A/N: Hey everyone! Happy Summer! I haven't written in awhile, but now that I finished my first year of college, I'm going to be working on some new stuff. I'm really excited to share this with you, hope you all enjoy :)
Disclaimer: You know the deal, NOT mine.
-one bAttle At A time-
Because Emily's house is still a crime scene, you all decide to room at Spencer's for the night. It's a bold move for the four of you to be staying alone, but you want a place where you can talk privately. You all want to figure out what happens next.
You all want to be prepared.
"I can't believe this." Emily sobs and soon enough Hanna joins in with her. It's no secret they are the two suffering the most right now with Maya's alleged "death" and Mona as A's shocking reveal. It's no secret they are struggling to come to terms with the loss of two people they cared about.
"Me neither." Aria nods, agreeing. She's holding a piping hot cup of coffee but refusing to drink it due to the churning feeling in her stomach. She knows she's been lucky compared to the other girls (including Spencer who Mona almost killed barely an hour earlier) who remain shaken from the events that transpired during and after the masquerade ball, still she worries. She worries about her friends, her parents and Mike, and of course, Ezra.
"I just don't understand how it was Mona, though. How she's been the one trying to hurt us this whole time…" Hanna suddenly adds, wrapping her arms around herself as she shivers. She's not cold, just creeped out by the thought of her supposed best friend since 9th grade stalking her and her friends mercilessly.
"I'm not sure of everything either, but think about it, Han. She hated Ali because she tortured her and the second Ali went missing, she moved onto us. She wanted to turn us all against each other, so we'd separate and she'd have your undivided attention." Spencer offers, entering from the kitchen with her own cup of coffee. She slides down on the couch next to Aria, sighing. Much like the others, she hasn't changed out of her party gown, and her toes curl in pain from the tightness of the seven-inch heels she is wearing. She gently kicks the shoes off under the table, rubbing her temples as they each go about analyzing just what the hell happened and why.
"True, but that didn't work. So now…"
"Mona's going to have to try harder." Aria interrupted. "But because she's in jail…"
"Someone else is going to do it for her…" Emily finished. "Nothing has stopped her before, so I'm guessing this won't."
"We don't know that for sure. You heard what Dr. Sullivan said, we're safe."
"Yeah, for how long?" Spencer raised her eyebrows at Hanna. "Because it's only a matter of t—"
"No it's not. Is it? We found A, what more is there to find?" Hanna argued.
"How about who killed Alison?" Emily suggested.
"And why was Jenna at the ball talking to Lucas?" Aria agreed.
"And who's the black swan that was with them?" Spencer interjected. "Finding who A was, is, is only one piece of the puzzle."
"Guys, Spence is right. There's no telling what else we have yet to find out about, okay? Discovering that Mona is A could only be just the beginning." By now, Emily had significantly calmed down to the point where she'd stopped crying and her voice no longer cracked when she spoke. "Discovering that Mona is A is only half an explanation."
"What's the other half?" Hanna asked. "Getting inside her head to see how she did what she did? Proving to the cops that we're innocent? Because we all know how well that's worked out for us…"
"Possibly." Spencer said. "If it gets us more answers and clears our name, then I'm all for it."
"Me too." Aria took a sip from her cup and gulped down a bit of her coffee quickly. "And besides, one of the hardest parts of our whole ordeal is over."
"But that's only one part. And with the way Mona, A, you-know-who has played with us in the past, our 'ordeal' could go on for years. She's made it clear that it's not over until she says, what makes you think she doesn't have little minions running around planning the next attack?" Hanna's cynicism gave the room a tenser feel. She bit at her perfectly manicured cuticles aggravated, the sour smell of acetone and polish filling her nostrils.
"She does. Or at least that's what she's led me to believe." Spencer ran a tired hand through her curly amber waves, replying. "With Mona gone, the 'A-Team' is going to be in full force. We just have to be stronger."
"B—"
"Hanna…" Spencer, Emily, and Aria all glanced toward their blonde friend, narrowing their eyes. And at that no more was mentioned of the topic.
-::-
A loud buzzing sound awoke the girls early the next morning. Spencer got up first, Emily second, and Aria and Hanna, third and fourth. It took them each a minute to realize what was happening, but soon enough, Emily's eyes grew wide as she established that both her and her friends' phones were ringing. The other girls eventually caught on as well, with Hanna fumbling through the pocket of the white leather jacket she'd worn home after the disaster that had taken place the previous evening.
"Who is it?" Spencer inquired.
"Is it from A?" Aria choked.
Hanna didn't answer; she simply handed over the small electronic device to Emily who was standing closest to her.
You may think everything's over, but I can assure you, I'm only just getting started. I'm taking each of you down, one bAttle At A time. –A
A/N: Thoughts? Criticisms? Like it? Hate it? Wish I would've done something different? I'm all ears… Also, sorry for any proofing errors I didn't catch. I'm not sure if this is just going to be a one-shot or have multiple chapters, but I promise you'll know as soon as I do. Thanks for everything :)