Who's still here? Please write a review when you finish the chapter. I'd love to hear from you.
Chapter 16 Time
It was close to two in the morning when everyone headed to bed. Toby had a couple of sleeping bags for whoever decided to sleep on the floor in the rooms. The couch in the living room pulls out into a bed for Toby to sleep on. He'll only have one pillow and one blanket to use for himself, because all his other blankets had been given to Aria and Spencer.
Spencer stared lonely at Toby. He was busy making sure everyone else would be comfortable. That was how she knew the real him, the Toby that she had fallen in love with was back, but he couldn't hold eye-contact with her for more than a second. It tore her up inside, realizing that they may never be on perfect terms ever again after all that had happened. She wanted badly to stay out here with him. To catch up on time that they have lost. Spencer knew how messed he was over her 'death', but does he realize how torn up she was? She needed to touch him. She needed so badly to look into his eyes. To feel comfort in his arms again. What she needs right now will just have to wait. Right now, for some reason, Toby is just not ready to have the reconnection she's been longing for, for so long. She thought at the very least he would want to sleep next to her tonight. Spencer stared back at him one last time before closing the door to the room she would be sharing tonight with Emily and Alison. At least she gets to catch up with her sister.
"Spencer, you can sleep on the bed with Alison if you want," said Emily. "You two have been apart for a while. I imagine you have a lot of sister stuff to catch up on."
Spencer could tell that Emily was saying that to be polite. She could also see something else in Emily's eyes. She wanted to sleep next to Alison. Spencer's sensing that they've shared a bed quite a lot this past year. They've gotten close. Spencer smiled a little as she caught Alison's look to Emily.
"No, that's okay," Spencer said. "I'll take the sleeping bag on the floor."
"Are you sure?" Emily asked, again trying to be polite, but it was hard for her to hide wanting to be close to Alison.
"It's okay," Spencer smiled and made a gesture with her hands.
"Thanks," Emily smiled back.
Alison and Emily shared a soft smile. Spencer removed the hoodie she had been wearing then set it on a chair in the room. She shook her curly hair from its ponytail then combed through it with her fingers. Alison and Emily slipped beneath the covers of the soft bed. Spencer climbed into the sleeping bag on the floor. Her mind wouldn't stop thinking about Toby. Emily was about to reach for the light on the nightstand when she caught Spencer's facial expressions. She sat up.
"Spencer, you okay?"
Alison sat up to look at her. Spencer didn't even realize she was crying until she felt the tears on her face. She wiped them away and sniffled.
"I broke him," Spencer whispered.
"He loves you and he thought he lost you," Emily said.
"He can't even look at me," Spencer said.
"We're all having a hard time with this, Spencer," Alison said. "We thought you were dead. You're my sister. You were the last family I had."
Spencer looked at her with watery eyes. Emily played with the blanket on the bed as they fell into silence.
"I think I need to use the bathroom," said Emily. "Be right back."
Emily wasn't very subtle about leaving the room. Spencer got up from her sleeping bag to sit on the bed next to Alison. Alison looked down at the covers.
"I'm sorry," said Spencer. "I haven't acknowledged what I have put you through. I mean, you are my sister. We've been through all this together. You have always been by my side."
"And I'd do it all again," Alison said. "If I was really a good sister, I would've felt it in my bones that you were still out there."
Spencer tilted her head, "and you did. Didn't you?"
Alison looked at her. Her eyes gave away the answer before her mouth did.
"When Emily got that phone call, I fell to pieces. I believed it at first. That you were dead. I had already lost everyone else I cared about, so it was just my luck to lose another. When I got to your funeral, I felt something else. It was like I was mourning you, but not your death."
"You lost me," Spencer clarified her statement. "I didn't want to stay away."
"I know you didn't," Alison placed her hand on her knee. "Believe me, if there is anyone here who understands doing whatever you need to do to survive another day, it's me. We've been through it all together, remember?"
"Yeah," Spencer nodded. "I reached out whenever I could, hoping that someone would get my message. Somehow make the connection."
"I did," Alison held her hand and smiled.
Tears clouded their eyes. They shared a hug that could've lasted a lifetime.
"I love you, Ali," Spencer sniffled.
"Love you too," Alison rubbed her back. "Toby's going to come around, you know?" She held Spencer by the shoulders. "He just needs time."
Spencer nodded. She looked like she wanted to say more about him, but this was their moment. Whatever feelings she had regarding Toby needed to be shoved down for now. Alison had to grieve, losing Spencer too. Her connection with Alison compared to her connection with Toby is different. Spencer and Alison have had a connection since Alison was born. So, their relationship and trust were easy to rebuild. Spencer and Toby hadn't known each other for as long, but Toby did devote a lot to keeping Spencer safe. He was the one with her when she 'died' so he had to carry that weight around with him. Spencer can only imagine how hard it is for him to let that go. Even though he has seen her, talked to her, and touched her with his own hands, that weight is something that may never fully lighten up. Maybe it was best that they spent the night apart.
Toby did not sleep a wink that night. His mind wouldn't stop running. Spencer is alive. She's alive and he has a lot of emotions about that. She's alive, he saw her, he talked to her, and he touched her. Why hasn't his head caught up with his heart yet? The memory of her slipping away in his arms is forever burned into his brain. He can't let go of it. A year later, she turns up again. Breathing. Standing. Alive. He spent many aching nights dreaming about being able to wrap her up in his arms again. He had that opportunity tonight and he turned her down. He knows this isn't due to any effects from the drugs Mona had given to him. He knows he's clean because he hasn't been in contact with her in two weeks. It had been even longer since she had the chance to slip him anything. Toby's stay in Radley was more beneficial than he gave himself credit. The scary part about being a pawn in Mona's experiment is not knowing exactly what he on Mona's drug was, and what was just Toby.
Toby was up before everyone else the next morning. He prepared coffee for everyone and even heated up the cinnamon rolls Aria had brough the night before. As the smell of coffee and baked goods filled the cabin, more faces appeared. Hanna and Caleb came out holding hands completely stuck in a gaze of love. Aria came out next looking clearly disturbed about something. Emily came out soon after feeling hungry. Emily sat next to Aria at the table and noticed her odd behavior.
"You okay, Aria?"
Aria looked at her, "if we have to be stuck in this cabin another night, is there any chance I could squeeze in with you guys?"
Emily laughed, "did Hanna and Caleb keep you up all night?"
Aria shivered, "it was disgusting. Thank goodness they didn't actually do the deed, but there was definitely a lot of smooching and talking, if you know what I mean."
"Well, last night was supposed to be their wedding night," Emily said with a raised eyebrow.
"Ugh!" Aria buried her face in her hands.
Caleb and Hanna joined them at the table.
"Hey," Hanna greeted. "What are you two talking about?"
Aria glared at them. Emily slipped away from the table as Aria began arguing with them about how rude it was for them to do couple stuff when there was a third party inside the room. Hanna argued that it was their wedding night, and she was lucky they were nice enough to not go all the way like they wanted to. Toby just stood behind the kitchen counter staring into space. His lukewarm coffee sat in front of him. Emily slinked up to him.
"Hey. How are you holding up?"
"I've been better," Toby replied. Then he looked at her, "how was she last night?"
Emily shrugged, "she's upset. She knows she's hurt a lot of people, but she's been hurt too, you know. You deserve to have time to figure out your emotions, but you can't freeze her out for long. It's killing her."
Toby snapped his head up. Emily held her hands up and said, "sorry. That was a pour choice of words."
He looked at the countertop, "was she still asleep when you came out?"
"Um," Emily struggled with this next part. "Not exactly. She uh…"
"Em!" They heard Alison's voice call from the bedroom. "Can you please bring me the gaze and some ointment?"
Toby snapped his head in the direction of the bedroom. He stood up tall.
"What's going on?" he asked, agitated.
"I forgot that's what I came out here for," Emily said. "Spencer just needed Alison's help with something."
Toby looked at Emily then bolted towards the bedroom door. Emily tried to stop him from opening the door, but it was too late. On the other side of the door, Alison and Spencer froze when they saw Toby. Alison was sitting on the bed in front of Spencer who had her shirt up showing scars from what was clearly a very bad burn she had suffered. Toby had seen scars on her body before, but this one was new, which meant this one happened recently. Like within the last couple of months. Spencer's skin under her left side ribcage was bright red with infections. The only 'treatment' this wound had gotten before was self-aid done by Spencer. Toby felt dizzy. He knows damn well how she got those burns. Emily slipped past Toby holding the items Alison needed.
"She's fine," Emily whispered to him. "We've got this."
Toby slowly backed away from the room feeling a whole new weight sink to his stomach. Emily shut the door, but not before Toby got a glimpse of Spencer wincing when Alison applied some of the burn cream to her skin.
By the time afternoon rolled around, the gang banded together in the living room trying to think up a plan to stop Mona and how to put an end to witch hunts forever. Caleb suggested they just take this straight to Tanner. Alison argued that if they go to Tanner without any hard proof evidence, they'll all be dead. Hanna rebutted that showing her that they aren't evil will be enough evidence. Emily said that they didn't even talk to Spencer before having her 'executed.'
"We need to get into Mona's lair," said Spencer.
Toby looked at her. He hadn't been able to make direct eye contact with her all day. He stayed silent.
"She has all her research and equipment she used to pull off these experiments," said Spencer. "She has a lot more evidence that points to what she's done. What her father started and what she is trying to do."
"How are we even going to get into Mona's lair?" Alison asked.
"She probably moved everything after you escaped," Aria said.
"Is there even a way for us to get into her lair without Mona being there?" Emily asked.
"Well, someone could lure her out," said Spencer. "Mona doesn't know we're all working together. For once, we have the advantage here."
"Are you sure she doesn't know?" Hanna asked.
Spencer nodded, "according to Mona, I left town. I removed the tracker she attached to me after I escaped. I'm sure she suspected I was creeping around, but I doubt she suspects I finally came forward about being alive."
"Okay, we get Mona away from her lair and while she's gone, someone goes in to collect all her materials and evidence," Alison said.
"If we're lucky she'll still have it there," Spencer said.
"Then what?" Caleb asked. "We show it to Tanner."
"We do Toby's plan," Spencer said. "We expose what Mona has done to everyone. We show Tanner. The world. We lead authorities to Mona and as soon as she's arrested, we destroy everything."
"Did you just say destroy everything?" Aria asked.
Spencer nodded, "We need to destroy everything to avoid someone else coming along to continue Mona's work."
"The plan seems smart enough," said Alison. "The only problem is, how are we all going to play a role in this, when some of us are supposed to stay hidden."
"Come on, Ali," Spencer smirked. "Not being able to go out has never stopped us from going out before."
Alison smiled. Toby felt anxious. He agreed the plan sounded solid, but he's worried about what the outcome will look like.
"I think the hardest part will be assuring Mona is away from her lair when we do this," said Spencer. "I am the only one who knows where it is, but with directions I'm sure any one of you could find it."
"Caleb and I should go," said Hanna. "Remember Caleb is the only person Tanner trusts right now to let in the academy without the risk of getting shot."
"No," Alison protested. "The last time Caleb had evidence in his hands that we were innocent, he destroyed it."
"I only did that because I thought Toby did something to Hanna," said Caleb. "I won't do that this time."
Alison scoffed, "yeah, sure you won't."
"I'll go with Hanna and Caleb to make sure any evidence they find gets to Tanner," said Aria.
"Okay," Spencer said. "I should be the one to lure Mona out."
"No!" Toby jumped up, startling everyone. This was the first time he spoke since breakfast. "You're going to stay here. In the cabin."
"Mona is looking to make sure I don't get to you guys," said Spencer. "If she knows I'm in Rosewood, she'll come right to me."
"Which is why you shouldn't be the one to go," said Toby, sternly. "Plus, you're going to have a whole town hunting you down."
"Who's looking for me?" Spencer argued. "I'm dead, remember?"
Toby flinched at her words, but argued, "you shouldn't go out until we end this."
"If I don't find a way to get Mona away from her lair, then who else is going to?"
"I will," said Toby.
"No!" Spencer protested. "You are way too fragile to deal with her. Emily and Alison can't go, so it must be me."
Toby shook his head, "no, I'm not letting you go."
"Well, I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice," Spencer said.
"Spencer's right," Alison reluctantly spoke up. "She is the only one who can lure her out."
Toby was steamed, but he kept himself from blowing his top. He gripped his hair tightly and started pacing. Everyone else agreed to the plan.
A plan is made! Not everyone is happy with it. Can they find a way to come together to pull this off?
