The Mist That Falls at Night

» The last time any of them saw her alive was the Fourth of July. She was wearing an white sundress that hung loosely on her body. Airy gasps of joy filled the air. She swung on his arm, barely holding on to the sparkling tiara atop of her head. Her beautiful smile had captured the heart of hundreds.

The roar of the crowd had begun after the coronation dance. She drew a sharp breath and let go of her partner's hand. He was no longer of use to her. "I promise to -" she swore to be the best the strawberry queen, they would ever live to see.

She swung around the room, flinging herself into the arms of any man or boy that dared to catch her. Everyone wanted to be her last dance partner. Yet it was Arthur Simmons; a lanky, pimply boy who had to shove his squared-glasses back up his nose, each time he glanced at his two left feet. Even with him, she was still the most beautiful and graceful person in the room. She didn't just exist. She lived. «