Chapter 6: Panic Sets In

The family rushed to get to the other half of the school, which was not on fire. We had to move fast, as the flames were getting closer and the smoke was getting thicker. I could hear the sound of sirens in the distance, but they seemed to be getting farther away. My heart was racing as I looked around at my family members, all of whom were accounted for. My mom, Jyneshie, was trying to lead us to safety, but it was clear that we needed to get out of there - fast. As we ran, my brother Keontay stumbled and almost fell, but my sister Kyah caught him by the arm. "I've got you!" she exclaimed. My other brother, Darnell, was right behind us, his eyes fixed on the burning building. We finally reached the entrance to the half of the school that was not on fire, but it was blocked by a ticket counter. "You need tickets to get in," a stern voice said, as if we didn't already know. My mom stepped forward, trying to give her ticket to someone, but they shook their head. "I'm sorry, ma'am," they said. "We can't take this ticket. You're being sent back home." I watched as my mom's face fell. She had been upgraded to first class after her parents' clothes had ripped, and now it seemed that she was being sent back home. She looked relieved but also sad as she hugged us all tightly. "I'm going to be okay," she said. "You all go ahead and get to safety. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving us to deal with the chaos of the school fire. We all felt a pang of sadness as we watched her disappear into the crowd. The rest of us needed to get into the school, so we scrambled to get tickets. My brother Beyoncé Ariana and I were chatting with my cousins, Jamar and Miss Jamia, who were waiting for us. As we waited in line, I noticed that my cousin Jamar was trying to wake up his little sister, who had been sleeping all day. The ticket taker stamped our hands and we made our way into the safe half of the school. As we caught our breath and tried to process what had just happened, I saw my cousins, Jamar and Miss Jamia, who were accompanied by their mom. "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. "Hey, wake up, sis!" Jamar said, gently shaking her. "We're safe. The fire didn't get us." His sister stirred, rubbing her eyes. "What happened?" she asked, her voice groggy. As my cousins and I filled her in on the details, I felt my eyes getting heavy. I was exhausted, and the excitement of the day was starting to wear off. The scene had turned chaotic, 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.