It had been a normal day, and that terrified me more than anything. I had taken the bus home from the high school and tried to open the door, but it was locked. I guess Mom and Al are running late. She still gets picked up from school because the middle school doesn’t have a bus. I take out my keys from my backpack and head inside. I go to my room, grab my computer, and watch YouTube— I mean do homework.

It’s nearly 4pm, and they still aren’t home. I try to call Mom, and when she doesn’t answer I call Al, but she doesn’t pick up either. A few minutes later, I hear a knock at the door.

Did Mom order groceries again? She just order some two days ago. Then again, we’re out of sweets, and we all love sweets. Hopefully she got stuff to make cookies. Al loves to bake, and she makes amazing peanut butter cookies. Her chocolate chip cookies are great too, but we both like the peanut butter better. I remember last time we had cookies, I got a glass of orange juice to go with them. (I’ve never liked milk much, but I am constantly drinking juice.) She called me weird for having juice with cookies, so I dipped one of them—

I open the door to see two police officers with solemn expressions. A one sided conversation that I’m too shocked to participate in reveals that there will be no more normal. Mom is gone. Worse, Al is gone.