**Chapter 21**
***Aria's POV***
We were waiting outside of the data center while Spencer ran inside to get her file, or to at least ask about it. She had already been in there for a few minutes and I was bored with the wait. I pulled out my phone, pulling open my text log with Jason, thinking about sending him a text. But after our conversation this morning, I felt uncomfortable reaching out to him again. I didn't want to send the wrong message, especially because I had been so insistent that we were just friends. A pit was growing in my stomach, that I could only turn Jason down so many times before he would leave me completely. The thought terrified me. I was surprised at my reaction, quickly closing the log and leaning back against Hanna's car. I shouldn't be feeling so scared of him rejecting me, he was just my friend. But still the thought sent my heart stuttering in my chest, while I unconsciously rubbed my hands up and down my arms to get back some warmth. I shivered as it seemed all the warmth had fled from me even though I was in the sun.
"Hey, what'd they say?" Hanna asked, snapping me out of my thoughts as Spencer walked back over to where we were waiting by the car.
"That I'd need to contact my doctor if I want to get my file." Spencer responded, annoyed at the answer she'd gotten.
"That's good though right?" I put in. "That means that the files are still there, that they haven't shredded them yet."
"Yeah, but how are we going to get in and get them?" Emily returned.
"There're two entrances, the front door has a security camera." Spencer said with disdain, before nodding over to the side. "And there, through a locked door."
"Alright, let's go. We can talk to Jason and Alison, maybe they can figure a way to get his file." Emily said, moving towards the car.
"Wait." Hanna ordered pointing towards the door which movers had left wide open. I took a quick glance to see if there were any cameras pointing at it, but seeing nothing I started toward the door.
The others were behind me, though I glanced back and saw that Spencer was hesitating slightly. Still, she came with us as we slipped through the door into the stacks of boxes.
"No sign of any cameras." I said, looking around the walls and ceiling to try and find something that would get us caught. "No people either."
"Alright, I'll keep watch. You guys look for the file." Spencer said, moving towards the door to keep an eye out for any guards or personnel.
I gave a nod before heading off on my own, I saw the other girls heading in the other direction. The boxes were stacked well above my head but at least they were helpfully labeled. Each with a location of where the boxes were brought over from. Finally, I spotted a couple of boxes which were labeled Radley Sanitarium. I grabbed them down, putting them on a palette of other boxes. I dug through the first box, flipping through file after file of random names. I gave a sigh before moving on to the next box, finally in the middle of the stack I saw his name. I pulled it out, before shooting a text to the others that I had found it. I dug through, checking the dates on the file. It looked like it was only from age 13 to 16. I set it to the side before digging further through the box, trying to find another file on him. The last of the three boxes yielded no results either and I couldn't help my frustration. Wasn't Radley supposed to keep more records on their patients, at least beyond their birthday? I mean if he killed himself on his 16th birthday then shouldn't there be documentation of that?
"Hey, what'd you find?" Spencer asked as she came up beside me. "Did he commit suicide or not?"
"It doesn't say, there's no documentation or anything."
"Well, is that all?" She pressed.
"No, all they have is age 13 to 16. It all stops at his 16th birthday." I told her, motioning toward the dates at the top.
"Well, what's the last thing it says?" Emily asked.
"Looks like his doctor recommended an increase of something called Zyletrol." I said flipping through the pages.
"It's for severe depression." Spencer explained.
I continued scanning through the pages before finding the visitor log for the three year period. There were only two names, repeated over and over again. Jessica DiLaurentis was an obvious one, but the other name didn't sound familiar. "I found the visitor log. Looks like Jessica DiLaurentis and someone named Carol Ward."
"Who's Carol Ward?" Hanna voiced my question.
"She's Ali's great aunt." Emily explained, causing me to look over at her. I forgot that Emily knew Ali's family so well, that she remembered it all.
"So we can talk to her, find out what she knows." Spencer was excited at the prospect.
"Carol can't help us. She died when we were in the 10th grade." Emily told Spencer.
There was the sound of movement on the other side of the warehouse, causing me to jump. Quickly, I put the file into my bag, hoping that no one would notice it missing any time soon, before we headed out the door. The bright sunlight was a shock after the dim light within the warehouse, but thankfully no one seemed to notice that we had just left the supposedly secured area. I glanced ahead and stopped in my tracks, as did the others, because Caleb was standing next to Hanna's car, waiting for us.
"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Caleb asked when he saw us.
"We were just getting Spencer's file." I answered him, knowing that Hanna hated lying to Caleb.
"I thought you guys were hanging out downtown." He pressed.
"We were." Hanna said defensively. "We can talk when we get back home, but I need to drive the girls back."
Caleb looked like he was about to argue with her, but he gave in and headed back to his car. We all climbed into Hanna's car, silent until after Caleb had gotten into his. It looked like he was going to be following us all the way back. Hanna huffed in the driver's seat before pulling out of the parking lot.
"What are you going to tell him?" Spencer questioned after a moment.
"That we were at the Brew and then decided to get your file. Simple as that." Hanna returned.
"What are we going to do with the file?" I asked, pulling it out of my bag.
"We should give it to Ali." Emily announced, taking the file from my hands and passing it up to Spencer. "She and Jason deserve to know. Spencer should drop it off with them tonight."
Spencer agreed and took the file, tucking it into her bag. The car was quiet for a few minutes, as we let what had happened sink in. My phone rang from within my purse, pulling it out I saw it was my dad calling. I silenced it, not wanting to deal with him right now.
"How did Caleb know where we were?" I asked, the question pressing at my mind.
"I have no idea." Hanna said quietly.
"Do you think he followed us there?" Spencer pressed, insistent upon an answer.
"I don't know, maybe. Like I said he's barely left my side since we got back."
"We'll have to be more careful tomorrow, I was thinking we should check out Ali's aunt's place tomorrow." Spencer informed us all, turning in the passenger seat so that she could look at all of us.
"Alright, I have time booked at the Hollis photo lab tomorrow, but I can do it after. Where do we want to meet up?" I asked as the car pulled up in front of the Brew.
"I'll talk to Ali tonight, then text the plan." Spencer replied climbing out.
I stepped out of the car, seeing that Caleb was in his car behind us, waiting for Hanna to drive home. He really was sticking close to her, and I bet he would be even more considering our adventure to the file storage place. I heard my phone ring in my bag once more as I walked over to my car and climbed in, locking the door immediately. I pulled it out, seeing my dad was calling once more. I pressed the button to silence the call and then dropped it back into my bag. I would be home soon enough. The car ride was quick, and in no time I was pulling into the driveway and waving at the patrol car stationed in front of my house. The officer there waved back before picking up his radio. I headed into the house, barely making it through the door before my dad was approaching me.
"Oh, thank goodness you're alright." He commented as he came up to me.
"What's going on?" I asked, instantly afraid that Charles had done something to my family while we had gone looking for the file.
He looked torn for a moment before continuing. "Well, I was on campus today and I checked in at the photo studio. And they said that you had never come in. And you weren't here. And you didn't pick up your phone. I panicked." He explained.
I hadn't thought that he would check up on me, and instantly regretted not having come up with a better reason for going out today. Still, I knew that I couldn't tell him that we were trying to find out who had taken us. I hadn't even told him that I knew the name.
"Sorry. My phone died and I had gotten the days mixed up at the studio. I actually have time scheduled for tomorrow." I tried to explain so that he wouldn't be upset, but still not telling him the truth.
"Well, it's my job to keep you safe. So if you're going to Hollis tomorrow, I'm taking you." He decided.
"I just said that I was sorry." I tried to backtrack so that he would give in and let me go on my own.
"This is not a punishment, Aria. This is just the way that it has to be. I need to know where you are, at all times." He explained.
Suddenly, I felt incredibly claustrophobic. It didn't matter that I was in the living room, that the lights were bright, and that my dad was standing right in front of me. I was back in my room in the bunker. My chest tight, as I curled into a ball against the cold and darkness.
"Aria, are you okay?" he asked, drawing me out of my panic.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just gonna take a shower." I replied, ignoring the confused look on his face and heading up the stairs to my room.
I grabbed my robe and pajamas before heading into the bathroom and cranking the water up as hot as it would go. When I got in, the tightness in my chest eased, and even though I was in a smaller room I didn't feel as closed in as when my dad had said he needed to know where I was all the time.
I curled up in my pajamas and fluffy socks under my thick comforter with the lights on, a pillow clutched to my chest. It was late at night when I got a text from Emily saying that Sarah was gone. I startled in panic, that Charles had taken her and would be coming to take the rest of us. I shot out of bed, looking out helplessly at the squad car that was positioned out on the street. I could just barely see it from where it was parked slightly around the corner from my room, but it still gave me comfort. A few minutes into my vigil, Emily sent another text that Sarah had gone back to her mom's house.
Eventually, I managed to turn out the main light and only left the bedside lamp on. Even later, I fell asleep. My phone placed next to the bed so that I could get up if I got any messages from the other girls.
***End Chapter***
