・Lungs・

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"I'm not a moron." He said to the other, quite obnoxiously. "Trust and believe, kid, I know what I'm doing." Florence wished he would have kicked him harder when he had the chance. Within the box, he soon found what he was looking for. Maps. There were four, five, ten, nearly a dozen of them at the bottom of the box. He smiled as he shuffled through them, but was soon distracted when the other gave him a look.

"Don't say anything." He warned, before he started. "Okay, so, Valencia and I liked-- like.. we like to go out of town a lot. We go to football games and try to blend in with highschools a few towns away-- it's kind of like a game we play." Florence explained, running a hand through his red hair. "Valencia manages to get invited to parties, and these are houses that we go to when we go to those towns. It wouldn't be by a stranger. We've met some pretty weird people."
 
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Nate's eyes widened a bit at all the different pictures and maps. He had to lean against Florence's back a bit, although he did so unconsciously, as he was drawn in by the different places they visited.

But his awe quickly disappeared and his face fell away in a bit of annoyance and anger when Florence described what exactly the pictures were about. "What? Seriously?!" His eyes narrowed as he realized that in many of the pictures, there were faces he's never seen before. And there were alcohol... and was that drugs?! (He sure hope it wasn't, perhaps it was just some sort of candy...) Nate visibly paled, he's always known what kind of trouble happened outside his view among his fellow teenage friends, but he never knew that Valencia, of all people, were mixed up with it as well!

After his shock though, he took some time to scan the various faces. "I can't believe you two..." He muttered with disappointment, "But, did anybody in particular stick in your mind? As her boyfriend, I'm sure you can remember some douche bags that tried to force her into... those... type... activities..." Nate trailed off at the end, unable to quite describe the sexual acts he was referring to.

Nate then kneel down a bit, a little too tired to stay standing for much longer. His breathes were slowing down to normality, but signs of pants and exhaustion were still clearly evident. He really should exercise more.
 
Florence ignored him for most of the time, but when he didn't, he wished he did. How could someone be so obnoxious? Florence interrupted him somewhere between when he stared talking and ended. "Okay, just, shut your trap for ten seconds, okay? Fuckin' A, kid, they were all good people. You don't have to be so judgmental all the time. The kid on the left is going to be a neurosurgeon, and the one in the middle went to Space-Camp seventeen times. Take a moment and smell the damn roses, or I'll throw you out of this tree-house faster than you can say 'man-slaughter'." Florence said, shaking his head. He turned, and grabbed his backpack.

As he did, he shoved the maps into there and grabbed Valencia's bag. He pulled it out, and rested it on his lap. He took a moment to collect himself, before he was about to invade the love of his life's personal space. He took a deep breath, and opened it. And to his surprise, he found that there was nothing in there.

He looked through it, running a nervous hand through his red mop. It was just tampons and school books. Florence tossed the bag across the room, and swore under his breath. He grabbed his stick, and walked towards the entrance. "Come on," He said quickly, stepping out and onto the branch. "We're going to Cosmos."

Cosmos was a small town about fourty-five minuets away from his location. It was going to be a long day.
 
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Nate blinked, he didn't think he was being judgmental... But now that he thought of it, he certainly was. He muttered a, "Sorry" and then stood up to follow Florence. Guilt was at the bottom of his stomach, as he realized his discriminatory thoughts from earlier.

He also blinked as he saw that the bag wasn't filled with anything useful. But Nate didn't want to just leave the bag there, so he quickly went to grab it. He left the school books on the floor, but he took everything else. Who knows if Valencia might have left something in there that might come in handy?

Nate then followed Florence out the door, but groaned at the thought of climbing down again. "Cosmos? Right now? Don't you want to grab some supplies before we go? I mean, I literally only have the clothes on my back."

It took some time for Nate to climb back down the tree, and his limbs were screaming out in sore agony, but he didn't complain. He tried his best to keep up with Florence, despite everything.
 
Florence was sick of his nagging, and he was about ready to leave his sorry ass. He didn't say any of this out loud, though. He knew the other would throw a fit, or cry, or something. And when he started talking about going home to change, Florence turned to confront him. He was mad, tired, and worried out of his mind. "Oh, sure!" He started, sarcastically. "In-fact, lets go out to eat. Or hell, go to the movies! Let's make a ship-in-a-bottle! Lets completely avoid the situation at hand, and not help the object of my affections. Infact, lets forget all about the entire situation and go fishing!" Florence instantly broke character.

"Honestly, for the grades you get, you should be an intelligent thinker. By the time we get clothes and go to Cosmos, we'd have to go back. It's already five!" Florence shook his head, and trekked on, with or without him.
 
Surprise flashed through Nate's face, and he was instantly angered by the red head's uncalled for anger.

"That's NOT what I meant." He growled out, glaring, "I THOUGHT we were going to stay there anyways, it being quite a drive away. But before we could do that, we should grab some supplies rather than just rushing out at the whim!"

With the burst of adrenaline, Nate was now finding it easier to trek alongside Florence, even managing to pull ahead. What did Valencia see in this guy?! He was just a hot headed jerk, did she fall for his 'bad boy' charms or something? The boy smokes and he yells and he hangs out with bad cro-

Nate blinked. He was doing it again. He was thinking about those stupid judgmental, discriminatory thoughts. He glanced over at Florence, and guilt covered his brown eyes. Florence was just on edge... He was probably just tired, maybe even as tired as Nate himself was... Anybody would explode... As he did so many times today... Nate sighed, "I don't want to give up either, but still. It won't due to just barge forward." He muttered softly, wishing to quell their argument before it escalated too far.
 
Florence didn't look at him after that. He walked forward, planting his stick in the ground over and over as he went on. He was silent for a long time, before he spoke again. "There is a gas station a few miles into Cosmos. I have a tab there-- a good friend owns the place, and I'll get some gas there. " He said. After that, it was nothing else.

It was silence as the night fell and the wind picked up, but soon they were back towards the car. Florence unlocked it, changed shoes, and sat in the drivers seat. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, it's red ember illuminating the front of the car. Florence started it up, and drove. He didn't bother to ask the other if he had his seatbelt on, because honestly, he could care less. He drove for about a half-hour, and went a little longer to get to the gas station. Once they were there, Florence pulled up and filled the tank up completely.

"Stay cool, okay? You're my cousin, Sylvester Birdwhistle." Florence informed him. If he squinted a little, Nathaniel looked a little like him. They walked into the store, and soon, they were greeted by a loud, booming voice.

"You son of a bitch!" A man from behind the counter screamed, a huge smile plastered on his face. "Birdy!! Get the hell out of here! Where have you been?"
"I've been up to no good, Mackenzie." Florence said, reaching behind the desk to greet the man with a short, but interesting, handshake.
"What brings you to Cosmos?" Mackenzie asked, combing a hand under his chin. "What can I get for you?"
"Just a tank of gas for now. And uh, whatever he wants-- Oh, Mac, you met Sylv, right? Sylvester?"
Mackenzie looked at him with a large smile, and boomed a laugh. "Do I know him? Of course I do. Hey now, he's here, but where's Val?"
Florence shook his head. "Have you seen her, man? I'm getting worried. I know you'd be the first person she'd go to."
"I'm sorry, I haven't. I have some pictures-- I'll totally put them up for you. I'll keep an eye out for her. I'm real sorry, Birdy."
"Thanks, man." Another handshake, and they were both gone.

Florence was quiet for a while after.
 
The air felt heavy around them as they drove off. Nate took a seat in the passenger seat this time, wanting to be able to look around at where they were going. Florence refused to talk though, and Nate decided he shouldn't open his mouth either. He stared outside the entire ride.

When they finally arrived at said gas station, Nate quietly looked around. He kept his distance, but he still followed Florence rather closely. He wasn't quite sure what else to do. The loud man yelled out a greeting, and despite the weird words that were exchanged, Nate gave him a soft warm smile. The man seemed nice enough, and he called out a "Thank you, sir!" as they were leaving. The man didn't know the favor he was doing for Nate, but he still felt appreciative of him anyways.

As he climbed into the car yet again, Nate looked up at the sky. He frowned a little, realizing how dark it was getting, and how the clouds seemed to have gathered ominously overhead. He then glanced over at Florence, but the hot-head remained quiet. Nate was curious, and since they were already in Cosmos, Nate thought it would be an appropriate time to ask about their future destination. It took him a while to gather up enough courage, and the entire time, he kept glancing over at Florence.

After a few moments, Nate finally spoke up, "Did we come here for... Mackenzie, was it? Or did you have another place in mind?" He pressed, keeping his eyes on Florence as he spoke.
 
Florence had the map on the dashboard, and he would glance at it now and then. He cursed himself for not getting a pack of cigarettes, but he didn't mind. he was caught out of his trance when the other talked to him, and he sighed in response. "There is this girl that we had a party with a week ago. Valencia kept in contact with her, but she seemed a little weird." He explained.

"I forgot her name, but she really loved Valencia. She put her hair up in dandelions and they went skinny-dipping in the nearby lake." Florence played a smile on his face. "Your sister is crazy." He muttered a chuckle. "She could charm people into doing anything she wanted. She got free fries at fast-food places, made groups of strangers dance with her, sang the loudest at concerts." He soon erupted into smiles, and turned the corner.

Florence drove into the driveway, and shut off the car.
 
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Nate smiled softly at the thoughts of his sister, he knew how she could be - like a free flowing spirit. Sometimes, it drove him nuts how insanely unstructured she was, but... Most of the time, he understood why people fell in love with her; she was amazing. "Yeah," He said with a bit of a sad daze, "She was always in a center of attention, even without trying."

As soon as both of them closed the car door when they exited, a pair of eyes could be seen from the window. Bright pink eyes, looking like two pair of crystals - which Nate assume was made to look like so because of contacts of some sort - stared at them before quickly disappearing. In just a few seconds afterwards, the front door flew up. "Birdy!" A girl cried happily, her messy brown curls bouncing from her head as she hopped over to hug Florence.

Nate stood awkwardly off to the side, and the girl looked up at Florence. "You came to visit me? By yourself?! I'm quite shocked!" She then looked over at Nate, tilting her head. "Who is this? He looks like Vally, is he her brother? He is, isn't he?!" The girl then walked over to Nate, who blinked and backed away just a bit as the girl leaned over curiously.

She then laughed and pinched his cheeks, in which he immediately winced. "H-hey!" He called out a bit meekly, pulling away. He then rubbed the spot where he was brutally attacked by a pair of fingers, and he eyed the girl carefully.

"My name is Ran!" She said, pronouncing it like 'Ron', "I know, weird name, but I have weird parents, so sue me. It's spelled R-A-N, so don't get it wrong, cutie pie!" She then winked at Nate, who in turn felt his face turn red at the random attention of the rather outgoing girl. "I'm Nathaniel, Valencia's brother... Though most just call me Nate." He tried to give her a warm smile, but his feelings of suspicion and cautiousness were quite obvious.

Ran then turned back to Florence, her eyes flashed a bit with knowledge, but then she quickly smiled and grabbed his hand. "Come on, come on! Let's go inside, I just made some nice warm cookies~ We can catch up!!!" She then proceeded to drag Florence along and into her house.
 
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Florence hugged her happily, watching her bounce around like an antelope out of control. As they were all pushed into the house, it looked like a paradise. There plants and everything, hanging about. It seemed perfect for someone like her, and Florence could tell this was a good party place. He looked around, and laughed gently at a discolored spot on the carpet. He spilt some food there, and thought it was a good idea to rub it into the carpet.

So much for good first impressions.

Florence followed her into her room, and watched as Nathaniel flowed in gently. He made himself comfortable in one of the hanging egg-chairs, and he crossed his legs inside the nest. "I came here because I wanted to talk to you, Ranny." He started, picking at a stray piece of skin on his nail. "I...I haven't seen Valencia in a few days, and they had to call the cops, and well.." Florence chewed his lip. "Have you... talked to her? At all? I'm so worried, Ran." His voice cracked as he pushed up his glasses.

"She-She didn't leave any clues, or any calls or texts, and I'm.... I'm so scared. I need her back. I-It feels like the light has left my life, and-- my god, it's only been a day!" He said, rocking nervously in the chair. He felt like he could just empty his feelings to her. He usually came to her for some ranting, and she helped him like a rock. "P-Please, if you know where she went, j-just... please..." He bit his lip hard, keeping from a fit of sobs for the millionth time that day.
 
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Nate glanced over at Florence and then sat down on a couch rather uncomfortably. The house was spacious and inviting, but he still didn't feel completely comfortable. The girl was a complete and utter stranger to him after all, despite all of her eccentric and bright nature.

Ran was about to disappear into the kitchen, but then she looked over at Florence. Her heart twisted in chest as she saw his break down, and she immediately went over to hug the poor boy. Her hands stroke the top of his head gently, "Shhhh," she whispered softly. She held him for a few moments, then she spoke up again, still speaking rather slowly. "I... I haven't heard from her... I'm sorry..." She muttered sadly, glancing over at the side.

Nate watched the two, his own feelings a slur of emotions. "There's nothing you could tell us?"

"N-No... But!!!" She quickly perked up, her previous hesitation completely disappearing. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about! Vally can take care of herself, and if she can't, then she can get someone who would! No one is able to refuse dear old Vally!!!" Ran smiled warmly down at Florence, "Okay? So just calm your dear little heart, Birdy! Just watch, she'll show right back up soon."

Nate shook his head, something about the girl seemed off to him, but he didn't know what. He didn't say much of anything else though, but the girl's words did nothing to calm his own nerves. His hands just clenched rather tightly into fists against his legs.
 
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Florence faintly thought about Valencia as the other held him, and he broke down instantly, muttering incoherent sobs into her chest. He missed her terribly. He was so worried. He wouldn't be sleeping tonight. He knew that this was going to kill him if he did't find her before it did. Florence, a fool in love, held onto the words like anchors, and found a safe haven in the thought of her fighting her way out, like she had done so many times before.

It took a while for him to calm down, but when he did, his face was just about as red as his hair. Ran supplied him with a soft blanket and some tea, and Florence held the hot cup in his cold hands as he sniffled into the brew. "T-Thank you," He muttered towards her, taking a sip of the hot liquid. When she left the room once more, Florence shot the other a look that said: 'If you tell anyone I broke down like a baby, I'll break you.'
 
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Nate was quiet through the whole ordeal, and he had enough decency to look away as Florence broke down. He bit his bottom lip, tempted to do the same, but... Something wasn't right... Nate didn't feel safe here, so he refused to cry in front of the stranger.

As Florence shot him the glare, Nate just scoffed and raised his hands a bit, though his eyes showed concern for the guy. "Again, with the threats," he muttered, then glanced towards the living room entrance, where Ran had last disappeared to.

He was hesitant to speak... But he thought he should say something, "I don't trust her." He said flatly, although he immediately winced and regretted the way it sounded. "I-I mean, she seems nice but... There's something weird... Like she knows more than she's letting on... How much do you trust her?" Nate kept his voice down to a small whisper, just in case the girl was listening in.

Nate could only hope that his honesty didn't result in a punch from the guy.
 
Florence wanted to spit hot tea at him. But Ran only talked about love and peace, and she would cut his nuts off if he did. He looked at the other, with a blank look. "She's one of your sister's best friends." He said. "She's one of MY best friends. I trust her more than I trust you." He said, truthfully. And that was nothing but the truth.

Florence drank the tea quickly, setting it back down on the table and rocking childishly in the chair. He liked how it was suspended, and thought gently that he should put one in the tree-house. He liked that idea, and knew that Valencia would love that, too.
 
Nate felt like perhaps a punch from Florence would have hurt less than the twist in his chest. He frowned and sat back. Despite knowing that his honesty would have been revered so harshly by him to begin with, Nate still felt hurt from the blatant mistrust.

He glanced out the window again and he stood up. He then walked around the living room, trying to find anything that can prove to Florence that perhaps this girl was not what she seemed to be. Nate looked through the bookshelves in the living room - nothing. He then looked over to the windows to glance outside - nada. He looked carefully at the TV stand - ziltch. Nate practically examined every square inch, and even made a small glance into the kitchen.

But he found nothing. He sighed and sat back down on the couch... Then waited a moment before realizing something. "What's taking her so long?" He asked, directing his question at Florence but not exactly expecting an answer.

Nate then stood up, yet again, and walked over to entrance of the hallway. He peeked down, but didn't see any signs of the bright girl, so he looked over at Florence.

Nate knew it was an invasion of privacy. He knew what he was doing was looked down upon by most normal people in society. But he had a gut feeling, and he was going to follow through with it. So he took a few steps down the hallway, and he instantly heard the girl's voice softly emitting from one of the rooms.

"... don't know what to do! He's here! Don't- how could you say that to me?! ... What?! No-... Fine... Fine... The things I do for you!!!"

"Ran? I'll help you take care of them too." Another voice. A deep voice, a man's voice. Someone else was here.

Nate's eyes widen and his mind raced through various possibilities. He was right, the girl knew something, and that guy with them. Take care of them ?! What was THAT suppose to mean.

"Nate?" Ran opened the door and stared straight at Nate, her eyes wide and huge. At the sight of a rather large muscular man, Nate yelled out and fell back, completely taken off guard, then he scrambled onto his feet. At first, he thought that maybe him and Florence would be able to take care of them and wring out information from them...

But the man was HUGE. How do people get muscles like that?!

Without another thought, Nate ran back to the living room. "We're leaving!!!" He then grabbed onto Florence's hand and attempted to dragged him out of the house. "NOW!" He yelled with urgency, his face filled with worry, fear and anxiety. "We can't stay here!"
 
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Florence was pulled from his comfy little nest and dragged outside. He was angry, sure, but then out came him. Florence never met him before, but he looked scary. His leisurely meander turned into a full-on sprint. He jumped into the car, started it up, and squealed the tires frantically. The man nearly jumped on the back of the car, but Florence went nearly from zero to fifty in less than a second.

As they sped down the highway, reaching intense speeds, Florence was till trying to get ahold of what just happened. He got out of town faster than a bat out of hell, and when he felt safe, he pulled over to the side. Once he did, he paused for a moment. He grabbed a sharpie from his book bag, and crossed out Ran's house. He checked there, and wasn't going back.

"Who... Was that?"
 
For once, Nate didn't care what sort of laws they were breaking, as long as they got the hell out of there . His heart was pounding against his chest, and he clutched tightly onto the side of the door as Florence sped like a demon down the streets.

By the time Florence pulled over, Nate's 20th anxiety attack of the day seemed to have finally calmed down. He kept his eyes closed for a bit, as he took in deep breathes, but then looked over at Florence. "I... I don't know. I heard Ran talking to someone, on the phone. Something about... The things she do for that person?" He said quietly, looking down, "She said something about how you were there, and she didn't know what to do..."

Nate wasn't sure how he would react about having one of his best friends be a traitor, but he didn't know what else to say. "I'm sorry." For once, being right did not make Nate feel any better.

Nate then looked out the window and realized that the sun had disappeared from the sky. "Should we head back home or... do you have someplace we can crash? I don't have cash on me, though..." He muttered, "So I can't help pay for a room if we need to."
 
Florence thought to himself as the other spoke. He wasn't going to cry again. He shook his head, and didn't accept it as an answer.

"No," He said, shaking his head weakly. He soon regained strength, and said it stronger. He spoke with confidence, and he put the car in gear. "No. No, she wouldn't lie to me. Neither of them." He drove off, within the speed limit, and didn't answer the second question at all. Florence drove straight. Straight back home, and straight back to his own house.

He played the radio loudly, blocking out any conversation with the other at all.
 
After the desperate road trip for clues, Nate spent a lot of time researching when they went back to the city. He stayed quietly locked up in his house for quite some time, although he did made frequent visits to the police station. Granted, they all proved to be quite useless, but he tried nevertheless.

About 4 days later, though, Nate was tearing apart his sister's room. There HAS to be a clue somewhere he was constantly thinking to himself, ripping through all the corners of her room. Finally, he found something... peculiar.

It was on her laptop, literally. Nate, first opened the laptop, planning on hacking in to go through some of her files, but he was distracted by a sticky note left on the screen of the laptop.

Lexington - Friday.

Nate stared at the note. Friday was the day that Valencia disappeared, was this a coincidence? He hoped it was... Because Lexington was almost a 4-5 hour drive away, it wasn't exactly a nearby town. What could Valencia have to do with that city? Nate frowned, trying to think of solutions, but he had nobody he knew live in Lexington... And his parents sure wasn't going to drive him down there on such a small clue...

There was only one person that Nate could possibly think of helping him out with. He hated the idea, but Nate knew he couldn't drive there himself.

He shoved the note into his pocket and made his way to that one person's house - Florence.

~~~
​
Nate looked around curiously, it was his first time coming to Florence's house and getting up close to it. Sure, he's seen it from a distance a few times, but... Up close is different. He knocked on the door 3 times and rang the doorbell, hoping that Florence was home to answer the door. One Florence did, Nate immediately blurted out, before he could back down. "I have a favor to ask of you, and it involves my sister. I found a note saying Lexington and Friday, and I have no other way to Lexington. Don't think I would ask you if I could help it."​
 
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