General Pov
Spencer stared at the ceiling while laying in her bed, trying to get some sleep. She couldn't. Her room didn't feel like her room. It held too many memories. Just by laying in her bed, disgust tingles her own body. She had to get out. Not out of the house, just out of the room. Her parents out, and friends asleep, she knew she wouldn't be disturbing anyone. She gently hopped off her bed, and started to walk for the door. She maneuvered around her desk, and the box of stuff, she yet had to throw out. But, everyone knew the real reason why she wasn't throwing them away. She didn't have the heart. Her heart still belonged to Toby, and that's where it would stay. No one knows how long, but Spencer feels like it will be eternity. Toby was her true love, and she thought the same about him, she was wrong. She silently opened her door, walked out of her room, and gently closed. She inhaled shakily, and started wandering down the stairs. She doesn't know how long she's walking aimlessly around her house, but it brought her to a spot, where they once again made so many memories. The living room. She sat down against the plush chair, and imagined the fire crackling in front of her. As she looked deep into the imaginary fire she remembered that one night, from when they were sitting here, together.
"Poor Hanna." Spencer says, as they both look into the fire, and coffee cups held in hand.
"I'm sorry." Toby said, both of their legs are spread out towards the fire, and their eyes are staring pointlessly into the warming fire before them.
"You didn't do anything." Spencer replied, and turns her head to look at him.
"I'm part of what happened to her, what's happening to all of you." Toby turns his head to look at her. He places an arm around her shoulder, in a comforting manner.
"It's the other way around, Toby. Of what happened to you." And she gives him a knowing gaze, telling him it isn't his fault. He turns his head back towards the fire, and follows suit. "Do you just wanna run away." She said after a few seconds of silent, and she turns her head back towards him.
"Cold." He looks back into her gaze. "Didn't you ever run away."
"Once. I think I was seven. My sister and I had an argument over something and, my parents took Melissa's side."
"What were you fighting about?"
"Some great injustice, I can't remember. But, they sided with her, so I made a tuna salad sandwich, and I ran away." She smiled at the memory, and he smiled also.
"Where did you go?" She looks back at him, smiling.
"The movies." She paused. "It was something animates. There was a princess, and everybody was singing." She pauses once again, and tilts her head to look at the fire once more. "And I got lonely, and I ate my tuna salad sandwich, and then I came home."
"Were your parents worried?" She gently shook her head.
"They hadn't even noticed I was gone." Toby looks down, and then back again. He squeezes her shoulder.
"Do me a favor." She looks at him.
"What?"
"If you ever get the urge to run away again, call me first, okay." She smiles.
"Okay." He breathes in, and takes Spencer's hand. Their gazes return back to the fire.
She wiped away a tear that was rolling down her face. He ran away without her, and he took something, priceless. He took her heart. She still stared aimlessly into the imaginary fire. She remembered all the flinches and dark looks that disappeared as soon as they came. How could she not see it. She had thought of him a devil, and then he came and sweeped her off her feet with his charm. She fell in love him, and she doesn't know the truth about him. She doesn't know if he loves her. She knows that he doesn't, but there's still an ounce left of hope for them. She stays like this until morning, letting time run by without a care in the world.
"How did I not see it?" She mumbled to herself.
General Pov Spencer's bedroom
Emily was the first to wake up. She was in Spencer's bed, and she looked around. Aria, Ezra, Hanna and Caleb were sleeping on the floor. She looked to her left, and no Spencer.
"Fuck." Emily whispered, and grabbed two pillows. She threw them at Hanna and Aria. The both moaned, and kept their eyes closed.
"What?" Aria mumbled.
"Spencer's gone." They both shot out of their boyfriend's arms, which caused them to stir.
"What do you mean Spencer's gone." Hanna whispered furiously.
"I don't know, I just woke up, and she's not here."
"Okay. Don't worry. She might be downstairs or something." Aria said.
"Let's check." The trio walked out of Spencer's room, and slowly down the stairs. The reached the point where you can see the living room, and they can't see you. Spencer was sitting there, staring aimlessly into the fire. They all breathed a sigh of relief, and retreated back to the bedroom.
"How long do you think she's been down there?" Hanna asked, as they all settled on bed.
"Only god knows. Why do you think she didn't want to sleep up here." Aria said, and a light bulb in Hanna's mind flicked on.
"What if it's sacred ground, and it's just too painful to lay in." Hanna whispered 'sacred ground'.
"How did we not think of that?" Emily said.
"Yeah, but come on. She's in love with the guy." Aria said.
"Do you think he'll actually come back, because I really hate seeing her so, so broken." Hanna said.
"Do you think one of us should talk to her."
"I think it should be you, Em."
"Yeah."
"I just want to rip his head off."
"Well, it seems like our hunch is right, he does want to hurt us."
"Maybe us, but what about Spencer. Surely he wouldn't have hurt Spencer."
"I don't know."
"What if we set him up?"
"How, he's not even picking up his phone."
"We can use a payphone."
"And then we just say we're the hospital or something and say something bad happened."
"Who does he really care about, though."
"His Mother, that's the only person. His fathers no us, and seeing as Spencer's out of the picture, I'm guessing I am too."
"Are you alright, Em? About Toby."
"I actually thought he was my friend. I said I am way more angry than scared, but right now, I'm just angry." Emily said.
"I know, Em. Oh wait. Shit." Hanna said.
"What." Aria said.
"Remember that night, when we got a text from A saying, Show me your boobs. A won. Ugh, we should've seen that coming."
"A for annoying." Emily said, and Hanna and Aria snickered. "What."
"You said that." Aria said.
"Did I?"
"Yes, and you were drunk of your ass so you wouldn't remember." Hanna earned a glare from Aria. "Anyways, how do we get Toby to come down here?" They were silent for a few moments.
"I've got it. We say we're the place that Toby's mother was buried, and say that the body was taken." Aria said.
"Where was she buried." Hanna asked.
"The place where Ali was. God, what's the name." Emily said, while racking her brain. They were silent.
"Maso-something." Hanna whispered after a while, and Aria clapped.
"Mausoleum." Aria said. "So we say we are the mausoleum people, and say his mothers body was stolen, and then we'll see if he comes down. If he comes down to the mausoleum we corner him, we ask him why, and we'll wing it."
"Seems legit." Emily said.
"How do we get his number, because obviously he changed his phone number." Hanna said.
"Your boyfriend is a hacker. Do the math." Aria said, and winked.
"Oh, right."
"I think I should talk to Spencer now." Emily said, and left the room.
"Shall we wake them up?" Aria asked. Hanna nodded, and grabbed two pillows, and handed one to Aria.
"Aim and throw." Hanna said, and they threw the cushions in their boyfriend's faces, and they woke up.
"What." They both moaned.
"We've got a plan." Aria said.
"Alright, go on." Caleb said.
"Wait." Hanna said, and put on some music from her phone.
"Now's not the time for a dance part, Han." Aria said.
"Yes, but A hasn't stopped listening ever, what makes you think they have now."
"Alright so we find Toby's phone, tell him to go to the mausoleum, and say you're mum's body has been nicked. He might come, and then we'll just ask him."
"Okay, but where's Spencer and Emily." Ezra asked.
"We found Spencer downstairs just staring at the fireplace. Em's talking to her right now."
General Pov The living room
Emily gently walked down the stairs, and sat down next to an out of it Spencer. Emily didn't know what to do, what to say, but she just knew that maybe her presence there would show her, that somebody loved her. She took Spencer's hand in hers, and she started crying.
"How did I not see it? He was there right in front of me, and here I am thinking he's the most honest person in the world. I just want to give up, I don't know what to do." Spencer said, and leaned into Emily's side. Emily tried not to cry, because now she thought of it too, he was right in front of her, and she didn't notice it. But she told herself to stay strong for Spencer. Emily hugged her close, because was this not only comforting for Spencer, but it was for her too. "The dark looks, the flinches when I said something regarding his niceness, everything. How could I not see it?"
"You're in love, and that's normal. You didn't see it, because you didn't want to." Emily whispered. She couldn't speak properly with a strong voice, because she knew she would break down, and she knew she couldn't. Spencer was too fragile at the moment, she was almost like Emily when she lost Maya.
"I don't want to be in love any more."
"You'll get over him some time."
"I don't think I can. I keep telling myself that I will be able too. But, I can't because he's just… Toby. The guy who stole my heart and he ripped it into a thousand pieces."
"I know it seems like that now, Spence, but when you take the first step outside of that box, you feel like you can, and even if you still love him, that's okay. Its okay, because they never really leave your heart. If it was the same for me, it's the same for you."
"I'm really sorry, Em."
"What for?"
"Because first it was Maya, and now it's Toby. It's okay to break sometimes." Emily let a few tears slip, and they landed on Spencer's hair. "I'm sorry."
"You shouldn't be the one saying sorry, Spence. It should be the jack ass who we thought was our friend."
"Do we have a plan yet?" Emily chuckled.
"Yes we do have a plan."
"What is it?" Spencer pulled away from the hug, her eyes eager to know more.
"Well, Caleb will track down Toby's phone, probably Aria will call him and say she's from the mausoleum, and we'll say his mother's body has been stolen. We don't exactly know what to do next. Any ideas Spence." Spencer nodded her head, and started pacing the room. Emily smiled; she loved to see her friend was returning back to normal. Well, almost.
"Okay, so I already wrote his name on the grave, so I can pretend I just finished it off. He'll think it was me, and we'll just shout in there. You guys will get it on tape, so we can see what he's saying. Because if the things he said to me are true, I could be able to crack him. And that's the only bit of hope we have to finding answers, otherwise we're screwed. We could get Mona, but who in their right minds would want to go to Mona for answers, when we could get Toby. Because I think Mona is lying, she's being too cocky. Toby is acting secretive. So we've got to get to Toby. Screw Mona."
"Okay, lets tell the others." Spencer looked outside the window to a black blob in the forest. "No, Spencer. You're not going outside." Emily said, as Spencer got a knife from the knife holder and walked towards the door.
"Relax, Em. I'm just trying to scare it off." And she was gone.
"Guys, get your butts down here, and run outside." Emily screamed up the stairs, as she grabbed a knife herself and ran downstairs. Spencer was nearing the edge of the forest, and slowing down. Emily sprinted after her, and could hear the others behind her. She could hear the conversation between the two.
"Don't Spencer. I'm not here to hurt you, I am here to help you." The dark voice said, and it sounded very familiar. Spencer dropped the knife, and hugged the figure. He hugged back.
"Jase, where the hell have you been." Spencer said.
"Your boyfriend of yours took me from the hospital, and he told me everything, I know about A." Jason replied.
"Who the hell is that?" Caleb said, as they came to a stop beside Emily.
"Jason." She replied simply.
"Why didn't you call me, and tell me where you were staying." Spencer said, and pulled away from the hug.
"I didn't know, your boyfriend just dropped me off." Jason said, and Spencer once again picked up her knife. She walked into woods, and scanned them. She walked in deeper, the soil dirtying her feet.
"Toby. If you're out there, I want you to give me the entire god damn answers, and you won't have to see me again." Spencer's shaky voice shouted out, and it echoed in the forest. Everyone heard the rustle of leaves, and the crunches of twigs. Spencer started breathing heavily, and she walked deeper into the forest, knife held out in front of her. "If you come out now, it means that you did all of this to protect me, and that you still love me. And if you don't it means that our whole relationship was to use me, and make me believe that you actually loved me." The same sound sounded again, but it was getting further and further away. Spencer let her tears flow, and she felt her legs go. Soon she was on the forest floor, wishing that the pain could end.