The Case of You and Me

Chapter Two - Can't Escape

Narrator's POV

"How is she outrunning us," Morgan asks?

"I don't know," Spencer pants, "well, rationality I know it has to be adrenaline, but she's short,  so she shouldn't be this fast."

Aria gasps when she sees the door of her dorm room is wide open. Aria runs inside and sees that the room is messy. Aria can picture Liz struggling against a kidnapper. Kicking at him and knocking over that lamp. Liz could have escaped at first and made a mess on the couch, knxonj off all the pillows and blanket. 

Aria likes that scenario better than the one that involves Michael coming in here and winning. "Liz!" Even though it's pointless, she checks the kitchen, both bedrooms, all closets, and the bathroom. 

"Aria!" Spencer finally finds her, "You can't just run in here! The unsub could have still been in here." Spencer frowns. "What are you looking at?"

"That's Liz's phone," Aria bends down to pick it up, "it's broken."

"Hey, we'll find him. You know what he looks like right?" Aria nods, squeezing the broken cellphone. "Or at least you did..."

Aria finally looks up. "What?"

"Look what he wrote on the mirror," Spencer points out.

"He used my good lipstick for it, too." Aria glares at the mirror. Spencer throws her a look. "Sorry, I'll focus." Aria reads what the mirror says out loud, "You've changed and now it makes sense for me to change too. How I look, at least."

"So he's changing how he looks so I can't identify him," Aria gasps. "Maybe this is fine, a little hair dye never made anyone look too different."

"Reid, Aria, did you find anything?" Morgan appears at the door and asks.

Spencer points out the mirror and Aria holds out the phone. Morgan takes the phone. 

"It's broken, but she called you." Hotchner appears out of nowhere and looks at the phone. 

"I guess it broke after—well, during our call." Aria frowns deeply, wondering if that was the last time she'd ever hear Liz's voice. All panicked and unnatural. 

"Who broke it," Hotchner asks? "Also, how did she get here with a phone if there's evidence of struggle in the living room."

"Liz is reactive." Aria tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "And she's been taking kick boxing since she was thirteen. I think that if Michael broke in and grabbed her, she'd start to struggle. Kick, scratch, scream, hurt anything she could." 

"The unsub might have been surprised enough to drop her for a second," Spencer adds. "Especially if he had a weapon. Kidnappers depend on menacing more than actual strategy."