Chapter 35
No POV
A teenage girl climbed on a metallic red bicycle. The two shapes, her saviors, were gone in a blink of an eye. Only the simple 'sorry' and a promise to keep her secret remained. If she hadn't been an active and if part of being an active meant that her brain would remember everything, she'd be sure she had hallucinated Jasper and his friend.
Her face was emotionless and her movements robot-like as she pedaled quickly through the thick forest's trails in order to get back to her house. Her mind was blank as if it had been recently wiped but by the time she had reached the cul-de-sac where she lived, she was breathing hard and the numb shell protecting her from the events of that night had already broken.
"What the hell happened to you?"
Jason asked. The dirty blond man was sitting on the porch steps sipping a can of pepsi With a worried frown marring his handsome face. He jumped at once and running to the trembling girl, he helped her get off the bicycle and to sit on the porch steps as he hid her means of transportation in the garage.
"Ian's dead. he killed Alison. he almost killed me"
Bella said in monotone. Jason looked at her flabbergasted before his eyes took in her bruised arms, torn shirt and fresh scraps on her torso. He felt his anger spike and began clenching and unclenching his fists to keep it under control as he slowly sat next to her.
"tell me everything. from the beginning"
As the sun rose casting everything in a soft pinkish light The cul-de-sac was clattered with cop cars and reporters once again.
between Melissa calling the cops to alert them she found her husband and Bella's story to Jason, the few men and women that compiled the police force of rosewood had been all alerted. In fact when the BMW with Ken, Jessica, Phil and Lily DiLaurentis pulled in the driveway of their house, it had taken five cops to shield the family as they rushed to their house. The same had happened when Peter and Veronica Hastings had returned home from their trip to New York.
Inside the house at the end of the road the family was quiet.
Ken was pacing up and down the living room agitated.
Jessica was drinking chamomile as if it'd go bad with silent tears falling down her cheeks. She made no move to dab them.
Jason was in the basement, kicking and punching the gym equipment while muttering how stupid he had been.
Even the twins were completely quiet, huddling close together in their playpen with the big albino dog, that Charlie swan hadn't asked back yet, laying quietly in front of it as if he was guarding it.
Bella was sitting at the breakfast table, nursing a cup of coffee also lost in her thoughts.
All that could be heard was the heavy footsteps of the police trumping in and out of the house returning the various things that had taken when Alison went missing.
"Is it over then?"
Jessica DiLaurentis had asked the older graying cop who had come to inform them that Alison's killer was found and that he was dead. The cop nodded. When they left to go tot he house next door to begin questioning the in-laws of the killer, Jessica put her head on her husband's chest and openly wept.
It was finally over.
School was in a flutter of motion. News of Ian's "suicide" had made the news and even though there was still some scrutiny over his class, most kids were smiling. The big unnamed threat that had killed a high school girl was gone.
Speaking of unnamed threats...
"Hello Mona"
Bella cornered the short girl in the yard. Mona was ditching class in favor of coffee and was sitting alone in the empty courtyard hunched over her plain blackberry phone. She looked up at the taller, paler girl and smiled
"hi, I was thinking of sending this to Emily, what do you think?"
she handed Bella the phone. Bella didn't even look at the text message. Instead she put the phone in her blue messenger bag and looked at Mona.
"You're done. -A- is done Mona"
"Says who?"
the shorter girl asked with a frown
"me"
"why would I ever listen to you? Being -A- is my pet project and quite frankly you're bringing me down"
she had the nerve to say. Bella, having anticipating that, cocked a hip out smirking
"who do you think killed Ian, moan?"
the queen bee's posture fell.
"you wouldn't"
she stammered suddenly afraid.
"I would. and I will"
with a predator smirk, the dark redhead reached inside her bag to get a syringe. It was already filled with some sort of clear liquid. Mona opened her mouth to scream but before she could a single sound could be made, Bella had clamped one leather clad hand over her mouth and pushed the sharp needle in Mona's neck.
The two locked eyes as the sleeping solution knocked moan out. Almost immediately after Mona slumping on the bench Bella lifted the unconscious girl and carried her to her classic car and dropped her in the trunk.
"Two can keep a secret only if one of them is dead"
After school Bella drove to Hanna's house. During lunch Emily had told her they'd all be meeting at Spencer's so she knew the sugary white house would be empty.
Parking in the back, she pulled Mona's body and petitioned it in a lawn chair in the small back yard. Then she pulled out Mona's phone and composed a new text.
'I am sorry for hurting you Hanna. I began -A- as a way to make sure you would remain my friend. I was sure that you'd ditch me for the bitches you call friends but I was wrong. The only bitch here is me. Please forgive me. Mona'.
Sending it to the only four contacts in Mona's phone, she pulled out a simple box cuter and slit the girl's wrists.
Blood pumped out the fresh cuts and pooled around her feet. Mona was dead long before Hanna drove home to find her best friend's body.
Who better to take the fall for -A-, than the person that created the omnipresent cyber bully?
At 5 pm, Ken DiLaurentis was in his kitchen cooking his famous burgers for dinner. He had taken the news of Ian's "suicide" better than his wife had. In his mind, his blond angel could rest peacefully now and that thought was the only thing helping him heal.
In the den were his son and Bella with the twins watching cartoons when the doorbell rang. He was elbow deep in mince so he shouted at them to answer it.
"If its reporters again, I'll break someone's nose"
Jason threatened from his place at the lazy chair.
"Which is why I'll be the one getting it"
Bella stuck her tongue out at the floppy haired young man and stepping aside to avoid a pink clad toddler, she padded to the den door. on the other side of the door stood no one else but a nervous looking Veronica Hastings.
"Can I help you?"
the dark redhead teen asked her.
"Erm... are your parents home?"
the lawyer inquired.
"yeah... come on in"
Stepping aside she let the older woman enter and then guided her to the den. Jason sat up as he saw them. A sad smile crossed veronica's lips looking at the twins on the floor chirping along the happy sounds coming from Barney the dinosaur on TV
"Get mom"
Jason told Bella who nodded and climbed the stairs to Jason's parent's bedroom. Jessica was sitting on the bed with a photo album in her lap.
"it seems too final"
she sighed not looking up to see who it was. Bella bit her lip and nodded not knowing what to say.
"Veronica Hastings is downstairs. She wants to talk to you or Ken"
"Veronica?"
Jessica said surprised.
"what does she want?"
Bella shrugged
"I didn't ask"
with a sigh Jessica sat up putting the album aside. She smoothed down her pantsuit, dabbed her wet cheeks and fixed her appearance a little applying another layer of soft peach colored lipstick and running a hand through her dark brown hair, before deeming herself presentable.
Bella hid a smile at how similar Jessica was with her daughter.
When Jessica entered the den she caught her son's eyes. Jason was looking concerned holding Phil in his arms. Lily demanded attention from her mom by tossing a stuffed pink bunny at the two women. Veronica smiled sadly and knelt to grab the toy and hand it back to the toddler who took it and threw it back elicing an amused chuckle from both women.
"This is going to sound crazy but we're giving Ian a funeral"
Veronica said getting down to business. Jessica's dark blue eyes iced over. Jason's did the same only he let down the toddler he held as to not hurt him.
"I don't want to, god knows how much I don't want to and neither does peter, but Melissa needs it"
the short haired mother blabbed. Jessica's eyes softened. Jason's didn't. Instead he grabbed a throw pillow to fist.
"how is Melissa?"
"scared. sad. lost in her own world. pregnant to the demon spawn of a killer. take your pick"
veronica sighed. Jessica bit her bottom lip as her son deflated. Ian had been his best friend and now he had hurt all of his sisters. What was the point in hating them anymore?
"would you like some coffee?"
Jessica asked the woman who had been her friend once upon a time. veronica looked surprised before nodding
"a cup of coffee would be great"
Ken gave the two women a smile as he passed them. He had heard everything they said and while upset over the funeral he could understand the reason behind it. He didn't have to like it though so he left the women to lick their wounds.
Upstairs he walked to Alison's room. Even though the room itself was similar it had a different energy in it. When they had moved away a few months ago, the room had the feeling of a tomb. Now it felt clean as if someone had chased the bad memories away. Someone had.
the graying man sat on the bench at the bottom of the bed and looked up when Bella came in carrying a box.
"hi"
the teen said nervously.
"Hi"
Ken replied equally nervous
"I wanted to thank you. for everything. You didn't have to come here or do what you did"
belle's eyes widened slightly
"what do you mean?"
"I mean I spoke with Adele. she had no idea someone was here"
Bella closed her eyes and let her head fall. she opened her mouth to apologies but ken held a hand up
"This is for you"
he tossed a black memory card at her.
"what is this?"
belles asked confused
"Isabella DiAngelo's file. She was never an active for the dollhouse. In fact, the girl died mere weeks after being placed there."
Ken said simply.
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Bella asked not wanting to believe his words if they were a lie. Ken smiled
"You're free. No one will come looking for you, ever. Even Adele's memories agree with this"
"how?"
"Dollhouse is ran by money Bella. And I have money"
Bella couldn't stop the smile that was born on her lips as she hugged the man.
she was free.
THE END