Love, Secrets and War~

7. The Homecoming Hangover

Panic seeps through my veins as I run the through the school corridors, with Hanna, Spencer and Aria. The moonlight leaving an eerie blue glow on the lockers in the dark corridors.

We can't find Emily.

She was last seen with Toby. And we just discovered that he has a therapist file. Which tips the scales in everybodys eye that he is A.

The file says that Toby was still here on the night of Alison's disapperance and he has been having realtions with his stepsister. Not the legal kind. In everyones eyes this is enough to condem Toby.

"EMILY!" We shout. We have reached frantic levels by now.

"Emily!"

"Em, are you up here?"

Spencer flicks the light switch next to her in the hope of being able see better. But they just flicker, making a weird ZZZ sound as they do so. When did this become a horror movie?

"Okay we've officially entered horror movie zone," I state, breaking the silence.

"Not the time for those kind of jokes."

"Um, why don't we split up," Spencer suggests, changing the subject.

"Um, why don't we not?" Hanna says. She is clearly still thinking about my comment before.

"You can come with me," Spencer responds to her, "Alyssa and Aria can tackle the other side of the school."

I bite my lip. Feeling the coppery taste hit my taste buds and making me recoil in disgust. I don't want Emily to be hurt. Or to believe the worst of Toby.  But every second Emily is missing a sense of dread creeps over me. Is my judgement wrong?

Aria had pulled out her phone by now and is holding it up against her ear. The white plastic juxtaposing the darkness of her hair.

"Who are you calling?" Hanna asks. She defiantly is the most freaked out of all of us.

"I'm trying her until she picks up," Aria says, her face given a ghostly glow by the phone.

A cell phone starts to ring nearby, making us all look at each other in confusion. We all start walking in the direction of the noise.

Until we reached the Chem lab. Where Emily's phone lay on the ground. Lighting up with Aria's name. The shrill tone sending a shiver down my spine.

Hanna leans down and picks it up.

"Emily? Spencer asks. Worry straining her voice. She takes a tentative step forward to the door. Worried about what she will find behind it.

Slowly I walk forward to the ajar door, my heels tapping lightly as I walk. The girls follow slowly behind me, happy to take my lead.

The lab is a utter mess. Stools lying on the floor. Glass, that was equipment, now shattered to smithereens. The shelving unit in the corner in complete disarray. All signs indicate that there was a struggle in here.

My eyes take all this in as I feel my stomach tightening into a knot. The worry of Emily's missing whereabouts heightening when I cast my eyes to floor in front of me.

Barely there but there none the less. Illuminated by the moonlight streaming in was the distinctive sight of blood splattered on the floor.

"Is that blood?" Hanna asks.

I crouch down to get a better look at it. My dress fanning out around me as I go down to kneel on the cool floor.

"Don't go there."