The End of Me (The Downfall of Us #1)(2)
Author: Claudia Burgoa

 

“No!” My voice echoes throughout the house.

 

“Please, no,” I beg. “Tell me he’s okay.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Uncle Mason says somberly.

 

“I don’t know,” Seth corrects. He clears his throat. “We can’t confirm anything just yet.”

 

His response makes sense, and so do my dreams. Archer is alive, he’s just missing. “He’s lost, isn’t he?” I whisper.

 

“I think so.” Seth nods.

 

“We’re not sure,” Uncle Mason corrects him, taking a step forward. “He could be—”

 

“Don’t say the word until you can confirm it,” Mom warns her brother.

 

“Our people are still combing the area. We were there for days and couldn’t find him,” Uncle Mason rectifies.

 

I glance at Seth. “What happened?”

 

Seth pinches the bridge of his nose. “We were caught. I don’t know how or what gave us away, but since we didn’t have anyone from The Organization to help us escape…” He closes his eyes briefly. “One of us had to stay back to detonate a bomb and—I’m sorry, Pipe.”

 

“It wasn’t your fault.” Uncle Mason places a hand on his shoulder.

 

“I shouldn’t have let him stay. That should’ve been me, not him.” The frustration and anger in Seth’s voice squeeze my heart.

 

He’s in pain, and though I’d love to hug him and tell him everything will be okay, I can’t. My body is frozen in place. My heart knew something wasn’t right. I just didn’t know what it was until now.

 

I swallow hard. I have to learn more about what happened.

 

“You’re telling me he stayed behind?” I confirm, my lower lip quivering uncontrollably. I pinch my wrist, trying to control my emotions. I can’t fall apart.

 

Archer needs me to stay in control. We have to find a way to help him. Well, not exactly me. There’s not much I can do, but Seth and Uncle Mason have the resources.

 

“Why are you here and not there, looking for him?” My voice loses its strength.

 

“That’s what we’ve been doing for the last week,” Uncle Mason says. “I left people in the area. We’ll continue the search, but for now, we’ll declare him as missing.”

 

Missing, I repeat the words inside my head.

 

Missing.

 

Reporting him as missing is just the first step to declaring him dead, isn’t it?

 

Dead.

 

My heart stops as those four letters echo inside my head. D. E. A. D.

 

But he can’t be… no, he can’t.

 

But what if he’s gone?

 

Did I lose him?

 

Did I lose my entire world?

 

Tears fall as I absorb the information.

 

Did I lose Archer forever?

 

What am I supposed to do now?

 

My dreams. I recall all of them. He’s still alive. And someone has to advocate for him before they stop searching.

 

I look up at my uncle. “Go back and look for him again. Archer is alive,” I say with the last bit of strength I have left in me.

 

Uncle Mason stares at me.

 

“You have to search for him,” I insist. “He’s lonely, scared, and wanting to come home—to me.”

 

I press my lips together, trying to control the tears, but it’s impossible. “Just bring him back to me, okay?”

 

“We’re trying, Pipe.” Seth walks toward me, taking me into his arms. “We’ll find him.”

 

“Seth,” Uncle Mason’s warning tone makes me look up at him. “We can’t promise what we might not be able to deliver.”

 

“He’s alive, I swear,” I mumble. “You can’t comprehend how I know it, but I do. Our hearts beat as one, and they have since the first day I met him. It’s even stronger now. I would know… I would feel it down to my soul if he wasn’t around anymore.”

 

“I can’t make any promises,” Uncle Mason repeats one more time.

 

“But you have to,” I beg of him, and that’s when Mom steps closer.

 

She takes me into her arms and says, “I’m here for you, Ladybug.”

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter Two

 

 

 

 

 

Piper

 

 

March 5th

 

He’s just missing.

 

It’s not over.

 

He’ll come back to me soon.

 

My heart knowing Archer isn’t dead doesn’t change the pain that shreds my insides. This is the kind of pain I can’t just push away. The level of hurt is so profound I can’t do anything. The rest of the world doesn’t matter. It’s hard to breathe without him. I’m not okay, and maybe I won’t be until he’s back by my side.

 

Mom stays with me for a couple of days. By the third day, my fathers arrive at my penthouse to pack some of my things and take me back to Seattle.

 

“Embrace life,” Pa says during the flight back from New York. “You can’t just wrap yourself up in a blanket and wait until you’re ready to ride out the storm.”

 

“Not the time, Matthew,” Dad reprimands him the way he does every time Pa doesn’t take things seriously.

 

“One day, you’ll learn to lighten up, Tristan. There are times when you need a little comedic relief. I don’t want to see my ladybug drift away.”

 

I should ask them to stop calling me ladybug. I’m not five anymore, but I don’t have the energy to do it. Maybe I need them to baby me. Twenty-three is still young enough to have your parents cater to all your needs, right?

 

“I don’t either, Mattie, but you have to be more compassionate.” Dad moves from where he sits and is now next to me, holding me. “What can I do for you, Ladybug?”

 

“Find him,” I mumble.

 

“The Organization is doing the best it can,” Dad assures me. “We offered financial help to expedite the search. Mason created a team dedicated to look for Archer. He won’t stop until they find him and bring him home.”