Hex - Road Trip To Rosewood

[the_hastings_way]

 She'd paid cash for the tickets, not wanting her parents, or A, to know she was heading home for the weekend. Paying cash meant they'd fly business and not first class, but that was fine. All that mattered was that they got there.

She'd booked a room for them at the Rosewood Inn, under a fake name, and as soon as they'd dropped off their things, they were heading to Mona's via a rental car.

"I managed to get in touch with my friend Caleb. He says Mona's mother hasn't been home in weeks. She's staying with her mother. There shouldn't be anyone home, and the police shouldn't be a problem," she said, her eyes on the road as she spoke.

Comments

[the_hastings_way]

"Anything," Spencer replied seriously. "A finds your weakness and goes for it. A's done everything from steal a body to drugging my friends. A landed me in a mental institution, Hex. You name it, A can find a way to make it happen."

[just_hex]

"Bloody hell," he exhaled softly. "So it might not even be me...A could go after Fin or Spencer or you?" he asked. He paused a beat. "That would hurt me more than something happening to me.

[the_hastings_way]

"It's possible," Spencer admitted. "A tends to send a warning first though. Sometimes two, if you're lucky."

[just_hex]

He figured he'd already had his warning. He scowled and nodded.

"How much farther to the school?" he asked.

[the_hastings_way]

"Next block," Spencer said. As if on cue, the large school came into view, the parking lot empty and the lights inside all off.

"They never used to lock up at night, but there were some thefts last year. The easiest way in now will be on the roof where the smokers leave the door open to sneak in and out."

[just_hex]

"Climbing, excellent. That'll make up for the lack of gym time," Hex chuckled, trying to make light of it. He really was doing a fairly good job at not letting on that he was a bit nervous about A. He wasn't nervous at all about breaking in.

[the_hastings_way]

"It shouldn't be too hard to get up there, right?" she asked him. "It's two stories in the front, but only one in the back. I think there might even be a ladder there- For fiers and maintenance."

[just_hex]

"We'll figure it out," he replied confidently. "There might be an air con unit we can use. That's how we always got into the Tescos..."

[the_hastings_way]

Spencer raised a brow at that, pulling into the parking lot and tucking the car out of sight.

"I'm really glad you don't break into grocery stores any more, Hex. That's kind of tacky," she teased, a hint of humour on her lips as she got out of the car and looked around.

[just_hex]

"In my defense...it was that or messing things up on the docks and we learned quick to leave them blokes alone," he replied.

[the_hastings_way]

"That's a terrible defense, Hex," Spencer assured him, though she still looked somewhat amused by the nurse's bad boy past.

[just_hex]

All he could do was shrug and smile. Breaking into Tescos' back room was hardly the worst thing he and the lads had done but he wasn't about to tell her everything now.

And faking a past to get hired at the colony medics wasn't exactly honest, either.

"Well, point is, I can get us in," he said.

[the_hastings_way]

Spencer raised a brow, then shrugged. "Lead the way then."

[just_hex]

Hex headed around to the back of the school where it was only one story. It was too high to get up even if he boosted her, but on the other side of a door there was an HVAC unit and a transformer box.

"There we go," he grinned. "Come on, we'll get up that way."

[the_hastings_way]

Spencer was fairly fit, easily pulling herself up and onto the roof.

It was eerily quiet, and she found herself shivering a little as she started towards what she hoped would be an open door.

[just_hex]

Hex followed her up easily and spied the door. "This one?" he said and crossed to it. He tried it and it opened with ease. "All right then," he smiled.

[the_hastings_way]

Once inside, Spencer led the way down to where she Knew Mona's locker was. Pressing her ear to the door, she started to turn the dial, listening for clicks before popping the door open.

"These lockers are a joke," she laughed, letting out a sigh of relief that turned sad as she looked in at all the things Mona had left behind. From textbooks and notebooks, to a photo of Mona and Hanna that was taped inside the door.

[just_hex]

"What's she got in there?" he asked, peering past her in the dim light. To him it looked like ordinary school things.

[the_hastings_way]

"Just school work. ...Oh! but her gym kut is in here. I bet there's a brush in that bag. She said, pulling it out and looking inside. Sure enough, there was a large paddle brush along with some cosmetics.

"I don't want to touch it. Should we just take it all for now, and bag it when we get back the the hotel?"

[just_hex]

"That's the best idea. Better to not contaminate it," Hex nodded. "There's...not alarms or anything are there? Or, I don't know, custodians?"

[the_hastings_way]

"Both," Spencer replied. "We should be alright if we go back the way we came though- And there's no cameras, so even if we do set off an alarm, we should be fine."

[just_hex]

"That's good. Good. But we should hurry, yeah? Come on," he said, in no hurry to get arrested on American soil.

[the_hastings_way]

Spencer nodded a little, slinging the bag over her shoulder and starting to walk.

It was so odd to be back here. ...Stranger still to realize she'd probably never be here again.

[just_hex]

Hex headed for the stairs to get back to the rooftop when he heard the clomp of heavy boots and the jingle of keys. He grabbed Spencer's hand and ducked into the loo.

"I hear someone," he said.

[the_hastings_way]

Spencer tensed, but she wasn't about to be caught after coming this far.

Silently she pulled hex towards the bathroom window, pulling the bin over so she could climb up. It wasn't huge, but she'd seen Jennifer Yates climb through it once, and that girl was built like a line backer with the metabolism of a sloth. She was certain she and Hex could slip through it without too much trouble.