Jay's POV
Nobody rushed to ask another question.
For the first time that night, we weren't chasing clues.
We were listening.
Listening to stories about someone who had once been part of our lives.
David looked down at the photograph again before speaking.
"He laughed at everything."
A few people smiled faintly.
Even without remembering Stein, it was easy to imagine.
The image felt strangely familiar.
Like a memory hiding just out of reach.
"He made friends with everyone," David continued. "Teachers. Students. Even people who didn't like him at first."
The auditorium remained quiet.
Not because nobody cared.
Because everyone did.
Every small detail felt important now.
Every story felt like another piece of a puzzle we had been missing for years.
I found myself wondering what Stein would think if he could see us.
An entire section sitting together, trying desperately to remember him.
Trying to bring him back into a story he had somehow disappeared from.
The thought made my chest ache.
Because no matter how hard we tried, there was one thing none of us could change.
We had forgotten.
And maybe that was the part that hurt the most.
Not the mystery.
Not the secrets.
Just the fact that someone who once mattered had faded from our memories.
I looked around at Section E.
Nobody looked confused anymore.
Just sad.
And somehow, that felt like the beginning of something.
Not the truth.
Not the answers.
Just understanding.