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Prologue
Present Day
Everleigh
Voices drifted in and out. Someone called my name. I wanted ice cream. Did they have candy in heaven? My mouth felt funny, like I was sucking on a big ball of cotton. If only someone would turn off the loud beeping. I thought death was supposed to be peaceful. I didn’t feel peaceful.
The voices got louder. The beeping didn’t stop. My eyes were so heavy. I tried to open them, but they wouldn’t cooperate. I was thirsty. Scratch the ice cream; I wanted a milkshake. Chocolate.
I felt hot. I tried to move, but not even my fingers twitched.
So tired.
There was a prick in my arm, and then everything went blissfully silent again.
Chapter1
Everleigh
Two weeksearlier
I always thought I was a good person. I helped old ladies across the road. I paid my bills on time. I didn’t speed.
But it didn’t matter what kind of person I was. Because bad things happened to good people too.
Six weeks ago, my brother, Archer, disappeared without a trace. And I was no closer to finding out what happened to him than when I first landed in Guyana.
It was the first stop on what was supposed to be his trip of a lifetime. I bought him the ticket for his college graduation. The guilt of sending him to the place that took him from me was overwhelming.
The authorities had all but given up searching for him. Which was the reason I was now in the middle of a jungle, following Adriano, my trusted tour guide. We’d been hiking for hours, but the dense rainforest slowed us down. I hadn’t slept properly in weeks. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Archer’s face. What if I was too late?
I was breathing hard, not used to the physical exertion. I was an accountant. A genius with numbers. There was nothing I couldn’t add up. But the most exercise I did at home was walking to my mailbox and back.
Adriano hiked in front of me, slicing at the vegetation, carving us a path to walk through. I was small, only five foot three, and could duck under and squeeze through. A fact that—for the first time in my life—I was grateful for. It was hot and muggy, and sweat was running down my body. I had to stop often, slowing our already sluggish progress even more.
Adriano stopped without warning and pointed to a branch off to the side, using his sparing English vocabulary to let me know what he saw. “Something there.”
The plants on the ground were trampled, and a maroon piece of fabric flapped in the wind. I tore it off and couldn’t hold back the sob that escaped me or stop my legs from giving out. Archer had a T-shirt in that exact color that I gave him last Christmas. But the color wasn’t what made me pause. It was half of the print I could make out from the torn piece.
It was the first sign that he might have been in this area.
I forced my legs upright again, my body aching, my mind jumbled. I was light-headed, not used to the heat. It didn’t help that I hadn’t eaten in hours. I used to be a picky eater, but once we arrived here, I quickly realized that I could either eat whatever was put in front of me or starve.
I ate without thinking twice about it now. I even stuck my entire face into a river today. A few weeks ago, the thought of the bacteria alone would have driven me to wash my mouth out with bleach; now I couldn’t care less.
My carefully crafted bubble was gone, and I didn’t recognize the person left behind.
But my life meant nothing if Archer was gone.
“Come now, now,” Adriano called, snapping my attention away from my burning legs and rumbling stomach. He had a habit of repeating words, but I was getting used to his odd way of talking.
I followed his gaze through the forest that was thinning out and was momentarily stunned by the beauty before us.
A small lake was up ahead, nestled between the trees and mountains. The only sound was the rushing water and occasional bird call. According to one of the girls at the small hotel Archer had been staying, he was planning on spending a few days up here.
He set off on his trip six weeks ago but never came back. He was supposed to be camping, swimming, and hiking. Having fun. I’d spoken to him the morning he left for his hike. He’d been excited, loving the country and having made a lot of friends.
But that wasn’t a surprise, since he’d always been outgoing.
