After dinner, the group reconvened in the living room. No one sat close enough to be touching. They were all leaning forward, anxiety coursing through their veins. No one spoke, either. It was around 10 pm, and Tyler still was yet to return.

"Should we watch something?" Nadia suggested lightly, knowing that no one would want to. It was more of a suggestion to fill the quiet air. No one would sleep, and no one would talk, so she needed something to fill the void. Otherwise, she might go crazy.

The others made sounds of content or disapproval, no one gave her a straight answer. She huffed and leaned back on the couch, brushing arms with Ophelia beside her. Ophelia's eyes raised to her, and they shared a long gaze. Nadia was the one to break it, facing her eyes forward at nothing in particular.

Nadia wanted to go on pretending everything was okay. For her, everything had to be okay. She had never experienced such intense foreboding, and she didn't know what to do with it. Nadia was purposeful and calculating, she always was one step ahead, but at that moment, she couldn't help but feel 3 steps behind. Nothing made sense.

Amory was sitting on the loveseat with Marc, his arms crossed over his chest. He didn't raise his eyes to face the others. If he looked at Marc or Lou, he knew he would lose his fire and crumble. If he looked at Ophelia, he would think of nothing more than protecting her sunshine. If he looked at Caspar, he would think of Lou once more and end up in a cycle. Finally, if he looked at Nadia, he'd think of nothing but the afternoon, and her lips on his lips.

Lou was anxious, for more reason than one. There was too much happening, and it all felt too out of her reach. She did not like appearing out of control or unkempt. She always wanted to seem as if she were on top of things. For that reason, Vallie's disappearance and Caspar's proximity were making her sick to her stomach. Everything felt like an airplane ready to crash, and she was fighting desperately to turn things back around.

Caspar was quiet. He thought of Lou, and of Vallie. He didn't get Lou, and that struck him as odd. Lou seemed like the most familiar person in the world to him, as if he had lived a hundred lives before and she had always played a role. Still, in this life time, it seemed he had been given the wrong script. He was fumbling his way through his part, but the look on everyone's face told him he was fucking it up.

Marc thought of his family, though he didn't want to. He imagined his grandfather, sleeping, preparing for another day at the office tomorrow. He wondered if the man was happy, or if he had once had dreams outside of law as well. The thought that anyone in his family had ever been more than a money hungry robot alarmed him. It made him wonder, would he become that cold one day, too? Would he have a child who he would place the responsibilities of the world upon?

Ophelia bounced her knee, because she was never one for sitting still. She imagined Vallie in her head, all long brown hair and big brown eyes. Ophelia had a tendency to want to save everyone around her, to instill good into the people she loved. She feared that she was constantly failing, perhaps because she was not as good as she ought to be. Ophelia could not quench the demon inside her, the angry beast who wanted to tear through her sunshine walls and scream. If that very monster lived within her, then how could she ever save anyone else?

Nadia finally pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin between them. The silence was going to drive her mad, but she knew she couldn't speak that thought aloud. There were much bigger things to worry about, Vallie being one of them. She wondered if something truly nefarious had happened to the girl. It didn't seem possible. She felt that if something were truly wrong, she would feel it in her gut. Like a siren call. If Vallie were in danger, one of them would know. She must be fine, because Nadia must know if she weren't.

Headlights shined through the window, lighting up Ophelia and Nadia's faces. They all sat forward, eyes trained on the front door, awaiting who would walk in. For a whole minute, it seemed no one in the room took a singular breath; none of them could. If Vallie walked through that door, they'd all be saved.

After a few moments, they heard the sound of someone walking up the steps, then the jingling of their keys. The door swung open, and they all waited. 

It was only Tyler.

He looked around at all of them, brown hair in his eyes and a furrowed brow. He used one hand to sweep his bangs back, but it was messy, and he had to try a couple more times to see properly. Finally, he let out a soft breath and studied the many eyes focused on him.

"You're all just waiting up for me?" He raised his brows, his words slurring together. 

He was drunk. The thought scared them, because the drive up to the house was a thin winding road along the mountain. Every turn had a drop off on one side. No road was safe with a drunk driver on it, but this road was especially hard to navigate, even while sober in broad daylight.

"We just weren't sure who was coming in." Ophelia spoke softly, not wanting to upset the beast. In their many days there, she had never seen a truly drunk Tyler. She imagined it was not something she wanted to see, either.

"Who? What?" Tyler seemed confused, wobbling slightly in his place. He closed the door behind him, then bent over to undo the strings of his boots. "Oh, right. My wife. Y'all are still waiting up for her?"

Tyler put on a slightly country accent that made Nadia want to scoff. She knew he was from Rhode Island, not the south, because Vallie had once told her. It appeared that he revered the south's aesthetic, because his drunk persona reveled in it. Nadia supposed that solved the mystery of Vallie's first dancing being a country song.

"Of course we are." Amory was the one to answer, sitting up slightly. "Where the fuck is she, Tyler?"

Tyler scoffed at that, rolling his eyes before taking off his next boot. He straightened up then, but still wobbled on his feet. Amory knew that if a brawl were to break out, he would win. Perhaps even if Tyler wasn't intoxicated, because Amory had the advantage of unbridled rage.

"She's such a fucking bitch." Tyler laughed mirthlessly, shaking his head. His words appeared so genuine, as if he could think of no better way to describe Vallie than 'fucking bitch.' His glazed eyes fell upon Amory, and he spoke once more. "You know? I know you know. She's a fucking cunt—"

Amory was rising to his feet, completely tuning out whatever Tyler said next. Luckily, Marc quickly stood up as well and placed a hand on Amory's chest, calming him. Across from them, Caspar had stood as well. He didn't consider himself a fighter, but he had gotten into a fair amount of physical disagreements while in his foster home. In other words, he wasn't about to back down when hearing Vallie described like that.

Nadia had stood as well, mainly because she hated that word and she hated Tyler and she would beat his ass just for using it. Lou and Ophelia merely bristled, their ears turning red and their eyes meeting one another; nothing was right. They were not two people who would ever physically fight, but they would tear him down with their words if need be.

Tyler seemed oblivious to all of this, still ranting and rambling about Vallie's lack of consideration and what she put him through. Through it all, he never once referred to her by her name. Instead, there were place holders. The only nice one was 'my wife.' The rest were a number of expletives that the others would never want to repeat.

"Watch yourself." Amory finally breathed out through clenched teeth, feeling the warmth of Marc's palm still against his chest. Marc was helping, somewhat, but what was really keeping him calm was Vallie. He imagined her, mortified by Tyler and trying to smooth over any confrontation, and that alone made him calm.

"What?" Tyler had to brace himself against the wall, lest he fall over completely. His eyes were glazed over completely, but he still seemed to loom over most of them. At his fullest height, Amory and Caspar were still a few inches shorter than him, and they were the tallest of the group. "Don't tell me you guys never got annoyed with her. She's a fucking bitch. Always acting like she is so perfect, never thinking about anyone else."

It wasn't that the group could not think of Vallie's flaws, they certainly could. Tyler was one of them. Still, the flaws he named were foreign to them. None of them would describe her as someone who thought too highly of herself, or selfish.

"I think you need to go to bed." Lou stated firmly, finally raising to meet the others. She knew that if she stayed quiet for too long, a full on brawl would break out. That would not be productive. It would solve nothing.

Tyler scoffed and rolled his eyes, but still he straightened slightly and began to hobble his way through the group towards the master bedroom. Everyone remained silent as he made his way through. It seemed no one thought to breathe until he was out of their sights.

Nadia was the first to plop down on the couch, letting out a long exhale as she went. Lou followed, sitting on the other side of Ophelia, but she was much more quiet as she went. Marc basically corralled Amory back to sit on the love seat with him. Caspar was the final one to take his seat in the recliner, eyeing everyone around him as if he were on high alert.

A few painstaking moments passed before anyone spoke.

"We need a plan." Marc was first, speaking in a hushed tone. His eyes darted between all of his friends around him, his hand now resting on Amory's shoulder.

"What exactly do you mean?" Caspar replied, leaning forward in his seat. He was usually so resigned to stay quiet, but it felt as if every bone in his body was buzzing. He could not remain idle.

"I think a few of us should take one of the cars tomorrow and search for Vallie." Marc answered, sounding pragmatic and practical. His voice was still low, a fear coursing through his veins that at any moment, Tyler would appear once more.

"I want to stay back." Amory spoke next, shocking those around him. He didn't explain himself, but his logic was simple; he wanted to keep an eye on Tyler. He didn't feel comfortable leaving any of the others with him.

"I'll go." Ophelia sat up, raising her hand in the air. She would not be able to sit by, waiting for the others to bring back news. She knew that she needed to be there, seeking out exactly what was going on.

No one spoke up for a few moments, trying to determine their roles in all of this. Nadia didn't know how much help she would be, she was not a detective. Marc feared leaving Amory behind without his guidance. Lou felt she owed a debt to find Vallie, but she didn't know how much help she would truly be. Caspar was frozen by choice.

"I'll go too." Lou finally spoke up after a moment. Ophelia grasped her hand, and Lou actually had the strength to squeeze it. She didn't know she had that in her.

"I think I should stay back." Marc didn't explain further, but he assumed everyone else understood. Someone needed to be there to calm Amory down if need be.

"Me too." Nadia spoke quietly, which was so very unusual for her. She felt as if she were in limbo; neither option seemed to fit her character. At least if she stayed back, she could be there for Amory, if need be.

Caspar looked at Lou for a moment, but she never returned his gaze. It didn't matter anyways, because he knew this was about Vallie, and not whatever was going on between him and Lou. He nodded to himself, making up his mind.

"You two can take my car into town." Caspar finally spoke, eying Lou and Ophelia. "I don't mind."

Lou released a breath she didn't know she was holding in. She would be much more valuable in the search without Caspar there to cloud her mind. She nodded, finally meeting his eye and offering him a small smile as she nodded. It was as close to a 'thank you' as the two would get.

"So, it's settled." Marc clasped his hands together. "In the morning, Lou and Ophelia will head out, and we'll keep things together around here. Do you have the number for the landline in case you need to reach us?"

The two girls did not, so Ophelia called her phone from the landline. The call did not go through, of course, because she did not have service. Still, when they drove into town tomorrow, she knew that the missed call would appear, and she would have the number.

Slowly, the group dispersed after that. Lou was the first to go to bed, followed shortly after by Amory. The lights were off when he entered, so he changed into a sleep shirt and shorts in the dark. Lou's back was to him, and she never said a word.

When Amory slid into bed, he turned on his side so they were facing one another. In the dark, lit only by the moonlight coming in from the window, he could just barely make out the shape of her jaw and the dip of her eyes. He moved a little closer.

"Are you okay?" He whispered into the dark, prepared to pull her in close if she was not.

"I'm not sure." Lou answered honestly, perhaps for the first time throughout this whole trip. "I was so excited when Vallie invited us, and it seems like now everything's gone to shit."

Amory didn't know what to say to comfort her, because in many ways he agreed. He feared that he had been foolish in assuming that this trip would be perfect; nothing had been perfect. Even his kiss with Nadia had not been what he had expect. Although it was good, and it was something he had never dreamed of, he hated that it was a moment of weakness spurred on by Vallie's absence. They had each other, but only in the face of tragedy.

"You deserve good things, Alouette." Amory whispered into the dark, speaking her full name into existence the first time throughout the entire trip. "I hope you know that."

Lou didn't know how to respond to that, so she just nodded dumbly. Even if he couldn't see her. She swallowed, wondering silently if she did know that. Everything had always been such a mixed bag for her. Nothing had ever stayed good for too long. She had begun to expect the incoming downfall. Every happy moment was coupled with a feeling of melancholy. She was perpetually happy and sad at once, left to wonder if there was any other way to be.

The other four had migrated to their room upstairs. It was quiet, despite the fact that they knew no one was sleeping. There was nothing to say, it seemed. Tomorrow, they would all have their answers. This was not some fun game though, there was no speculations or bet. Just raw sadness and empty feelings. Tomorrow, they would know how to talk to one another better. 

At least, that was what they all told themselves.

---

Ah!

The next chapter is the chapter where things really kick off, and I imagine it will be out sometime this weekend. Seriously, next chapter is the one I have been waiting for, so prepare yourselves.

Cash in your bets now, what will the group unearth on their journey tomorrow? >:)