Characters in these stories have suffered the death or disappearance of a close friend or family member. It may be a recent loss they are still grieving, a not-so-recent loss that they are starting to come to terms with, or, in some cases, the loss might still be affecting them years later, driving their thoughts and actions and hindering their ability to move on with life. Some characters may still have hopes of locating someone precious to them who vanished or abandoned them. In some stories, characters may still be in the process of losing someone and are struggling to deal with the reality of their impending loss.