Love, Secrets and War~

21. Monsters in the End

I'm not hungry.

Which is ironic since I am sitting in Rosewood Grille, with the others, and have no urge to even eat a fry. What Caleb did to Hanna is still bothering me, so much that I don't want to eat. Spencer is the same though, although not for the same reason. I guess the new details in the police investigation is leaving her a little bit frazzled.

"Do you think somebody rubbed that sweater on your bracelet?" I ask, breaking the silence that was suffocating us.

"Somebody?" Emily explodes, obviously been thinking about this for a while. "Try Ian," She continues, sounding slightly calmer, "he's doing everything he can to make you look guilty."

I watch Hanna shove some of my untouched food into her mouth. Aria's next words washing over my ears as I sit and worry. "Your parents should hire you a 24-hour bodyguard." There was a slight pause in the conversation. "What about Jenna?" Aria questions, "What if she paid Caleb to get that bracelet?"

Emily furrows her brow in confusion. "When was Caleb in Spencer's house?"

"He doesn't need an invitation. He broke into the vending machine with a spork."

How very Macgyver of him.

"Guys," Spencer interrupts Aria and Emily just as the bell rings. "I think somebody's watching us."

We all turn and take in the various scarecrows lined up across the street. Each of them wearing clothes that someone must have spend weeks sowing, undoubtably by hand. But obviously a few years ago, due to the fraying of the fabric on the old man. Each of their stuffed faces as a menacing red grin, kind of like a clown or someone that has put way too much lipstick on.

I shudder. "Man, those creep me out so much. They're for the founder's festival."

"Man, if that's what Rosewood's founding family look like, how did they get anyone to move here?" Aria jokes. I know she is joking to cover the unease that they cause her also.

"And why were they allowed to reproduce?" Spencer adds.

"Guys, if Caleb was..." Emily says, bringing us back to the conversation that we were having.

"Can we stop using the C-word?" protests Hanna, putting her fork down.

"We know this is hard for you, okay, but we have to talk about Ca...him," Aria sympathises.

"If we want to help Spencer, we have to know what Caleb knows," Emily continues.

Spencer's brown eyes are still fixated out the window. She is only paying half attention to what we were saying, even that. Something else has got her attention. "Guys, there is definitely somebody out there."

"Maybe if Emily, Lissa and I cornered Caleb...not in school but somewhere that's Jenna free."

"Aria I have already done that. He isn't gonna talk to anyone but..." I pause throwing Hanna a sympathetic look, "so I think that we need to come up with a plan B."

"God there must be a way..."

"I'll do it."

All three of us snap our heads around to look at the blonde. Her tired blue eyes still puffy from crying but there is something else there. Determination hardening them. "I'll do it," Hanna repeats, "to help Spencer, sure."

"Thanks, Hanna," Spencer whispers, loud enough for the four of us to hear but only us.

Hanna offers Spencer a half hearted smile. She grabs her bag and stands causing the rest of us to do also. We all prepare to leave but something catches my eye.