Chapter 27:
"Are you ready for this?" Ezra asked, squeezing Aria's hand as they approached the masquerade.
Aria took a deep breath and nodded. "Ready as I'll ever be. Let's do this."
Ezra smiled as he led Aria inside, immediately spotting Spencer and approaching her. "Hanna and Caleb?" he asked.
"Hanna's in the bathroom with Emily, I saw Caleb walking up with Mike." Spencer said, pointing to a spiral staircase.
"Perfect. Let's get this party started." Ezra said with a smile. Everything was going according to plan.
Hanna and Emily approached the group then, complimenting each other's outfits and hair, acting completely natural. After a bit, Caleb came down to join them, Mike nowhere to be seen.
"Care to dance?" Caleb asked Hanna, taking her hands.
Hanna giggled. "Sure." she said, winking at her friends before allowing Caleb to lead her to the dance floor.
Ezra looked at Spencer. "Are you ready?" he asked.
Spencer nodded. "I'm a Hastings, remember." she said, with a laugh.
Aria and Ezra laughed as the song changed to a slower number. Ezra turned to his girlfriend. "May I have this dance?"
Aria smiled. "I'd love to." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands drifted slowly to her waist, their bodies swaying in time with the music.
Aria felt her phone vibrate. "One sec." she said, quickly reading the text from Mike. "5 minutes" she whispered in Ezra's ear, who nodded. The song ended and the couple left the dance floor, going to sit with Spencer and Emily. They watched as Caleb whispered something in Hanna's ear and walked away, Hanna approaching the table.
"Where did he say he was going?" Spencer asked.
"He claims he forgot something in his car." Hanna replied, rolling her eyes as she took a seat between Emily and Spencer. A moment later, she started rummaging in her purse, a signal for Ezra.
"I'm going to grab us all some punch." he said, planting a quick kiss on Aria's cheek, who smiled at him and nodded. He went to the table, returning a moment later with two cups of punch. He gave one to Aria, before offering the other to Hanna and going to grab several more cups for the rest of them. When he left, the lights went out, right on schedule. He heard several people scream as well as people shouting in confusion before the lights came back on a moment later. Volunteers were walking around trying to calm the guests, who seemed to settle down when the music started up again. As Ezra walked back to the table, balancing three cups, he saw Aria pretending to take a sip of her punch.
"Ezra? I don't feel so good." Aria said, standing up dizzily.
"What's wrong?" Ezra asked, grabbing her arms to catch her just as she fainted. Ezra wanted to kiss her for her amazing acting, but that clearly wouldn't be the right thing to do right now. Instead, he tried to lie Aria down gently on the floor, supporting her head, with the help of the girls and several on-lookers crowding around her. Someone grabbed some water and started to gently spray some drops on Aria, who moaned, stirring slightly before her eyes opened.
"W-What? What's going on?" she asked, looking at the crowd of people.
Ezra sighed in relief. "You just fainted. Are you okay?"
"My head kills. Can you take me home?" Aria asked.
"Of course, sweetie. Let's go." Ezra gently lifted Aria up, carrying her outside. The girls followed them to the parking lot.
"I'll go with you guys, just to make sure Aria's safe." Hanna said. She turned to Emily and Spencer.
The girls nodded and went back inside after telling Aria to get lots of rest and promising to call her later. Ezra placed Aria in the backseat so she was lying down, her head in Hanna's lap as Ezra drove out of the parking lot. They stopped in a mini forest a few minutes walk from the masquerade. Aria and Ezra got out of the car, giving Hanna some privacy to change into her second outfit of the night.
"You were amazing. I knew you were faking and I still almost fell for it." Ezra said, amazed.
"What can I say, I'm a natural actress." Aria replied with a wink. She felt a vibration in her pocket, alerting her that her brother had texted.
"Upstairs, second room on the right."
"Okay, we've got our location." she said, showing the text to Ezra, just as Hanna go out of the car in a flowing red dress and a red mask with black designs. Aria and Ezra quickly took turns changing before the three of them went back to the masquerade, unrecognizable. They started in the direction of the masquerade. As they approached the entrance, Aria sent a text to Mike.
"We're at the door. Whenever you're ready."
A moment later the lights turned off and the three of them went inside and quickly navigated the stairs, climbing up and standing outside the door Mike had indicated. A moment passed, and the lights turned back on. Ezra looked at Hanna and Aria, who both nodded. He quietly turned the knob and opened the door. The girls followed closely behind him and they looked around. The room was empty.
"Where's Mike and Cal-" Ezra started to say but was cut off by the sound of the door closing. The three of them twirled around. Hanna gasped. Aria screamed.
Standing before them was Caleb, holding a gun to Mike's head.
Oh snap! What's going to happen next? Don't forget to review :)
One quick thing. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who sends comments/suggestions. I read all of them and I respond to as many as I can. Thanks for all the love and support. :)