Author's Note: Thank you so much for all of the support, guys! The reviews, favorites, and follows really made my day.
It's been ages since I updated, and I'm sorry! I was just busy.
Don't even get me started on the finale. It was amazing, but my Spoby heart is shattered. My poor baby Caleb. And Hanna crying. I can't even.
I can't deal with Toby, but I still added him.
Hope you enjoy this chapter. It's a bit fluffier than the first one, but I'm working on next chapter drama ;)
Disclaimer: I do not own Pretty Little Liars. Janie, Eva, Christie, Vanessa and the other original characters belong to me, though.
…...
Christie
The sun was rising slowly in the east, bathing the city in a gentle, golden glow, the light chasing away all of the remaining darkness of the past night in Rosewood. The snow that coated the empty streets and the quiet houses was slowly melting, and the day promised to bring snowfall only in the later part of the evening.
The light filtered in through the glass windows, persistently hitting the sleeping nine-year-old, causing her to stir in her sleep. As she slowly started waking up, an overwhelming wave of joy washed over her, and Christie barely had time to yawn and stretch, before she leaped lightly off her bed, bare feet hitting the icy wooden floor below her. Shifting rapidly from one foot to the other in an attempt to warm up, she made her way out of her bedroom, softly shutting the door behind her.
She tiptoed across the hall, making her way into her sister's room, and plopping on the edge of her bed. She waited for a few moments, before shaking the older girl gently. "Happy birthday, Alice!" she exclaimed happily, throwing her arms around her sister's neck and hugging her. Alice blinked at her with sleepy blue eyes, but managed a lazy smile. "Thanks, Christie," her words were tinged with sleep, and the now thirteen-year-old stretched and slipped out of bed, before heading out of her room and to the bathroom.
Christie headed back across the hall, this time entering her parents' room. She climbed onto the bed, nuzzling her way into her mom's arms. "Mommy, wake up!" she chirped brightly, brown curls dangling over Spencer's face. Her mother blinked open coffee-brown eyes, to find herself staring back into her daughter's amber orbs. She smiled sleepily, sitting up and pulling the nine-year-old onto her lap. "Good morning, Christie." Spencer's voice was filled with amusement at her daughter's way of waking her up. Christie beamed at her, before turning away from her mother and proceeding to shake her dad awake. Spencer smiled once more, shaking her head.
Christie shook her father's shoulders, but he didn't budge. She was about to try again, when she was taken by surprise. Her dad grabbed her and flung her off, starting to tickle her. He crowed maniacally, while the nine-year-old shrieked and squirmed with laughter. She must have made a ruckus, because Alice, already dressed, came into the room. When her eyes landed on the situation before her, her face broke into a gentle grin. "Dad, leave poor Christie alone. Can't you see she's in pain?" her tone was entire playful, and Toby ceased with his tickling, instead heading over to the thirteen-year-old girl, and enveloping her into a tight hug. "Congratulations, birthday girl," he smiled. Spencer followed suit, trotting over to Alice and hugging her, whispering birthday wishes.
Christie scrambled upright as soon as she stopped being tickled. She took a moment to catch her breath, before jumping off the bed and walking over to where her parents and sister still stood in a group hug, before throwing her arms around all three of them and hugging them as well.
…...
Wide-eyed, the nine-year-old girl watched her mom's phone vibrate and beep on the table. Christie was alone in the living room, sitting quietly on the couch while she read a book. Once in a while she would glance over at the phone, whose screen still flashed. It started beeping again, and Christie considered her options. She could tell her mother, but she was busy preparing Alice's birthday. Her father had already left to do some construction jobs around town, and her older sister was upstairs, and she didn't want to be bothered. Christie had been taught to never pick up her mom's phone, but this time she had no choice.
Quick as lightning, she flashed out her hand and snatched the phone. Setting her book aside, the brunette saw that her mom had a new message. Burning with curiosity, yet not wanting to invade her mother's privacy, Christie was torn. Curiosity won, and she opened the message. As soon as she read it, she gasped quietly, eyes widening.
You think your mommy's perfect, don't you? And she expects you to be perfect too. Go talk to the nice lady with the black hair from church. By the way, her name is Melissa. Auntie Melissa.
-A
After reading and re-reading the message lots of times, Christie was completely and utterly confused. Yes, she thought her mother was the meaning of 'perfection', but she never thought someone else knew about that. The second part of the message confused her the most. Why was this 'A' person telling her to go talk to the lady with the black hair from church? She always saw her there, but never really interacted with her, because every time the lady approached her, her family would move to another place in the church. She really didn't need to know the woman was called Melissa, but the name did ring a bell. She thought about it, but the memory seemed to always squirm away from her reach. Sitting up, she decided to talk to her mother.
…...
Spencer was still in the kitchen when her younger daughter arrived. The slender brunette had been setting up for Alice's party, which was scheduled to begin in three hours. When she thought she was finished, she ran the list of things she needed to do over and over again in her head. Satisfied that she had done everything, she was about to leave the kitchen when she heard Christie's soft steps on the tiled floor. Turning around to face her, Spencer smiled at her, but her smile faltered when she saw the solemn, serious look on the nine-year-old's face. "What's wrong, honey?" she finally asked, because the child's silence was making her uneasy. Her daughter's amber eyes were wide as she handed Spencer her phone. Puzzled, Spencer frowned slightly, but when she read the words across the screen, her face paled, and her eyes widened in a mixture of fear and shock. "'A' can't be back." Were the first words that tumbled out of her mouth, earning her a quizzical look from Christie. "Who's 'A' and who's Auntie Melissa?" inquired the girl. Spencer shook her head, still dazed.
Christie was confused, and a part of her was frightened, too. Her mother had always been so composed, what could be big enough to leave her in a daze? She didn't know, and honestly, Christie didn't want to find out.
…...
Vanessa
The sun had already reached its peak, signaling midday in Rosewood, Pennsylvania. Any snow that had fallen in the morning still sat on the edges of sidewalks, slowly melting in the sun's hot glare. People were out and about at this time of the day, and the city bustled with quiet life.
A girl crept along the tiled floor of the kitchen in her house, pressing low against the ground. She was a wisp, a slender shadow as she moved hurriedly. Each small movement taking her closer and closer to the cabinet she was heading towards. A few more bounds and she would be there, she thought gleefully, but the patter of footsteps caused her to snap her head up, looking wildly around.
Knowing she had been caught, the eleven-year-old leaped to her feet with the grace of a cat, putting one hand on her hip while she hid the other behind her back. Her dark eyes softened when she recognized her little brother, and her posture relaxed a bit. "What are you doing here, Aiden?" the tan-skinned girl asked, while she backed up slowly, until her back hit the cabinet. She felt around and opened the cabinet, quietly slipping a flask inside it. She drew her hand back quickly and snapped shut the cabinet, before facing her brother once again.
He was eyeing her curiously, but with no judgment in his dark blue eyes. "I was just coming downstairs to eat some cookies. What about you?" his tone was crisply curious, but was as gentle as always. Vanessa sighed, shifting from one foot to the other, while Aiden watched her, head cocked to one side.
She sighed. "I came here to hide my medicine." She admitted, looking down at her feet. She could hear Aiden step closer, and it took her by surprise when his small arms wrapped her into a hug. "Why would you hide it?" he asked, genuine surprise tinting his voice. Vanessa scrunched up her nose in disgust. "It tastes bad." She replied simply. "I hate having the flu," she continued, a sigh lingering in her voice. Aiden blinked up at her. "You only have to take the medicine for two more days." He reasoned. "Don't worry. Mom says your cold will be gone soon." He added.
Vanessa smiled affectionately down at her little brother, ruffling his soft black hair. They weren't exactly related, but were siblings just the same. Vanessa had been Emily's daughter, and she looked a lot like her. They both shared the same tan skin, and the almond-shaped dark eyes. She was raised without a dad, and when she was little, she would ask Emily every day when her father would come home. Emily would smile at her, but would say nothing. Vanessa never found it strange, as she had grown used to it. Aiden was adopted when she was nearing her eight birthday, and she had been giddily happy to have a brother.
Footsteps nearing the kitchen snapped Vanessa out of her walk down memory lane, and she rapidly untangled herself from her seven-year-old brother, standing aside.
When Emily walked into the kitchen, she was surprised to find both Aiden and Vanessa standing there. Aiden had a look of faint curiosity on his face, and his eyes glimmered with affection. Vanessa on the other hand, looked jumpy, but somewhat alert. "Hi, Mom." She greeted, waving. Aiden mimicked, "Hi, Mom!" before smiling and then walking over to hug her. Emily hugged him back, but still couldn't shake off the feeling that they were acting strangely. Shaking her head to clear that thought, she smiled at both.
…..
Vanessa sat on the floor of her bedroom, a scissor in her hand, while many magazines covered her floor. The eleven-year-old loved to cut out parts of magazines that she found interesting, or cool, and she would often glue them around her room. She hummed a cheerful tune quietly to herself, while she worked on cutting out a picture of a lioness. Her phone buzzed, and she looked at it, staring at it for a good few moments, before sighing and standing up. She carefully weaved around the magazines sprawled on the floor, taking care not to step on them. She reached down quickly and snatched her phone, before bouncing lightly onto her bed to read the message she had received. Her eyes immediately widened, and she bit her lip, confused.
Ever wonder why you don't have a dad? Or why your mom acts strangely whenever you question her about it? Ask any passerby what happened on the night of the 2012 Rosewood High Masquerade Ball. Oh, and don't forget to ask about Maya St. Germaine. Remember, it's all harmless fun. Soon, you'll be laughing with me. –A
The eleven-year-old was stunned at the message, and tilted her head to one side, a puzzled look settling in her dark eyes. She tried to order the thoughts that buzzed through her head. First of all, who was 'A', and how on earth did it get her phone number? Second of all, how did 'A' know about Emily acting strangely? Next, who was Maya St. Germaine, and what did she have to do with Vanessa not having a dad?
Everything was confusing, so she shook her head, desperately trying to clear her jumbled up thoughts away.
There was only one way to make everything click into place. She was going to do what 'A' said. Climbing off her bed, she once again made her way around the magazines, and stepped out of her room. She quietly made her way downstairs, and out the front door, silently shutting the door behind her. She would usually tell her mother where she was going, but this time, she wouldn't be out long, and she wasn't sure if she could tell her mother about 'A'.
She walked along the sidewalks, and soon found a random passerby. "Excuse me," she called out, and the woman turned to face her. "What is it?" she grumbled. "I was just wondering….Do you know what happened on the night of the 2012 Rosewood High Masquerade Ball?" she inquired. The woman's expression softened and her eyes had a faraway look in them, as if she was remembering the night in vivid details. "It was a beautiful night. The stars were shining, and the moon was full. It was a hot summer night. Everyone in the school was dressed beautifully, and the night was fun for everyone…" she trailed off. "Do you know what happened to Maya St. Germaine?" Vanessa asked the woman. "Oh yes, she was a pretty, fun girl. She didn't deserve to end up like that." She stated. Her statement made the eleven-year-old curious, so she pushed more. "What happened to her?" at this, the woman's expression sobered. "She was found dead in her girlfriend's backyard." Vanessa shuddered. What a horrible thing the girlfriend must have experienced, she thought. The woman seemed lost in thought. "I think…yes, this is it. Her girlfriend's name was Emily Fields." At this, the whole world seemed to be spinning. Emily Fields was her mother. Emily Fields had a girlfriend? She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, but was still pretty dazed. "Thanks." She said quickly, and then hurried back inside her house, heading towards Emily's room.
…...
Emily was searching for Vanessa's medicine. She had been sure she had put it in the bathroom cabinet, but she couldn't seem to find it now. Muttering under her breath, she decided to check in the kitchen downstairs. She was halfway downstairs when she saw Vanessa standing at the foot of the stairs, arms crossed. "Do you happen to know where your medicine is?" Emily asked. Knowing Vanessa, it wouldn't surprise her if the eleven-year-old had hidden it somewhere.
"In the kitchen cabinet," She replied easily, before sneezing. Emily gave her a look, before heading inside the kitchen.
Emily was almost at the cabinet, when Vanessa came up behind her. The swimmer turned around to face her daughter. "Mom, why didn't you tell me about Maya?" she suddenly blurts, causing Emily to look down, and then sigh heavily. "I never thought I would have to." She admitted. "How did you find out?" was the next question she asked. Vanessa held out her cellphone and Emily took it.
A look of distress pooled in her dark eyes, and her brows furrowed with concern, while she bit her lip. "No…" she whispered. "This can't be happening." Vanessa was very much confused at this, and tilted her head, looking at her mother. She seemed to recognize this 'A' person, the eleven-year-old noticed, and instead of brushing it off like she thought Emily would, her mom seemed nervous about this, and this set Vanessa on edge. She just wanted 'A' to go away and leave her family alone.
…
This marks the end of the second chapter of 'Harmless Fun'.
I'd love some suggestions for the next couple of chapters, so feel free to review, or message me any suggestions.
Any favorite characters so far? ;)
Next chapter will include more of the girls' lives, Hanna/Aria/Emily/Spencer friendship, some ship moments, and lots of drama!
Paige and Wren might also make some appearances ;)
Feel free to click that button below and shoot me a review!
-JustTheLiarNextDoor