A/N: Hey everyone! Wow, so sorry it's been a while. I got into a writing frenzy, but then I went to college and forgot all about this story! I will try my best to stay on top of things. Thank you all for the continual support. I really love writing and it means a lot that everyone keeps reading. This chapter is short, but I am preparing for a longer next chapter!
-JD
"Turn to the left." A dark-haired officer with icy blue eyes instructed the six teenagers behind the glass window. They all turned.
This had been going on for nearly an hour. Emily barely could bring herself to the Rosewood Police Station and once she got there she had trouble with the memories of her attackers. Even after the police had reviewed her statement to her and she tried to mentally relive what happened that night, only emptiness came to her. Everyone had asked her about that night so much that she forgot one of the names on the letterman jackets. A few more days of questions and she would forget the entire thing before the trial.
Maybe that's what A wanted. A told Emily to throw Mike Montgomery under the bus or risk Hanna's life; maybe A knew Emily would eventually crack under all of the pressure and spit out Mike's name to escape the frustration and pain of the whole situation. Maybe, but Emily had only seen Aria have a breakdown one time, when she found out the truth about Ezra, and she wouldn't be the source of Aria's next breakdown.
Emily was broken from her reverie when Hanna placed a gentle hand on her arm.
"I just don't remember." Emily whispered, her head low. All of the faces were the same at this point.
"Honey." Mrs. Fields began, but Emily just turned away without a word. "Could we take a little break, Officer Dowd?"
The officer nodded and Mrs. Fields, Emily, and Hanna left the identification room for the waiting area.
"Are you okay, Emily?" Mrs. Fields asked, a concerned expression indented on her face.
"Yeah. I just... it's been so long... I guess I pushed the memories away." She shrugged and Hanna almost immediately caught the lie.
"Hey, Mrs. Fields, I know you could use a Venti Caramel Frapp. My treat." The blonde handed Emily's mom a five dollar bill. Mrs. Fields knew Hanna wanted to get rid of her, but saying something stir Emily up.
"Well, I won't say no to free coffee. Thank you, Hanna. That's very thoughtful of you." Mrs. Fields turned to leave, but called over her shoulder. "Will you girls be okay?"
"Fine, Mom." Emily nodded. Mrs. Fields left.
"Spill." Hanna demanded.
"What do you mean?"
"I know you. You don't forget things unless you're extremely stressed or with Paige and she hasn't been here all day. What's the stress?" Hanna pushed as her eyes turned critical.
"I don't know what you're talking-"
"Bull."
I can't identify them because A won't let me.
Emily didn't say a word. She looked away, uncomfortably, and read a sign about the importance of hand washing.
"Emily. You know you can tell me anything." Hanna whispered, softly.
One single tear strode down Emily's face, but she didn't respond. A couldn't do anything if she kept her mouth shut.
"Em. Is- Did A text you?" Slowly, Emily nodded. Hanna's heart dropped. On top of all of the drama and pain Emily was going through, she now had this huge emotional burden over her head. "What is she making you do?"
"I can't tell you, Hanna. I'm so sorry."
Hanna pulled Emily into a hug and caressed the broken girl's brunette hair in smooth strokes as she began to sob into Hanna's shoulder. Emily's ribs burned and her head throbbed, but the tears simply went on.
"Shh. It's okay. It's gonna be fine." Hanna reassured her best friend. After a few moments, they both pulled away.
"Look, I don't know what A's threatened if you don't do what she says, but don't do it. Knowing A, if you do what she says it'll cause more damage than if you don't." Hanna advised. Emily nodded with a smile. It was a fake smile, but Emily knew Hanna would keep prying unless she showed signs of reassurance. "Why don't we get back in there and you can try again?"
Emily nodded as her heart slowly broke apart.
Caleb Rivers had almost slayed the giant dragon at the end of the tunnel when a loud bang on his apartment door caused him to jump up from his bed, dazed and confused. He glanced at the door and made his way over, looking through the peephole. He opened it.
"Aria? Spence? What're you doing here?" Caleb wondered as he rubbed sleepers out of his eyes with a yawn.
"Did you just wake up? It's three o'clock." Spencer gasped. She walked in with Aria and Caleb let out a laugh.
"I work the night shift now." He explained. The long-haired hacker plopped on to his bed and motioned to his couch for Aria and Spencer.
"We need your help." Aria blurted out.
"I slept really well. Thanks for asking." Caleb retorted, crossing his arms.
"Sorry. It's urgent." Aria looked away, nervously, and immediately Caleb could sense the discomfort in the girls.
"What's wrong? Is Hanna okay?" He inquired, now worried.
"Yeah, she's fine." Spencer said. She hadn't talked to Hanna in a few days and actually had no idea why the blonde hadn't been in contact with her, Aria, or Caleb. She wondered if she had been with Emily lately. "It's about Emily."
"Hanna told me. I can't believe someone would do that to her." Caleb said, his blood starting to boil. He wasn't the closest to Emily, but he still was friends with her and he knew how much she meant to Hanna.
"There's some stuff going on with that." Spencer told him.
"A stuff?" He responded.
"Yeah. We think A set it up and we need you to track the number that texted Emily before it happened." Aria finished. Without any word, Caleb made his way to his desk where his laptop rested.
"What's the number?"
"See...we don't know that either. It was on her phone, but whoever did this to Emily broke it that night. The police couldn't retrieve anything." Spencer informed Caleb, who sighed and thought for a moment.
"Okay, but aren't the police getting the records from her phone company?" Caleb wondered, only forcing a laugh out of Spencer.
"Yeah, of course. Rosewood PD has been 'getting those records' for a week and a half. The more time goes by, the less likely they are to do anything and Emily doesn't want to talk about it anymore. She's about to break." Spencer rolled her eyes, Caleb nodded and began to pound on the keys of his laptop.
"What's her phone password?" The hacker inquired.
"Her and Paige's anniversary," Aria stated, remembering. "0228."
"She has AT&T, right?" The girls nodded. "Electronic messages stay in cyberspace forever. Finding them is a pain, but if the person behind this was in Rosewood when they sent her messages, I should be able to narrow down the tower it came from and then locate the owner of the number." Caleb explained while the girls just stared.
"What do you mean if they were in Rosewood? Do you think this could've been someone watching from afar?" Spencer asked.
"You said you think it's A," Spencer and Aria nodded. "A is never near the action." Caleb continued.
"Good point." Spencer agreed.
"What do we do when we find the number?" Aria wondered, considering the possibility of confronting A. "I mean, do we show up on this person's doorstep singing Kumbaya with a peace offering? Do we call the police?"
"The police are not on our side, Aria." Spencer scolded. "Once we know who it is we will have an advantage over A. We control the game."
"That seems too easy." Aria shifted her gaze towards Caleb's computer. "Something doesn't feel right about all of this." As Aria finished her sentence, her phone began to ring. "It's Hanna!" She answered it, the phone up to her ear. "Hanna, hi, where have you been?" She asked.
On the other end of the receiver, Hanna answered. "I'm with Emily. She's identifying suspect." Aria sighed in relief.
"She's with Em." Aria told Caleb and Spencer. "How's she doing? I thought the police wouldn't let her have friends with her when she was at the station." The brunette spoke into the phone, concerned.
"Yeah, well she's shaken up and refused to go unless someone came with her...She can't remember anything and the cops keep interrogating her." Hanna sighed in annoyance. She and Emily had gone home for the day and Emily was in the shower which left Hanna enough time to update Aria and Spencer.
"Should we come over?" Aria inquired.
"Yeah, but give her a few hours to settle down. We just got home." Hanna instructed as Aria nodded, suddenly remembering that she was on the phone.
"Sounds good. I gotta go. Bye, Han."
"Bye."
Click. Aria turned to Spencer.
"We're going to Em's in a few." She said. Spencer rubbed her temples.
"How long til you find that number, Caleb?" Spencer wondered, frustrated with the wait.
"No idea. I'll text you as soon as I find anything." The boy affirmed. Spencer's mind met back with Caleb's comment. All texts stay in Cyberspace and can be found through cell towers. If that was the case, no secrets were safe between the girls phones.
