadly journey of self-discovery.