EMPTY GOLD.
017. | ❛ we? ❜

The liars and company were all lounged around the room waiting for A to text back.

Elena was on the phone with Alison, looking out the window, as the others were pacing the room, "Get some rest. I'll call you later. Bye."

"That was Alison. She's headed home tomorrow. But Elliot's going to a conference in Chicago." She informed the others as she shut her phone off.

"She shouldn't be alone." Emily shook her head at Elena

"None of you should till this is over." Ezra chimed in, regarding that all of them were playing a game, and at any point they could be the ones losing.

"Guys, she's typing." Hanna said as they all crowded in on Hanna and her phone.

"If you're lying, I shoot all of you." The text read, as they all started to worry if this plan could backfire in their faces.

"Hanna, are you sure that you wanna do this?"

"First, it was Aria, then Ali. Whoever's next could end up lying in a casket instead of a hospital bed. And we all decided this is the right thing to do." Hanna fought back trying to put an end to this once and for all.

"Okay, but we can undecide. It's not too late."

"Yeah, well, I trust Caleb."

" I do too," Spencer replied as the others could feel the tension building up in the air with this small little love triangle.

Hanna wrote another text as they all waited in silence for the response.

"She's sending another text." The phone beeps,

"No police." Elena read aloud, as she held her necklace that Toby gave her close to her chest.

"As predicted." Ezra replied

"Another text."

"This is between you and me." The text was read aloud by Emily

"Sara Harvey took the bait." Caleb said in victory as the next part of their plan was in motion.

Hanna texted back, "I need one more day,"

"It'll be your last." The phone beeped as they held their arms crossed, and feeling the tension rise. All Elena knew was that this was going to end tonight.
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Elena, Toby, and Spencer were all seated in the living room going over the Radley floor plans.

"Here is Sara's old room," Elena pointed to the big red circle over the room.

"And this is where her secret exit door was. When did you..." Spencer tried to explain was interrupted by Toby's glasses which Elena couldn't help but laugh at.

"No, I-I fought it as long as I could. But, I had to admit defeat."

"It's true, he's vision is terrible. At restaurants I have to do all the picking because of what happened in Paris." Elena started to explain,

"What happened on Paris?"

"When Elena and I were in Paris, and I-I thought I was pointing to an eclair on the menu. Then, the waiter brought out a bucket of snails."

Spencer started speaking in French, which made Elena tilt her head since she decided to skip her language class everyday.

"Yeah, but who wants to eat snails for breakfast?" Toby calmly responded.

"You remember French?"

They each exchange a couple more words in French before finally returning back to English. Elena knew that Toby's relationship with Spencer was a complicated one, yet Elena didn't feel jealousy knowing that what they had was in the past and not in the present.

"I look like a guy who needs glasses. Now, why do you wanna get back down here?"

"Uh, because Sara just checked back into the hotel. And she specifically asked for a room on the first floor. Directly above the old Radley basement."

"So we think that she must be looking for something. And whatever that thing is maybe we can use it to prove that she's our new Big Bad." Elena wrapped the whole plan together before Toby tried questioning why they wanted access.

"So, if I make sure that she's locked out when Hanna's waiting for her... "

"It'll be safe to go down there and find it."
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"Sara's working off grid." Tony inspected the blueprints by Elena's side, as Spencer handed her and Toby some tea.

"Here." She passed the cups to them as they huddled the table.

"Thanks."

"Oh... Um, but I think, she missed something in the east wing. There's a records room in the old Radley basement. Um, but on this current blueprint there's no visible door to access it."

"So, somebody turned it into a secret room?" Elena flipped the papers looking at Toby

"Somebody, who spent a lot of time at Radley." Toby responded before Spencer and Elena realized who he was talking about

"Charlotte." They both said in unison.

"I'll seal Sara's secret exit door first. That way, when we're down there she won't be able to get back in."

"We?" Elena asked, knowing that this was only Spencer and Elena's plan.

"Yeah. I'm not gonna let you guys do this alone."

"Toby, this is tomorrow night. We were thinking that you could just do the prep work today. And then, Spencer and I can sneak down there during her mother's party." Elena said, not trying to drag Toby more into this than planned.

"I can't drag my power tools into a hotel and then cut through walls without making a lot of noise. Whether your mom wins or loses, Radley will be a scene tomorrow. That will be our cover. " Toby defend his stance, putting his foot down before Spencer turned towards Elena, who was still iffy about the whole situation.

"I, I just don't...." Elena stammered before Toby placed his hand on Elena's.

"I don't either, but if you wanna find out what's in this room, we're gonna do this together. "
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Elena was at home getting ready for tomorrow nights rundown. She was organizing her clothes for tomorrow, deciding if they were comfortable to be in but look elegant at the same time.

It was until her phone that started to ring that Elena started to sense the danger of how the plan was going to go. Hanna could break and all of them could end up dead.

Elena's phone blinked and beeped multiple times, as the phone's caller Id was unknown. Hesitantly, Elena answered the call, her hand was trembling as she called out

"Hello?" The gruff voice called out which Elena remember all too well.

"Jason?"

Elena was in shocked as her head was trying to comprehend her ex lover's call. Elena huffed out before responding back,"Don't call me again."

Elena hung up and placed her phone on the table, Jason was not in her life anymore. He shouldn't care, why would he? How did he k ow what they were doing? Elena didn't have time to deal with it like she said before Toby's her future and Jason is her past.