Quintessence. — Sarah Buhl

Think about a time in your life when everything was perfect, and it felt as though nothing could go wrong. Life fell into planned alignment. All of the ideas and hopes held most important organized as books on a shelf. Each book held a title bearing a phase in life and within its pages laid the plan for the future. Now imagine life throwing something at that shelf -- everything planned, everything hoped for, everything organized, now turning over as the shelf falls to the floor. Fear of the unknown replaces the hope for a perfect future. Karl Samson is not a stranger to roadblocks and disruptions in life. Having for a time let them consume his thoughts, he now lives life learning from his trials. He is the guy everyone thinks is a little off, even though his friends love him for it. He is the one helping others. He didn't set out one day to find love -- he was doing what he usually did. Maggie Presley achieves, and that is what she is known for -- her determination to move ahead. Then, she is faced with something even the most meticulous planner could not foresee. Maggie believed she knew what life held for her because she could create her future. However, life had other plans, and she learns that even the worst of circumstances have unexpected outcomes after you are reminded of life's beauty. This is a story of life and how sometimes it takes a reorganization of shelves to find the future. It's a story of love found even during the darkest points in life.