After that Tuesday, me, Maxwell, Sammy, and Emily didn't bother going back to school.
Why would we? With just one month before graduation, all that was left were boring preps—speeches, debates, rehearsals. None of us cared. If my mom were still around, she would've forced me to go regardless, but right now school was the last thing on my mind.
We stayed in Maxwell's room, retracing steps.
Her name, her family, her workplace, her routes, the buses she took, the people she hung out with—we wrote it all down. But it felt… shallow. Like scratching the surface of something deeper we couldn't touch.
And I kept thinking: my mom could be anywhere. In the woods. In some filthy apartment. Hiding underground. Maybe even stuck on a train, tired, uncomfortable, terrified. She wouldn't show it, but I knew she was scared. She was human after all. And worse—she'd be worrying about me.
It was late. Emily and Sammy had crashed. She slept on Maxwell's bed, while he laid out a futon for himself.
Of course, Emily wasn't going to share a bed with the school's most notorious pervert. Sammy looked disappointed, but he didn't argue.
Me? I sat on Maxwell's office chair, turned backwards, staring at the board. Staring at the empty lines and scribbles. Staring at the nothing.
That's when it hit me—I wasn't making progress. Not at all.
We'd been laughing these past few days, making ourselves believe we were doing something. But deep down, I knew. We weren't. We were dead weight. The detectives had probably already solved more than we ever could.
So what chance did I have of finding a clue they didn't? How the hell could I possibly save her if I was already behind?
Frustrated, I grabbed a marker and started scrawling, brainstorming, anything—
Who could want her gone? What did my mom ever do? She was a saint. She never hurt anyone. Hell, she made me patch up with people I didn't even like. She never left a grudge unsolved.
I kept writing. I kept thinking. I didn't even notice the sun creeping up until Emily's voice snapped me out of it.
She rubbed her eyes, walked over slowly.
"Hey… what are you doing?"
I ignored her. My hand kept moving. I felt close.
"Close to a breakthrough," I muttered.
"It's late. Why don't you sleep? Staying awake isn't going to find your mom any faster, you know?"
I dropped the marker, turned to her, my eyes burning.
"So sleeping will find her faster?"
"Freddy…"
"Look," I said, standing now, heat in my chest. "I don't expect you guys to give it your all. She's not your mom. But don't you dare—"
"What the hell are you saying, Frederick?" Emily's tone sharpened.
"Don't play dumb. Out of all of you, you've put in the least effort. And honestly? If you had tried more, I'd be suspicious."
"Fred, that's enough."
Sammy's voice cut through the room, sharp and angry. He'd just woken up, his face hard.
"Stop? Stop what? Stop telling the truth?" I snapped back. "I didn't say anything wrong, so fuck you and your morals."
And I stormed out.
The balcony air hit me like ice. I leaned against the railing, gripping it so hard my knuckles whitened. My chest hurt.
Sammy came out not long after.
"What the hell was that, Freddy?"
"Leave me alone. I don't need you to lecture me about how I'm wrong and you're right."
"But you know you're wrong," he said quietly.
I sighed, defeated.
"Look… I know you're trying. All of you. But you don't get why I'm like this. My mom—she gave up everything for me. Friends, her life, her own happiness. She never complained. All she wanted was to see me smile. And I trained myself, forced myself to get better, faster, stronger… just to give her something back. And now, if I don't find her… then what the hell is my life worth? What's the point, Sammy?"
He was quiet for a moment. Then, his voice cracked.
"Fred… my parents died when I was six years old."
I turned to him.
"We were going on a cruise. My dad finally got leave from work, so he wanted a vacation. It was supposed to be fun. Supposed to be the best trip of our lives."
His jaw clenched, his eyes dark.
"But late at night, there was this grinding sound. Steel against steel. The ship lurched. People screamed. We'd hit something—another vessel maybe, I never knew. But water started pouring in so fast… it didn't feel real. My mom grabbed me, tried to carry me, but the crowd—Freddy, the crowd turned into animals. Pushing, clawing, trampling. They crushed her right in front of me."
Sammy took a long breath before continuing.
"The water rushed in fast, metal twisting, people screaming. In the chaos, I slipped. A sharp piece of broken railing tore through my lower back I was losing blood and fast . I still remember the burning pain, blood mixing with the freezing water. I couldn't stand, Freddy. I couldn't even move. I was just a little kid… trapped.
My dad saw me. He didn't even think. He shoved people aside, fought against the water just to get to me. He lifted me up, his arms shaking, but he didn't let go. The ship was breaking, tilting. I thought we were both going to die there.
Then… he did something I'll never forget."
Sammy's voice cracked, but he pushed on.
"He found a raft—one of the last floating pieces. He threw me onto it with all his strength. My leg was bleeding, I was crying, but I landed safe. I screamed for him to climb on too… but the water pulled him back. It swallowed him. He reached for me one last time, but… he never made it.
That night I lost both my parents. And my ability to use my legs. The doctors said the damage was too much. I'd never walk again."
Sammy paused, his fists clenched.
"But I survived, Freddy. My dad made sure of that. That's why I can't sit back and watch you lose your mom.
I won't let it happen because I know how it feels, I may not be much older than you but that pain doesn't leave you
Freddy,it just doesn't....,it haunts you, I still see my mom out stretched hand as she laid on the ships floor life less her eyes wide open her neck wisted in an unnatural position. Freddy please let us help you ok?
I swallowed hard, my throat burning.
"Sammy… I— I'm sorry."
For once, I had nothing else to say.