Thunder roared outside Spencer's barn and the wind crashed into it, testing its strength against the firm wooden structure. Inside the music blared, blocking out the sounds of the storm as we sat around laughing and drinking. I took a sip from my drink, eyes nervously flicking upwards as the lights began to flicker. I opened my mouth to make a joke about the flickering lights, but the music and lights fail altogether before I could, and the joke died on my lips.
"Whoa what happened?" Emily questions, as Aria picks the flashlight from the floor.
"It must be the storm," Spencer reasoned, always the logical one of us.
The barn lets out a squeak, startling us, "Something's out there," Aria whispers, her eyes searching towards the door of the barn in fright. The barn door slowly swings open, creaking on its hinges.
"Guys," Hanna's says fearfully, as the we stand up grouping together as if to face the danger together. We take careful small steps, moving ever closer to the door. The sound of glass breaking causes a scream to escape from each of our lips. Aria clutches the flashlight tighter, as we continue to move forward.
Just as the light of the flashlight flickered against the door, a figure appeared, "Gotcha," Alison says, her words greeted with a scream.
Alison's laughed at the sight our terrified faces, "That's so not funny, Alison," Spencer snaps.
"I thought it was hilarious," Alison replied smiling as she passed us to make her way back to the seats. I watched, still a bit perturbed at her prank, I was never one for jokes like that
"Ali, did you download the new Beyoncé?" Hanna inquired, as she took her seat.
Alison sighs, "Not yet," she admitted.
"I'm loving her new video," Emily commented, smiling happily as she settled into her seat again.
"Maybe a little too much, Em," Alison responds, her eyes twinkling.
"I don't think it's possible to love a Beyoncé video too much," I commented, crossing my legs on the ground next to Alison's seat.
Alison laughs, picking up the orange glass and passed it to Aria, "Your turn, come on," she sing-songs. Aria looked at the liquid before beginning to drink, causing us to laugh.
"Careful Aria," Spencer warned teasingly, "Too much and you'll tell us all your secrets."
We all giggled at Spencer's words, but Alison just smiled looking at us, "Friends share secrets, that's what keeps us close." But I knew that none of us besides Ali knew every secret, that's what kept her power over us.
My eyes opened slowly, my body complaining at being forced to sleep on the floor with only a cushion for comfort. Stretching as I sat up, I carefully studied my surroundings, as my eyes found Aria, Emily and Hanna but no Spencer or Ali.
"Aria," I hissed quietly, placing my hand on the sleeping girl, my action having a domino effect as all three sleeping girls slowly wake one after another.
"Where's Ali and Spencer?" Hanna question tiredly.
I shook my head, "Don't know," I muttered frowning.
Aria stood up, moving towards the barn doors, "Ali," she called out, just as Spencer arrived before the barn door. I stand up, eyes glancing behind Spencer to see if Alison was there.
"She's gone," Spencer spoke in response to Aria's call.
"What do you mean she's gone?" Aria asked in confusion, as I came to stand beside her.
"I've looked everywhere for her…I think I heard her scream," Spencer told us.
One Year Later
"Emilia! Hurry breakfast is ready!" my mom yelled from the kitchen.
"I'm coming!" I looked at myself in the mirror for the last time making sure that no hair was out of place. Today was the first day of a new year at school, my being back in Rosewood and the one-year anniversary of Alison's disappearance.
Every time that I begin to think about it I feels like it was just yesterday when we all realized that she was missing. Not wanting to think about it anymore I decided to head down stairs before my mother lost it. Walking into the kitchen I saw my mom serving breakfast to my older brother Liam. Today was his first day of senior year.
"Good morning mom, Lee-lee." I playfully punched my brothers shoulder knowing that it really bugs him when I call him 'Lee-lee'.
"Shut up and eat, Mi-mi." He laughed as our little sister skipped down the steps, "Ah! The Fresh-meat." He cheered as she rolled her eyes and sat down.
"Irina, come on and eat your omelet and Emilia, you're driving Irina and to school." I smiled sweetly at my mom and began to eat my breakfast.
"I'm on night shift at the hospital, so behave yourselves." I caught the look she gave me, and I nodded. I looked at my phone and realized that we were going to be late to school if we didn't leave in the next ten minutes.
"Damn, come on Rin, we need to get to school." She grabbed her bag and we each placed a kiss on our mom's cheek as I grabbed my bag and car keys.
The ride to school consisted of Irina doing her make up and getting on my nerves by changing the channel a hundred times. Once I parked the car Irina ditched me, I let out a sigh of relief, I didn't care though because that was just Irina being… Irina.
I grabbed my bag and started to head to my first class, walking into the classroom I saw someone that I never thought I would see again, Aria Montgomery, back from Iceland. She was sitting next to Emily. It was weird to see the two of them talking to one another especially since we all lost touch, I sat down near the window wanting to save a seat for Spencer. Out of everyone Spencer was the only friend out of our group that I stayed close to. It mostly had to do with the fact that she helped me during the year I had taken off.
"Hey Mia," Spencer says, as she walks past me making her way to her seat.
"Spence," I reply, walking down the rows to take the seat behind Emily, "Aria," I greet quietly, as I settled into my seat.
Aria turned to look back at me giving a smile, "Hey Emilia," she replied, as Emily turns to face me too.
Our eyes turn from them as the new English teacher walks in, "I hear he's supposed to be hot," I commented to the two of them, feeling the need to make some sort of conversation.
"Same here," Emily agreed, as he begins to write his name across the black board. I lean down, reaching into my bag pulling out my notebook, in truth I couldn't care less what the new English teacher looked like.
"Holy crap," the teacher declared, and I glanced surprised at Aria who claimed all our teacher's attention. Aria looked up, an embarrassed look covering her face as she realized the eyes of the whole class are on her.
A chime from a phone rings out, and Aria grabs her bag, "Sorry," she muttered.
"Uh, I'm Mr. Fitz, your new English teacher."
"Hey, loser," I said happily, grabbing the headphones from the ears of a boy who was hunched over a table in the library.
"Emilia," he complained as I sat on the table in front of him.
"Derek." I retorted, a smile on my face at his annoyed expression.
"What's up?" He closed the book he was reading, looking up at me.
I leaned towards him, grinning, "Mom's working night shift, Liam's going to Kat's place…"
Derek gives me a smile, "Your baby sitting."
I gave a bitter laugh, "Irina's a big girl now, she can look after herself."
"Emilia, I can't." He said looking back at his book.
"Come on." I pleaded.
"I'm on lock down, mom found my stash." I cursed and stood and pulling my red top down just over the top of my black skinny jeans, "I love you." I said smiling
"I know. I love you too. Now, don't you have practice?" I gave a tight smile as I kissed him, but he never kissed back.
Aww poor Emilia, need a fix? – A
I looked up, my eyes searching over the room frantically. "Alison," I whispered, trying to catch a glimpse of the familiar golden hair.
ONE YEAR AGO
The street is dark as a blonde girl, stormed out of my house, slamming the door behind her, "Ali," I called frantically, opening the door and chasing after her. "Alison," I snap, grabbing her arm.
"Let go of me," Alison warns, her voice dark.
"You can't tell anyone," I beg her, pleading as a tear falls down my face.
"What is wrong with you?" Alison questions, her voice held no pity, "You need help!"
" You can't tell anyone," I said, my voice shaking with fear.
"Someone should. You should." Alison says softly, pulling me into a hug, "You have me, I'll help you, but you need to talk to someone." she whispers in my ear.
"Ali," I sobs, "I can't."
Alison takes a step back, "Then I don't know how we can stay friends."
I kicked the stone in front of me, pulling out my headphones as I spied the commotion going on a few feet ahead. Alison's house. I pushed my feet forward, eyes spying the cops and the body bag. It didn't make any sense, I was so sure Alison was back. I pulled my bag closer to me, spying Aria and Spencer. I all but ran over to them, feeling the need to be beside people who might understand the crushing emotions.
"I heard the cops took Hanna to the police station today," Aria told us as she stood beside me and Spencer.
"You don't think she'd ever talk about…" Spencer begins only for Hanna to walk up and finish the sentence.
"The Jenna thing? We made a promise," she assures them, and I let out a sigh of relief as I watched the gurney that held the body bag be loaded up. I wrapped my arms around myself, a tear coming down my cheek.
She's really gone. But that means someone else knows…
I took my boyfriend's hand as he stepped towards the church. "Thanks for coming," I tell him, unable to add that I couldn't bare it alone. Regardless of mine and Ali's differences as far as I was concerned Ali had been family. Sure, we fought, but what sisters didn't? And now she was gone, really gone, not missing. I caught sight of Emily and her mom and before I could stop myself I had run up and pulled Emily into a hug.
She wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly, "You okay?" Emily asks gently.
"No." I muttered, and she hugged me tighter, I turned around to see Spencer and her family approach, and once again I enveloped one of my best friends in a hug, giving Spencer a sad smile as we broke apart. Derek came up beside me as Spencer and Emily hugged and their families greeted each other.
"Let's head inside," I whispered to Derek, sidestepping the Fields and the Hastings. The church was packed, like I had known it would be and my eyes swept the pews looking for a place to seat.
"Emilia, Spencer, and Emily," I looked up to see Mrs. DiLaurentis coming over and as Spencer and Emily came to stand beside me. "Would you girls sit up the front together, Hanna's already there," Mrs. DiLaurentis asks them.
I looked at Spencer and Emily before nodding, "Sure of course,"
Mrs. DiLaurentis smiles, "It's what Ali would have wanted."
I turned to Derek who nodded towards the back row, "I'll be back here," he promised.
"Thanks," I whispered, before following Spencer and Aria towards the front. I stopped just before the front, her eyes travelling to the DiLaurentis family then to the closed casket before I took a seat next to the other girls, giving Hanna a smile as she sat beside her. It was hard to take her eyes off the coffin and the photo of Ali, so happy, it was all so wrong.
"Poor Ali," Emily said softly, staring at the picture in front of them.
"Can you believe what a scene this is?" Hanna questions a sad smile on her face.
I let a smile on my lips, "Its everything Alison would have wanted it to be," I admitted, my eyes drifting back to all the people flowing in.
"She would have loved it," Aria agrees.
"Popular in life and death," Spencer murmurs. Hanna looks across to Emily, the most affected by the events, and slips a flask out of her clutch, and passes it across Alessa and Spencer.
Emily glances down at it, "No thanks, I don't,"
"Today I think you do," Hanna argues, giving Emily a smile. Emily takes it as Aria's phone goes off, causing the four other girls to look at her. "Anyone we know?" Hanna questions as Aria opens her phone.
"No, it's just my mom sending me a text," Aria assures her before closing her phone and staring at the faces of the four other girls. "Emily and I aren't the only one who got messages from A are we?" she asks them.
Spencer turns back towards the door of the church, "Oh my God," she breathed, "its Jenna." With those words all us turn to look upon the blind girl, taking her seat in the church. I shifted uncomfortably before turning back to face the front.
"Did you see that Jenna Marshall was here?" Mrs. DiLaurentis asked the five of them as her and her husband took their seats, "I didn't realize she and Alison were friends."
"They weren't," Spencer quickly interjects.
I let out a breath as I straightened my black dress as I walked out my arm interlocked with Emily's. Hanna and Aria walked in front of us and Spencer was on the other side of Emily.
"Emilia," A voice stopped the five girls, "Emily, Spencer, Aria and Hanna," they're all greeted by a man in a black suit.
"Do we know you?" Spencer asks him confused.
"I'm Detective Wilden. I understand you were all good friends with the victim," He introduces himself.
"Yeah, we were," Aria confirms for them all.
"I'm going to need to talk to each one of you," He informs them, passing Spencer his card.
"We talked to the police when Alison went missing," Spencer tells him, warily taking the card from his hand.
"And I intend to go over every one of your statements. This is no longer a missing persons investigation. It's a murder. Rest assured, I will find out what happened that summer," He promises, but something about the way the words came out of his mouth, made it sound more like a threat. "Emilia," Wilden says turning his attention to the red hair, "is your family here?"
I started to play with my necklace nervously, "No my dad and mom is working, and my brother isn't feeling well, and Irina didn't want to come. Why?" I explained.
"Well tell your mom to call me when she gets off or your brother when he's feeling better," He ordered her.
"Sure," I muttered as Detective Wilden walks away.
"Do you know him?" Spencer questioned me.
I sighed, "Not really, but he's a cop and my dad's FBI…" I muttered, "You don't think he knows about?" I started as I spotted Jenna getting into a town car.
"No, how could he," Hanna quickly responds, as the girls form a circle. I glanced back, spying Wilden watching them as he stood leaning against a tree. My attention was drawn back to the others as all our phones went off. I pulled my phone out of my shoulder bag, unlocking it as all the breath left my lungs.
"Oh my god," Aria states.
"It's from," Hanna begins, looking down at her phone in disbelief.
"I got one too," Emily says.
"Me too," I breathed, my hand clutching around my phone till my knuckles were white.
"I'm still here bitches," Spencer begins to read.
"And I know everything – A,".