❝ we all eat lies, when our hearts are hungry ❞
Halle Brewster made a promise she would never tell the secrets of the summer Alison DiLaurentis went missing. Only now, someone else was doing the telling - something Alison never got the chance to do...
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The cracking of the fire kept Hanna's focus while the others tried to find the right words to start up a conversation. Hanna was unresponsive. Her hair was slowly drying but still damp; and her ruined clothes had been replaced by pajamas and a pink, fluffy dressing gown. None of them wanted to accuse Lucas of being the bad guy, but it looked that way and — as always — it had ended badly.
From where Halle was in the Hastings' kitchen, keeping an eye on her sullen friend while a hot coffee heated her hands, she saw her phone buzzed with message. Grabbing it from the island, she flipped it up and saw she had a new text from Jason. He had tried calling several times after she sent him a text as she waited to give her statement to the police about the incident that took place that night. Yet, Halle couldn't exactly answer the phone while she was with the girls.
If you need me, I can be there From: Jason
Wrapped up in the warmth of Noel's sweatshirt, Halle couldn't even smile at his sweet offer. Instead, she typed out a short response reassuring him she was fine and he didn't need to come back. Halle had to focus on Hanna right now; she couldn't have Jason lingering about, too.
"Hey." Aria perched next to Hanna on the chaise in front of the fire. She offered Hanna a couple white pills and said, "Here's some aspirin." She reached out and brushed a piece of hair from Hanna's face and softly asked, "You want me to make you some soup?"
"Thanks, but I'm not hungry," Hanna whispered back. Her voice was small, fragile — like it could easily be broken.
Spencer came into the room, her now dry and with warm clothes on too. She picked up the throw-blanket from the sofa and brought it over to Hanna. "You want a blanket?"
"Sure," said Hanna.
The side-door opened, and Emily entered. She shut the door behind and went straight over to Hanna. "Here's your bag," she said, sitting down beside her. "I think Caleb called, your phone was making a noise."
"Han..."
The softness of Spencer's approach made Halle come over, knowing now was the time to start up the conversation. She tucked her phone in the front-pouch of the hoodie and came over to the fire, coffee cup in hand.
Spencer said, "I know you're not ready to talk about this, but the sheriffs said they're gonna drag the lake first thing in the morning."
Hanna's eyes remained fixed on the flames. "Lucas isn't in the lake."
"Hanna," Halle began gently, "he didn't come to shore."
"We waited," Emily added.
Snapping, Hanna said, "He knows how to swim, alright?" She turned back the fire, liking the heat on her face, and glumly finished, much quieter, "He's out there, somewhere. I can feel it."
