Thanks for saying this, duckie. I recognize how hard it must have been and I'm grateful you took the time to share the knowledge. While I wasn't, perhaps, as close to her as some, I'm fairly sure that you and I actually ended up talking because of her. So despite all of this, I have some fairly good memories and experiences that I owe to her, and this doesn't change that. I'm honestly surprised that I'm not more angry with her about this. It seems like a perfectly reasonable reaction. I guess all I really feel, though, is sadness that so many people were hurt - and that she was unable to overcome her own challenges in any positive way. What's interesting is that her death seemed so tragic, at the time, and now, years later, it reveals itself to be even more so.

Also, I don't think it's at all fair or productive in any way to direct anger at those who knew and didn't say anything. And I say that as someone who considers herself fairly close to some of the interested parties. Kia's decisions were her own and even if they were hurtful to others, as her former friends, I think these people were right to respect her wishes to disappear. Who knows what further psychological damage this thing coming to light could have inflicted that close to the event on someone who was obviously already unstable. The whole thing is terrible and the pain is so needless, and I'm not sure that there is a lesson to be learned here for those of us she deceived. But maybe there's a lesson in it for Kia, and who knows? Maybe it's something that will help her. But even if not, at least now the truth is out and everyone can start to heal.