"Your dad could be A, Aria!"
"An innocent girl was killed."
"You and I both love Byron, but whatever happens next is gonna be tough."
"You have to own up to what you've done wrong and take responsibility."
Thoughts and voices race through your mind. Each conversation is another knife in your stomach. You toss and turn, plagued by various voices. You can't ignore your feelings and it's only gotten worse over the hour. The faces of Ezra, your father, Alison, Meredith, Mona, and Garrett are omnipresent in your mind. You can't stop thinking about it. The torture, the anxiety, and the fear all weigh your body down. You're so nauseated you barely make it to the bathroom in time before you get sick. This isn't the first time this has happened tonight.
"Have a nice week Mr. Montgomery."
"Is there any way this could all be a horrible misunderstanding? Your father would never hurt that girl, right?"
"Sleep tight while you can, bitches."
You curl into a ball against the bathtub. You've taken aspirin, but that didn't do anything. You just want to stop thinking - stop feeling. You bang your hand on the bathroom wall until you're numb inside, but that doesn't stop the voices. The image of Garrett's dead body flashes through your mind again as you recall the events of Halloween.
"Keep pushing it! Where are you going? Get back here!"
"Is that Alison's body?"
"I found you."
"You can't tell Ezra until I figure things out. Please. For Malcolm's sake."
Of course there was Ezra. The lie you're keeping from him now plagues you as well. This lie adds to the ones you've collected for the past few years. It isn't fair to keep that poor boy from his father. But Maggie asked you not to say anything. You lay your body on the rug beside the counter, holding your head. Everything is suddenly black.
The darkness doesn't last long. You awake in your bed to see Alison standing in the doorway to your room. Her back is to you, but you would recognize her anywhere. You stop her before she leaves.
"Ali, wait!" She turns around to look at you and smiles. "Alison?"
"I'm glad you're awake. I've been waiting so long. I thought you might not wake up." You climb out of bed, but she rushes to your side. "Don't get up so fast. You need to rest." You clutch your stomach and sit back on your bed.
"I'm not feeling well." You sigh. "I think I have the flu." She sits beside you.
"Is it the flu? Really? Or maybe someone..."
"What, poisoned me?" You say, becoming defensive. "Like my dad?" You suggest. Alison doesn't make a sound. "Unless it was 'A'?"
"Do you really think your dad would hurt you?"
"I don't know what to think. That's why it hurts so much." You explain.
"I'm sorry you're hurting." She comforts. It's so nice to see her again.
"I don't know what to do or what to believe. Is Mona still evil? Is my dad the one that killed you? Is Meredith really trying to help me? Or is she just as guilty as my father? Who do I trust?"
"Well you can always trust me." Alison puts a hand on your shoulder.
"Alison, who killed you?" You demand to know. She sighs.
"You know I can't answer that." She folds her arms.
"Well, what do you think I should do with your diary pages about my dad?" You ask her. She looks out your window, then back at you.
"What do you think you should do?"
"It's incriminating evidence. But he's my father! I can't just throw him under the rug." You consider your options. "I have to tell somebody- my mom. Maybe she'll know what to do." On second thought, you realize the consequences of such honesty. "I don't think I'm strong enough, Ali. I'm scared of what will happen if I tell her. A might do something... I don't want her to get hurt." She smiles at you sympathetically. "Do you ever think about 'A'?" Alison nods, sadly.
"All the time, sweetie." She puts her hand on your shoulder. "I'm real sorry about A. I made a mess of things. You girls deserve better than that." Her words hit you like a wall of bricks. You realize how much you've missed her voice. The wave of emotion hits you so hard, you start to cry. "Oh, sweetie. It's okay." She wraps her arms around you, sympathetically.
"Ali, where are you?" You sob against her shoulder.
"I'm right here. Don't you know that, Aria? I've always been here. You can always count on me." It's all so familiar, but you remind yourself that she isn't here anymore.
"Why did you go?" You push her away, angrily. "Why did you leave us?"
"I haven't gone anywhere." She protests.
"Yes, you did!" You insist. "You did go!" You argue, further. Alison shakes her head, taking your hands.
"I'm here now." She smiles.
"No, you're gone. You're dead. You left." Your protests tire your body and you feel your body become heavier. "How could you leave us?" You whisper, wiping your eyes as you sink your head back on your pillow. "I miss you."
"I know." She whispers. You slowly lose consciousness and watch her image fade away."
"You know why I picked you, right?" You hear faintly. "I always saw myself in you. You were also so keen, so mature... Always trying to be better, older than what you are." You close your eyes. "Don't you know that you're exactly who you need to be?" She disappears from your vision, but you hear her voice one last time before darkness shrouds your vision once again. "Sleep tight, lovely."
You awake to find yourself on the ground in the bathroom of your mother's apartment. You wonder how you got here. You could have sworn you were in your own room. Then there was Alison. Your mother knocks on the door.
"Aria, I heard a crash. Are you okay?" You have an ache in your head, but you realize the voices in your head are gone. Suddenly you remember that you came here in the middle of the night; you couldn't stand to be in your house any longer so you drove yourself here. She had welcomed you with open arms, sympathizing with your pain. But there was only so much you could tell her. You move your body closer to the bathroom door and reach to open it. "What happened, Aria? Your forehead is bleeding." You stare at her for a moment, trying to compose yourself. For a moment, you swear you see Alison standing behind your mother, smiling at you. She waves at you. You rub the back of your head and feel tears rolling down your cheeks. "What's wrong?" Your mother asks, anxiously. You start crying uncontrollably. "Aria?" Alison disappears again and your mother wraps her arms around you, the way Alison just had.
"How could she leave us? Why would she... do that?" You ramble.
"Who?" Your mother whispers, stroking your hair.
"She just left. She didn't even think about us!" You cry out.
"Who?!" She repeats.
"Alison." You sob, collapsing in her arms. She catches you, cradling you as you fall to the floor. You close your eyes and let darkness consume your mind again.
"Sleep tight lovely..."