Sleeves and Masks (Pierce the Veil Fanfiction)

Chapter Eight: A Match into Water

*Mike's P.O.V.*

The cold glass of the windows were starting to fog up because of my hot breath. I could see a light on inside the house but it seemed far away, like the kitchen or something. I just really wanted a blunt to calm my nerves. Or a warm shot of whisky running down my throat to melt the stress away. I couldn't see Val or anything, in that matter because it was too dark and I honestly was only half-assing the whole situation until I saw a broken lamp and a cracked mirror.

"Well?" Vic asked impatiently. I could hear him tapping his foot against the porch floor. Glancing back, I rolled my eyes and returned my face to the glass. He was starting to get on my nerves. I might need both a blunt and whisky after this. The house looked normal besides the couches being moved out of order, like, they weren't straight or evenly spaced out. The mirror or glass thing about the couch looked shattered and the TV looked as if it had fallen down...

"Just wait a second...Fuck," I breathed out. This isn't good. This was definitely not looking good.

I ran to the front door and threw it open, the boys following me with confused looks. My eyes scanned the room and I froze in my spot unable to move. It must have had the same effect on the boys because they peaked over my shoulder, not moving. The lace curtains were shredded with what looked like a knife, since the rips were long and fine. The coffee table looked like it had been slammed against the wall, judging from it's placement and the massive dent in the wall surrounded by several fist sized holes lining the hallway. Some of the couch cushions were torn and littered throughout the room along with broken glass ranging from beer bottles to light bulbs. The lamps were strewn in different directions, one on the couch and another in the hallway. The entire room sent a chill down my spine causing me to shiver.

"Who could have done this?" A voice squeaked.

I looked over to see Tony rubbing the heels of his hands across his eyes furiously. At first I thought he was rubbing his eyes in disbelief, but when Tony pulled his hands away I could see he was crying. His eyes were red and puffy and tears were jogging down his face, his lower lip quivering.

I shrugged and quickly pulled him in to a hug. "I don't know, Tony..." I could feel my shirt stain with tears and his body shook violently. Tony's shoulders were heaving and I tried to calm him down by rubbing his back in circles, but apparently it made it worse.

Tony pushed himself away from me. His eyes looked wild as he looked from me, then to the ground covered in debris. Tony started scratching his arm hard, causing the skin to become irritated and bleed. I had never seen him this tore up about something except whenever he talks about his dad passing away. He looked over to us with a pleading, determined look.

"Vic and Mike, go find Val." He whispered. "Jaime and I are going to look around the house to see if the bastard who did this is still here. Just be very quiet, okay?"

After nodding in agreement, Vic and I checked the hallway bedrooms to see if we would find Valerie. We tried being completely silent, but with glass everywhere and the wooden floors creaking, it was difficult. All the rooms we checked were empty besides of the furniture. The bathroom's tap was left on, the water warm. I quickly turned it off and walked back in the hallway behind Vic. At the end of the hallway, the last bedroom's mahogany door was barely opened. Vic peeked through the crack to see if there was any movement coming within the room. After looking back at me while shaking his head, indicating he didn't see anything, Vic quickly opened the door with me behind him. It had to have been Val's room.

Posters of bands lined the wall and were neighboring picture frames with friends and family. A small computer desk was in the corner covered with school notebooks and novels. Christmas lights hung half above the bed and half onto the bed. There were several things thrown from the closet and onto the floor, the queen sized bed wasn't made and the wooden night stand was laying on it's side on the floor. The window was open causing the white curtains to dance from the October breeze. It was cold and baron in the bedroom. My eyes scanned the room once more and landed on a note that was on the corner of the messy bed. I read the note to myself, my eyes hanging onto every word that was written on the blue post-it note in rushed cursive. No.

"What does it say?" Vic asked, sounding annoyed.

I kept staring at the note in my hand and felt it fall from my grasp onto the floor. Vic eyed me, bending down slowly to retrieve the note that made his brother lose his breath. Reading, I watched as  Vic's eyes grow wider with every word. He looked at me with tears running down his cheeks. We stayed like that, both of us crying, for a few seconds. Today had been stressful, but this, this was the most stressful thing I have had to endure.

"We need to go tell Tony and Hime now," Vic croaked. I looked up to see the back of his body walk out the door and down into the hallway. With my shoulders slouched and my feet shuffling the carpet in Val's bedroom, I followed Vic into the kitchen where Jaime and Tony were sitting with their heads down on the kitchen table. Vic, his voice shaking, was reading the note aloud to the two of them. I had to walk out of the room because Tony's sobbing was making me choke on air, I couldn't see him like this. We had to find her.

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*Tony's P.O.V.*

Dylan took me. 189.

Those were the only words written on the post-it note. Val's handwritten showed that she was in a hurry to leave something behind. Hell, the mess in the house explained everything. Dylan had gotten drunk, tore the place apart searching for her and when he couldn't find her, Dylan waited for her to come back.

This was all my fault. What the hell did 189 mean? Ugh, I should have gone in the house with Val to get her things. I would have been there to protect her and now the girl I just so happen to really like is with her delusional, abusive boyfriend. I had no idea where he could have taken her, I barely knew either of them. I swear to God, when we find him...

"Tony? What are you saying?"

I looked up to see Vic with his eyebrow cocked. I had stood up and thrown my chair back sometime ago, pacing the room while mumbling my thoughts to myself again, I did that when I was in distress. I sighed and rubbed my face with my hands. I couldn't believe this was happening. Especially to Val.

"We have to find her," my voice tense.

"Tony, where do we go first? We barely know anything about her. Just the highlights," Vic muttered, looking at his shoes.

"We need to drive around in separate cars, then! We can't just let her get beaten close to death! How the hell are you guys so damn calm and somber about this!? Our friend just got kidnapped and you guys are standing there acting like I'm crazy for caring!" I was yelling at this point, and a couple times I saw Jaime jump at my words a couple times but at this time, I didn't care. What mattered now was Valerie and getting her home safe to me.

"Are you guys going to stand there with a dumb look on your face or help me find Val?"

Vic glided his tongue around his mouth causing his cheek to puff out, Mike was sitting on the floor rocking back and forth, while Jaime was looking at me with glazed eyes. I couldn't see myself but I knew I looked like a mess, because I was. We all looked rough. I looked at Vic, piercing my brown eyes into his.

"I'm either going to take the car or you guys are going to go with me?!" I slammed my hand down on the table, making them all jump in surprise. With that, everyone started filing to car. I grabbed the keys from the torn couch and ran outside before closing the door that looked so peaceful on the outside. But even haunted mansions were once beautiful homes.

I'm coming to save you, Val.