A Family Secret (Pretty Little Liars: Bethany Young and the Hastings Family)

A Good Lie So No One Knows

Mr and Mrs Young left Radley Sanitarium and sat in the car in the parking lot. They both knew they had no intention of visiting their daughter. She had almost killed Spencer, on purpose. Bethany had told them it was an experiment, to see how people would react to having a knife stuck into their heart. She had done many other things but that was when they decided to send her away. They didn't feel like visiting her and that meant they weren't going to.

"We don't know what we're going to tell people when they ask where Bethany is." Mrs Young said nervously.

"I have an idea." said Mr Young. "Bethany had applied to a school for the arts in England and we didn't know if she would get in so we didn't mention it to anyone. She got in and we booked the soonest flight to London which happened to be a day after she got the acceptance letter, which is today. We didn't have time to tell anyone." Mr Young said, "That should be good enough."

Mrs Young looked at him, "That was fast. How did you come up with that so quickly?"

"I've been thinking about it for a while." Mr Young answered shamefully.

"But, what if they ask why she's leaving in the beginning of summer, why so early?" Mrs Young asked.

"We say it's because we wanted her to get settled in and get to know the place, maybe tour around with my cousin who lives in London." Mr Young told his wife. "We can tell Spencer the same thing instead of what we were going to tell her. Then if anyone asks her, they will get the same answer from her as they will from us."

Mrs Young looked at her husband again. They nodded at each other and then finally drove out of the Radley Sanitarium parking lot.

They felt a bit guilty, of course, they were about to tell a huge lie to anyone who asked about where their older daughter was. But it was the right thing to do.

Mr and Mrs Young drove straight home to Buffalo to the Pelletier's house to pick up Spencer. Samantha noticed right away that Bethany wasn't with her parents anymore.

"Where's Bethany?" she asked.

"She's on her way to England. She got accepted into an arts school. She's going to be there for a year, then she's coming back." said Mr Young.

"Very nice! Tell her congratulations from me." Samantha said.

They thanked the Pelletier's for keeping their daughter for the day and drove home.

"Where's Bethany?" Spencer asked.

"On her way to England, she's going to an arts school." her father replied. "You know how much Bethany loves art right?"

Spencer nodded.

"Am I ever going to see her again?"

"Of course, just not for a while." her mother said.

And from that day on, every time someone would ask where Bethany was, they would tell that same lie.
That their daughter was in England at a exquisite arts school. They just couldn't risk people finding out what happened and where their daughter really was.