A Heart in a Body in the World

It is the day of Annabelle’s speech at Carnegie Mellon. Annabelle and Grandpa wait backstage; Dawn Celeste and Luke are in the audience. Annabelle tells Grandpa she doesn’t think she can do it, but he encourages her and gives her a little push. Onstage, Annabelle is nervous to speak in front of the crowd. She notices the crowd is mostly young women who “look friendly. They smile at her and look at her with kind eyes. But there are so many of them” (330). Annabelle explains that The Taker, whom she refers to as “the shooter,” bought the gun the day before the party and was reading the instructions for operating the gun in his car before he came inside the house. She reflects, “this just seems particularly horrifying, you know. That you can have a thought to destroy people, and within hours, hours, you can be doing it” (330).

Annabelle explains that The Taker shot her best friend, Kat, and the boy she loved, Will. Annabelle also reveals that Will’s last words to her were “see you soon,” and her last conversation with Kat was about how Kat hadn’t fallen in love yet but would someday.