The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 14

Suddenly, an update cracked over the radio from Garrison's end: they had spotted Archie on the security feed from an emergency exit facing the ocean.

"He might have headed for the beach!" Garrison's hoarse voice blared through the comms.

The entire search team immediately sprinted toward the rocky shoreline behind the museum. This wasn't a scenic tourist path—it was a treacherous stretch of jagged rocks, battered by blistering winds, parts of which vanished entirely during high tide.

Unable to sit there a second longer, Sloane bolted out the door after them.

*

An hour earlier.

The moment Archie had slipped his hand out of his mother's, a tiny spark of rebellion flared in his chest. Mom is zoning out again!

Quinn would never do that. Quinn would crouch down, point at the squid's massive eyes, and tell him how it could see the faintest light in the deep ocean.

All his mom did was mumble, "Yeah, it's huge."

He deliberately hung back, slipping behind a massive display case. Watching her reflection in the glass, he saw his mother turn around. First came the confusion, followed instantly by a pale panic as she started calling his name.

That desperate "Archie!" finally carried the alarm and attention he had been craving. A surge of smug satisfaction blossomed inside him. He watched her grab a staff member, her hands shaking, completely frantic.

A mischievous little grin tugged at his lips. If I make myself totally disappear, Mom will get super worried and call Dad and Quinn.

Then I'll get to see Quinn!

Quick as a little fish, Archie slipped through a door marked "Emergency Exit." Outside, he found himself on a deserted, rugged beach covered in weird, dark stones.

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