Edith was dying, and she knew it. She had known for months, ever since the day her doctors and parents made the decision to stop chemo. It was too late, they said. There was nothing they could do to help her anymore.
            Lying in her hospital bed, each of her parents clutching one of her hands, she struggled to stay conscious. She looked at her mother. "It's okay, sweetie. You can let go. It's okay," her mom choked out, holding back tears. Edith looked over to her father. He had his head bowed, and his shoulders were shaking as he sobbed silently.
            Her vision was getting foggier. Somehow, it would be a relief to let go. The edge of her vision turned a bright white. The white area was slowly creeping toward the center of her vision. Soon, it would be all she saw. She squeezed her parents' hands as the whiteness overtook her. She felt like she was floating.

            Whispering papers and shuffling footsteps were the only sounds in the quiet classroom. A morose feeling hung in the air around the single empty desk. Some students openly stared at the desk, while others avoided it, as though looking at it made them uncomfortable.
            The bell rang, and the loudspeaker crackled, signaling the beginning of the morning announcements. "Hello, Jefferson High Wolves!" the principal greeted. "First off, there is a boys' basketball game this afternoon in the auxiliary gym. Some of you may be aware that the Bruneau Fire in Cardinal National Forest became larger this past week. Due to smoke, gym classes this week will be inside." The principal took a deep breath. "And last of all, I am sad to announce that Edith Arthur lost her heroic battle with cancer late last night. A memorial service will be held two weeks from today, and the guidance counselors will be speaking in each of her classes today. They are always available if anyone ever needs to talk. Thank you, and have a great Monday."
            The teacher walked in, holding a cup of coffee, and the counselor followed him. The teacher, Mr. Yang, took a seat at his desk and turned on his computer after glancing at the empty desk at the front of the room and quickly looking away. The counselor stepped up to the front of the room.
            "Hello, class!" she said, although some of her usual overly cheery demeanor was missing.
            "Hello, Mrs. Franz," about half the class chorused. Some students kept glancing anxiously at the empty desk, while others had their head in their hands, shoulders shaking. When Mrs. Franz spotted the empty desk, tears welled in her eyes but she did not let them fall.
          "I know losing a classmate is extremely difficult, but I'm here to help you grieve and move on," she said quietly. "I want you to know that I'm always available if you ever need me. Edith was a wonderful young woman who fought courageously.
          "As you know, the memorial service is in two weeks. I would like each of you to write a letter to Edith for the service. You do not have to do this, but I think it would help each of you during this difficult time."
            "Why should we?" asked Alex. Alex had disliked Edith since before the cancer, and everyone knew the two girls didn't get along.
            "You don't have to, Alex, but I would really appreciate it if you would," responded Mrs. Franz patiently. "I spoke with Edith's family while she was still with us, and they agreed this was a good idea. Her mother and brother will be writing letters. Her dad believed it would just increase his grief, so he declined. If this is your belief, then I will not pressure you to write the letter."
            Alex was silent, thoughtful. "If there are no more questions, why don't you think about what you would like to write about? I will need to know who plans to write a letter for the service in one week."
            The bell rang, and some of the students looked around confusedly, as though they weren't sure where they were. This was especially true for Edith's best friend, Lily. She had a look of lostness in her eyes. Her friend Victoria kindly took her arm to guide her to her next class. Max walked with them as the rest of the class filed out. Alex and her best friend, Julia, were the last out. They were whispering furiously, and Alex seemed mad. Julia just looked sad.
            The hallway was strangely quiet. The usual laughter and shouting that permeated the school between classes was absent. Quiet sobs and stifled sniffs were the only sounds that broke the monotony of shuffling footsteps. Harrison, the nerd, struggled with all his books, while Miguel, the quiet kid, wiped his tears silently.
            Even Shawn, the quarterback, was subdued. Usually, he whooped at the top of his lungs as he and his friends cavorted through the halls. Everyone could sense the gaping hole that was Edith. Flowers were sent by Michael's friends to cover her locker. Michael was her brother, and he was mourning at the Arthur home with his parents today.
         
            Mrs. Franz came into Edith's homeroom the next week. "Hello, class!" she said. She was slowly regaining her usual cheeriness, although she still glanced sadly at the empty desk.
            "Hello, Mrs. Franz," a little more than half the class chorused robotically.
            "As some of you may remember, last week I asked you to write letters to Edith to help with your grief. Today, I need to know who is writing a letter for the memorial service. Of course, you always have the chance to change your mind," she explained kindly. "Now, if you would please raise your hand if you're writing a letter."
            She took out a notebook to write the names. "You can put your hand down when I say your name. Harrison... Victoria... Lily... Shawn... Max... Julia... Miguel... Alex? I'm glad you changed your mind about the letter. If any of you know Isabelle, she also requested to write a letter, even though she had no classes with Edith.
            "Thank you for taking the time to do this for Edith. I hope it will make your grief easier to bear."

            "We gather here today to celebrate the life and mourn the loss of Edith Arthur, a beautiful young woman who fought valiantly against the disease that took her from us. Diagnosed with Stage IV leukemia three years ago, doctors gave her a 57% chance of surviving the next five years. Her peers loved her, and her smile could light up the night sky. Her classmates took the time to write letters to her, and are here to read to us today," somberly introduced Mrs. Franz.
            Lily swallowed and took a deep breath as she approached the podium. The students, parents, and staff sat soundlessly in the auditorium. "Hello, my name is Lily. I was—no, am—
Edith's best friend. I wrote her a letter, and I am going to read it to you today." Lily cleared her throat.
            "Dear Edith, you are my best friend. You will always be my best friend. We laughed together, cried together, lived together. We will always live together, in my heart.
            "Do you remember that time when we went camping in Cardinal? I picked up a caterpillar, and when I showed it to you, you shrieked so loud the birds fled the area. We laughed so hard, our stomachs ached and we were gasping for air. Your mom came out of the tent and saw us collapsed on the ground. She smiled and shook her head, and you tried to say something to her, but you couldn't stop laughing.
            "I miss you, Edith. You were taken too soon, when we still needed you. You were my anchor, always keeping me grounded, reminding me not to be too serious. I miss you.
            "Lots of love, Lily"
            Lily trudged back to her chair and took a seat. Tears were streaming down her face. Victoria squeezed her hand and stood. Her high-heeled footsteps reverberated through the hall.
            "Hello. My name is Victoria, and I was good friends with Edith. Edith, Lily, Max, and I had a lot of fun together.
            "Dear Edith, you made my days happier by just being in them. You held on to hope until the very end. Your strength and courage should be admired for generations to come.
            "You always used to ask me if I wanted to go on a hike with you in the forest. You wanted to take pictures of Cardinal to give away to people on the street. You loved the way they lit up when they saw your work. More than one promised us you would work for National Geographic one day. My favorite picture you ever took was the one you called 'Sneaky Squirrel'. I never told you this, but I liked it because you could capture something in such a carefree moment. The squirrel was stealing from a pile of seeds gathered by another squirrel. I laughed every time I saw that picture.
            "You were a beautiful girl, both inside and out. You didn't deserve the life you got; it was much too short. Luckily, you captured a lifetime of happiness in your fifteen short years.
            "Love you always, Victoria."
            Victoria held her head high, determined not to cry, as she walked back to her seat. She failed miserably, and Lily handed her a tissue as she sat down. Max patted her shoulder, and then stood up to take the stand.
            "Hello, my name is Max, and I am here to read my letter to Edith. She and I had been friends our whole life." He took a deep breath.
            "Dear Edith, you always saw the best in people, and that was why they loved you. You were never afraid to get your hands dirty, and you always tried your best.
            "My favorite memory of us is from a long, long time ago. It was the first day of second grade. Do you remember that, Edith? You wanted to walk to school on your own so badly. You wanted it more than anything in the world. When you asked your mom if you could, she said 'Yes, but only if Max walks with you.' Do you remember that, Edith? I was your protector as you walked to school, making sure there were no cars before you crossed the street, scaring away the mean dog that lived on the corner of Third and Pine. I held your hand on the way. We were just kids, Edith.
            "I loved you, Edith. I loved you like a sister. I don't know how I'll go on without you. You were my better half, Edith. And now you're gone.
            "I will always love you, Edith.
            "Love, Max." He stepped away from the dais. By now, most of the audience was wiping away tears. Michael, Edith's brother, stood up and hugged him on his way to his seat.
            Harrison stood and stepped to the podium. "Hello, my name is Harrison. I knew Edith from school.
            "Dear Edith, we didn't know each other that well, but we attended school together for four years. I lived six houses down from you, but we never became friends. I always wanted to be your friend, and now I realize that my hesitation to speak to you will always be my biggest regret. One day, I saw you out my window with Victoria. You had a butterfly on your finger, and you were trying to take a picture of it with your other hand. When it flew away, you smiled and watched it until it was out of sight. I remember this like it was yesterday. I wish I could see that picture. I know it came out beautifully.
            "From, Harrison." Harrison was not crying. He walked back to his seat with a distant look in his eyes, as though he was still pondering that long ago day.
            Isabelle stood up and made her way to the stand, her long skirt swaying with her hips. "My named is Isabelle, and I did not know Edith. I never talked to her, never had a class with her. I saw her every day in the halls.
            "Dear Edith, I walked by you every day. I saw you every day. I was in the cafeteria with you every day. I never spoke to you. I never made eye contact with you. I never had any interaction with you whatsoever.
            "You're gone now, and only now can I think about what a strange societal phenomenon this was. It's sad it took your death to bring this realization. We see people every day, and we never take the chance to become friends, have a conversation, or even say hello. I took you for granted, Edith. You were a constant in my life, something that would never change because our only interaction was walking past each other in the halls. Why does society allow this? I took you for granted, Edith, and now you are gone.
            "I regret never speaking to you.
            "From, Isabelle." Isabelle moved back to her seat, her skirt still swaying hypnotically. Julia stood, swept her hair behind her shoulders, and took the podium. "Hello. My name
is Julia. My best friend is Alex, and Alex and Edith... well, they didn't like each other.
            "Dear Edith, I hate myself. I hate myself for letting Alex be the barrier between you and me. I never understood why she hated you so much, although I suspect I'll know once she reads her letter. I probably would've tried to be your friend, but I liked Alex too much, and I was scared of both the vehement looks you always threw our way, and Alex's reaction.
            "In truth, I wish I had gotten to know you better, but I was skeptical. If the person I trusted most in the world hated you, then how could you possibly be a good person? I hope at least now you understand my motives.
            "I'm sorry, Edith.
            "Julia." She walked back to her seat next to Alex. Alex nodded at her as she got up and took the dais.
            "Hello. I'm Alex. Julia mentioned me, and she was right about Edith and I. Our relationship was not a positive one.
            "Dear Edith, no one understands. Now that you're gone, they see not you, but the cancer. The reward of a tragic death is to be romanticized, even by the ones to whom you were closest. While I would like to avoid this, it would seem callous of me to speak of you the way I would have before the cancer. Instead, I will tell of the event that led to our animosity, in the hopes that it will bring some closure to those who care most about you.
            "It was fourth grade. I would hang out with Julia, of course, but also Lily, Victoria, Max, and you. I liked playing with you guys. We were carefree ten-year-olds, but not for long. Soon, the drama of friends that always accompanied the pre-teen and teenage years would be present. But that time had not come. Yet. About halfway through the year, I was talking to Lily. I asked if she wanted to come over for a playdate with Julia and me. She asked when; I told her. She responded that she couldn't come over that day because Edith was having Victoria, Max, and her over. The next time I wanted a playdate, I got the same response. Over and over, I was told that Edith was inviting everyone to her house except Julia and me.
            "One day, I asked Edith about it. I told her what kept happening when I asked if any of our friends could come over. She looked me in the eye and lied to me, point-blank. She told me he hadn't had a playdate the whole year, when I knew the exact opposite was true.
            "So, in the end, it wasn't her exclusion of Julia and me, it was the fact that she lied about it to my face. While I know that the years should have erased my hatred of that moment, I could never forget the look in her eyes while she lied: calm, cool, collected.
            "It doesn't matter anymore, now, Edith.
            "From, Alex." She gathered her papers, marched towards the door at the back of the auditorium, and left. The ray of sunlight shrank as the door slowly swung shut. Miguel stood and walked to the stand.
            "My name is Miguel, and I am usually very quiet.
            "Dear Edith, I watched you. Not in a creepy, stalker-ish way, but in the way of an observant kid who doesn't talk much. Your eyes seemed to get lighter when you laughed, changing from a dark mocha to a light cappuccino. You were always laughing. I noticed other things, too, like when you were bored, you would bounce your knee up and down, really fast. Once the chemo took your hair, I noticed the freckle at the base of your neck. I noticed that when you concentrated, you scrunched your eyebrows together so you look worried.
            "All these habits, quirks, and characteristics will never be combined in the same way again. The one and only Edith Arthur is gone, yet still with us, in our memories and photographs. The memory of her will fade over time, as will all the memories of us, but we can be comforted by knowing our characteristics will not ever be combined the same way again. We are the 'one-and-onlys'.
            "From, Miguel." He took his seat, many of his classmates surprised that such a profound speech could come from such a quiet kid. Shawn moved to the podium, his heavy footsteps heard over the sobs and sniffles.
            "Hello, my name is Shawn. I am the quarterback on the football team.
            "Dear Edith, I want you to know that you are not alone. You may miss us for a time, but eventually, all of us will join you. Some of us will join you sooner; some of us will join you later. Human existence is a mere blip on the universe, but Edith's life was not a mere blip on our little universe. Our little universe of the forest and the school and the town was affected by her. What I'm trying to say is, logically humans have no effect on the universe, but Edith affected us.
            "We might want to say Edith's life altered the world as we know it, but that's not true. She only affected the people she knew, but just because Edith's universe was smaller than The Universe, it doesn't make it any less important.
            "Goodbye, Shawn." He lumbered over to his seat as Michael stepped up to the dais. His mom stood behind him, clutching his hand.
            "I am Michael, Edith's brother.
            "Dear Edith, I will always have a sister. Always. The boundary between life and death is no barrier. I will always have a sister.
            "You used to come up behind me when I was working, just to tousle my hair. You would steal bites of my desert when I wasn't looking, and I get the feeling I only noticed a small fraction of what you took. You loved it when I let you play video games with me. I remember how you pouted when I finally became taller than you, but soon you were laughing again. It never took long for you to laugh again after something upset you.
            "We used to wrestle when we were kids, and sometimes you let me win. I loved that about you, Edith. You were just as comfortable wrestling and playing video games as you were having a serious conversation. You were needed here, Edith, but apparently you were needed even more somewhere else.
            "Love, Michael" He squeezed his mom's hand as they switched places.
            "I am Michelle, Edith's mother.
            "Dear Edith, you are my beautiful baby girl. It seems like just yesterday I was holding you, all wrapped up in a little pink blanket. I remember when you threw Cheerios across the room, and when you wanted to be a pony when you grew up. I remember when you had your first day of school, when you played your first soccer game, and when you went to your first school dance. Baby girl, I wish it had been me instead of you. I would've gladly taken the cancer if it meant you could be healthy and whole for the rest of your life. But, in the words of Augustus Waters, "The world is not a wish-granting factory." I wish it was, baby girl. I wish it was.
            "I love you, baby girl. No matter where you are, I love you. Always remember that.
            "Love, Mom."
            No one in the building had a dry eye. Mrs. Franz led the audience and the speakers outside, where the stars were already shining through the dusk light. Volunteers started to hand out candles, and someone lit a small bonfire, which everyone gathered around.
            Once everyone's candles burned, the song "How to Save a Life" came on. It was Edith's favorite song. One by one, the speakers dropped their handwritten letters into the fire. The ashes spiraled up towards the stars. A light wind blew.
            As the last of the day's light died and the last bits of music faded, everyone was looking to the stars.