Hey guys! This was a fast update, I'm surprised with myself! :P
Also this is the longest chapter by far that I've ever written. Enjoy
My name is trouble
"Toby!" – Spencer screamed as she rushed into the police station. As soon as she received that call from her mother, she grabbed her purse and left. She needed to understand what was really going on. How come Toby was taking the blame for setting fire on his own house?
"Spencer!" – He quickly spotted her and tried to run to her, but the cops held him by the wrist. Spencer noticed he had been handcuffed.
"Spencer, what are you doing here?!" – Her father, Peter, appeared out of nowhere and asked.
"I needed to see him, Dad!" – She cried – "Toby didn't do this, I swear!"
"I'm sorry, sweetie, but I think he's done it" – Veronica chimed in and said softly.
"Spencer, don't believe them!" – Toby yelled across the room.
Detective Wilden, who had been watching the scene all along, allowed the Hastings to lead Spencer to a room. There was a TV with footage from a camera in it. Wilden tapped play and the video started. Toby appeared leaving the Cavanaugh house. He left something on the carpet. The camera couldn't show what it was. Minutes later, the house blew.
"We believe he threw gasoline all over the house and lit a match on the front porch. Then, he returned to Emily's house, granting him a perfect alibi. He didn't count on this camera filming him, however" – Wilden explained with a smile on his face.
"That can't be…" – Spencer didn't want to believe. She wanted to know who owned that camera and tried to find any signs that this video had been edited. Suddenly, she recalled that Toby didn't stay with her all the time at the party. He could easily have lit the fire and returned.
Truth hit her hard. She burst out of the room, ignoring her parents' pleas, and walked to Toby. Then, she slapped him hard on the face before one cop held her arms.
"Spencer…" – Toby was clearly surprised and heartbroken by that outburst.
"YOU IDIOT! WHY DID YOU DO THAT? WHY DID YOU?" – Spencer broke down in tears. Then, her mind went black and she doesn't remember much after it.
Toby couldn't sleep. The moonlight lit his cell – a benefit that was given to him because the other prisoners want to beat the hell out of him for allegedly setting fire to his own house and killing his stepsister. Wilden would charge him with murder and chances were Toby would be getting a capital penalty. No one believed him, not even Spencer. Why would the jury?
He cried once again as if it would change a thing. His heart was broken, his hope was gone. And through all his tears, he saw a faint light standing on his cell. The strange light took shape of a girl and turned out to be Mona Vanderwaal, a girl whom Toby had only met once or twice. Mona was the best friend of one of Spencer's friends, Hanna Marin.
"Mona?" – He could barely believe his eyes. Perhaps he was going nuts.
"Surprised to see me?" – She smiled.
Toby got up, went to her and tried to stroke her shoulder. His fingers only found air.
"What are you?" – He asked in disbelief.
"I'm not dead, if that's what you think" – Mona rolled her eyes – "My body is sitting safely in my room. The thing that you're seeing is my spirit actually"
"I don't believe you! There gotta be some kind of explanation for all of this" – Toby put his hands on his hair in despair.
"There is only one: it's supernatural, darling" – She answered.
"Why are you even here?" – He questioned.
"Because you're special, Toby. You always knew that deep in your heart" – Mona explained.
"Are you special too?" – It was a rhetorical question.
"Yes, but not in the same way that you are" – She didn't give much – "And before you ask, Spencer's special too"
"But why did you come to me now?"
"You and I both know that you didn't start that fire" – Mona looked at him straight in the eye – "Before you ask me, I don't know who started it, but what I do know is that this person is not human… at least not human in the way we're used to"
"And what do I have to do with this?" – The more answers he gets, the more questions he has.
"Nothing, you were the perfect setup" – Mona was sincere – "Although, your powers might have something to do with it"
"What powers?" – Toby tried to remember a time in which he showed extreme ability at doing something. He couldn't.
"I can't explain to you. But I know who can" – She evaded – "That's why I'm getting you out of here.
"And what if I don't tag along?" – He challenged.
Mona laughed – "You will because you don't wanna die and because you want to protect Spencer"
"What does she have to do with all of this?" – The mention of his girlfriend's name made his chest ache.
"Look, strange things will happen in this town and she certainly will be affected by them. Don't you wanna have the strength to protect her?" – Mona bargained.
"Why would she be targeted?" – That was his last question.
"Because she's involved from the beginning" – She still didn't give much away.
He stopped to think for a little while – "Count me in, Mona"
She smiled slyly and unlocked his cell with a master key. Toby didn't want to know where she'd gotten that.
"Go to Ravenswood and look for a boy named Caleb. He will give you all the answers you need" – That was the last thing he heard before sneaking out of the police station.
Aria, Hanna and Emily stood by their lockers at Rosewood High. They haven't heard from Spencer since the day before.
"I tried to call her this morning, but only reached her voicemail" – Aria was getting worried. Out of the three of them, she was the closest to Spencer.
"Guys, I believe she's just upset with the whole Toby thing. She'll be fine" – Hanna knew better than to worry too much without need.
"I bet she didn't see that coming" – Emily was also bitter about Toby. They had been neighbors and close friends for a while and she didn't imagine he would be capable of committing arson. Also, she felt guilty for Spence because she was the one who presented him to her.
Alison stood from afar and reflected if she should go talk to them about the sleepover. She had been excited about it, but after she heard the news, she concluded that it was not a time for Spencer to be socializing. Even so, she approached them.
"Hey girls!" – Ali noticed how Hanna and Emily stopped to admire her and how Aria seemed to be still weighting her opinions.
"Hi Ali" – Emily smiled shyly and tucked a streak of her hair behind her ear.
"Hey!" – Hanna greeted a little too enthusiastically while Aria just observed.
"I… heard about Spencer and Toby. How is she?" – The vampire didn't know how to start.
"We don't know. I tried to reach her this morning, but I couldn't" – Aria felt compelled to speak.
"I see…" – Ali murmured – "So, I guess she cancelled that sleepover party?"
"Yeah, I don't think it'll be a good idea now" – It was the first time the blonde and the brunette had ever agreed on something,
"Guys, you know what? I think this sleepover might be just what she needs!" – Hanna signaled as if she'd had a great idea.
"Hanna, that's hardly the time for that!" – Emily reprehended.
"Did I hear sleepover?" – Noel chimed in and hugged Aria from behind. "What do you think of that?" – Hanna was thrilled to be talking to two of the most popular kids in school, Noel and Alison.
"I think it's awesome! I mean, Spencer does need a distraction from all of this" – Noel said and Ali wondered just how much he knew about the fire.
"I think she just needs to be alone" – Emily proposed.
"I agree" – Ali nodded.
"What do you think, babe?" – Noel asked Aria. Alison noticed he was using his charms one her.
"It… might be a good idea after all" – Aria was completely charmed by him and changed his mind.
"Two to one, we won, Em!" – Hanna cheered – "Ali, you're invited too"
"Thanks, Hanna, but I…" – She was about to give some lame excuse when…
"Oh, she's going, Hanna!" – Noel chimed in again – "After all, this mermaid here is going too and Ali's crazy about her" – He pointed at Emily, who blushed at his words. Alison just glared daggers at him.
"You're such an ass, Noel" – She said for the hundredth time and it was true. Ali wondered if Jessica had talked to him and if he was trying to drag Emily into this mess just like he did with Aria.
Alison turned around let her bag slam the lockers as she walked away.
"Don't know why she got this mad" – Noel was having fun watching the situation. Emily, on the other hand, was slightly hurt by that. Did it mean that Alison doesn't want to be seen around her? That Ali doesn't even want to be friends? Her thoughts trailed off as she picked her books.
"C'mon, Em, let's go!" – Hanna called her back to life and she hurried her steps to catch up with her friends.
Later that night, Alison heard the sound of glass breaking on a wall.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Jason?" – Jessica rarely sounded like that.
"Get off, Mom" – She heard her brother complain and then something hard hit a door.
Alison climbed down the stairs only to find Jessica hovering over Jason with a bewildered look.
"Mom, what are you doing?" – Alison intervened, holding one of her mother's arms. Jessica quickly threw her daughter away using a water torrent. Just like all vampires, Jessica had a favorite element: water.
"You bitch!" – Jason tried to jump back at her, but she pushed his hard against the ground.
Alison felt her back sting as she hit the opposite wall. Then, her body slid down.
"YOU ARE NOT MY SON! I WILL HAVE NO WEAK SON!" – Jessica pulled something out of Jason's front pocket and threw it away. When it hit the ground, Alison recognized that white pure grains – it was cocaine.
"Mom, let him go, please!" – She got up on her feet – "That's not the way to deal with the situation!"
"It's not! That's why I called your dad! Jason will be shipped off to rehab tomorrow!" – Jessica claimed before reaching for her son's T-shirt – "But first, I'll make sure he learns his lesson" – Then she punched him on his face, spilling blood on the wooden floor.
Alison ran to the door quickly. In vampire families, it was not unusual things got violent. Sometimes, whole clans would crumble due to inside fights. With the DiLaurentis, it was no different – Kenneth was way too cold to show any kind of violence, but Jessica would parry with her kids often, especially with Jason – and she always won. Alison had a few fights herself with Jessica and with her brother, and she always lost to her mother and defeated her sibling. She didn't like it, though. But if needed, Alison was a tough warrior.
She walked out of the DiLaurentis' front porch and spotted the other girls standing outside Spencer's house. Deciding she didn't want to be at home tonight, she went over there. Hanna saw her and waved.
"Alison! It was good for you to come!" – The other blonde screamed. Aria gave her a small nod and Emily just stared at her a little surprised.
"Yeah, I just thought it'd be a good idea to hang out tonight" – She half lied.
"IF we're hanging out at all. Seems like Spencer locked all the doors" – Aria tried the handle one more time.
"I told you, guys. She wants to be alone for some time" – Emily said as if she'd been dragged along to the sleepover.
"Well, if she wants to lock us out, we'll come barging in" – Hanna opened her purse and looked for a clip. She pulled out the silver object and put it inside the key hole. She twisted it inside looking for the right combination. Bingo!
"There it is!" – Hanna stood there proudly as the girls entered the house.
As soon as they stepped in, they found an almost naked Spencer lying on the couch. She was wearing only a baggy tee and her panties.
"Girlz! You came!" – She greeted them by showing a bottle of whisky.
"Spencer, what the hell happened here?" – Aria had never seen her friend crack like that before.
"I've just been drinking a little" – She took another gulf – "What is she doing here?" – She pointed at Ali – "Did you come all the from DiLaurentis land to see me falling apart?! I bet you're loving whatcha seeing! Here, take a picture!" – Spencer tried to take a selfie with her phone, but dropped it.
"Spence, stop it, okay!" – Aria picked it up and put it on the table – "I'm gonna make you some coffee"
"As long as it tastes like vodkaaaaaa" – The tall brunette sang and attempted to take another sip of the whisky. However, Hanna snatched it out of her hands – "Give it baaaack!"
"No, you've had enough for the five of us already" – The blonde put the bottle on the table – "I'm gonna find you some decent clothes. You two" – she pointed at Alison and Emily – "Make sure she doesn't get anywhere near that bottle".
Emily glanced awkwardly at Ali and took the easy way out – "I'm gonna put this in the fridge"
"I'm a loser, baby, so why don't you kill meeeee?" – Spencer sang.
"Spencer, why are you doing this?" – Ali sat down at the couch.
"Nobody cares, Ali!" – She cried – "My parents don't have eyes for me! They're always saying 'Oh, how Melissa is perfect, how Melissa does everything right', and I'm left behind! Not even my boyfriend cared" – Despite being strangers to each other and having a not so favorable family history, Spencer rest her head on Ali's lap.
"You know it's not true, Spencer" – She stroked her brown hair and noticed that her body was exhaling alcohol. This is going to wreck me, she thought, as she absorbed those bed energies. Instantly, Spencer relaxed.
"There's your coffee" – Aria showed up with a mug in hands. Emily was beside her.
"Thanks" – Spence lifted her body from Ali's and took the mug. She felt a little dizzy, but the smell of the hot beverage was comforting.
"Your clothes" – Hanna left them beside the brunette and sat at the table.
"Thanks, guys" – The smart girl already felt a little better after a few gulfs of coffee.
Alison stood up and looked for a glass. She needed water so bad. After absorbing Spencer's alcohol, she was the one who got dizzy.
It was 3AM and Alison was breaking into Spencer's house again. She'd waited for all the girls to fall asleep to leave the house and go to the woods to feed. Two deer later and it was enough for her to return without being afraid to unconsciously attack the girls.
What she didn't expect is that Emily would've been at the kitchen for a glass of water.
"Ali, what were you doing?" – She asked as soon as she spotted that blonde head.
"I was out for some air. Couldn't sleep" – Alison lied.
"It can be dangerous outside" – Em commented as the other girl walked to her to get herself a glass of water.
"Listen, Emily" – Alison placed a hand on her tanned wrist – "Don't listen to what Noel said today"
"You seemed pretty upset about it" – The swimmer pulled her arm away from Alison's touch.
"It's not about you" – Suddenly, Ali realized that Emily had been hurt by her action – "Noel keeps saying inappropriate things. I wish he wouldn't joke about this"
Emily stood in silence. She didn't know if she'd accept the apology or not. Alison drank from her cup, turning her back to the brunette. That's when Emily saw it: there was a purple mark on Ali's back.
"Ali, what is this?" – Emily pressed her finger on the bruise and made the blonde wince in pain.
"Nothing! I just slipped and hit my back on the wardrobe" – She made up while resting her cup on the sink.
"It must've hurt pretty bad" – Emily's look changed from upset to concerned and she caressed the bruise with her fingers.
"It'll heal in no time" –Alison smiled and looked away. Em's fingers on her back gave her a warm sensation she could not explain.
Emily moved her hand to the blonde's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. Ali looked up and found those brown eyes staring at her. Suddenly, she couldn't pull her blue eyes away from them. She felt the energy around and couldn't escape.
There was something about Alison that drew Emily to her like moth to flames. The brunette looked for a reason to explain it and didn't find. She'd never felt this way before – so hopeless, so out of breath, so daring.
She lowered her eyes from those ice blue orbs to that pink heart-shaped mouth. Emily thought no more – she leaned in and placed her lips on Ali's. She felt a burning sensation on her mouth and her mind went blank.
Alison was astonished when Emily pulled her in. Her body froze and her eyes didn't close. However, she felt a great wave of energy flowing from Em's lips to hers and it was amazed. She'd never felt so attached to somebody before. Her past French kisses were worse than dull compared to this light peck.
Reason came back to Emily and she pulled away. The kiss only lasted for one second, but, for both of them, it seemed like a century.
"I'm sorry, I've never…" – The brunette was ashamed of what she'd just done and took a few steps back.
"It's okay" – Alison didn't know what to say, but didn't want to make Emily think she was mad about what happened – "Let's just… not talk about it, okay?"
"Okay. I'm sorry again, Ali" – They stared at each other in silence – "I better go upstairs. Goodnight" – Emily ran. As soon as she slipped into her sleeping bag, she punched the wooden floor of Spencer's bedroom three times – "You idiot, you idiot, you idiot!"
Back in the kitchen, Ali leaned against the fridge as she pressed her fingers against her mouth. Her lips were still tingling from that kiss. She turned around, opened the fridge and found the bottle of whisky Spencer had been drinking earlier that night. That'll have to do, she thought, as she took a sip and felt her throat burn.
Reviews:
mcmeli: We won't be knowing who started the fire so soon. As Mona said, there will much more trouble from now on. I'm glad you liked Jessica's lecture :P Hope you enjoyed the sleepover :D
leon7272: As you wished - longer and faster
InLoveWithEmison: I'm glad you appreciated the lecture! I think there might be more of these, if necessary :) Hope you enjoyed the sleepover :D
Guest: Yay for the sleepover! Hope you enjoyed their "hookup" haha
Shine: Thanks for the support! :) This time I updated faster than ever before :P
Kenzie: Thanks for the support! :)