Ethan's Pov

The girls and I were at Hanna's house. Apparently she found a letter in her flower plant and that letter was from Maya. 

How did it get there? We have no idea, but my guess is that Maya put it there.

Hanna was sitting on her bed while holding the letter. Aria sat on a chair while Spencer, Emily and I sat on the bed Emily slept on.

"Emily, I'm so sorry for everything. I know we've had a disconnect lately. I hope you'll give me a chance to explain. I have to show you something. Don't call my cell. Someone stole it. Meet me at..." Hanna trailed off.

"Meet me? Where?" Aria asked.

"I don't know. I can't tell. It looks like it's been washed out by the rain" Hanna said.

"Are you sure that this is from Maya?" Spencer asked.

"Positive" Emily nodded.

Emily knew Maya better than us so of course she can tell this letter is from her.

"I wonder what she wanted to show you" Spencer said.

"I mean, the police have said all along that she probably found something that proved Garrett killed Ali" Aria said.

"Which is why she was killed" Hanna nodded.

I frowned when I saw the sad look on Emily's face, she's still not completely over Maya's death, which is understandable.

"You guys, we need to slow down, because we have no idea when Maya wrote that note, and it could have been any time after Emily moved in here with you" I sternly said.

Spencer nodded in agreement as Aria took the note from Hanna.

"It looks like there's a date on the top right corner. Look" Aria said.

She handed us the note and I took it from her as the three of us carefully examined the note.

"Oh my god" Emily gasped.

"What?" I asked, worried.

"Maya wrote this the day she died" Emily said in realization.

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. I looked at the girls and saw that they were all in the same boat as me.

The Next Day

Spencer and I walked outside of the school building and spotted Emily sitting at a table by herself.

We both sighed when we saw her rereading Maya's note.

It's clear that she's trying to figure out where Maya wanted her to meet her.

Spencer and I looked at each other and nodded before making our way towards her.

"How many times have you reread that?" I asked.

"Too many" Emily sighed.

"Didn't you and Maya have a spot that you liked to hang out at by the lake?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah. I was just there with Nate the other day" Emily nodded.

"Maybe that's where she wanted you to meet her. We could go together. We could help you take a look around" I suggested.

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking for" Emily said, frustrated.

I frowned and gently rubbed her shoulder for some comfort.

"Have you heard from Toby?" Emily asked.

"He called last night. He's waiting on a permit for the loft, so he took a job in bucks county. Honestly, I'm relieved he's not here, I'm not lying to him" Spencer explained.

"Yeah. Lying to Toby is like lying to the dalai lama" Emily chuckled slightly.

"I don't know how much more of this A I can handle. I mean, I survived Mona with straight A's, and now I'm like failing everything, even physics" Spencer said.

"Spence, it's gonna be okay. And a B is far from failing" I reassured her.

"B is for bad" Spencer deadpanned.

I rolled my eyes at her while Emily chuckled and shook her head.

I don't know about Spencer and the others, but I'm glad that I'm not dating anyone, that way I don't need to lie to them about A.

And I'm glad that I don't need to tell Alyssa about A. I don't want her involved, the last thing I want is for A to put Alyssa in danger.

"Hi, guys" we heard Paige say.

We looked up and smiled when we saw Paige behind Emily.

It's fair to say that overtime I've grown to tolerate and trust Paige. She seems like a good person.

Although I still don't think I can forgive her for almost drowning Emily. 

"Hey, Paige" Spencer smiled.

"Um, we'll talk to you later" I said.

"Yeah" Emily nodded.

Spencer and I smiled at her before getting up from the table.

We walked back inside the school and bid goodbye to each other before going our separate ways.

I walked around the hallway before smiling as I spotted Alyssa by her locker.

I walked towards her and stopped next to her. I crossed my arms and leaned against the lockers.

"Hey there, what's up?" I asked.

"Oh, hey, Ethan. And nothing much, just tired" Alyssa shrugged.

"Believe me I'm tired too. The weekend went by faster than I expected" I chuckled.

"Right" Alyssa giggled.

"I had an amazing time on Friday. Watching movies with you was way better than the party I went to" I said.

"I'm glad to hear that" Alyssa smiled.

I smiled back at her. Her smile is so mesmerizing.

"Oh speaking of Friday, I wanted to talk to you about something" Alyssa said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Did you give your friend, Aria, my number?" Alyssa asked, furrowing her eyebrows at me.

"Uh, no, why?" I asked.

"Well because I got a text from someone named A last Friday night and I just thought that it was from your friend, Aria" Alyssa said.

My eyes widened, my arms fell to my sides and I pushed myself off the lockers and stared at her in shock.

I'm sorry, but what did she just say?

"Hold on, A texted you?" I asked for clarification.

"Yeah. Here, I still have the text" Alyssa said.

Alyssa took her phone out of her pocket before turning it on. I waited for a few seconds before she handed me her phone.

I took it from her and looked at the text and my heart dropped.

How cute, the sweet and innocent Alyssa is falling in love with the friendly, confident and smart Ethan. But are you still going to be with him when learning the truth?

- A

Silence, absolute silence.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing, I just couldn't.

Why the hell would A text Alyssa?

"Alyssa, when did you get this?" I asked.

"I got it after you left my house last Friday night" Alyssa said.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.

"I just told you now" Alyssa deadpanned.

"No, I mean, why didn't you tell me before? Why didn't you call or text me?" I asked.

"I didn't want to bother you. I figured it was probably from your friend, Aria, and decided to confront you about it today" Alyssa shrugged.

Oh if only she knew.

"I'm curious, is Aria jealous or something? I'm not trying to be mean or anything but doesn't she already have Ezra" Alyssa asked.

She took her phone back from me and stuffed it into her pocket.

I swallowed thickly, trying to form a plan in my head.

This was something I never wanted to do, but I had to, she can't know the truth. At least not now.

"No, Alyssa, that text wasn't from Aria. And I can assure you that she's not jealous, trust me, neither of us like each other like that" I explained.

"Then who's A?" Alyssa asked.

Oh, trust me, I'd like to know myself.

"A is just some random jerk here at school that tends to hack into people's phones and prank them. They've been doing it for a while" I explained.

That was literally the only thing I could come up with.

Alyssa raised her eyebrow at me and closed her locker.

"Are you sure? I've never really heard anyone talk about them" Alyssa asked.

"Yeah, I am. The reason nobody talks about them is because they don't know who it is, they're really good at keeping their identity hidden" I explained.

I watched as Alyssa furrowed her eyebrows together and pressed her lips into a thin line.

I really hoped she bought it. I want her to buy it.

I can't tell her the truth. The last thing I want is for her to get involved with our problems. I could never forgive myself if she got hurt because of me.

"Well, whoever they are better fess up, I don't want to get anymore of these texts" Alyssa huffed in annoyance.

I sighed in relief, internally cheering myself that it worked, before standing by her side as we walked down the halls together.

You and me both, Alyssa. You and me both.

At The Kahn Cabin

Emily and I met up with Hanna because the three of us decided to head to the Kahn cabin to see if we can find something that belonged to Maya.

We need something that might be able to help us.

I told Hanna and Emily about Alyssa getting a text from A, to say they were shocked would be an understatement.

When Hanna stopped the car we got out and shut the doors to the car.

"Hold up, you're telling me that A texted Alyssa, seriously?" Hanna asked in shock.

"Pretty much what I told you guys" I nodded.

"What did you say?" Emily asked.

"Well I couldn't tell her the truth so I just said that it was some jerk from school that tends to prank everyone" I explained.

Hanna and Emily sighed in relief and nodded their heads.

"Good, the last thing we want is for Alyssa to get caught up in our mess" Emily said.

"I know, but I hate that I lied to her" I sighed.

"What I don't understand is why is A texting Alyssa? Why is he or she dragging her into this?" Emily asked.

"I don't know, but I'm hoping that that's the only text she'll get from A" I said.

"Lets hope so" Hanna nodded.

The three of us walked towards the gate and luckily for us it was left open. We walked past it and walked inside.

The cabin was a complete mess. Guess Eric and Noel are too lazy to clean.

"This is definitely the spot" Hanna said, looking at her phone.

We heard rustling noises, causing us to turn around in panic.

We didn't see anything but no doubt that there's someone here.

"It's nothing. Alright, come on" Hanna said.

Emily and I glanced at each other before following Hanna as she walked towards the cabin. 

She opened the door, quietly, just in case someone was here but I doubt that.

When we went inside we saw that the place was a complete mess.

Just how long did this party last on Friday night?

"Looks like the beer pong got out of control. There's no way Maya wanted to meet me at this place" Emily said.

"Well, we're here now, so let's just look around" I suggested.

The girls nodded and we walked in different directions to see if we could find something.

I walked around and looked at a few things but nothing was here. This place was a mess, the only thing here were empty crumbled cups, girls bras, nasty food and some shattered glass.

I'm so glad I didn't stick around for the party last Friday.

I looked around for a good few minutes before deciding to find the others.

I found them in some closet and walked inside. Just as expected, the place was a mess too.

"Did either of you find anything?" I asked.

"Nothing but stale nachos and deer heads" Emily said.

"God, this place creeps me out" Hanna shivered in fear.

"Yeah. Let's go" I nodded.

We were about to leave the room but Hanna stopped us.

"Hold on one second" Hanna said.

She walked towards a door and opened it. Emily and I followed her and found ourselves in another room.

"Guys, there's another door here" Hanna said.

We turned around and saw Hanna trying to push the book shelf away. Emily and I quickly helped her and we managed to push it away.

My eyes widened when I saw the door. Holy shit.

The girls and I glanced at each other before I opened the door. I let the girls go in first before walking in myself.

The room was a bit messy and dusty. Hanna turned on the light since it was a bit dark.

"Looks like someone's been staying here" Hanna said.

I guess we already know who.

Emily and I continued looking around, there wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

"Em" Hanna called out to her.

We turned around and saw Hanna walking towards us while carrying a bag.

"Oh, my God. That's Maya's bag" Emily gasped, shocked.

The three of us sat down as Hanna quickly opened the bag. Once it was open we began looking inside.

Emily and Hanna pulled out some clothes while I pulled out a pocket knife.

I nudged both of them in their arms and showed them the knife. When they saw it their eyes widened.

"For protection?" Emily asked.

"I don't think she was gutting fish. Who's L.J?" I asked.

Emily took the knife from to examine it, especially the initials 'L.J'.

"No idea" Emily shrugged.

"Why would she have this?" Hanna asked, holding a card in her hands.

Emily set the knife down to examine the card while I went back to going through the bag, hoping to find something else.

"I gave this to Ali for her fourteenth birthday. Maya must have found it in the box of Ali's things" Emily said.

I pulled out some sort of paper but when I took a closer look at it I realized that it was a plane ticket.

My eyes widened before I turned to Emily, giving her a sad look.

"Em" I softly called out to her.

Emily put down the card and took the plane ticket from me. When she saw it I can see realization and sadness in her eyes.

"Maya never left Rosewood" Emily muttered.

All of a sudden the door slam shuts, causing the three of us to jump and gasp.

We shot up and ran towards the door and tried to open it but it was stuck, whoever's here freaking locked us in.

We jumped and gasped when the windows were closed from the outside.

Shit! We're stuck in here.

"Who's out there?" Emily yelled.

"What do you want?!" Hanna yelled, fear shown in her voice.

I looked around, trying to find something, anything, that I could use as a weapon to defend ourselves.

If Noel, Eric, A or anyone else is here and they want to hurt us then I need something to fight back with.

I have to protect the girls. Always.

Finally I spotted a crowbar and quickly grabbed it, standing in front of the two of them.

"If this is you, Noel, this isn't fucking funny anymore!" I yelled.

The three of us screamed when the lights suddenly turned off. Great, we're stuck and we're in the damn dark.

Emily took her phone out, trying to call for help, but muttered a curse under her breath.

"There's no reception!" Emily yelled.

All of a sudden I hear a car drive away, from the looks of it Hanna heard it too.

"I think whoever it was just left" Hanna reassured us.

"So what do we do now?" Emily asked.

"I don't know, scream?" Hanna suggested.

"What good is that gonna do? There's nobody around for Miles!" I yelled, clearly frustrated.

"Hey, do you see that light?" Hanna asked, pointing towards the window.

I turn around and before I knew it I stalked towards the window and use the crowbar to smash the glass on the window.

"Geez, bubs!" Hanna yelled.

"They're locked" I groaned in annoyance.

The two of them ran towards me and I watched as Hanna tries to unlock.

Unfortunately, she ends up dropping a piece of glass on her leg and she screams in pain.

"Oh, God! Buttercup, are you ok?" I asked, worried.

"I cut my leg" Hanna hisses through the pain.

"Oh my god, you're bleeding" Emily gasped.

Emily guided Hanna to a chair and sat her down. I began looking around before spotting a scarf.

I quickly grabbed it and wrapped it around the wound. Hopefully it can stop the bleeding.

"Buttercup, it's gonna be ok, don't worry" I softly reassured her.

"Oh! I'm gonna be sick" Hanna groaned.

I did my best to comfort her while Emily stood up and began looking around.

I watched as she grabbed a baseball bat before using it to smash the window. Finally the glass and the wooden boards break.

"Come on" Emily urged us.

Emily and I both grabbed Hanna's arms and wrapped them around our shoulders.

We walked towards the window and helped Hanna get out first before we got out ourselves.

When we were out we wrapped Hanna's arms back around our shoulders as we lead her away from the cabin.

But the three of us stopped in our tracks as we let out collective gasps at what we were seeing.

I'm saving you for later

- A

I gulped, a bit of fear coursing through my body, before shaking my head.

We had to get out of here. Now.

At Hanna's House

Emily and I drove Hanna back to her house. When we got inside we sat her on the ground as she leaned her back against the wall.

"Hanna, you're really bleeding. We need to take you to the hospital" Emily said, worried.

"No. No. Cause then I have to tell my mom how I got this cut" Hanna said.

"Buttercup, it's not a cut, it's a stab wound. You need to get stitches" I said.

"Maybe we should call Caleb" Emily suggested.

"You know I can't talk to him right now" Hanna said in annoyance.

"We have to do something. We're not gonna let you bleed to death" Emily said.

I sighed before taking out my phone. I scrolled through my contacts before finding the one I was looking for. I pressed the call button before putting my phone to my ear.

"What are you doing?" Hanna asked, confused.

I raised my hand at her before breathing out in relief when they accepted the call.

"Hey, it's Ethan" I said.

Back At Home

After calling Wren he agreed to come over and help Hanna with her wound.

When he arrived Emily and I said goodbye to Hanna before leaving. I walked Emily to her house before bidding her goodnight and leaving to head to my own house.

While walking home I got a text from Spencer saying that Noel gave her security footage of his cabin the night that Maya died.

I basically ran home and when I got there I ran upstairs and marched into Spencer's room. When I got there I saw that Aria was there too.

When I got there I pulled a chair and sat down in between Spencer and Aria.

"Why would Noel give you this video?" I asked, confused.

"I'm starting to get an idea. Watch" Spencer said.

She played the video and Aria and I saw Maya pulling up before stopping, getting off her bike as she looked around.

"Oh, my God, that's Maya" Aria gasped.

"Yeah. And look at the time on the video. Now look at Garrett's case file" Spencer said.

Spencer handed me her tablet and I took it from her and read the case file.

"Key witness in the case against Garrett places him in the car with Maya at, 9 p.m" I said, my eyes growing wide.

"But that means..." Aria trailed off.

"That Garrett was not the last person to see Maya alive" Spencer finished.

Aria and I glanced at each other before looking back at the video.

We have to see the rest of this. We need to know what happened that night.

The Next Day

I called Hanna over because we had to show her the video.

"You need to see this" Spencer said.

Hanna stood behind us as the three of us were sitting down. Spencer glanced at me and I nodded before playing the video.

We watched the video, this time the date and time was April 13 at 1 a.m.

We watched as Noel's car pull up as he got out of the car.

"Wait. Noel was there that night?" Hanna asked and I nodded.

We watched as Noel helped Jenna out of the car before cupping the sides of her face and kissing her on the lips.

I rolled my eyes and gagged while Aria made a face of disgust.

"So they were still together then" Hanna said.

"Yeah. Keep watching" Spencer nodded.

We watched as Noel and Jenna walked into the cabin before shutting the door. We then watched as Maya walked out of the cabin, getting ready to leave.

All of a sudden she stopped walking and turned around, clearly scared. All of a sudden she was snatched by someone.

"Oh my god!" Hanna gasped in surprise.

I sighed and nodded, placing a hand over my chest. That part gets me everytime.

"What the hell just happened?" Hanna asked.

"Look" Spencer said.

She replayed the video and we watched, again, as Maya leaves the cabin only to be snatched by someone.

"Han, that could not have been Jenna or Noel. They just went inside" Aria said.

"Well then it must have been Garrett" Hanna said.

"It can't be. He was arrested at our house at midnight" I said and Spencer nodded in agreement.

"So what does that mean?" Hanna asked, confused.

"It means that none of them killed Maya" Spencer said.

Now the real question is...

Who the hell killed Maya?