PROLOGUE

I thought it was just a game at first. A fun game to pass the time while our parents were out at the shops. He was supposed to be looking after us; after all, he was the big brother everyone trusted.
I was in the pool, with him "watching" from the deck. Now I know he was never really watching.

She jumped in after me, a big bomb dive. I squirmed out of the way, trying to avoid the cold water. I hated it when she did that. When she rose from the water, I ignored her evil grin. Nothing new there.

When she swam over to me, I thought it was so we could play a game. I never stopped thinking that, until the second I had been held under the water for too long. The second all the air left my lungs. When I started to drown.

I kicked her and tried helplessly to get above the water for just one breath. But she wouldn't let go. Her hand was firmly on my head, her free arm wrapped around my body, keeping me under. I managed to get my legs up on her stomach, and pushed with all my might. I heard her grunt from above the water, and her hold on me loosened for a fraction of a second.

In that time I managed to get my mouth out of the water, and I took a gargling breath. She hissed and pushed me under again. As I went down, I gurgled one word: her name.

I'm not sure when I passed out. All the air was gone, and I was breathing in water by accident. I stopped squirming just before I blacked out.

All I could see was black, when suddenly there was white at the end, lighting up where I was, revealing it to be a dark tunnel. I put one foot in front of the other, walking towards the light. I felt strangely calm. Not mad at all at her, for killing me.

I paused mid step. I could hear screaming. The light started darkening, finally disappearing all together. Fear started creeping up into me, taking over my whole body until I was shuddering.

Feeling began coming back, and I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach and knocked all the breath out of me.

I could feel my whole body now. I was convulsing, my back arching off the ground. Ground?

In one huge shudder, I took in a massive breath, and I felt the air travel down into me again. I collapsed on the ground and peeled my eyes open. The light was blinding, and I immediately started crying. My Mum was bent over me, with eyes that couldn't decide whether to be angry, worried or terrified.

"Mum," I whispered, and then a second figure came into view. "Dad," I sighed.
"Darling, darling can you hear us? Are you okay?" Mum gushed, wiping wet hair away that was sticking to my forehead.
"Yes," I coughed, and turned my head to the side, vomiting up the water I had inhaled.
"Why weren't you watching?" Dad hissed at someone out of my view. I assumed it was Jason, the trusted big brother.

"I was!" He insisted, "I just went inside to get a drink!"
"Oh, whatever. It's too late now." Mum shifted her eyes so she was looking over me. She spoke menacingly. "You will pay for this. You will never hurt Ali again, understand? Go inside. Now, Courtney."

It wasn't rocket science. Courtney tried to kill me, so she could claim the corpse was actually her and she could be Ali. Even as a third grader, I knew that when I regained consciousness.

But Courtney had been caught, and everyone knew what she was trying to do. So she tried a different tactic. 'I'm Ali! I'm Ali! Really, I am!'

So she made a reputation. As Courtney, the girl who wanted to be Ali, and always insisted she was. Then she stole my A-is-for-Ali ring when I was out with my ex-BFF's, Naomi and Riley. When I got home, she went outside and spoke to those losers, what are their names, again? Oh, that's right. The fat girl, Hanna. The goth girl, Aria. The boyfriend stealer, Spencer. And the lesbian, Emily.

Girls she knew I would never even speak to. I was the kind of girl who was popular, everyone loved, and I teased everyone. People knew, but they didn't do anything to stop me, because I was Me. Alison DiLaurentis.

So she became buddy-buddy with the Pretty Little Liars, and Jason, Mum and Dad all thought I was Courtney. So here came the reputation.

"But I'm Ali!" I pleaded, but they didn't buy it: this was Courtney's charade. So they sent me off to a hospital to get better. To stop being crazy.

Meanwhile, Courtney was being me, Ali, and ruining my life. She was stealing gross boyfriends, like Ian. She was getting secrets out of the Pretty Little Liars, and sharing them in return. She was – gag – bonding.

Me-as-Courtney came home for the weekend, and here's where it get's confusing. Courtney was in my room reading my diary, when the P.L.L came over. Mum has a spaz when she saw that it was Courtney; not sure how she knew it was Courtney then but not before. So she sent the P.L.L down to the porch to wait for Ali.

I took the opportunity to get some information. I went down and acted like we were all BFF's. So I got the info for the sleep over. I knew I could get revenge at Courtney then.

So at the sleepover, I took my Polaroid camera and snapped some pics of the P.L.L being idiots and trusting Courtney-as-Ali to hypnotize them.

But then Courtney ruined everything and had a stupid fight with the boyfriend-stealer, Spencer. They came outside, and I had to hide in the shrub. The funny thing was, I think Courtney knew I was out there. I think she knew something bad was coming. I could see it in her face when Spencer opened the blinds; fear. As clear as crystal.

But that didn't stop her from being arrogant and leaving when Spencer told her to leave.

I knew where she was going: she was going to meet Ian at the kissing rock. She was so preoccupied she didn't feel my rage. My need for revenge.

Then Spencer was a dimwit and followed Courtney. They started fighting about Ian. About how Spencer has kissed him and how it didn't even matter to Ian. Whatever. I just needed Spencer to piss off.

I had scooped up the photo's and put them in my pocket. But what happened next was an accident. The camera went off, making a loud whirring sound, the flash lighting up the porch. The P.L.L glanced at each other as they met on the deck. Where was poor Ali and Spencer?

I glanced at the photo that had fallen on the ground. It was no good: you could see my reflection in the window from the flash. I put it in an envelope along with another one and tucked them away. Then I slipped away and into the bush, so I was right behind a fuming Courtney.

Spencer stalked away, and I made my move. I grabbed Courtney, only just managing to cover her mouth after a loud shriek. The P.L.L would be too scared to do anything; they wouldn't come even if they heard the shriek.

I started pulling Courtney away, but I slipped on the wet grass. We both went tumbling to the ground, and I heard a horrible crack from Courtney, and I gasped. But then I felt a grim grin creeping up on my face. She was hurt. Just like I had been since that day at the pool.

I heard the lesbian, Emily's voice from the porch. "I think I want to go home." They were spineless losers, not willing to try and even save their "BFF" from being murdered.

Courtney was unconscious, but it wasn't enough. She needed to suffer. I stood up and dragged Courtney through the bush, being sure to graze her on rocks and prickly bushes. She deserved this.

When I reached the well I grinned. I lifted Courtney up to the side and looked her in the eye as she came to. Her eyes were wide as she realized what was happening.
"A-A-Ali!" She whimpered, and I hissed.
"You ruined everything. You tried to kill me. You took over my life. I'm done with you, Courtney." And with that, I smashed her head against the brick wall next to us. My hands were covered with the blood pouring out from Courtney's head, and her eyes stayed wide. She didn't blink again.

I let go of her body, and she fell limply down the well, the colour already draining from her face.

There was a thump as her corpse hit the bottom.