Alex
Would you like to go to a hospital?
Gladys
Hospital won't fix me. But maybe you could, though. You could help.
Alex
How?
Gladys
Well, at school, bring an object from each of your classmates home to me. That might work.
Alex
How will that make you better?
Gladys
It might be just what I need.
Mr. Graff, I can understand your passion, and I don't mind having these conversations with you because god forbid if it was my child, I'd be demanding answers too. Those kids walked out of those homes; no one pulled them out. No one forced them. What do you see that I don't?
There’s not a right or a wrong way to grieve. We might experience emotions that we don’t like. Emotions besides just sadness. It’s important not to judge ourselves when we feel emotions like anger. Anger is a very healthy part of the grief cycle. It can be especially powerful in instances of abandonment. There are often--
What does that mean?
I'm explaining that--
Especially powerful in... in instances of abandonment? Are you saying we should be upset with Matthew for what happened to him?
I'm saying it wouldn't be abnormal to--
Cause I’ll tell you right now that you might call what happened abandonment but I don’t. I don’t see it that way! I see something that doesn’t make any sense at all. We’re talking about seventeen kids. In one classroom. And none of them talked about it? And we got forty parents in here and none of us saw it coming? I wanna know what happened in that classroom! Why just her classroom? Why only hers?
I'm picking up a lot of emotion, and that's--
So you’ll forgive me if I’m not particularly interested in hearing any more out of you. I want to hear from Justine Gandy! She’s here! I wanna know exactly what she was doing in there!
Gladys
I'm very sick, Alex.
Alex
Would you like some water?
Gladys
Well, water won't help me. I'm too sick for water. I have been for a very long time.
Alex
What will make you better?
Gladys
Well, I was hoping your mom and dad would make me feel better, but it doesn't seem to be turning out so good.
Gladys
Promise me that you will not speak about me to another human being. Say it.
Alex
I promise.
Gladys
Because I'll know, Alex.
It was a Wednesday and she was going to her classroom just like every morning. But this day was different. This day, none of her kids were there. Every other class at that school had all their kids. Even the other third grade class that Mrs. Belt taught was full. But Mrs. Gandy’s room was totally empty. Well... not totally. There was one boy there. His name was Alex Lilly and he was the only kid in a class of eighteen that came to school that day. And do you know why? He was the only one there because the night before at 2:17 in the morning, every other kid in Mrs. Gandy’s third grade class woke up... got out of bed... walked downstairs, opened the front door... walked across the front yard and into the dark... and they never came back.
Gladys
I can make your parents hurt themselves. I can make them hurt each other. I can make them eat each other if I want to. Do I want to, Alex?
Justine Gandy
I... First I want to just say how very sorry I am for all of... what’s happened. I know there’s nothing I can say to make this better. The truth is, I want an answer just as bad as all of you. I love those kids. I know it’s-- I know it’s not the same as how you love them but... believe me I really loved those children and I’ve spent every waking moment since... that day asking myself what could have happened. I wish I had some insight or explanation but I just don’t have one. I just--
One night before they did, they had a big meeting at the school with all the teachers and all the parents. There were a bunch of counselors and people like that to help everyone figure out how to feel and how to be sad together I guess. This is where the story really starts.
This is a true story that happened right here in my town two years ago. A lot of people die in a lot of really weird ways in this story but you won’t find it in the news or anywhere like that because the police and top people in this town were like so embarrassed about not being able to solve it that they covered everything all up.