Sibling Rivalry
Prologue: Outside Looking In
A/N: Hey, I've had this plot bunny in my head for a long time now and have decided that it's a good time to write it. This is my first Pretty Little Liars fic ever. I've been reading the series all the way through, and I've been intrigued with the revelations presented in Wanted about Alison and Courtney DiLaurentis. This fic will explore their relationship and what happened to both of them after Courtney stole Ali's life up until Ali murdered her own sister. I hope that you enjoy this story.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters associated with Pretty Little Liars. They are all owned by Sara Shepard. I do own the plot of this story though.
Summary: Alison DiLaurentis and Courtney DiLaurentis are not your average sisters. One has a fabulous life while one dreams of having the life her own sister has. Now, Courtney has stolen Ali's life, and Ali will stop at nothing to reclaim it, even if it means murdering her own twin sister.
Have you ever been angry at your sister for something? Like when she borrowed your sweater without permission, spilled beer on it, and had to hurriedly wash it without you knowing about it? Or, how about when your sister secretly videotaped you dancing to Lady Gaga and then posted it on Facebook for everyone to see? Have you ever wished you had your sister's life and longed to have the friends that she had?
Well, that happened in Rosewood to two twin sisters, but it didn't end the way one of them wanted it to.
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Alison DiLaurentis laughed as she entertained her best friends, Naomi Zeigler and Riley Wolfe. All three girls had decided to spend some time together at Ali's house after school. They were sitting on the deck, drinking iced tea and gossiping. Ali was one of the most popular girls in school, and everyone envied her for it. Girls looked at her as though they wished they could be her for one day while boys looked at her as though they wished they could go out with her. But Ali ignored all of them. She hated the girls who stared at her, feeling that they were just losers. If they got rid of some of their bad habits, maybe they could be like her. She didn't mind the attention from the boys, but she wanted to play hard to get with them. She didn't want them thinking they could have her at every beck and call.
A movement near the door caught Ali's eye. Her twin sister, Courtney, was looking out at Ali and her friends. Ali had an urge to yell at her for spying on them, but she couldn't do that. Courtney had to be kept a secret in the family, and Ali could just imagine what her friends would say if they found out she had a lunatic for a sister. She'd be dethroned so fast, it wouldn't even be funny. She'd be stuck with someone like Mona Vanderwaal or Aria Montgomery as her friend, and she couldn't have that. Still, she hated when Courtney spied on her like that. It was as though she wanted to hang out with them and have fun. As if. That definitely wasn't going to happen.
"Ali, what are you looking at?" Riley asked her friend.
Ali turned her head to look at her. "Oh, nothing," she said. "I was just spacing out for a minute. What were you saying?"
"I was saying that I can't wait to have you be on my party court for my birthday," Riley replied. "It's going to be so awesome."
"Yeah, it will be," Ali agreed. "You always have the best parties."
As they continued to gossip about Riley's upcoming party, Ali couldn't help but look where Courtney had been, but she was gone. Good. Now, maybe that little idiot could stop spying on her and have her own life. Ali was determined that her sister wasn't going to ruin her life and make it miserable. At least she'd be back at the hospital in a few days. Then life could go on as normal as though Courtney didn't exist. Ali quickly focused her attention back on Riley and didn't even think about her sister again. It just wasn't worth it.
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Courtney DiLaurentis sighed as she watched her twin sister and her friends gossiping on the deck. It wasn't fair that Ali had everything and that Courtney had to go to a mental hospital. She knew she was sick, but she really didn't understand what her problem really was. She wasn't suicidal, and she didn't cut herself. So, what was the problem? Was it because she sometimes pretended she was someone else? What was wrong with that? Lots of people did that. But maybe it was because Courtney would deliberately do it. Sometimes she'd pretend to be Ali or another girl she knew about. When her parents had caught her at it, they assumed that something was wrong with her and had sent her away to get help. It wasn't fair that she had to deal with people like Iris while Ali got to hang out with girls so much better than that. For once, Courtney just wished she could have her sister's life and do what normal girls did.
"Courtney, stop looking at them," a voice said. Courtney turned to see her brother, Jason DiLaurentis, standing behind her. "You know that pisses Ali off."
"I'm just looking at them," Courtney told him. "I wish I had that life, too. Ali and I are supposed to be twins who share everything."
"Well, that's not our family, Court," Jason said. "Go back to your room before Ali sees you." He turned and walked to the kitchen, rummaging in the refrigerator for something to eat.
Courtney continued to watch her sister and her friends. She hated that she was always on the outside looking in and never having what others did. Ali flaunted her popularity and snubbed so many people because of it. Courtney often heard her belittling different girls in her grade and talking about them as though they had diseases or something. Was that what Ali thought about her own sister? Was she ashamed of Courtney? If she was, well, that was just horrible. She really wished Ali could just spend a day in her shoes and see what it was like being at a mental hospital. She really wished that she and Ali could switch places like in that Disney movie, The Parent Trap. But instead of reuniting their parents, they would be learning about each other and what it was like to live each other's lives.
Courtney watched for a bit more before heading up to her room. Face it, you can't have her life, a voice in her head said. You'll never be Ali, so you might as well just deal with it. Courtney knew the voice was right, but she just couldn't accept it. She needed her sister's life, and she was going to try and live it no matter what.
And one day, that's just what she did. Courtney assumed Ali's identity and became even more popular than her sister did while Ali was sent to The Preserve-at-Addison Stevens mental facility. For four years, Courtney would live her sister's life and gain some new friends along the way. But little did she know that Ali would return and that she'd enact her revenge on her own sister, and the consequences would be deadly.
A/N: So, what did you think? Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up, but I'll do my best to update soon.
