chapter sixty nine — will the circle be unbroken?
[ season three, episode twenty-two ]
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The girls, unaware of Mona watching them, were looking for Spencer at school, worried. "I was hoping she'd be here, but she isn't." Emily said, turning to the girls. "Do you think Spencer just didn't get your S.O.S.?" Aria asked. "Maybe, but she must have gotten one of the other twelve messages we sent." Emily responded. "Okay, you guys, she has ditched school before. All right? It's not a big deal." Hanna said.

"You're right, but I still worry." Josie said, crossing her arms. "Okay, we just need to get through today. If she doesn't call or show up, we'll go to her house after school." Emily planned and Josie nodded. She was extremely worried about Spencer. The bell rang, and the girls moved from the courtyard to the school hallway to get to their classes but Vice Principal Hackett stopped them, Meliss Hastings beside him. "Girls, good, you're all together." he said.

"I think you know Spencer's sister, Melissa." he said, "have you seen Spencer? Have you talked to her?" she asked, worried and Josie frowned, shaking her head. "Not today." she answered. "Is something wrong?" Aria asked, worried. "Spencer didn't come home last night. She's not answering her phone. I was hoping she was here with you. Which is why I came here before I went to the police." Melissa said.

"Police?" Hanna asked. "I understand Spencer's been a little 'distracted' lately. Was there something on her mind that she shared with you? Anything about her plans?" Vice Principal Hackett asked. "No, Mr. Hackett, um... she hasn't said anything to us." Emily answered. "You're her friends. She must have said something." Melissa said in disbelief and Josie felt horrible about lying.

The girls were silent, not knowing how to respond, because they didn't know where Spencer was, the only thing they knew was Spencer finding out that Toby was a part of the 'A' team and them breaking up. "You can, uh, call the police from my office." Vice Principal Hackett to Melissa. "Thank you." she said. "Let me know if you hear from Spencer," he said to the girls. "Yes, sir." Aria said before he led Melissa away.

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"Hey." Josie turned, seeing Richie walk up to her at her locker. "I heard about Spencer." he said and she sighed. "She's officially M.I.A/Missing." Josie said, resting her head on her locker and Richie rubbed her back. "I'm sure they'll find her, Jo." he said, trying to comfort her. "I know. I just hope she's okay." she responded before they met up with the girls and they walked out of the school.

"Melissa must have the police looking for Spencer by now." Emily said. "I do not need more police in my life." Hanna complained. "None of us do." Josie remarked, linking her hand with Richie's. "Okay, the only thing that counts right now is finding her." Aria said as they stopped and formed a semicircle. "Now, are you sure that Spencer didn't say anything about what she was going to do?" Aria asked Emily, who had been the last to see her.

"Just that I should stop looking for Toby." Emily answered. "Well, what are we supposed to do,  just sit in our rooms and do our homework?" Aria scoffed. "We look for her. We look where the police won't look, because we know her better than them." Emily responded. "Like that bookstore that she likes." Aria said. "Or that lab theater at hollis." Hanna added. "We look. We keep talking, and we check in with Melissa in case she hears anything." Josie said and the girls nodded.

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The girls were at the Brew, Spencer had been found. In Radley. "Melissa wanted me to know that Spencer was in Radley, so she came in on her way out there. Dr. Sullivan called her." Emily informed them. "What's Sullivan have to do with this?" Aria asked. "Sullivan found Spencer at Radley. That's where the rangers sent her." Emily answered. 

"What? Where was she?" Josie asked, confused. "Melissa said that Spencer was in the woods all night." Emily answered. "Wait, she was just wandering around the woods? why?" Hanna asked. "Was she looking for Toby?" Aria asked. "I don't know." Emily responded. "You guys, we have to go there. We have to talk to her." Hanna said.

"Family visits only. It's some kind of mandatory evaluation." Emily responded and Josie fiddled with her rings on her hand as Hanna's phone went off. "I don't like the idea of Melissa being the only one that's able to get in there." Aria said. "I know. That's why I left Dr. Sullivan a message." Emily said. "Guys..." Hanna trailed off, making them look at her. She turned her phone around to face them, making them look to see it was a photo of Hanna's mom and Wilden with an – A on it.

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Couple of days later, the girls were in the girl bathroom at Rosewood High School, they were thinking of ideas to get themselves into Radley to see Spencer. "We could just say that we're Spencer's cousins." Hanna suggested. "Hanna, nobody's ever gonna believe that." Aria shut it down. "We have to find out why she's so sure Toby's dead." Emily said. "Well, they have to let her out after 72 hours." Hanna said.

Josie shook her head. "No, they don't have to let her go at all if she's really... you know..." she trailed off. "What are you saying?" Emily asked. "I'm saying, 'A's been turning the screws so long, one of us was bound to snap a string. Just never thought it'd be Spence." she said, frowning.

"I did." Hanna admitted, making them look at her. "Why?" Emily asked. "Because there's a downside to being too smart." Hanna responded. "You were never the weak link, Emily. Spencer was." Aria said softly but then the door to the bathroom opens and Mona walks in and stops when she sees them before walking to the sink and the others move out of her way.

"So, where's the fourth musketeer? Haven't seen her today." she asked, stopping the girls before they left. Aria walked up to her. "If you mean Spencer, I think you know exactly where she is, she's in Radley, and you're the reason why." she said and Mona turned to her, her face confused but Josie and the girls knew better.

"Radley?" she asked. "Don't play dumb, Mona." Hanna said as she and Emily and Josie walked up beside Aria. "Could've gotten through senior year and been finished," Emily started. "But you couldn't leave well enough alone." Josie finished. "Listen to me–" Mona started. "No, you listen. If Spencer doesn't get better, and she doesn't get out of Radley, you're gonna wish you broke your neck when you fell off that cliff." Aria snapped and Josie's eyes widen for a second before an announcement went off.

"Attention Aria Montgomery, report to the Principal's office. Aria Montgomery, report to the office." it said, making the girls look at her, confused. "Hmm..." Mona hummed, staring at Aria before facing the mirror again, fixing her hair and the girls left not long after that.

⎯ AUTHORS NOTE
new chapter <3 | short chapter because most of it was spencer | countdown till season three is over: two chapters