Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews guys! It means the world to me. Anyway, here is the second chapter 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars
Ashley's Reaction
It was late at night when Ashley Marin got back home. At first, she saw nothing wrong. Then, she noticed that all the lights in the house were out, giving the house a lonely, somewhat haunted appearance. She pushed her worries that someone had broken into the house to the back of her mind, telling herself that she was being paranoid. She fumbled with her keys for a few moments, not being able to see much with only the light of the moon. When the key finally clicked, she opened the door, and poked her head inside. Inside, it was eerily quiet, and a small flash of moonlight was the only source of light in the room. Now, Ashley was getting worried. She turned the lights on, but the house still felt empty, despite the fact that there was light, and that she was inside. "Hanna?" she called. Complete and utter silence was what she got as a reply. "Hanna?" she called again, louder this time. No answer. Taking a deep breath, Ashley entered the kitchen, her heels making a clacking sound that echoed around the whole house. She squinted at the fridge, realizing that there seemed to be a note pinned there. She walked over, and picked up the note, eyes scanning over it quickly, hoping that it was just Hanna saying she had gone to spend the night at Spencer's. After reading the note, a wave of shock and despair washed over her, until she was numb. She had to set the note down on the counter and sit down to try to process everything she just read. With trembling hands, she picked up the note, which read:
Mom,
I'm sorry. I just couldn't take everything anymore. I had to get away from Rosewood, away from everything. So I decided to run away. Don't worry, I'm not alone, I have Caleb with me. Please don't cry or call the police, or feel guilty. None of this is your fault, it was my decision. I'll miss you mom, more than this note can explain. I couldn't leave without saying goodbye. I love you.
Love, Hanna.
P.S: Well, at least you'll have the house to yourself again ;)
After reading the note a few more times, realization kicked in. This wasn't a crazy nightmare that she would wake up from at any moment, and no matter how much she wished it was, this was the harsh and bitter reality. Her daughter had run away. The sobs started soon after, echoing loudly throughout the empty house. Her little girl, the one who used to dance around the house singing loudly, the one who used to dress up like a princess when she was little, the one who would always cheer her up, was gone. Gone, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. No matter how much Hanna stated in her note that it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help but feel guilty, feeling as if there was something she could do to have stopped the blonde from running off. Possibilities of horrible things happening to her flashed quickly through her mind, and only made her sob harder. Throughout the neighborhood, some people swore they could hear the sound of a heart shattering.
The Liars' reactions
The next morning at school, everyone was buzzing with excitement at something that had happened last night, and as Emily Fields, Spencer Hastings, and Aria Montgomery walked through the hallways, they could feel eyes on them from every corner. Some people even started whispering in hushed voices, casting pitying glances at the three. Emily was the first of them to notice Hanna's absence. "Guys," she whispered to the others, "Where is Hanna?" she attempted to make her voice sound level, but the other girls could hear the strain and worry that she had tried to hide. "I don't know, but I guess we're about to find out." Aria whispered back, watching some jocks heading towards them. The tallest one had a smirk on his face, while the others tried to copy his expression, with varied levels of success. "Hey, ladies. Have you heard the news?" the same one spoke. Spencer, who was not in the mood for chatting with air-heads, quickly snapped at them. "Just hurry up," the brunette eyed them skeptically. "Easy, babe." the second one spoke. Spencer glowered at them, suppressing the urge to punch them in the face. "Your little blonde friend disappeared." At this, the three girls wore similar expressions of slight shock. "You mean Alison?" Aria asked shakily, wondering why someone would be cruel enough to re-create the day that Ali had disappeared. "No, the other one. Hanna." the first jock spoke again, grinning. Spencer rolled her eyes, refusing to believe them. Hanna was just late, she thought to herself. Meanwhile, Emily was already at her locker, tears in her eyes. "I-it's true. Guys, Hanna ran away.'" her voice was shaking, and the tears in her eyes started to cascade down her cheeks. She thrust a note at Spencer, before collapsing into heartbreaking sobs that echoed throughout the hallways. Aria had tears spilling down her face, while she had her small arms wrapped around the swimmer, who wouldn't stop shaking. Spencer was reading the note for the thousandth time, eyebrows furrowed together in concentration. She tried to swallow the painful knot in her throat, but had little success. "It's all A's fault." she finally said, before latching on to the Aria and Emily, who were clinging to each other and crying. Spencer joined the group hug, the sobs she had held back for so long finally escaping her. "That bitch will pay." Aria said, wiping away a few tears.
While the three liars mourned the fact that one of their own ran away, the school buzzed with excitement at the fact that the princess ran away with the bad boy.
Hope you guys liked it! ;) I left it up to the reader's imagination to determine what happened to Hanna and Caleb. Let's just say that they got the happy ending they deserved. Well, at least in my mind they did. Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review :)
