The smoke.

I was 11 and homeschooled. My mom had pulled my sister and I out of school, and I resented her for messing up my social life so I'd usually just do whatever I wanted all day until my friends got out of class. I was in my room listening to Harry Potter on audiobook and drawing when I decided to go out into the living room. I saw my mom sitting on the couch sobbing, and my first thought was, "great, I made her cry" since I was off doing my own thing and I didn't care about her off-brand 'lessons' that she wanted us to do instead of normal school. It was just before 9am. We flipped around channels and ended up on ABC since they had the most comprehensive coverage out of all the networks. This live feed was exactly what we were watching as the second plane hit. Every time I watch the clip, it's clear as day. I remember their voices. The way they spoke as the speculations of terrorism grew was chilling. I remember seeing footage of people on the street, running from the scene.

When the South Tower imploded, the smoke fell, too.