Author's note

Well today's my birthday (woohoo) and as I got a brand new Yoda notebook I figured it was time to get cracking on this story. It's my first ever attempt at fanfic - or really fic of any kind - so...be kind! Plus, did I mention it's my birthday? Yeah, anyway, many thanks to Mollyig for the inspiration and support, and Siophiefandom and Subway20 for the encouragement. Here goes nothing...

Chapter 1

Have you ever seen that movie Heathers? Great film, right? Deliciously dark comedy. Black as pitch. And Winona Ryder. Damn.

Emily Fields hates that movie. She hates Mean Girls too. I guess they're not so funny when you feel like your life is the third instalment of a kickass movie night trilogy.

As queen bees go, Alison DiLaurentis was right up there. Pit her against the Heathers and they wouldn't stand a chance. Queen wasp would have been more accurate. She had the whip smart tongue of a viper and the conscience of a cobra.

Cruising the halls of Rosewood High School, the eternal sea of students quietly, subconsciously, parted ways as she cut through them, a perma-smirk plastered to her face that only faltered if she came upon some unsuspecting pupil who hadn't sensed her malevolent presence quickly enough to take evasive action.

Alison DiLaurentis has squad goals. And those goals are to ensure she has the coolest of the cool kids orbiting her like satellites at all times. Trapped by her gravitational pull. Incapable of existence without being bound to hers. Of course, they still had to have a flaw. Otherwise she wouldn't be able to exploit them in the way she wanted to.

Aria Montgomery. The arty one. Give that girl a sensible outfit and she'd turn it into a Frankenstein creation within seconds. Usually involving cutlery jewellery, feathers and clashing animal print. But somehow, it worked for her. She was just the right side of quirky to be aspirational to those without the creativity or guts to do it themselves. Her insecurity lay in her constant need not to be treated like a child. Maybe it stemmed from her stature because boy, that kid was small. Something Ali was more than happy to point out, given the opportunity. Only so much though - before building her up by including her in some of Ali's more...adult schemes. It was brilliant, really. Play on her deepest fears then give her just enough to quench her need without making her feel she could do it alone.

Hanna Marin. In an age of thigh gaps and eating disorders, Hanna was considered overweight. And that worked just fine and dandy for Rosewood's number one conductor of lives because the blonde had zero confidence. Which is just as well, because if Ali couldn't keep her in place, keep her terrified of stepping out from her shadow, she would maybe, just maybe, be able to shine in the way Ms DiLaurentis feared she could. Because beneath the stretched clothes and the downcast attitude, Hanna was far prettier and far smarter than her self-appointed leader.

Spencer Hastings. On the outside, she had everything. Her intellect was unquestionable. Her beauty likewise. She was loyal and witty and well liked among her peers. Her steely ambition was forged in a family of over-achievers who loved to apply pressure to all of the youngest Hastings' sensitive points. Of course, Ali knew this and exploited it for all she was worth. She had to. It was self-preservation, in truth. Spencer could easily usurp her if she found the confidence to stop comparing herself to her sister and be her own woman. If she was to shine a light on Ali's darkest intentions and realise they didn't have to be her own.

Then, of course, there was Emily Fields. Where to begin? How to describe the girl who, if she ever realised the power she could wield over people with a simple smile, would be unstoppable? Calling her stunning didn't do the girl justice. She was Cleopatra. She was Helen of Troy. She was the perfect mix of beauty and humility. In fact, the exact opposite of Alison DiLaurentis. When stood together, their contrasting looks were starkly outlined. Emily - tall, raven-haired, athletic, but shy and unsure. Ali - short, blonde, soft of body but certainly not of mind. Or attitude. There was no-one more intrinsically opposed to the kind of capers Ali would get them involved in than Emily. Or who winced more as her friend cut someone down to size for the merest of perceived slights.

But it was also Emily who was most in Alison's thrall. The most intrigued by the devil with eyes of blue and the face of an angel. Because Emily hid a secret. It was a secret she had no intention of ever revealing and for that to happen she needed to be on Ali's good side. A place she was more than happy to be – though ask her to put into words why and she would have come up short. The problem was that being in that place, beholden to Ali, left her secret exposed. Because she couldn't hide the flush of her skin when Ali looked at her a certain way. The sudden lack of oxygen she felt when Ali lent a little too close as she whispered in her ear. It all served to prove to Emily that her deepest fears about herself were true. The secret she fought so desperately to keep couldn't be hidden when Ali laid her hand on her shoulder or smoothed her thumb across her cheek. It was then Emily's resolve to be the good girl, the daughter her parents expected her to be, evaporated like rain on a hot day. And there were plenty of those once Ali realised just exactly what Emily was hiding. Oh the delicious irony of Emily feeling her truest self clawing its way out when she was with Ali, only to have to suppress all those other parts of herself just to keep that one thing hidden.

Of course, this made Emily the easiest to control, which was good, Ali thought. If Emily ever decided to come out of the closet, her bravery would surely inspire the others to step out of their own prisons. And then...well then Alison DiLaurentis' life would fall apart. And she couldn't have that.

It was Monday morning. Ali had spent the weekend expertly controlling her little marionettes. It had been fun, for a while, before she slipped away for some real adult escapades at Hollis College. Now it was back to the everyday work of keeping all her acolytes in line. Arriving just a few minutes before the bell – always keep them waiting, my darlings – she allowed herself a smug smile as she cast her eye over the expectant quartet gathered to greet her.

Look at their eager, anxious-to-please faces, she thought as she sashayed her way over to them. It really was so rewarding to see all your efforts come to fruition like this. Pride, not to mention arrogance, were not unfamiliar emotions for the blonde. Complacency, that was a new one. But it had started to creep in to her psyche.

"Morning girls," she purred as she glided towards them. "Aria, I met this guy at the weekend who is just your type. Very mature, writes poetry. A bit too boring for me but I'll introduce you to him this weekend. If you can convince mommy and daddy dearest to let you out, that is."

The tiny brunette nodded eagerly. No matter that she had no idea where they would be going or with whom. Just the very idea of it was thrilling to her.

"Where did you meet him Ali? I thought you were studying all the times you weren't with us," Spencer asked.

"I don't tell you everything I do. A girl has to have some secrets," she replied, glancing at Emily, who had the smallest frown crinkling her brow. Not noticeable to most people, but certainly to Ali, and she knew what it meant. Jealousy. This was too easy.

Emily shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, pushing the tip of her sneaker into the ground nervously. She hated that look. The knowledge behind it terrified her as much as the feelings within herself that elicited it.

Hanna broke the silence. "What did you wear Ali? Was it that new yellow top? It looks so good on you. I was thinking of trying something new in yellow since it looks so good with your colouring and we're practically the same when it comes to -"

"You and I have nothing in common when it comes to clothes, Hanna. Stick to more muted tones, trust me, you don't want to draw attention to yourself."

Seeing Hanna's face drop, and the others awkwardly exchange glances, she quickly plastered on her fakest sincere smile. "I'm just trying to look out for you, Han. Boys will always try and take advantage of the slowest animal in the herd."

Before she had chance to make sure her words had hit home – why wouldn't they, it was so simple to manipulate Hanna – she started to walk inside, knowing they would all be trailing behind her.

Emily trudged after her. This isn't how she wanted to start her week. In those moments over the weekend when she had been alone in her room, she had felt at peace. Throwing herself into her study, she immersed herself in fractions and facts and frozen fractals...wait, that last one was during her Disney-themed study break.

The only other time she felt truly her whole self, free, her soul suspended from the everyday, was in the pool. It was her oasis of calm, cleansing her of the sins of what it meant to be Ali's friend. And of her own mind. Yes, she still believed what she felt was wrong. And the punishment was having to live with what she did to ensure Ali never exposed her. All the time exposing herself more to the girl with the piercing blue eyes. Yep, my life is fucked up, Emily thought as she headed to her locker.

She was just grabbing the last of her things when she heard a loud slam of body on metal followed swiftly by the clatter of books falling to the ground.

No. No no no. Not again. Why was it always her. Emily looked in dismay as she saw her worst fears confirmed. Ali was leaning over the girl on the floor who was hastily trying to gather up her belongings. The sneer was unmistakeable. The glee evident in her eyes was not unexpected.

Emily swallowed hard, her eyes scrunching closed as she shut out the scene for a second, not ready to be in this moment yet. But she couldn't stay like this for as long as she needed to.

Opening her eyes, she sighed heavily when she found the girl had still not managed to escape Alison's tirade of abuse. She had no idea what had sparked this latest incident and honestly, she didn't care. Whatever it was, it would be trivial.

Her gaze settled on the brunette on the floor. She was so desperate to pick up her things so she could run away that she just kept dropping them again. She's so clumsy, thought Emily, allowing a smile to tweak the edges of her mouth. How is she like this on dry land when she's so effective in water?

She felt a spasm in her chest as she watched the girl's distress. Move, Emily. Help her. But her legs wouldn't move. No matter how she tried, protecting herself won out. She swallowed again, this time ridding her throat of the bitter taste she found there. Hating herself had become second nature but it never felt worse than it did right now.

Than it did any time Alison DiLaurentis set her laser sights on Paige McCullers.