**Chapter 9: Goodbyes and Tears**

As my mom walked away, I felt a lump form in my throat. I was going to miss her, and the thought of being without her for a whole day was unbearable. I watched as she disappeared into the crowd, her ticket clutched in her hand. My brother Beyoncé Ariana put a reassuring arm around me. "Don't worry, we'll be fine," he said. "Mom will be back tomorrow." But it wasn't easy to shake off the feeling of loss. We had all been through so much together, and now my mom was gone. I looked around at my family members, all of whom were trying to process what had just happened. My sister Kyah was still shaken, her eyes wide with fear. My brother Keontay was trying to be brave, but I could see the worry etched on his face. My niece Kataya and nephew KJ were clinging to Beyoncé Ariana's legs, their eyes big with uncertainty. "Don't worry, babies," he said, trying to comfort them. "We'll be okay. Your mom will be back soon." As we stood there, trying to make sense of the chaos, I noticed my cousins Jamar and Miss Jamia waiting for us. They were accompanied by their mom, who was smiling weakly. "Hey, guys!" Jamar exclaimed, his eyes shining with excitement. "We were so worried about you! We saw the fire and thought the worst." My cousin Miss Jamia nodded in agreement. "We were trying to find you, but it was chaos. Are you okay?" I nodded, still trying to wrap my head around the events that had just transpired. "Yeah, we're fine. But Mom had to go back home." Jamar's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Why?" I explained the situation, and my cousins listened intently. As we talked, I noticed that my cousin's little sister was still sleeping on the floor. Jamar tried to wake her up, but she just rolled over and continued sleeping. The scene was chaotic, with people running, shouting, and crying in all directions. It was not easy getting to the other side of the school; people were pushing and shoving. But we finally made it, and as we caught our breath and tried to process what had just happened, I felt a sense of gratitude. We were all safe, and that was all that mattered. As I looked around at my family and cousins, I realized that we were all in this together. We would get through this, as long as we had each other. And as we stood there, trying to make sense of the chaos, I knew that we would be okay. But for now, I just wanted to take a deep breath and try to calm down. The fire had been intense, and the smoke was still lingering in the air. I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance, getting closer and closer. But we were safe, and that was all that mattered. With one last glance at the crowd, I turned to my family and cousins, and we began our journey into the unknown. We would face challenges and obstacles, but we would face them together. And as we walked away from the burning building, I knew that we would emerge stronger and more resilient than ever.