章 16: Chapter 16;Joy Turned to Grief

We arrived at a scene filled with the clamor of busy firefighters and scattered debris on the road. Jacob struggled to navigate the taxi through the crowd, where some people were shouting and crying. I had been anxious for a while, not knowing what had happened to my mom.

I quickly got out of the taxi and ran towards our house, unable to get through the street due to the chaos.

"Wait, Ellie, it's dangerous," Jacob shouted, but I ignored him.

As I ran, tears streamed down my face.

"Mom, Mom," I whispered softly.

When I arrived in front of our house, my muscles trembled. There was no more fire, just smoke and ashes where our home once stood.

"Mom!" I cried out.

I looked at the scattered people on the street and tried to pick out familiar faces.

"Mom, Mom," I sobbed

But I couldn't find my mother.

"Ellie, did you see your mom?" Madison asked when she saw me.

I shook my head.