"You think the truth is this big shiny disco ball of purity then go ahead and try it. See what it gets you. Telling the truth to the wrong person at the wrong time is how I ended up where I did. Take it from me; you're always better off with a really good lie."
-Alison DiLaurentis, Pretty Little Liars Season 1, Moments Later
Disclaimer: I don't own House of Anubis
Dedication: To Cammie-the-chameleon because I loved her profile pic!
"Mara no!"
"Don't you guys want to find out who J is?" Mara shouted back, "This is the only way!"
Patricia, Nina, and Amber screamed in shock as Mara-
Wait, maybe we should start from the beginning.
12 Hours Earlier
It's been two months. Fabian hasn't returned. Nina hasn't uttered his name. The police have been searching frantically, but haven't found anything. Nina didn't know if she should be relieved or afraid. The evidence they had on Nina, had been deemed "tampered with". The police think that it was Fabian and are working desperately to find him, now more convinced than ever that he killed Joy.
But now, Patricia, Nina, Amber, and Mara are reading something that rocked their world forever.
Newsflash, bitches, I wasn't who was supposed to die that night. The killer actually wanted one of you. –J.
They had sat staring at the message for an hour. Mara opened her mouth to say something a little while back, but no words came out.
"Who do you think it was supposed to be?" Patricia finally said.
"I don't know." Nina sighed.
"Do you think that… J is the killer?" Amber asked.
"How would anybody else know what the killer's intentions were?" Mara said, "It would have to be them right?"
"Unless J and the killer are a team." Patricia pointed out.
"How likely is that?" Nina asked.
"I don't know," Mara sighed.
"Is anyone else terrified by the thought that one of us is supposed to be dead?" Amber whispered.
All four of them glanced around at each other, the looks on their faces giving their answer for them. They were all petrified.
Beep-beep
They all sighed and glanced at their phones, I wish you could see how scared you all look. –J.
"J…" Nina muttered, "F-Fabian told me that… Jerome had pushed him against the lockers and choked him while he screamed at him to admit that he killed Joy."
"So are you saying that you think...?" Amber asked.
"You think Jerome is J?" Patricia finished.
Nina nodded, "Think about it guys! Jerome had his hands around someone's neck and was trying to hurt him while trying to get that person to admit that they killed someone. Why would he do that? What does he care about Fabian killing Joy?"
"He would only care if he was trying to cover up his own tracks." Amber continued, "Fabian is his step-brother. Don't you think he'd be trying to defend him? Or at least ignore the topic? And, by trying to hurt him, it points out that he's strong enough to hurt someone. Or kill them."
"But why would Jerome kill Joy?" Patricia asked, "What do you think he had against her?"
"Maybe she knew some secrets about him that he didn't want to get out." Nina sighed, "I mean, what was the one thing that was missing from Joy's room the night she died?"
"Her diary." Amber and Patricia said together.
"So, J must have taken her diary when he, she, it killed Joy!" Amber exclaimed.
"Mara?" Patricia said, "Are you okay?"
"Do you really think it was him?" Mara asked.
Nina glanced at the other girls, "It's the only lead we've got."
Beep-beep
The girls sighed, as they glanced at their phones.
Don't say I never gave you anything. –J.
They didn't anticipate a rolled up piece of paper being thrown through Mara's open window.
By eleven in the morning, they had decoded the map J had tossed in. It was a map of Rosepool, with no instructions besides Start, Finish, and a bunch of arrows. They wrote all the names of the places draw on and started to walk from the start point, which was Mara's house.
"Guys?" Amber said, "What do you think is going to happen when we get to the first point?"
The first stop on the map was Joy's old house. No one lived there anymore.
Patricia shrugged as they continued their trek. Once they stepped foot on Joy's property, Mara received a text.
Go in my room. Look inside my air vent. You'll need what's inside. –J.
"Is J serious?" Patricia said.
"J wants us to go in that house." Nina muttered.
Mara looked at her friends and sighed, "Let's go through the back."
Walking through the back yard brought back so many memories. Joy was… well Joy was something…
"Hey Nina, pass me that water bottle." Joy directed to her friend, although Nina was further from the water cooler that she was. But Nina rolled her eyes and got it for her anyway.
"So, Trixie," Joy smiled as she gulped the water, "Have you seen his abs yet?"
"Who's abs?"
"Jerome's of course." She smirked. They were all behind Joy's house. Joy's house was on the edge of Rosepool, right on the bank of the river. Everyone came out there in the summer.
Patricia ignored her and continued tanning.
"Look at that," Joy false-gasped, "Turtle's out of his shell."
"What?" Amber asked, a confused look on her face as Joy stared at the river.
"Fabian Rutter," she smiled, "He just jumped in. And Nina?"
"Yeah?"
"He was staring at your chest."
"Eww!" Patricia shouted, "What a perv!"
Nina scrambled for her towel and covered her chest, which was clad in only a bikini top. She flushed red as she looked at him in the water, then away.
"What are you staring at Mara?" Joy whispered to Mara, who was looking at Jerome.
"Nothing, why?" Mara said, too quickly.
"Remember, I know that you two k-i-s-s-e-d." Joy glared at her before turning back to her magazine.
Mara stared hard at Joy, angry and upset before marching away.
When they were in her room, I was more or less like a bomb hand silence all four of them. None could say anything as they all thought back to the night they'd had their first sleepover in this room.
"So, where did you're parents think you were when you were at that party last night?" Amber asked Joy as she sat down on her sleeping bag.
"Your house."
The four girls laughed and Joy smiled, "Patricia, truth or dare?"
"Truth," Patricia said after contemplating her choices.
"Have you swiped your V-card with Jerome?"
"Excuse me?" Patricia shouted.
"Is that a yes?"
"NO! It's a hell no!" Patricia yelled, before turning to Nina, "Amber, truth or dare?"
"Truth," Amber smiled.
"Who do you like?"
Amber dreaded this question, "No one." She lied, "Mara, truth or dare?"
"Ummm, truth."
"How's Mick?" Amber asked, expecting the answer to be hot and scandalous.
"Good," Mara shrugged, "Joy, truth or dare?"
"Dare. I'm not gonna play it safe like all of you." Joy smirked.
"I dare you to…" Mara had been feeling a bit angry at Joy since she told her she was flat chested while shopping earlier that day. "Give Fabian Rutter your number."
Joy's eyes bulged, but she quickly recovered and grabbed a post it note off her desk and sauntered out the door. When she returned, Joy smiled, "Expect a call soon girls."
But he never called. Not that night. Not all summer.
And that made Joy want him.
"I got the damn key, now let's get out of here." Mara muttered.
Once they were out, J texted.
Go to the church and climb to the bell tower. –J.
Doing as they were told, they climbed to the bell tower. Only to find no one there. Nothing.
Nothing but a knife on the floor.
The same knife that was on the floor in Joy's bedroom the night she died.
And there was a note on it.
Patricia stepped forward and plucked it off.
The one who was supposed to die was the one who knew too much. –J
"Who-Who knew t-too much?" Mara mumbled.
"Oh my god." Patricia muttered.
"Which one of us knew too much?" Nina asked.
"I know who killed her." Mara said confidently.
"What? Mara how?" Amber asked.
"It really was Fabian all along." Mara sighed.
"Mara, don't say that!" Nina screamed, charging toward her. Patricia grabbed Nina and covered her mouth.
"Go on Mara."
"Joy was in love with Fabian," Mara said, "And I found out. I was the one who knew too much. So Fabian wanted to kill me, but killed her instead."
Nina dropped to the floor in a heap of tears, "It can't be…" she muttered.
Patricia felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and read aloud, "If the one who was supposed to die joins me, you're all free. –J."
The three girls watched in shock as Mara walked over to the knife and picked it up.
"Mara no!"
"Don't you guys want to find out who J is?" Mara shouted back, "This is the only way!"
Patricia, Nina, and Amber screamed in shock as Mara lifted the knife. But, she was stopped by all of their phones going off.
Mara put down the knife as she and the other girls read the texts aloud.
See how easy it is for me to make you bitches kill yourselves? Hint: It's not you Mara. –J.
And that concludes part one! I'm separating the story into two parts cuz that's how the show works, so next chap will be one big flashback!
Next time… We learn about what Joy and Fabian did one, crazy night, and secrets about Nina and Fabian's older brother no one was expecting. Did something happen between Amber and Jason before everything? Did Mara and Jerome do something that they regretted? Find out, next time.
