The moving truck had just pulled into the driveway when the phone started ringing.
Natalie Ambrose stood up, placed her iPhone and headset on the coffee table, and bent over to answer it.
"Hello?" Natalie asked cautiously. Today was her first day living in Rosewood, Pennsylvania, a picturesque suburb about twenty miles from Philadelphia.
"Hello. My name is Veronica Hastings, is your mother or father home?" a woman's crisp, tight voice rang out on the other end. The name Hastings sounded familiar to Natalie, but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Natalie's mother was currently sight seeing with Natalie's older sister, Olivia. Her father was at Rosewood Day, a private school that Natalie and Olivia would be attending the day after tomorrow. "I'm sorry, can I take a message?"
The woman paused for a brief moment. "Just tell them to call me back when they get a chance. Thanks."
Veronica Hastings hung up, leaving Natalie confused. What did that woman want? And why was she calling her house, she had just moved in this morning.
The house her parents had chosen last Spring had taken a while to renovate. The house was a large, red-brick, Victorian mansion, with white and black shingles and a large wrap-around porch. Natalie's room was on the third floor, the first door on the left. She took the stairs two at time, not stopping until she slammed her bedroom door shut. The room was painted sky-blue, and Natalie's queen-size bed was pushed to the far left side, facing Natalie's walk-in closet and vanity. Her desk sat next to her bed, a bookshelf crammed with books sat on the other side, and her window-seat was already covered with hot-pink, purple, and yellow plush pillows.
Natalie flopped down on the seat at the vanity. She was thirteen years old, which meant she would be an eighth grader at Rosewood Day. Rosewood was the typical, suburb town, full of gossip and secrets and cliques. Natalie stared at herself in the vanity mirror. She had wavy, glossy, blonde hair, round, pale green eyes, and freckles across the bridge of her nose.
She pulled out the drawer of the vanity, taking out a hairbrush, a tube of lip gloss, and a bottle of mascara. Natalie took out her ponytail, letting her wavy hair fall down her back. She gently brushed her hair, applied the mascara evenly on both sets of lashes, and ran the shiny gloss across her bow shaped lips.
Before she left, she changed into a pair of J Crew denim shorts, a bright pink tank top, and a pair of silver wedges Olivia gave to Natalie when she out-grew them. Natalie descended down the long staircase, grabbed her phone, and headed outside. The weather was warm, for September, and the sun accentuated everything Natalie loved most about her outward appearance. The highlights in her honey-blonde hair, the flecks of gold in her green eyes, and Natalie's summer tan.
Natalie walked down the rest of the Maplewood lane, and turned onto the street that led into town. Rosewood looked like the charming, happy-go-lucky town that everyone thought it was on the outside, but it hid a dark secret that only few knew about. Only a few months ago, Alison DiLaurentis had gone missing.
Natalie stopped a cafe, called The Brew, to order some donuts and a cup of hot chocolate. Natalie was so hungry because she'd missed breakfast. She was unpacking.
Natalie waited patiently in line behind a girl that looked to be her age. The girl had reddish-blonde hair and an athletic built. She was taller than Natalie, but she looked scared, as if she knew a dark secret.
Natalie tapped the girl on the shoulder. "Hi."
The girl widened her hazel eyes, and blushed, revealing a lot of freckles on her sun-kissed face. "Uh, hi. Are you new?"
"Yeah, I just moved here this morning. My name's Natalie Ambrose." Natalie said.
The girl smiled. "I'm Emily. Nice to meet you. Do you know what school you're going to yet?" Emily moved up a place in line, her gaze still focused on Natalie.
"Rosewood Day." Natalie answered.
"Same." Emily grinned.
Natalie let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad I'll know someone there."
Emily opened her mouth to say something, but she realized it was her turn to order. She ordered a double mocha latte, left a dollar in the tip jar, and went to go find a seat. Natalie quickly ordered a glazed donut and hot chocolate and turned to leave, but she noticed Emily sitting all alone in a booth, waving her over to join her. Natalie couldn't say no, especially when she didn't know anyone else.
Natalie slid into the booth across from Emily, who was quietly sipping her latte. "So what's Rosewood Day like?"
Emily looked up at Natalie and shrugged. "I don't really know."
"What do you mean, you go to school there." Natalie said.
"Well, it'll be different this year, that's all." Emily said. She gazed down at her latte, her face red, and her eyes filling up with tears.
"Emily, what's wrong?" Natalie asked concerned.
Emily looked up, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She stood up, grabbed her latte, and left the shop. Natalie watched through the window as Emily ran down the sidewalk and disappeared from sight.
Why was she acting so weird? Was something bothering Emily, something she didn't want to tell anyone? Or was Emily usually this panicky, wide-eyed, and stressed.
Natalie decided to leave too. There was no use staying, when her one and only friend had bailed.