Three miles away, ten-year-old Emma Carter sat quietly in her classroom.
Unlike the other children, Emma rarely spoke.
Her father had been deployed overseas with the military for nearly two years.
Her mother worked double shifts at the hospital.
Most evenings Emma came home to an empty house.
She spent hours reading books or writing stories in an old notebook.
One Monday morning, her teacher announced a special assignment.
“I want each of you to write a letter,” Mrs. Harrison said.
“But not to your parents.”
The students looked confused.
“You’ll write to someone you’ve never met.”
The room filled with whispers.
