Hey guys! I hope you enjoy this new story- I was working on This Is Our Chance when the idea popped into my head. I'll hopefully update TIOC in the next couple days, I've mostly been working on this. Please read and review, I'd love to know what you think of what I have so far! Although he isn't introduced in this chapter, this is an Ezria story and Ezra will start popping up very soon. Enjoy!

Kirleigh

Have you ever been in love? Have you ever cared so deeply for someone that without even thinking about it, you'd give your entire life for them? Have you ever thought about one person every moment of every day, and known that if they were ever to be gone, so would your soul? Have you ever walked into a room in which your true love stood and immediately felt like you'd been blessed with the light of the sun and the beauty of the moon?

If you have, you're either very lucky or cursed. Very few know that feeling; very few go through life burdened and blessed by the knowledge that they are truly in love, and that their partner loves them with the same amount of tenderness and passion. Very few are aware from the moment they meet that one person that they will spend the rest of their lives together.

On one hand, you're a very lucky person- most people never feel that bliss, and go through life imagining that there's no such thing as fate or love at first sight. But maybe there is, and maybe some people really do truly fall in love. How else do you explain a story of two people who come from very different situations, live very different lives, and are each keeping unimaginable secrets?

When there are two such people, they don't always acknowledge it immediately. This is the story of two whose destinies are so tangled and intertwined it's hard to tell where each one begins and ends.

But, of course, no story can start with the lovers. When one does, no one really understands or realizes the bond and connection between those people. So instead we'll start at the beginning- well, the beginning of this chapter. To start at the very beginning would take much longer, and you'll hear all about it eventually anyway. Shall we begin?

Aria

"Hey, Ar! Will you lock up for me? I have a yoga class in, like, three minutes," Jo-Jo called from the front of the building, her arms full with exercise mats. 19-year-old Aria Montgomery tucked a wild strand of dark wavy hair behind her ear and looked up from her work to where her friend and coworker stood.

"Sure, I'm leaving in a bit anyway. Have fun. See you Monday, Jo." The tall red-haired girl lifted a hand in farewell before walking out into the cold winter evening. It was almost eight thirty at night; Aria's friends would be wondering where she was.

She sighed and looked back down at her piece. It was a lump of wet clay, which after hours of teasing and molding, was beginning to resemble a bent, twisted willow tree- finally. Aria had spent an hour alone earlier today rolling out and shaping dozens of thin, detailed branches. Now she was attaching them carefully to the trunk, which was proving to be the most difficult part.

She was trying to make it look realistic, but she also had to curve and twist the branches against the tree base in such a way that they wouldn't fall off, tilt the tree, or crack when they were fired in the kiln. So far, she was pretty proud of her work; she'd made more difficult or nicer things, but none had come out looking quite as… professional as this.

Aria was a sophomore at Marist College here in Poughkeepsie, NY. She was majoring in English Education, and her minors were Photography and Creative Writing. She worked here at the local pottery studio four days a week; the owner was a kindly middle-aged woman named Sophie, who let her stay afterhours to work on her own pieces and either keep them or sell them for partial profit at the shop.

She'd grown up in a small, dull town called Rosewood, and although she'd traveled to other countries, Aria had always loved New York and had dreamed for years of moving here after graduating high school. Living here was literally a dream come true; the city of Poughkeepsie was artsy, interesting and beautiful, and living here perfectly fit Aria's personality.

Her best friends- Hanna, Spencer, and Emily- all went to Marist as well. She'd known Spencer since elementary school, which was when they'd become best friends, and they'd been thrilled to learn that not only had they both gotten into the same college in an amazing city- they could be roommates, too. Spencer was studying Political Science, at which Aria was not surprised- nearly as long as she'd known Spence, she had been brilliant, competitive, preppy, and the founder/leader of several clubs.

Hanna, a friendly, smart blonde bombshell, was majoring in Fashion Design, and her roommate Emily (who was the most generous and brave person Aria had ever met, as well as a record-breaking swimmer) was studying athletic training. Best of all, their dorm was right down the hall from Aria and Spencer's. All four of them had connected instantly freshman year; even though they didn't have a great deal in common, each of them immensely enjoyed the others' personalities and friendship.

Tonight she was supposed to go over to Hanna and Em's for a long Saturday night of chick flicks and popcorn; she was looking forward immensely to relaxing after a long week. Pursing her lips at the work in front of her for a moment, Aria came to a decision and grabbed the plastic-cling wrap, encasing her unfinished tree in it to ensure it wouldn't dry out.

Then she did the same to her individual branches, wrapping each one up tightly and carefully, then storing it all on a shelf. She picked up her jacket, pulling it on and tugging it tightly around her in preparation for the cold outside weather; then grabbed her bag and headed out the door, locking it behind her.

Then she stood for a moment in awe; it was snowing. The first snow of the winter- although being days away from Winter Break, they'd had ad oddly warm season. Now, however, it was far from warm. Aria had heard it was supposed to drop down below freezing this evening, and considering it was evening, she supposed that this was what they'd meant.

It was beautiful, though- the snow. Huge fluffy white flakes were drifting down, highlighted by the lightbulb in the pottery studio's overhang. It created a stunning effect in the dark winter night, like tiny white feathers floating down on a deep black background. Aria couldn't resist herself; she dug into her bag for her old Polaroid camera.

She loved this camera; her boyfriend of almost two years, Noel, had gotten it for her last birthday. Noel attended Vassar College nearby, and had moved here from Rosewood with Aria and Spence. He had moved there in the middle of junior year, and he and Aria had bonded instantly over their shared love of music and the arts.

After graduating from Rosewood High, they'd both confessed a year of crushes on each other, and went on their first date the next date. Aria remembered feeling like the main character in a coming-of-age teen movie; she was going to a great college, she'd gotten the perfect boyfriend. Looking back on it now, she couldn't believe that was less than two years ago. At the time, it had felt like the beginning of a great new adventure- now she was on that adventure and it was a lot slower than she'd imagined.

Aria really did love college, it was just that nothing seemed the same anymore- even Noel. He was studying Music Theory at Vassar, and in high school she remembered how passionate and excited he'd been to have been accepted into their program. She had loved how driven he was.

Now, he focused far less on studying and more on partying with his increasingly raucous friends. She had tried to talk to him about it and ask how school was going, but he got annoyed and accused her of micromanaging him. They'd later made up, but Aria still wondered. Maybe she was being a little pushy, but she wanted to help him with whatever this thing was that bothered him.

Aria shivered, pulling herself out of her thoughts, and raised the vintage Polaroid. She focused in on one big, silver snowflake falling ever so slowly from the sky right in front of her, letting her numb fingers and stress melt away into the simple pleasure she found in photography.

Nearly half an hour later, Aria was in her car, pulling up at Marion Hall- the campus house she and her friends lived in. She hurried in out of the frigid winter night, taking the stairs two at a time as she shivered violently.

She'd barely knocked on Hanna and Em's door when it swung open, revealing a beaming Emily. "Ar, you're here, come on in. How was work? Is it still snowing out there?" Aria stepped into the dorm, noticing Hanna sitting on the bed, bouncing slightly; and Spencer perched on the end on the bed, flicking through movies.

"Still snowing? I left work about a half hour ago and took some pictures, but I didn't realize it had been snowing for a while," Aria laughed, shrugging off her jacket and sitting next to Hanna on the bed. "Well, it has," Em giggled, coming over to sit down herself as they watched Spencer go through dozens of movies that she barely glanced at.

"Oh, slow down, Spence! We can't even see the summaries," Hanna grinned. "Hey, it's my turn to pick," the tall, brown-haired girl replied, turning around to grin at them. "And I didn't complain when Aria picked out that indie mystery film last time."

Aria laughed. "Oh, come on. By the end, you were all totally into it. I saw the look on your guys' faces when the murderer turned out to be Damian." Meanwhile, Hanna shuddered, grinning. "It was so creepy! The way he tricked the main girl, Anna or whatever, into going to the party with him, and then he almost stabbed her, but Jackson showed up just in time-"

"Okay, okay, Han. We don't need a recap of the whole movie," Spencer laughed. "And okay, it was pretty good. But the point is that now it's my turn… I'm thinking I'm in the mood for a horror." Emily rolled her eyes, smiling. "What is it with you guys and murder mysteries? Hanna and I would be perfectly content to spend the night watching rom-coms."

"And while I have nothing against rom-coms," Aria smirked, "I also enjoy some terror thrill every once in a while. Speaking of a while, when was the last time we watched a good old film?" Hanna laughed at that. "Okay, let's get back on track. See any keepers, Spence?"

Several hours later, it was nearing two in the morning and all four girls were finally fast asleep. Hanna and Aria had claimed the bed; Spencer had brought back pillows and blankets from her dorm, and her and Em had created a pretty cozy little bed area on the carpet.

None of them woke- none of them even stirred- when the door swung silently open. Not one of the four sleeping beauties, in their deep slumbers, heard the heavy footsteps or quiet closing of the door. And when the tall stranger finally left, there was no proof they'd ever been there. The girls slept on peacefully, completely unaware of what they were about to face.

For Winter Break, Aria was driving back down to see her family. Spencer was coming with her, and Noel was still a mystery (she'd been meaning to ask, but she rarely saw him at all anymore). Hanna's dad was spending the holidays entirely with his new family, and her mother was with her fiancé's family; Em's father was stationed in Texas, and her mom was visiting him; so Spence and Aria had encouraged the two girls to come with them.

With plans to leave early the next morning, Aria ended her shift at the pottery studio a bit early as to pack. She finished the clay willow tree today; she was pleased with the result, and she wasn't the only one. After firing it in the kiln and painting it with a thin dark glaze, Sophie suggested she put it up in the front window. And all day people had been asking about it, which made her smile brighter every time.

She politely told them it was just a temporary showing piece; she'd been thinking she wanted to give it to Noel. The tension between them had been so palpable and thick lately, Aria suspected she could have cut it with one of her mother's kitchen knives. She was looking forward to seeing Noel again and giving him her work, as a sort of gesture.

Since being called a micromanager by him, Aria had to admit she'd become a little unsure; she'd refrained from being the one to call him, and tried not to act too eager to spend time with him. In the past, if a boyfriend had made her feel so insecure, she would've stepped up for herself; she would've put a stop to it.

But she cared so much for Noel- he'd been her best guy friend even before they began dating- and she couldn't help but feel it would be selfish of her to make a big deal out of this. So maybe she had been being too pushy, maybe it was her fault. He had already apologized, anyway; he'd think her even more annoying if she brought it up now.

So he'd been calling less and less- maybe he was studying more. So he always seemed distant these days- maybe he just had other things on his mind. The truth was, Aria had never opened up to anyone like she had to Noel. In the beginning, they'd had this real connection, and although she wasn't deluded into thinking they'd spend their whole lives together, she was dreading the end.

But she guessed he'd come back to Rosewood for Christmas- he had no reason not to, and he'd always visited for holidays before (although they did usually drive down together). She'd talk to him then, give him her Christmas gift, and hopefully, things would go back to the way they were.

Now she was in her dorm with Spencer, and the two of them were finishing packing for the visit. Aria hadn't told any of the girls about her boy troubles; she hardly liked to admit them to herself, much less another human. She sighed as she folded her lavender draped-neck tank and placed in her suitcase. Spencer glanced over from the other side of the room with a raised eyebrow; a silent questioning of Aria's wellbeing.

Aria shrugged and gave a half-hearted smile, knowing her good friend would understand. Out of the other three girls, she was the only one who knew a little about what was going on between Aria and Noel- she was Aria's roommate, she couldn't hide everything from her.

Besides, Spencer was the kind of person who put two and two together even when there weren't any numbers there. She'd heard Aria's distant tone when she spoke to her boyfriend on the phone (even when Aria was careful with her words) and she'd noted how sporadic Noel's visits were becoming. She'd figured out something was up, but was giving Aria space until she was ready to talk about it.

Aria finished packing quickly and was just curling up on her bed with The Great Gatsby when there was a knock on the door. Spencer glanced at her, then went to open the door. Outside stood Hanna, practically bouncing on her toes. "Hey, how warm is it in Rosewood?"

Spencer chuckled. "You mean, how cold? I know you're a California girl, Han, but after living in New York this long, you really shouldn't expect it to be in the eighties in the middle of winter." Hanna sighed, crossing her arms. "Fine, how cold, then?"

"In Rosewood now? Probably low or mid-twenties," Aria shrugged, looking over her book. "Hey, have you talked to Caleb?" Hanna brightened and beamed at the mention of her loving boyfriend. "He was thinking he'd fly here next weekend, so we can spend a week or so together before school starts again. We'll be back from Rosewood by then, right?"

Spence shrugged. "Yeah, sure. We'll get there about noon on Monday, and Christmas Day is Wednesday, so we could leave Friday or Saturday and you'd be back in time to be with him." Hanna and Caleb had been dating a little over three years, and she was always excited to see him.

Caleb actually used to be a foster child, until he moved to Hanna's hometown and she helped him find out that his birth mother lived quite nearby. It turned out his mom was incredibly rich, and had regretted giving him up for years.

He and Hanna began dating soon afterward, and although they had a very long distance relationship, their obvious infatuation with one another (and Caleb's ability to fly out here every other weekend) made their bond stronger than most Aria had ever seen.

She had to admit she envied them a little; no matter how far apart they were, they always seemed so close- whereas Noel went to college in the same city and she'd never felt more distanced from him. Determined to stop thinking about her relationship less negatively, Aria put on a smile and looked back up at Hanna.

"Did Caleb tell you how much he missed you, and loves you?" Aria asked her blonde friend in a teasing voice, making Hanna smile, blushing, and Spencer roll her eyes but grin. "As a matter of fact, maybe he did," Han laughed, perching on Aria's bed. "God, I can't wait to see him," she exhaled, then turned to Spencer with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"And how's Mr. Tall, Dark and Handsome doing?" she smirked, referring to Spencer's new boyfriend Toby. They'd met only a month ago, but anyone who saw them together couldn't miss the undeniable chemistry.

They were constantly trading cute, teasing remarks, or cuddling, and Spence's energy level was about a hundred times higher with him- Aria teased Spencer by saying if she was with him every day, she'd never need a daily gallon of coffee again.

Spencer smiled dreamily. "He's great. I mean, he's leaving to visit his family in upstate New York tomorrow, but tonight we're having dinner together. Actually, I have to leave in about ten minutes…" Aria smirked. "Well, don't stay out too long, if you know what I mean. We need to get an early start tomorrow." Spencer threw a sweater at Aria as all three girls laughed.

"Hey, where's Em?" Spence asked Hanna, deftly switching the conversation off of Toby and herself. "Oh, she's out with Maya. She should be back soon, though. I think she said something about a picnic…" Aria practically swooned (she was a hopeless romantic, although otherwise one of the most sensible in their group).

"Ugh, how romantic are they? It's adorable, and also driving me crazy," Aria laughed, setting down her book as all chances of focusing on it disappeared. "I know, right?" Hanna squealed. "She's always going off to have lunch with her, or dinner, or breakfast- I only buy snacks for myself anymore, Maya makes sure Em is so well fed."

They all laughed again, thinking of their own romantic interests. "Anyway, how's Noel?" Hanna asked, completely oblivious to the tension between Aria and her boyfriend. Aria only shrugged, not wanting to talk about him. "He's fine, I guess. Busy."

"He's coming down to Rosewood with us, isn't he?" Han continued, ignoring or not recognizing the warning glances Spencer was throwing her way. "I barely see him anymore! You guys are still going strong, aren't you?"

Aria swallowed. "Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. I'm sure we'll see him down there." Hanna seemed a little suspicious at her forced tone, but Spencer stepped in. "Aren't you looking forward to seeing your parents, Aria? And Mike! He's a senior now, isn't he?"

Aria smiled at her tall, preppy friend, grateful for the change in topic. "Yeah, he is. He actually got an early acceptance to the University of Pennsylvania, which he's really excited about. And my parents are still all proud and teary about us. I am excited to see everyone back home."

Hanna grinned. "When we visited you guys in the summer, all your parents were so nice! Like, my mom was always pretty chill and everything, but I've never met parents so eager to be considered cool before, Aria," she giggled. "No offence or anything."

Aria laughed. "Trust me, none taken. When I was younger, I thought they were so embarrassing… they always wanted me to call them Ella and Byron instead of Mom and Dad. I never did, though, until graduating Rosewood High. That was the only time I felt comfortable with the idea of other people hearing us talk and not thinking I was their daughter."

Laughing, Hanna looked at Spencer. "And your parents, Spence- I mean, wow. Your mom was so sweet, and your house was absolutely beautiful." Aria smiled, dozens of happy memories flooding back. "Oh my god, Spence, remember all our sleepovers? We always stayed at your place because it was so much bigger, and your parents were almost always out. Whereas at my house, my parents always wanted to hang out with us and make us snacks…"

Spencer chuckled. "Oh, come on. I know you were embarrassed, but all our friends loved your parents. They were so chill in other peoples' eyes," she laughed, her tone reminiscent. Aria rolled her eyes, grinning. "Chill? What are we, teenage boys?"

Spence narrowed her eyes, trying not to smile. "You know what? I think I have a dinner date to leave for. I'll see you guys later." Aria and Hanna continued to giggle and wave teasingly as Spence grabbed her coat and bag and headed out.

Aria talked with her blonde friend for a little longer, chatting about midterms and course changes, until Hanna jokingly mentioned she needed her beauty and they said goodnight. Aria went back to her book, but couldn't concentrate; eventually, she drifted off to a quiet, peaceful sleep, The Great Gatsby still laying on her chest where it had fallen from her hold.

It was nine o'clock the next morning, and the girls had left Marist College three hours ago. They were planning to arrive in Rosewood by noon- and Aria still hadn't heard from Noel. She was reluctant to call him, but eager to see him; so she decided she'd wait until the next day (which was Christmas Eve) and if he wasn't down by then, she would call.

The last time they'd spoken had been almost a week ago, when he'd told her he would call her back later. He'd talked about some party he was going to (making no mention that she was welcome to join him) and said he had to go. She'd awaited his call for days, until giving up and accepting that he'd forgotten.

She barely felt like his girlfriend anymore; they rarely spent time together, or even spoke, and over the phone he was always so distant. They'd gone out to a movie the weekend before last, and although he'd kissed her sweetly and made Aria laugh, he still didn't feel like the person she'd fallen for.

She still wanted to make things work so badly. She wanted things to be the way they used to be; she wanted to spend hours taking a walk with him and talking about school, playing the music he'd written with him, or watching a movie together and loving the feeling of being in his arms.

But she had to admit that every time she saw him, no matter how close they stood, the distance between them was greater. But when she tried to talk about them- or anything of the sort- he changed. First he would become soothing and sweet, holding her hand and kissing her tenderly, and looking into her hazel eyes with those blue ones that made her heart melt.

And if Aria stayed strong and asked him questions- have your feelings changed? Why are you so busy these days?- he would get annoyed and tell her to drop it; that nothing had changed, and she was making a big deal out of nothing. But she knew that wasn't true- that there was an insurmountable barrier forming between them- she just couldn't find the strength to tell him how she really felt.

Soon it was nearly noon, and they were only minutes away from the tiny town. Spencer was beaming brightly- an unusually cheerful gesture for her- and practically bouncing in the driver's seat. Aria sat shotgun, holding the map they no longer needed. The area they were in now was practically home- growing up, Spence and Aria had had plenty of friends in neighboring towns.

When they passed the well-worn sign- Welcome to Rosewood! Pop. 7896- Spencer's smile stretched from ear to ear, and Aria let out a little sigh of nostalgia. Em and Hanna clearly found their wistfulness amusing; and without homesickness causing them to point at and sigh over every little road mark, they passed the time with various car games.

"Oh! There was an X on that license plate!" Hanna pumped her fist. "I'm so close to winning! Drive slower, Spence! I've never won the Alphabet Game on a road trip before." Em rolled her eyes, smiling. "What she means is hurry up and get us there before she can find a Y. And I could still win! I'm on X."

Hanna smirked, already in winning mode. "No chance. We're like a minute from Aria's house, and even if I don't get a Z, I automatically win 'cause I'm ahead." "By one letter," Emily reminded her, exasperated. "Wait, wait! We just passed one of those Child X-ing signs, we're tied again." The sporty beauty beamed, pleased with her luck.

Aria nudged Spencer, grinning, as they passed the Rosewood Bakery, but the two girls in the back were too busy arguing over whether the car they'd just passed had had a Y on the license plate to notice the potential lead. Less than a minute later, they were pulling into Aria's driveway, and there was no declared winner.

As soon as Spencer had parked, Aria was throwing open the car door and running up the front steps of her old home. She wasn't an overbearingly sentimental person, nor was she typically homesick; but as much as she joked about her parents and family, she cared greatly for them. And she hadn't been able to spend Thanksgiving with them this year due to their traveling and her school work, so this was her first time seeing them since the school year had started.

Within moments the door was opening, and Ella was squeezing her daughter tightly in her arms. Cheerful greetings and more hugs were exchanged as Byron and Mike hurried down the stairs, and the rest of the girls filed in after Aria. Spencer was practically a second daughter to Aria's parents, and Hanna and Emily had been quickly welcomed into the family when they visited extensively over the summer.

As Ella made everyone creamy, rich hot chocolate, Aria explained to her family that they were just stopping by for a visit. They would soon be heading on to Spencer's house (her mother had generously offered for them to use the loft next to the main house during their stay) and, as every year, the two families would have a joint Christmas dinner at the Hastings' household on Wednesday.

It finally felt like the holidays for Aria. She felt bad for Hanna and Emily, who wouldn't get to see their families over break; but then again, they'd visited with relatives for Thanksgiving, and they didn't seem homesick or nostalgic in the least. Hanna was the type of person who managed to make the very best of any situation, and Em was a five-star guest who could have fun anywhere as long as she was with good friends.

As they sat around the Montgomerys' living room, sipping the delicious hot cocoa, Aria and her friends told her family about the school year so far, and Mike talked about the sports he was doing and getting accepted to the University of Pennsylvania. Aria felt so peaceful here; surrounded by friends and family, how could she stress about Noel or midterms?

An hour and a half flew by, and soon the girls were packing back up into the car. Aria kissed her parents goodbye, promising to come back for dinner, and then they were off again. It was only a few minutes to Spence's- Aria could've driven it with her eyes closed- and as soon as they arrived, Mrs. Hastings was out in front, hugging each girl hello and then carefully directing their unpacking.

Aria and Spence had spent whole summers in the loft before; like the rest of the tiny town of Rosewood, it held thousands of precious memories for both of them. Even Hanna and Emily were happy to see the beautifully built mini-home again- it was where they'd all stayed during summer visits. Once all the girls were settled into the loft, it was already nearing four.

So they decided to take a walk through Rosewood, stopping by the Brew and the Grille (the most popular café/restaurants in town) and enjoying every minute of the beautiful winter wonderland. When snow began falling a little before six, they made their way back to the Hastings', continuing to enjoy the picture-perfect scenes around them.

Aria left a little early for her parents' house (she invited the others, but they all politely declined, knowing she wanted some family time) and reached her childhood home with time to chat with her brother about college before her mother served a tofu-veggie casserole. The dinner conversation was filled with reminiscent remarks and laughter; it wasn't until now that Aria realized how much she'd missed home.

Ella asked about Noel, who she considered the perfect boy for her 'little girl,' and Aria vaguely dodged the questions until her mother gave up and moved onto the topic of her teaching job. She'd started out subbing at Rosewood High when Aria still went there, but now she was teaching fulltime English. Aria's father also taught English- on a college level- and although they'd never pressured her in any way to follow their example, Aria had always found it slightly ironic that her dream was to teach English as well.

Later that night, Aria drove to Spencer's still full from her mother's homemade soy-fudge ice cream (none of her family members were vegan like her, but they happily indulged in non-dairy and non-meat foods when she visited- her mother could make anything taste delicious).

She arrived to find the other girls just finishing their own dinner, and all four said goodnight to Spencer's parents before migrating to the barn. There was a single bedroom, with plenty of air mattresses and pull-out cots. Spencer turned on the TV as they all settled into comfortable positions; moments later, Hanna was jumping up and swiping the remote from Spencer before hurrying back to her spot on a blow-up mattress.

"It's my turn to pick," she explained with a laugh, clicking straight to the romantic-comedy section on Netflix. Spencer rolled her eyes, but smiled affectionately as the other girls giggled. They then settled down as Han started Mean Girls (Aria had been introduced to this movie by Hanna, and since then seen it hundreds of times with her).

A couple movies later, it was almost midnight, and all the girls were tired from the long drive. Spencer turned out the light, and there were several moments of rustling blankets and sleepy goodnight murmurs before a long silence. No more than five minutes had passed, however, before Aria's phone began to beep, signaling she'd received a text.

She was going to ignore it, since she didn't know anyone who'd be trying to reach her this late (she glanced at the clock and saw it was exactly midnight- officially Christmas Eve). Then she registered several other beeps and rings around the room- each girl had just received a text.

Spencer turned the light back on, thinking it might be an emergency, and each of them sat up sleepily, reaching for their phones in unison. What they each saw on their screen chilled their blood and woke them up entirely.

Small towns keep big secrets, and pretty girls tell ugly lies. Scared of someone finding out what each of you has kept under the sheets for so long? You should be. But the real question is, how long can I keep your secrets? Merry Christmas Eve, little liars. Sleep tight, someone's watching you.

-A