Hello! This is my first story on my new account and I'm very excited! My other one was trash, so here I am, getting a fresh start. So, like me, I'm sure a lot of us were disappointed with season 6B. In this story, 6B. There was no Spaleb, no unnecessary breakups, Cece/Charlotte is still alive and at the hospital. There is a few changes that you will learn about later in the story, but don't worry. It will all come together soon enough.

This chapter is a prologue, which is why it's in italics. Again, it'll all make sense soon enough. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own Taylor, Alexis, Nicolette, and Arleigh. Nothing else is mine. I'm not that creative.

3 Months Ago…..

Taylor smiled to herself, taking a sip of her raspberry smoothie. The hot, Pennsylvania sun was baking her exposed body. It was June, and the newly graduated middle schoolers (now freshman, mind you), were lounging by the Cavanaugh's pool, trying to show off their new curves and boobs in their bikinis.

Alexis was laying on her stomach, her Gucci sunglasses dangling off her nose, her face buried in a trashy romance novel. Arleigh was sitting on the concrete with her freshly painted toenails in the air, eating chips and guacamole and Nicolette was, of course, showing off her swimming skills in the pool. Taylor had set up camp on one of the pool chairs, with her drink and a stack of fashion magazines, her blonde hair piled on her head in a messy bun, smelling like sunscreen. Music was playing loudly through Lexi's speaker. The moms had set out summer food, watermelon, tortellini salad, chicken kabobs, and had decked the pool area out with tiki torches and pool floaties. It truly felt like summer.

"Guys, get in the pool!" Nic called, whipping her back, making water spray everywhere. Arleigh scowled from her spot, as water flew on to her.

"My nails are wet." She pouted, kicking her feet in the air. Her hibiscus colored toenails gleamed in the sunshine. Arleigh was the definition of adorable. She had a heart shaped face and petite, curvy body, with porcelain skin. She had some dark freckles that were scattered over her nose, and black waves of silky hair. A red, polka dotted, fifties inspired bikini was her style that day.

"Well, I'll go in if Taylor goes in," Lexi said. She set her book down and stood up. She was gorgeous, tall and thin, with olive skin, and dark brown, loose curls. Her new swimsuit was the color of peony's, and showed off her dancer's body perfectly.

"I'm good tanning on the chair," Taylor said from her perch.

"Don't be lame, Tay," Nic said, pulling herself from the pool. Nic was totally toned, with a six-pack and strong biceps, from all the swimming she did. She was the only fourteen-year-old girl who could bench one fifty. She had frizzy, dirty blonde curls, and big green eyes. There was no denying that she looked like her mom, Karlee, who had given birth to her. Unlike her friends, who had cute, designer bathing suits, she was dressed in a two piece, black racer. It was the only bikini she owned.

"I'm loving the sun." She dipped her head back, letting the warmth bathe her body. Taylor, with her long, blonde, waves of hair and sweet brown eyes, she was a real beauty. Her bikini was white, which popped against her tanned skin, and she sported oversized, pink sunglasses making her look cute and fashionable.

"Me too," Arleigh sighed, dropping her legs onto her towel, "It's finally summer. I'm so glad this year is done." The girls nodded in agreement, and Taylor bit her lip.

The previous year had been long and trying, especially for Taylor. In mid-October, her mother had been driving down the highway, on her way to a special bakery in Jersey to get Taylor her favorite cupcakes for her birthday, when a drunk driver smashed into her car, killing her on the spot. She was only thirty-seven.

It had destroyed Taylor. Her mom was her best friend, her confidant, her everything. Hanna gave her daughter the best advice and always went out of her way to make her happy, like driving to a different state to get her chocolate peanut butter cupcakes. For the rest of October until the middle of December, Taylor could barely get out of bed. Things like brushing her teeth and doing her homework became incredibly hard and seemed pointless. She didn't want to live and thrive in a world her mother wasn't in.

To make things worse, her father had completely shut down. He stopped going to work, he stopped cooking and cleaning, and eventually, he stopped leaving the house all together. When it started to get really bad, her Nana, her mother's mom, moved in with them and tried to pick up the pieces, but there was just too many of them. The Rivers family was shattered.

Eventually, though, things got easier. After a painful intervention with her friend's moms, who were devastated by the loss of their best friend, her dad began to rebuild their lives. He started going to work again and insisted that he, Taylor, and Ashley would eat dinner together every night, like they did when Hanna was alive. Seeing her father be strong made Taylor feel strong as well and when she needed a mom, she would cling to one of her Aunts, most often Spencer. Taylor missed her mom like hell, every day, but she knew her mom would want her to be happy and move on. So, that's what she was doing.

"This summer is going to be amazing!" Lexi declared. She sat on the edge of the pool, her feet moving the water around. "Mom said that her friend has a house in Maui that she'd let our families borrow. They have a boat house that the four of would stay in so we'd have our own place. Well, okay, Julia would stay with us too, but knowing my sister, she'll be out with the randoms she met every night."

"Really?" Arleigh squealed, her cute nose scrunching with excitement, "Maui? That sure beats the literature road trip my parents planned." Arleigh's family were completely into the arts, loving music, and old movies, and writing and photography. Her father owned a bookstore and her mother was a photographer, so she'd been surrounded by that her whole life.

"What's a literature road trip?" Nic asked with a laugh.

"We each chose two of our favorite books, and we drive to every town the book took place in. Mom and Dad are practically pissing themselves with excitement." The girls laughed at their friend.

"Guys, Hawaii! We'd be in Hawaii, with all the hot surfer guys and beaches! We could pretend we're college students like we did when we went to Vermont!" Lexi exclaimed, bringing the topic of the fun trip back up.

"That would be amazing," Nic sighed, a dreamy look in her eyes, "Think of all the swimming I could do."

Arleigh threw a beach ball at her swimming obsessed friend's head and she, Nic, and Lexi burst into giggles. Taylor, however wasn't feeling the excitement. Her mom had always wanted to go to Maui. Her dad kept promising to take her there for their twentieth anniversary, and then he would wrap his arms around her from behind, kiss her neck and whisper something in her ear that made her mom giggle. Taylor would pretend to gag, and her dad would pull her and her mom into his arms. They were so close. Going to Maui would feel like…. like she was betraying her mom somehow, like she was leaving her in the dust. She couldn't do that.

"I'm going to get a refill," She said, tapping her glass, and quickly shuffling into the Cavanaugh house. She knew her friends were exchanging looks, but she pretended not to notice.

As soon as she entered the farmhouse, a cold burst of air hit her exposed body. She shivered, and grabbed a blanket from the armchair, wrapping it around herself. Spencer was always hot, so she kept the house very air conditioned, much to the annoyance of the other four Cavanaugh's.

Taylor opened the fridge where Aria had stored the pitcher full of strawberry smoothie, and poured some into her mason jar cup. She took a sip through her straw and leaned against the counter. Outside, she could energetic conversations from her friends, chittering about the trip, making plans. Taylor wished she could be excited and she knew her mom would want her to be, but it made her ache, knowing she'd be in Hawaii for the first time without her mom.

A noise from the foyer made her jump. It sounded like floorboards creaking under someone's weight. It was definitely a man, judging by the how loud the noise was. She figured it was one of the dads, dropping off ice cream like they promised they would.

"Uncle Toby? Is that you?" No response.

"Uncle Ezra?" No response.

"Dad?" Still no response.

"Who's there?" She called, dropping the blanket and walking to the foyer. It was eerily quiet, the kind of quiet it gets in horror movies before the ghost pops up. She rounded the corner and saw no one. A weird feeling was forming in her stomach. Her gut was telling her to run, but her curiosity was sparked.

All of a sudden, she felt a hand cover her mouth and a knife was pressed into her back. She tried to scream but no sound came out. She thrashed against her attacker's body, trying to escape. He was stronger. He tossed her on the floor and gave a swift kick in the stomach. She moaned and tried to crawl away but her grabbed her by the waist and threw her against the wall. Her head smashed against it and it felt like her head exploded. Blood trickled down her neck and slowly, she felt herself fade away. All she saw before she passed out was a pair of beady eyes flash in front of her. Then it all went black.

Taylor blinked her eyes open, letting out a soft groan. Her head was pounding; her stomach was throbbing. It felt like knives were being stabbed into every nerve in her body because she could barely move. She tried to sit up, but the pain was too intense so she flopped down, on what appeared to be a bed. A rather comfy bed, actually. In fact…it was her bed. It was the same queen sized mattress with the maroon sheets and the fluffy comforter as her bed at home.

She couldn't remember what happened. Last she remembered, she was at a pool party at the Cavanaugh's and she went into the kitchen to refill her drink. Now she was in her bed. Maybe she hit her head or something, but she couldn't fathom how.

Finally, Taylor mustered the strength to pull herself up. She glanced around her room but then she realized, it was her room, but…it wasn't. It had the same grey and maroon polka dot wallpaper, the same shiny vanity, the same window seat. If she squinted, it could be her bedroom. But the walls were bare. There was no family photos, no sketches, no black and white Paris posters. Her brass clock was gone. The surfaces of her dresser and nightstand were bare. Usually, they were littered with makeup, magazines, pencils, perfume, and cute little knick-knacks she'd collected over the years. The room also didn't have the vanilla and sugar smell her candle released. It smelled like freshly poured cement and tar. She had no idea where she was.

A wave of panic washed over her as she jumped out of the bed. Her bare feet hit the ground, sending a chill up her body. The dark wood was freezing, not to mention slippery, because when she began to run to the door she slipped and fell on her ass. Tears pricked the ends of her eyes but she refused to let them fall. She was trapped somewhere and she couldn't afford to be weak.

She stood up and moved more carefully to the door. She knew it wouldn't open, but that didn't stop her from trying. Pulling and pulling didn't work, so Taylor began to throw herself against it. She slammed her hands on it, and began to scream.

"Hello!?" Taylor cried, putting her mouth as close as possible to the door, "Is anyone there!? Please, please let me out!" She screamed until her throat was raw and she needed a new plan. The desk chair in the corner caught her eye. She rushed over, picked up, and threw it at the window. The glass shattered, but it didn't matter. Behind the window was a thick cement wall. There was no way out.

Feeling defeated, Taylor let a cry and slumped against the wall. The memories of what happened earlier (Was it earlier that day? Earlier that week? Month? She had no idea how long she'd been in this prison) came flooding back to her. Getting thrown against the wall, getting kicked in the stomach, blacking out. Someone had broken into the house, beaten her up, and kidnapped. Who knows what else this creep had done. He or she had created a room to match hers. This clearly wasn't a random thing. They'd been planning it for a while, she assumed. That's what made this all the more terrifying.

Suddenly a new thought came rushing to her mind. The others. Lexi, Arleigh, and Nic. Were they here? Had this sicko kidnapped them too? Of course she didn't want her friends to be trapped here, but the thought that she might not be alone soothed her a bit. Not enough for her to run to the door again to call out to them., though.

"Lex!?" Nothing.

"Nikki?" Nada.

"Ar?" Zip.

Out of nowhere, a blinding light burst from an indistinct part of the room. It was so intense, it made Taylor fall to the floor with a yelp. It hurt her head and eyes to the point that it made her sob.

"Good morning," A robotic sounding voice said from nowhere. Taylor sat up, rubbing away her tears and sniffling. "Please refer to the instructions on your note card in the bathroom." A loud click came from the wall and it slid away, revealing a concrete room.

Taylor hesitated. She had no intention of going into a cramped, closed off little room but she also figured if she didn't listen, there would be a serious repercussion. People who kidnap fourteen-year-old girls and hold them in replicas of their room, probably did not like being told no. Sniffling, she mustered her guts and stood up.

Slowly, she crept toward the room. Inside, there was a standup shower, a metal toilet, and a counter with a sink and a giant mirror behind it. On the counter, there was a stack of folded clothes, a hairdryer and curler, and a makeup bag. There was also the notecard the voice had mentioned. She picked it up and scanned it.

Good Morning, Hanna!
I hope you slept well.

The accommodations were made to the best of our ability.

We have much to do today, so you must get ready.

I've left you everything you will need.

Don't dawdle!

Kisses,

A

"What the hell?" Taylor said aloud. Hanna? Why was this, "A" calling her by her mother's name. She was positive "A" was a psychopath, but now she knew she knew this bitch was downright cruel. This wasn't normal. She'd watched enough crime shows to know that most of these people will hold their hostages on flimsy mattresses with only a bucket to do their business in. A was leaving her clothes and makeup, and giving her a queen sized bed, with memory pillows. This was more than just a kidnapping.

Taylor looked up, straight in the mirror. Her appearance shocked her. She was still dressed in her bikini but was stained with dried blood and dirt. Her face was scratched and bruised, as well as her torso and arms. A look of exhaustion and panic was coating her face She looked like hell.

"Please refer to the instructions on your note card in the bathroom," The voice repeated, the same monotone pitch.

Did her note have instructions? All it had was that "cute" little note. She picked it up again and flipped it over. There was more writing on it.

Take a relaxing shower

Get dressed (discard current apparel in bin by toilet)

Do your hair as the picture in the makeup bag shows

Do your makeup as the picture in the makeup bag shows

Wait in your room for further instructions

Reluctantly, Taylor turned on the faucet to the warmest it could be and step. There was no way she was taking off her bikini, she refused to be fully naked in this place. On the walls, there was shampoo and conditioner and a bottle of body wash. It was the same stuff she used at home. How could A know what shampoo she uses? How long had it been watching her? Had A…the thought was too terrible for Taylor to even think, so she pushed it from her mind.

She washed herself faster than she ever had before, despite A's instructions to take a "relaxing" shower. When she stepped out, she immediately wrapped a towel around herself to cover her exposed body. To get dressed, she pulled the skirt A left for her over her bottoms before pulling them off. She kept the towel wrapped around her chest as she hooked her bra and pulled on the shirt. Nic had taught her how to change out of a swimsuit without getting naked when they were little, so by now, she was a pro at it. When she was fully dressed, she did her hair and makeup like the pictures in the bag instructed.

Finally finished, she stepped back and looked at herself. The look A had chosen for her was very out of style, about twenty years out of style. The loose curls and cat eyes hadn't been in since her mother was a teenager.

A bad thought rushed to her head as soon as she thought that. In the note, A had called her Hanna, and now she was dressing her like her mom dressed when she was a teenager. Was A trying to turn her into her mother? Did A know her mother? Did A…that awful thought came rushing back to her head but once again, she threw it away. She couldn't think like that. It didn't matter why or what A had done. What mattered was escaping, and to escape, she had to play by A's rules, gains it's trust.

Carefully, she discarded the bathing suit in the specific bin she was told to before creeping back into the room. Waiting by her newly made bed was a pair of kitten heels, waiting to be put on. The glass from the shattered window had also been cleaned up. A had been in her room? How had she not heard? The thought of A being so close while she was showering made her skin crawl. The thought of A in general made her skin crawl. She slipped the shoes on, though, and sat down, her knee jerking, restlessly. She must have waited for about ten minutes before another announcement came.

"Please exit your rooms." Another loud click and the door popped open. Taylor shot up and rushed to the door. She poked her head out when she heard three more clicks and the doors across the hallway opened, revealing her friends.

"Oh my god!" She let out a breathy sob and rushed into the nearest person's arms. It was Lexi. She could tell by the tiny waist and long arms that wrapped around her. She looked up at her best friend. Her face was also made up, but she could see the injuries underneath the cakey foundation. A headband was fashioned in her hair and she was dressed in a plaid cardigan and white capris. Very preppy, very not Lex. Taylor could feel her quivering as they squeezed each other tighter.

Soon she was passed to Arleigh, who was racked with tears. Cut up, bruised, yet she had on black eyeshadow and her hair had pink highlights. She was wearing in a stripped skater dress with a half cut leather jacket and black ankle boots. Her pink, glossy lips were quivering and some mascara was dripping down he freckled face. Taylor wiped it away with the back of her hand.

Finally, she was in Nic's arms. Her friend didn't smell of chlorine like usual, but like very chemically shampoo, the kind that's supposed to mask the chlorine-y smell. Her frizzy hair was straightened, and dyed the a dark brown, almost black, color. It was like her other mother, Emily's, hair. Her outfit was a swim team jacket and skinny jeans, paired with converse. It was her basic look, but Taylor had never seen this girl look so terrified while wearing these clothes.

"Are you guys okay?" Lexi asked, unraveling her arms from around Arleigh.

"As good as to be expected," Taylor said, shakily. The others nodded in agreement. The looked around. They were in a dark, long, concrete hallway. There was no windows and no doors besides the ones leading to their rooms. It looked like dungeon.

"Where in the hell are we?" Arleigh asked, clinging to Nic.

"I have no idea."

"How did you guys get here?" Taylor asked. "Did you get beat up, too?"

"Yeah," Lexi said, her eyes down, "Kind of. I went inside to check on you because I thought we upset you by talking about Hawaii, but when I got inside you were laying on the floor, unconscious, all bloody. So, I rushed over to you, when I got kicked in the head, and scratched across the face. Then I felt someone put a rag over my mouth, and that's all I remember before I woke up in that room." She paused. "It looks exactly like my room my room at home."

The other three girls nodded, shuddering about how they're privacy had been invaded for God knows how long. It made them feel like bugs were crawling up their skin.

"The same thing happened to us," Nic said, gesturing towards Arleigh, "We got beaten up and drugged too."

"This is crazy," Arleigh said, her voice cracking, "I'm so scared."

"Me too," Lexi whispered, still not looking up.

"Guys, did your note say your mom's name, instead of yours?" Taylor asked, carefully. "Because mine did."

"It did," Nic said, her eyes wide, "It said 'Good Morning, Emily.'"

"Mine said Spencer."

"Aria."

Their moms were best friends. They were best friends. It could not be a coincidence that A screwed up on all of their names. A clearly knew their moms. A was trying to recreate their moms in them. What if…

"Please follow the lighted pathway," That awful voice said, blaring and loud.

The girls looked at one another, as the hallway light up. So far, it seemed they'd all followed A's instructions. They'd showered, and did their makeup and hair, and wore the clothes it'd given them, but was this too much? This could very easily be a trap. A could be leading them to a slaughterhouse, for all they knew. But then again, what would happen if they disobeyed. If A wanted them dead, wouldn't they already be dead? If they didn't listen, there's no telling what would happen.

"Please follow the lighted pathway."

"Should we?" Arleigh asked, still shaking like a Chihuahua. Taylor could see that Arleigh was trying to be brave, but her friend's terror was written all over her face.

"Please follow the lighted pathway."

Lexi sucked in a breath. "It's okay. Let's just go." They all huddled together wrapping themselves around each other, before squaring their jaws.

"We can do this."

So that's a rap! I hope you liked it. If you did, leave me a review. If you didn't, leave me a review. Just review, okay? The next chapter will be up ASAP! Buh-bye!