1Set five years after the mystery of 'A' was solved, a fresh batch of teens are settling into Rosewood High. With the small, quiet town seemingly back to the way it once was, a mysterious chain of events causes three new students to have their feathers rustled. Together they must unite to figure out who is causing trouble and who is transforming into Rosewood's new 'A.'
~ A For Ashes ~
Chapter Ten:
Pumpkin Maze: Part 2
Dark clouds loom across Rosewood and excited students step out of glitzy limousines. The entire pathway in front of Rosewood High is flooded with colors. Glittery dresses sparkle in the moonlight as boyfriends and girlfriends hold onto each other.
Cassie, in her bright yellow dress, glances at Seth. He stands off beside the trees next to the school, his hands inside his trouser pockets. "I like your black suit," Cassie says. Seth smiles. "I like your dress."
Somewhat awkwardly, Cassie gently takes his hand. He stares into her eyes, a wave of anxiety washing over him. Like he has never felt a connection like this before. Cassie smiles back at him and they both begin to walk up the steps of the school.
"I just want kids to be safe out this weekend. Halloween can lead to tragic things.." The blonde woman crosses her legs on a stool, waiting for a response. The old man opposite her coughs. "Speaking of tragic things, you certainly did go through a lot in Rosewood, Hannah."
"You're right," she replies. "-A has totally flipped my life around. Without -A, I wouldn't be sitting here with you right now."
Jax presses the power button on his remote, turning off the television. The room flashes to darkness. The feelings wriggling under his skin get the best of him. He just can't listen to people talk about 'A' anymore. He wants to be alone. His thoughts are interrupted by his buzzing ringtone. Light pours from the screen, faintly lighting up his bedroom. He picks up the phone, reading the name of the sender. Olivia.
Instantly, he's relieved and he reads the message.
It's time to play Trick R' Treat, except in this game, there are no treats. Time to find poor Olivia in my Pumpkin Maze before time runs out. Game on, bitch. -A
He gasps, instantly leaping from his bed. Thoughts swirl through his mind. Should he go? Or should he just take it as a joke and stay? But no. -A must have got her phone from somewhere.. he thinks. I can't ignore this.
Instantly, he jumps up from the bed and heads towards the window.
Her head spins, a thumping ache running throughout her body. Her vision blurs as she slowly peers open her eyes. The ropes dig deep into her skin and she wriggles to try and escape. She stares all around at the hedges, eyeing out every shimmer of color around her. Suddenly, the pumpkin-figure in front of her pulls back on a wall of leaves. They drag it over, sealing off all exits and leaving them both stuck in a small section of the maze.
Olivia wriggles in her seat, feeling the throbbing pain in her left shoulder. Blood stains her shirt as it slowly drips down her skin and onto the grass. She's stuck. Frozen. Nowhere to run. Just sitting there and staring straight at the mask of -A.
The music blares and the whole gymnasium is brought to life. Cassie take's Seth's hand and they both shimmy out onto the dance floor. Awkwardly, they wrap their arms around each others' waists and slowly begin to slow dance.
"You seem like a first timer," says Seth.
"Sure am," replies Cassie. "Can you.. Um.. You're tickling me a bit."
"Oh! Sorry!"
"No problem. You seem like a first timer too."
Seth laughs. "What makes you think that?"
Cassie manages to hear the tinkling of her ringtone over the music. They both pause and she pulls her phone out of her purse, reading the text message on the screen to herself.
Ding dong, the bitch is almost dead! Time to find Olivia or you and Seth won't be the only one having some steam. -A
She spins around, scanning through the crowds at all the happy teens dancing into the night. All cheering and having fun. Spilling drinks, dancing with their partners. So oblivious to the fact that a girl like Cassie was going through so much hell.
"I've got to go.." she pants.
Seth looks at her with an odd facial expression. "Why? Are you, um.. having your monthly-"
"No!" she exclaims. "No, no I am not!"
"Where d'you gotta go then?"
"To find Olivia. She texted me, she says she's puking in the bathroom."
Seth shrugs. "Sounds good." Then Cassie sprints away across the dance floor, heading directly out the exit. She storms out into the chilly night air and runs straight into the entrance of the maze. Her classmates' laughs echo around her as she spirals deeper into the hedges.
The thoughts inside her head go crazy as flashes of color flicker through the leaves. She worries for Olivia, thinking of the wildest things that could possibly be happening to her. Is she safe? Is she dead? Her mouth runs dry as the ideas build up her anxiety. Her high heels stumble on her long dress as a giggling boy brushes past her. A small girl follows after him, a cola splashing in her hand. Cassie's knocked back against the hedges and her breathing becomes heavy. All forms blend together in her sight as everything begins to mush together right before her very eyes. She places her hand on her chest, knowing it's time to black out, but then she hears the voice. Oh so familiar. The voice that makes her shoot her eyes back open.
"Cassie!"
Jax stands there in his grey tracksuit.
"What are you-?" Cassie manages to choke out before Jax leans in and hugs her.
"Olivia is in trouble.." he whispers in her ear. "-A sent me a text." Cassie awkwardly shrugs him off her.
"Same here," she says, flicking through her phone and bringing up the text message. "We need to find her right now, before it's too late!"
Instantly, Jax's ringtone buzzes and his phone vibrates. He reads his new message.
"It's not too late.. -A."
Cassie and Jax both stare at each other nervously, both having the same thought: -A is closer to them than they originally thought. They hold each other's hand and slowly walk around the corner to a dead end. Except that's when they see Olivia. She wriggles in the duct tape, her chair rocking back and forth.
"Olivia!" Cassie screams as she runs towards her. Cassie rips the tape off of her mouth and she instantly screams.
"My shoulder! -A cut my shoulder! I'm bleeding to death!"
Jax inspects the wound in her skin, blood no longer pouring but still all over her. "What happened exactly?"
"Whoever it was, him, her, it... They were in a pumpkin costume and they ripped my skin open with shears! Help me!"
"Don't worry, we're bringing you straight to the hospital.." says Jax. Him and Cassie hold Olivia up as they stumble out of the maze exit.
"Yeah," says Cassie. "They're not going to believe what the hell just happened."
Students go from joyful to horrified. They stare at the trio in shock, whispers filling the air. Heads turn, and soon enough crowds begin to form around them. "We're alright," Jax announces. "There's nothing to see."
Suddenly, Olivia gasps once she sees the familiar mask looming through the crowds. They give a creepy, gentle wave to her before quickly vanishing into the darkness of the night. "I just saw them! They're there! Right there!"
"Who is there?" Jax asks.
"It's -A!" yells Olivia. "I just saw them!"
Instantly, Cassie's ringtone begins to play again. Olivia stares at her with a face of horror. "Don't look at the message! It's time we just ignore this idiot who keeps poking at us for fun!"
"I can't!" exclaims Cassie. "We need to get you to the hospital and figure out who is doing this. They just gave you a serious injury!" Cassie whips out her phone, but this time, there's something odd on the screen. A message attached to a video file.
Stitch O's wound back together and I open up your heart, C. -A
She clicks on the video confused at first, but within seconds, her mouth drops open. The audio plays at full blast and Olivia hears it all, instantly knowing what it is. "I can explain."
Cassie's stunned for words, choking out anything she can at the moment in time. "How could you..?"
"I didn't-" begins Olivia but she's instantly interrupted.
"How could you do this?!"
"I told you! I can explain!"
"Explanations will never be enough!" yells Cassie. "You went behind my back and had sex with Josh!"
Suddenly the surrounding students erupt into roars. Some laugh, some holler in cringe. But one confused one jumps out into the spotlight. Josh. Fit in his tuxedo with a rose in his hand, he walks straight up to the trio. "What are you talking about?"
"Josh, they know.." mutters Olivia. "I guess it's time to come clean."
"You've already come clean, and you lied to me! You're my friend but you're dating my ex-boyfriend!" roars Cassie. She charges straight at Josh, and with all her might, she slaps him straight across the cheek. Olivia stands there stunned for a moment, then begins to speak up. "Ex-boyfriend? I thought he was your fricken cousin!"
The entire crowd lets out more cheers and Josh forms a fist with his hand. He lifts it high up into the air and targets straight at Cassie's face. He slams it forward, Jax grabbing his wrist just inches before impact.
"Don't you ever hit her!" Jax snaps, then punches him straight in the jaw. Josh flies backwards and collapses onto the ground face first, blood running out of his nostril. The students around start to chant, clapping their hands together. "Fight fight fight!"
Olivia and Cassie turn to each other, Olivia's face filled with regret and Cassie's with rage. Cassie steps forward and growls at her. "I thought I could trust you." Suddenly, ringtones blast into the air and echo around the yard. Everyone erupts into laughter as they shove their phones in each other's faces, all now equipped with the video. Cassie bites her lip and unleashes the anger building up inside her. She shoves Olivia as hard as she can and she falls straight into the muddy grass. Cassie storms away and Olivia slowly shuts her eyes, the voices of the chanting crowds silencing and the shadows of Jax and Josh fighting vanishing into the darkness.
A figure walks around in the dark room, their phone showing footage of the fight several hours ago; Olivia getting pushed, Cassie raging, Josh and Jax fighting. All captured on camera. They place their phone in the pocket of their black hoodie and head towards the door. They twist on the knob and open it up to see the pumpkin costume standing in the doorway. They step in and both shake hands with each other. Slowly, the black hoodie picks up a jacket from the sofa and hands it to the pumpkin costume. But not just any sort of jacket or clothing.
A red coat.
Next time on 'A For Ashes:'
"Are you and Olivia ever going to make up?" Jax asks.
The feud RAGES ON...
"No," Cassie replies. "I'm never going to give in to idiots like her."
...and friendships will be tested.
"I need to tell you something.." whispered Seth.
It's TIME..
"I think there's a far bigger threat out there!" exclaims Jax. "Olivia's attacker in the maze just proves that!"
..to FACE..
Cassie gasps as a red-coated figure vanishes around the corner.
..SEASON II,
The black hoodie stands in the shadows, watching as Olivia and Jax chat away.
B FOR BURIED!
Olivia screams in the grave as dirt begins to fill up the hole.
Author's Note:
So I have some explaining to do...
Hello guys! Welcome back to A For Ashes! I know, I know, WHERE HAVE THE CHAPTERS BEEN?! Well let me tell you this: A. I have been working on other stories. B. I have and still am busy on school work.
Lame excuses, I know.. But you gotta trust me when I say this: I AM BACK AND I AM GIVING YOU SOME GOOD OL' A FOR ASHES! :D
I am almost finishing writing my other mystery 'whodunnit,' The Rebirth Games, and it really opened me up to the world of mystery villains. I had a set villain from the start, revealed it near the end, AND BOOM, all clues and plots fell into place perfectly. I really want to do that with this story. I must admit: while I had my main ideas set since the very first chapter of A For Ashes, there were some things that I didn't have planned yet. I thought about them around Chapter 5, but I'm totally set. I have all my ideas planned out, time to write some awesome stuff, but here's the thing...
Are you all still interested? The problem is that if I write this huge mystery with lots of suspects and craziness, will people be interested in it still? I know I took a huge break, but I really want to bring your characters to life much better. Some characters were tossed to the side, but now that we've got the foundations for the story set, I can do lots more really. As you can tell from the sneak preview at the end... B FOR BURIED IS COMING!
No, it's not a sequel, just a second season I guess. ;)
A For Ashes was all about these new characters, B For Buried will be using these characters in many situations and opening up the typical PLL world full of drama and character dynamics. And of course, more -A.. ;)))))
Remember: let me know if you are still interested! :D
Thank you all so much for reading, byeeeee! :D