Before they knew it, the funeral preparations were finished, and the dull air of the day weighed heavily over the entire town. Students, teachers, neighbors—everyone who had ever known Rose—gathered to pay their respects. The town was a sea of muted colors as if nature itself mourned her loss.

Rose had been the kind of girl who lit up every room she entered. Her laughter was contagious, her presence a warm ray of light on even the gloomiest days. She had a way of making people feel ...