Despite enduring predictions in the science fiction literature, the actual occurrence surprised everyone. Surprise wasn’t even a big enough word. Shocked, terrified and panicked would be more like it. One by one, people began to disappear—without a sound, in the blink of an eye. No one really saw it happen. One minute someone would be there and the next instant not. In every city around the globe. Every continent, every country. Every family lost someone, then more than one someone. Ultimately, the few souls left on earth began the struggle to discover how they would live. One of those who did was Emily Anders. Age 15. Living alone in southwestern Oregon. This is how the story begins. With Emily’s survival. What follows is an exploration of the path her life takes as she manages the realities of a changed existence.