Chapter 7: Did you miss me?
"She's what?" Hanna asked.
"She's alive. And she's Redcoat now." Alison repeated.
"But that's impossible! She's DEAD! Ezra nearly killed us because of it!" Emily cried.
"Wait, back up. He did?" Spencer said.
"Long story. Anyway, how did you know?" Hanna enquired.
"I was driving near the park around midnight to get some fresh air," Alison began. ("Fresh air in a CAR and at MIDNIGHT?" Spencer mumbled.) "And I saw Redcoat near a picture of Aria and some candles, and she lowered her hood and I saw her. It couldn't have been a hallucination. I saw her," Alison explained.
"Her funeral is tomorrow, Ali. We'll take a look at the coffin then, okay? But now I need to worry about what to wear and Ezra being there," Hanna sighed.
"But where would Aria be living? She can't be at the Lost Woods; I would know if my dead friend showed up," said Spencer. "She could be at the Montgomery house. They're currently at The Radley for the time being, and they'll be moving to Texas in two days. The house is empty, so she could be there," Hanna suggested.
Everyone blinked at her until Emily said, "That could be true, but can we show them the diary first?" Hanna nodded and held out the weather-worn book. "We went over to find some answers," she explained as Spencer ushered them inside.
"Where do we start reading?" Alison asked.
"Best start from the beginning."
1 March 2009
Dad's having an affair. I got this diary to keep track of my life, because I don't think I can anymore.
I wish I could tell Mom, but Dad told me not to. He says he'll be doing it himself, but he hasn't done anything so far.
"Nothing we don't know about in the first 6 months. Let's skip to September," Spencer said.
1 September 2009
Ali's gone missing. We don't know where she went. Spence was the last one to see her, but I don't think she had anything to do with it. She would never do that.
Dad says we're moving to Iceland for a year. I really have no choice, but he'll be working more there and I can spend less time with him. He still hasn't told Mom. I'm thinking of telling her myself.
The girls skipped more entries, occasionally pausing to ponder a sentence or two. The entries got more recent, Aria's handwriting less neat and the pages less crumpled as they flipped through the pages of her life. Names slipped by: Ezra, Malcolm, Mona, Charlotte… And then they reached the turning point in Aria's life. The day and decision which indirectly ended her life. Or maybe not, knowing what Alison had seen.
30 May 2017
A.D. called. She wants me to work for them. I don't know who they are; she used this weird code to insert my face and voice in the video call.
I was about to decline and tell them to go to hell, then they dropped a bomb. If I didn't help them, they would tell the whole world that the girls killed Rollins or whatever his name was. I asked them why they wanted me to help, and A.D. said they saw potential in me. I don't know why she isn't threatening to put me in jail too.
I hated it, but I had to accept, or the girls will spend their life in jail. I hate to betray them like this. I can't, but I have to. If you three ever read this, I'm sorry.
"She never betrayed us for Ezra…" Alison began.
"She betrayed us for… us," Hanna finished.
"And we yelled at her for it…" Emily whimpered.
Spencer turned the page, saying, "There's one more entry. Let's read it first."
6 June 2017
They found out. I tried to keep it secret, but they found out.
I was meeting A.D. in the park, but I heard something and went over to check and they caught me. They yelled at me, and I wanted to deny all of it and say it was for a puzzle piece, but I could tell they wouldn't believe me. I lost their trust, and Spence looked so hurt. I couldn't tell them the truth either.
So I lied. I did what I did best but hated, and I told them it was for Ezra. They yelled at me again, but I didn't care. They hate me now. I'm fine with that, but A.D. won't be. Sooner or later they'll get rid of me. I'm useless now.
I need to stop them before someone gets hurt. I have access to their files for now, but not for long. I now know one of their plans. A.D is going to
The diary ended there, the only thing following it was a torn piece of paper, as if someone had removed the entry.
"There's a post-it," Spencer pointed out, pulling it off the back cover.
It's not safe. I found out the full extent of the plan, and A.D. knows I've betrayed them. The rest of the diary has been hidden well. When all this blows over, I'll get it back. But now, I've hit rock bottom.
"There was more to the plan," whispered Alison, "and Aria knew about it."
"More? What could be worse than kidnapping us, locking us in that hut and trying to blow us all up?" Hanna exclaimed, to the glares of the other two. "Sorry," she mumbled.
Emily turned away, sighing. "What troubles me most is that that information is still out there. If A.D. gets a hold of it-"
"Alex is long gone. In jail. Nothing else to worry about. Now we just have to find those diary pages. And why is 'rock bottom' highlighted?" Spencer chided as all their phones beeped.
I'm back, bitches. Did you miss me? Looks like we're both looking for those pages. Better hope you find it first, or else when I continue the plan, you won't know what hit you. – A.D.
"Oh no," they all said, going pale.
Alex was back, and the girls were in for a hell of a ride.
.xXx.
Paris, France – two weeks ago.
Mona walked into the holding room of her two dolls. Picking up a little porcelain teapot, she looked expectantly at May Drake and her daughter.
"We ran out of tea," the younger Drake growled.
"Manners, my little doll. Slide the teapot into the box, please," Mona instructed.
Alex did as she was told, smiling slyly. The inside of the teapot was coated in arsenic, which she's found in some well-hidden rat traps. As Mona filled the pot with scalding hot water, Alex nodded at her mother, who got ready her part of the plan.
Just as Mona slid the pot back into the room, Mary Drake began to hack and cough madly. "She's been sick for a while now. Could we please have some medicine?" Alex simpered.
Mona sighed and opened a cupboard, pulling out some Panadol. Alex looked at her again, saying, "Could we please go out there for once? We need a change of scenery." Mona glared at her, replying with a nod as she bolted shut the electromagnetic vault door and opened the door to the mini-dollhouse.
"Thank you," said Alex, as she fake fed Mary the pills. "You know, you look really tired. You should have a cup of tea," Alex suggested.
"No thanks, Alex. Who knows what you put in there," Mona replied.
"Nothing this time, I swear. To prove it, I'll even drink a full cup before you!" Alex cried.
"What are you getting at?" Mona asked.
"Oh, nothing. I just think I ought to turn over a new leaf," Alex grinned, picking up a cup and downing the contents. She grinned widely behind the cup. To tell the truth, she'd been taking small doses of arsenic daily to build up immunity.
Mona looked her prisoners up down, shrugging and picking up a cup. Before she put it to her lips, she stopped. Alex felt her heart stop, afraid that Mona had seen the poison. Instead, Mona just said, "You know I don't trust you, right?"
Alex sighed in relief, and replied, "Of course. To new beginnings."
"To new beginnings."
Those were the last words Mona would ever say. Within the hour, she was dead, and the two Drakes slipped out the door when she opened it to grab an antidote.
Too easy, Alex thought, now it's time to put my plan into action.
.xXx.
Thankfully, with the information in the diary and the text from Alex, the Liars had forgotten about checking up on the Montgomery house.
Unfortunately, that was also bad, because it meant that Alex was already back in Rosewood, and the Liars knew Aria was alive. Aria's plan had failed, but she couldn't help feeling happy, because they had actually forgiven her.
Of course, the bigger problem now would be to protect the Liars while hidden, while they knew she was watching them. Whoever wore the red coat always did, no matter which side they were on.
Aria also knew that the Liars were now looking for her diary. If they did get a hold of it, they were in more danger than they thought, but Aria knew she'd hidden it well.
Her mind swimming with thoughts, she headed back inside. Tomorrow, at the funeral, she would swing into action.
.xXx.
Before her arrest and imprisonment, Alex had so much money, enough to afford all the technology she needed to be A.D.
Now, dirt poor and a fugitive, she only had a burner phone, spy skills and a diminishing food supply.
She and Mary had gone their separate ways, seeing as Mary was supposed to be a free woman anyway, but Alex had stowed onto countless boats until she reached Rosewood.
No matter, she sighed, the plan is simple. It'll work anyway.
And with that, she set to work. Oh yes, the girls were in for a hell of a ride.
