She held up a small wooden box.
It was old, scratched, and clearly well-used.
“I found this under his bed while cleaning,” she said. “And Oliver… you need to see what’s inside.”
My chest tightened.
My mind jumped to every terrible possibility imaginable.
Was Leo in trouble?
Was he being bullied?
Was he hiding something dangerous?
Amelia slowly opened the box.
Inside were dozens of folded papers.
Drawings.
Letters.
Photographs.
I picked one up.
It was a drawing of three stick figures holding hands.
Underneath, in careful handwriting, were the words:
Me, Dad, and Mom.
My throat tightened.
“That’s… sweet,” I said cautiously.
Amelia looked at me with wet eyes.
