GRANDMA RAE RETURNED home about five-thirty and Kara was already gone. I had just slipped my dress on after finishing my hair and makeup, when she saw me.
“You look so beautiful,” she said, getting teary-eyed. “You remind me so much of your mother when she was your age.”
I smiled sadly. “Thanks.”
Her eyes moved to my bare wrists.
“You took off your bracelets.”
I looked down at the white scar and nodded.
She grabbed my hand and examined it. “It’s healed nicely. The scar is barely noticeable.”
“This might sound crazy, but I hope it never fades completely.”
She gave me a surprised look. “Why?”
“It’s a reminder of what I’ve lost and what I’ve gained,” I explained. “My parents, for one. Knowledge that I’m much stronger than I thought I was, for two.”
Grandma Rae smiled sadly. “I’m so
