As Hanna entered her home for the first time in weeks, tears threatened to escape her tired eyes. Her mother pushed her wheelchair, glad that they had let her daughter go home so soon, but mostly relieved to see her safely home. The creaking of the chair echoed in the empty house.
"Not much has changed," Mrs. Marin said, trying to keep a casual tone while switching on all the lights to make it as cozy as possible.
Hanna nodded and continued to look around. It was true; everything was exactly how she expected it, yet something was different. She couldn't place her finger on it and decided to shake it off. She was home, and that was all that really mattered.
After having a take-out lunch in the company of her mother, Hanna decided to invite her friends over, like old times. Maybe if they acted normal things would feel normal.
"The girls will be coming over in a while, if that's okay," Hanna said, picking at the remaining noodles on her plate.
"If you're feeling up to it, no problem," Mrs. Marin replied with a big smile, trying to hide her worry.
Hanna looked around, unsure of how to proceed., finally settling on watching some TV while her mother showered upstairs. As the news anchor explained a string of recent events, Hanna found herself out of touch with reality. How long had they been kidnapped? She didn't know about the newest viral video or the latest political controversy. The blatant date and time at the corner of the screen was a small comfort.
"And now, back to the Dollhouse Case," the woman on the screen continued in the same tone. It was only one more piece of news to read to her, another combination of words on the same teleprompter. But Hanna felt the hairs on the back of her neck raising immediately, and her whole body tensed in unison.
"Now that all the victims are safely home, new information has surfaced regarding a sixth victim, Sara Harvey. According to our source, she was forced to engage in a cruel competition with another of the victims. Whoever didn't drown while holding their breath underwater was declared the winner in the kidnapper's perturbing game."
As the anchor's words spilled out of her impeccable crimson-colored lips, pictures and videos were displayed on the screen. Hanna averted her eyes, but continued listening, eager to find out Sara's name. She made a mental note to send her family flowers.
From the moment the doorbell rang, it almost felt like everything was okay, like just another girl's night. Except she couldn't get around without a wheelchair. Aria and Emily were trying really hard to make it seem normal, holding bags of popcorn and candy in their arms as they entered the living room. Hanna could feel their guilt and wished she could convince them to stop feeling that way.
"Nice to see you all again. I'll leave you girls to it," Mrs. Marin smiled, retiring to her bedroom.
There was an unspoken agreement not to discuss the painful events, at least at the beginning.
"So, I kind of told Ezra to get lost," Aria announced, looking down at the bowl of popcorn in her lap but producing a small smile anyways.
"Really?" Hanna and Spencer said at the same time, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Yeah... I never really got over the book thing. And...yeah" Aria cut herself off, not wanting to bring up the dollhouse.
"Good riddance!" Hanna exclaimed, "I was always team Jake anyways."
"Me too!" Emily piped in, high-fiving Hanna.
Aria grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and gently swatted her with it.
"Moving on..." Aria giggled, placing her hands over her cheeks to hide their flush.
After they had thoroughly gorged on junk food and watched enough cat videos to last a lifetime, they sat back and the mood turned melancholic. It was inevitable at that time of the day. And Emily needed to tell them what she had realized; it was eating away at her.
"I don't know what all this means anymore," Hanna sighed after hearing Emily's story and giving her a big hug.
"I can't imagine how you must be feeling," Spencer added, squeezing Emily's arm with affection.
"I'm over the initial shock. Honestly, I just want this all to be over... Everything keeps getting more confusing."
"Did you hear about the blonde girl... Sara?" Hanna mused, staring at the ceiling from her spot on the sofa, receiving grim nods of recognition.
"Who could go to such great lengths to make others suffer?" Aria said, hugging the cushion tightly.
"We need to keep investigating. It's the only way we can make this end. And I know that it never seems to end, but we need to try," Spencer replied, sitting up.
They all looked at each other, noticing how worn out they all were. And it wasn't just the fact that it was midnight already. Every threat, every death and every text message only made them sleep less, eat less, know less.
"I'm not going back to school," Aria mumbled, breaking the silence, "I can't go back and hear girls complaining about tests and essays or worse, prom dresses."
"Me neither, but I was thinking about taking the GED," Spencer replied.
"That's a good idea," Hanna contemplated while Emily just kept quiet.
"I guess I just want to do other things... Enjoy life or something," Aria mused, "Maybe travel. That would be nice."
"Yeah, it would be," Emily smiled, probably thinking of a faraway tropical island where no one would know her name, let alone her phone number to blackmail her.
Four simultaneous beeps pulled them back to reality. Spencer rolled her eyes and pondered whether to reach over for her phone, which was vibrating wildly on the coffee table. She was just so tired...
"Is this a video?" Aria squinted at the screen of her phone.
"Oh my god," Emily's words and her sharp intake of breath made Spencer scramble to see what they were looking at.
There was no message, no signature, just a video. A brunette was shoveling dirt into a hole in the ground. Reaching an arm up to wipe her damp forehead, Melissa's face was revealed as she continued to bury the corpse.