MADISON — A loving sister, daughter, granddaughter, and niece.
That is how the family describes 14-year-old Rubi Vergara. According to the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office, her life and the life of teacher, Erin M. West, were taken in Monday's tragic shooting.
They are now represented by two crosses and a growing memorial outside Abundant Life Christian School.
In a written tribute, Rubi's family says "She was an avid reader and loved art, singing and playing keyboard in the family worship band."
The 14-year-old will be laid to rest Saturday just four days before Christmas.
Students, including sophomore Naomi Allen, returned to Abundant Life Christian School on Wednesday to gather belongings for the first time since the shooting.
"I don't know when I'll feel safe again," said Allen.
Watch: Students gather belongings from Madison school following deadly shooting
She was in the room next door when the gunfire started.
"It's terrifying. It's horrible. You never think it's going to happen.
She tells our sister station TMJ4 that she and her classmates hid in the corner of their classroom while their teacher comforted them.
"She did a great job. She was whispering to us and she prayed over us," Allen recalled.
Senior Hannah Ruschein says school has forever changed for students at Abundant Life, even for those who weren't there that day.
"I was one of the lucky ones who was homesick. Otherwise, I would have been in that study hall. That is an unsettling feeling, knowing that something was safe and now it is not," Ruschein said.
As these friends work to heal, they are calling for change.
"We shouldn't just be on the list of schools that have experienced gun violence — we should be the end of that list. It should not happen again," said Allen. "It shouldn't have happened here, it shouldn't happen anywhere."
