Author's Note: this is my first fanfic that I am serious about completing, so please be nice and review, constructive criticism is welcomed, and I hope you get as interested in reading it as I was writing it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars.
As Aria closed her book, she rose from her bed and slid on a pair of sandals. She glanced out of her window and studied her hometown of Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Rosewood was one of those towns where everyone knew your name and whereas most people would think that's a good thing, when you have a secret, it's the worst thing that you could ever imagine. Aria brushed off the uneasy feeling and went downstairs to find her brother, Mike, asleep on the couch. She figured her dad, Byron was at work again, so she went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat down at the kitchen table. Feeling her phone buzz, Aria flipped open her phone.
"Mail Call, Aria dear. Go check what I gave you." -A
Aria decided to check with the other girls, and to no surprise they had gotten the same message. They all decided to meet up at Spencer's barn and open them together.
"What is this?" Hanna whispered as she entered the barn doors.
"I don't know, just come on so we can open them." Spencer replied.
In unison, each one of the girls opened the large envelopes with their names typed neatly on the front. The girls gasped. Each envelope had a torn piece of paper in their hands and when put together, made a photo of their beloved friend Alison. On the back there was a message.
"I am closer than you think." -A
In the bottom of each of the envelopes there was a brown powder.
"What is this?" Emily asked, dumping the contents of the bag out into her hands.
"This is dirt." Spencer answered.
Aria remembered throwing piles of dirt on Alison's casket at her funeral.
"Could this be from Ali's grave?" Aria asked, raising an eyebrow.
Tears filled Emily's eyes. "You guys, this is too much." she said sadly.
The girls sat around, trying to think of what to do next.
"I don't know what to do, I am running out of ideas." Hanna said as she paced the room.
The sound of leaves rustling sounded outside. Spencer got up and walked toward the door. She looked out to find a note stuck to the welcome mat that said
"Think you're brave? Visit the shed at 10." -A.
The girls got up and looked over Spencer's shoulder .
"Are we really going to do this?" Aria asked.
"We have to Aria! If we really want this to work, we all have to go." Spencer whispered.
"Fine, but let me tell you something, I'm not letting A get away this time." Aria replied.
At night, the girls headed out to go visit the shed. As they arrived, the girls looked around. They didn't see anything or anyone near their destination.
"I am so sick of this. None of this has helped us find out anything!" Hanna said.
"Hanna, stop!" Emily begged.
They went inside of the shed and sat on the floor. Spencer lit a candle and placed it on the ground. The doorknob rattled and the girls jumped to their feet, startled.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Spencer asked the girls.
The girls nodded and suddenly the door silenced. Slowly, the girls walked toward the door and opened it quickly. There was a small messenger bag at the door.
"Should we open it?" Hanna asked.
"I'll get it." Aria answered, reaching for the bag.
As she opened the bag, she saw a note and as she pulled it out, she could see the familiar lines of a crisp, red, A.
"Don't say I never helped you." -A.
Deciding to look through the contents at Spencer's barn, Aria grabbed the bag and they ran to the car.
"Spencer, just hurry up! We have to see what's in here!" Hanna said furiously.
"Okay, okay, I'm trying." Spencer answered.
Spencer sped up and tried to get out of there as fast as possible. When she got to the barn, she noticed Melissa's car in the driveway.
"We can't go through this with her in there." Aria whispered.
"Let's just go to the lake house." Hanna motioned towards the Hastings' house. "Can't you leave your mom a note?" she added.
Spencer tried to walk as calmly as she could so her sister, Melissa, wouldn't notice her. She returned with the key in her hand. She opened the door and climbed in and as soon as she sat down, she put the car in gear and drove for what seemed like hours until she finally arrived to the lake house with her friends.