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Jason waited until they disappeared before turning back to the girls and Caleb. He walked over to a nearby log and sat down. He stared at the ground for a moment, contemplating where he should begin. He figured he should start with Maya's supposed death. He raised his head and put his elbows on his knees. "I guess you want to know how it is that she's still alive." He said while taking a deep breath to begin his story.
The girls gathered around him kneeling on the grass except for Caleb who leaned against a tree with his arms folded. He still didn't trust Jason but he listened anyway. Emily was still staring in the direction that Maya had gone in. She was so tempted to run after her and make her talk to her. She felt Aria tug gently on her arm as she led her over to where Jason sitting. Emily, still a little dazed, sat closest to Jason with her legs folded under her.
Jason ran his fingers through his hair and began. "As you all know, Maya dated Lyndon James while she was at True North. She broke it off with him because she wanted to be with Emily. Only Lyndon was not going to let her go that easily. She had no idea how obsessed he was until she started getting texts and phone calls from him constantly. Well, she wasn't the only one who knew about his obsession. A knew too. A had been watching her for a long time, even before her relationship with Emily," he said, looking at Emily sympathetically.
Jason continued. "Anyway, I found out that Lyndon was in town and looking for her. I had been keeping an eye on Maya for many reasons that aren't important right now. He first went to her parent's house but, thankfully, she wasn't there at the time because she was at Emily's swim meet. I called her and asked her to meet me so that I could warn her…" he was saying until Spencer cut him off in mid-sentence.
"That's the day I saw you and her outside of your office," she said, remembering the scene.
"Excuse me, what? Why am I just now hearing about this, Spencer?" Emily asked suspiciously and a little annoyed.
"I'm sorry, Em but I didn't think anything of it at the time and then I just forgot about it, honestly," she assured her friend.
Emily studied her briefly. When she was convinced that Spencer was being sincere, she turned her attention back to Jason. "Go on," she urged him.
Jason went on. "She agreed to meet me and I told her my suspicion that A brought him here to distract her. You see, Lyndon wasn't the only person after Maya and she knew that. We knew that A wanted her dead and I figured that he must have become a part of that plan somehow," he was saying until Emily cut him off.
"How did you know that A was after her?" Emily asked a little apprehensive about hearing the answer.
"The first clue was when her car went off the road and into a ditch because the break line had been 'mysteriously' punctured. Next, she was nearly run down in the parking lot of her school a week after she got back from True North. Thank God she's small and agile. She was able to move out of the way fast enough to avoid being hit; the car missed her by only a few inches," he sighed and shook his head. "After each incident, and sometimes before, she got texts that were signed by A. We knew it was only a matter of time before...," he broke off when he saw Emily's reaction.
Emily closed her eyes and turned her head away. The thought of that stuff happening to Maya was making her feel sick to her stomach.
"I urged her to leave town right away. She agreed that too many people would be at risk if she stayed. Lyndon and A were both dangerous and determined. We figured if she disappeared, Lyndon would have no reason to stay and would leave too," Jason took a breath before continuing.
"The plan to hide drugs in her room in a place that her parents would find it was Jenna's idea. She knew that they would send Maya back to True North, giving her the perfect excuse to 'run away'. It worked. Jenna hid them in Maya's top dresser drawer then made a phone call to her mother as a 'concerned friend'. Her parents found it that very same day and threatened to send her back to True North. The next part of the plan was to make everyone believe that she would rather disappear than go back to True North…," Jason was saying when Emily interrupted.
"The swim meet party at Hanna's house, the last time I saw her, she was saying that she was running away to San Francisco," Emily added as she began remembering how bizarre that night had seemed. Maya wasn't acting like herself. She knew something was off. Maya would never have smoked a joint at someone else's house without permission. Hell, she asked Emily's permission when they first met before she smoked in her own house.
Jason nodded. Emily was right but she was also wrong about one thing; that was not the last time she saw Maya. It was only the last time that she could remember. He decided not to mention that detail because it had a story all its own.
"That was the plan. She went to buy the ticket and waited for the bus until Garret showed up. Don't worry, he was in on it; on our side, I mean. He took her to Noel's cabin where she was to lay low for a while until things blew over. We knew that Lyndon wouldn't find her there and A wouldn't think to look there. After all, A knew about Jenna's feelings for her and Jenna's seemingly intimate relationship with Noel," Jason again took a breath.
"Wait, so Jenna and Noel are not together?" Aria asked surprised.
"No, they're not. They were once, briefly, but that was before Maya…," he responded cautiously, glancing at Emily. "Maya and Jenna weren't together at that time but they were good friends," he added quickly before Emily got the wrong idea. "It's complicated but we thought she would be safe there for a while. We were wrong; somehow A found her and led Lyndon right to her. He showed up at one of Noel's parties but Maya wasn't making public appearances at that time," he continued.
"Jenna spotted him first but of course he didn't know that because she was still pretending to be blind; only a handful of us knew that. She left the room and went into the backroom where Maya was and rushed her out the back door. She then contacted me and I met them down the street. We also called Noel and a few others and that's when we came up with a new plan. A knew that Maya was still in Rosewood and was using Lyndon; he was relentless to find her. He was like a bloodhound. So, we decided something had to be done, no matter how drastic especially after Noel's cabin was almost burned down. Noel was able to stop it because he saw a hooded figure on the security camera pouring gas over the windows of the back room where Maya was staying," he shivered slightly at the thought and continued.
"We had to get rid of Lyndon and A. The plan was to convince Lyndon that he killed Maya so that he would run and leave town, and A would think that she was dead and stop looking for her. That way, we would have more time to come up with a way to expose the people trying to kill her. That was the ultimate goal but Maya had to be alive and in town for that to happen. She hated the plan but we were running out of options and she was running out of time," Jason said, pausing for questions he knew were coming.
"I don't get it. Why Maya though?" Hanna took the opportunity to ask the question that she knew was on everyone's mind.
Jason answered carefully. "Maya knows things that she shouldn't. I can't say much more than that. It's a burden she never asked for but landed on her back all the same. It's also a burden that has made her a target," his voice trailed off.
Spencer felt a cold chill run up and down her spine. She believed him when he said that Maya knew things. She just proved it to Spencer only minutes ago. How she knew these things and why were the real questions. Questions only Maya and A could answer. She shivered again.
Emily was visibly shaken up as she listened to the story. Jesus, Maya. Why didn't you tell me any of this? She crossed her arms over her chest horrified that Maya had been dealing with this and she never had a clue about any of it.
"What others?" Aria was the only one that seemed to have caught that. Spencer is obviously distracted by something to have missed it. She thought to herself.
"Unfortunately, that is a question I can't answer. I can tell you that there are a couple others that have an interest in keeping Maya alive and that's all I can say," he responded.
"Go on, Jason" Emily urged. She needed to know the rest.
Jason swallowed hard and continued. "We went back into the party and made sure that Lyndon saw Maya. She was standing by the back door talking to Jenna when he approached them. Maya took his hand and put a finger to her lips telling him to keep quiet. She told Jenna that she was going to get some fresh air and led him outside. Jenna then came to the back room to fill me and Noel in; it was all planned. Outside Maya spoke with him and told him about her parents wanting to send her back to True North and that she was staying here for a while. She told him that she was also back with Emily and wanted nothing to do with him anymore, in that way."
"Lyndon got pissed and started yelling that if he couldn't have her, no one could. He reached for her but she pulled away quick enough to have him grabbing at air. Me and Noel went outside and called for her. He warned her that he would be back and next time she was coming with him. He then took off running. The plan was in motion," Jason stopped to take another breath.
He waited a few seconds to see if there were any questions. When he saw them all leaning in to hear more, he continue. "Let's skip to the night of the masquerade ball. I met with Jenna at the park because that was the day when we were going to finish what we started with Lyndon James. She gave me a box with Maya's personal stuff in it, jewelry etc. She said that everyone would be at the ball. It was perfect."
"I called Maya on the prepaid phone that I had gotten for her because we knew that her phone was being monitored. We discarded weeks earlier and please don't ask how. Now is not the right time for that. Anyway, I told her to call Lyndon and have him meet her at the park to talk and she did. Meanwhile, I collected on a debt," Jason paused contemplating whether he should tell this part of the story. There were others involved and he knew he shouldn't mention them.
"Maya went to the park and waited, when she saw his Jeep pull up, she drove away and he followed. She drove to Emily's house and jumped out of the car and ran into Emily's backyard. Just like we thought, he ran after her. As he coming around the corner, I pushed him forward and Maya hit him on the side of the head, knocking him out. I told Maya to go and then I…" Jason stopped abruptly. He thought for a second and carefully chose his words.
Jason continued. "Let's just say that I took care of the rest. When Lyndon woke up, he was still dizzy but managed to get to his feet. He walked towards the body…," he was saying.
"The body?! Jason, what hell did you do?" Spencer interrupted completely stunned. Total shock covered the faces of everyone else listening to Jason's story.
Jason ran his hand through his hair and stared at the ground. Maybe he should have left this part out but it was out there now. He lifted his head and looked Spencer in the eye. "I can't go into that. I'm sorry but I shouldn't be saying this much about it," he answered before continuing his story.
"The body, of course, was laying face down. It was dark already but I knew he would recognize the clothes. He also recognized the purse I threw down just a few feet away. He stumbled back a little but moved toward it again. This time he was crying and saying her name and reaching for her. When I thought he was getting too close, I flashed a flashlight in his direction and yelled, 'who's there? I'm calling the police." When he heard that, he took off, jumped in his Jeep and sped away. I grabbed Maya's purse and left. I called and left an anonymous tip for the police and took Maya out of town that very night," Jason leaned back and again waited for questions.
Emily was the first to speak, "But why my house?"
"Simple. We knew you weren't home and neither was anyone else. We also considered the scenario, 'Lyndon followed Maya to Emily's house and killed her in a fit of jealousy in the backyard. His jealously fueled by a video that he received from someone anonymous; a video meant for Emily. Maya was coming back to her and he was going to stop that from happening.' We knew that would be believable," he responded.
"That was pretty freaking dangerous, Jason! That psycho went after Emily!" Aria was outraged.
"Yes, I know. We underestimated how obsessed he was. Not only that but the fact that he made some friends that ended up using him, also became a problem. Not that it will make much of a difference but we don't believe he had any really intention on killing Emily and, just in case we were wrong, Noel was closer than you think," Jason sighed.
"So, you're telling me I killed a man for nothing?" Emily asked in horror.
"No! You had no way of knowing what he was planning. He went after you and you defended yourself. Don't forget that! He was an obsessed crazed psycho and very unpredictable. That's why Noel was there, just in case," Jason reassured her.
"This doesn't sound right; not at all. I can definitely see that Maya has changed but I don't buy that she would put Emily in danger like that. Jenna knew he was still in town which means Maya knew," Aria pointed out.
"You're right. Jenna did know, as did the rest of us; all except Maya. Maya was still out of town at the time. Jenna tried to get close to Lyndon to find out what his intentions were when she saw him talking to Emily at the Brew. We were all shocked when he pretended to be Maya's cousin but we couldn't say anything without telling how we knew he was lying. But make no mistake, we watched him very closely," Jason responded.
"Then, why did Jenna back off after CeCe made that call to her pretending to be his girlfriend?" Emily asked.
"All I'll say is that Jenna knew exactly who she was on the phone with and she didn't back off. She did publically but she knew his every move. Trust me, we all did including A," he responded in a voice that made it clear that he would say nothing more about CeCe.
The girls all looked at each other, knowing that they were all thinking the same thing. This web was more tangled than anyone of them could ever have imagined.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute! We all know that Mona is A, and yeah, someone might be helping her but why would Maya still in danger? Does she know whose helping her? This doesn't make any sense," Hanna put her hand up to her forehead.
"Look, I'll say one last thing and then I have to go. I've given you more details than I intended to already. A is not one specific person but multiple people. Yes, Mona is one of them but not the only one. Each of them have their own reasons and sometimes their own agendas," Jason said with finality as he stood up from the log.
"Hold on a second! You can't drop a bombshell like that and just walk away," Spencer stood up as well.
"Trust me; it's better for all if I leave it at that. Like I said, I've already said too much. Now, I expect you to hold up your part of the agreement. Everything that happened and was said here stays here. No one can know any of it," Jason gave his final warning before turning to leave.
"Jason, wait. One last question, please?" Emily's voice was strained.
Jason had no idea what her question would be but he dreaded it all the same. He turned to her and nodded for her to continue.
Emily cleared her throat. "How long has Maya known about A?"
Jason shook his head, looking at her pleadingly. He didn't want to answer that and he knew that she really didn't want to know. "Emily, don't…" he was saying.
"How long, Jason?" Emily interrupted him.
Jason sighed. For some reason he felt obligated to answer her questions. "I don't know exactly when she found out. I know it was sometime before she went to True North."
Emily silently groaned. Shaking her head slightly she kept pressing. "How did she find out?"
"Jenna," Jason answered simply. Seeing that Emily was now deep in thought, he took the opportunity to leave. He turned and started jogging back in the direction that he left Maya's bag and his phone. He needed to meet up with Maya and Jenna quickly.
The girls and Caleb watched him go in silence. What the hell were they suppose to do with this new information and even more questions. The main questions being: who is Maya, really, and who the hell else is working with Mona to try and ruin them?
The ride back to Hanna's house was spent in complete silence. No one knew what to say but regularly stole glances at Emily and each other. Even Caleb glanced in the rear view mirror several times to look at her. Although no one spoke, each one of them went over the events of the morning in their heads, trying to digest what had just happened.
Emily stared off out the window. She felt physically exhausted, thoroughly confused and emotionally drained. She should be used to things like this by now. A perfect start to the day ended in total chaos and confusion. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice any of the others looking at her.
When they finally arrived at Hanna's house, Emily was the first one out of the car. She started walking up the road until she was stopped by Spencer who gently grabbed her arm. "Emily…," she spoke softly.
Emily turned to look at her, trying desperately not to break down right then and there. "I'm fine. I just really need to be alone right now," she said wearily.
Spencer hesitated but could see how exhausted her friend was. She hadn't seen Emily this haggard since the night they supposedly found Maya's body. With a warm and sympathetic smile, she nodded at her. "Okay, but call me any time, day or night. You don't have to deal with this on your own. We're here for you Em, always. You know that," she spoke sincerely while lightly rubbing Emily's arm.
"I know. Thanks," Emily gave her a weak smile before turning and walking away.
Spencer stood still for a moment as she watched Emily disappear around the corner at the end of the block. She then turned to the girls and Caleb who were also watching Emily walk away. She walked over to them and they all looked at each other knowing how they were going to spend the rest of the afternoon. They walked into the house and began their theory exchange while Hanna brewed another pot coffee.
Please review. Chapter 7 will be up later today and it's a long one.