The next day the two girls woke up after spending the night wrapped up in each other's arms. Emily woke up a little while before the blonde and stayed awake watching over her. Now that Emily had the blonde back there was nothing she wouldn't do to protect Courtney. Emily knew what it was like to live without the blonde and she never wanted to feel like it again. The last night Emily stayed awake as long as she could to keep watch over the blonde, so with waking up earlier than Courtney she found herself extremely tired this morning. About an hour after Emily, Courtney found herself stirring from her sleep as Emily was peppering the blonde's neck with kisses.
"Morning beautiful" Emily said with a loud yawn.
"Morning Em "Courtney said rather groggily, mornings not being her favourite time of the day.
"You look tired Em, not a good night sleep?" Courtney said with concern
"You might find this weird." Emily paused pondering what to say. "I spent the night watching over you, you looked so beautiful while you were sleeping. "Emily said while blushing and trying to avoid Courtney's gaze.
"Hey don't look away Em, I think it's rather cute you watching over me killer, you have always protected me Em." Courtney encouragingly whispered.
"You do" Emily blushed again.
Courtney was rather enjoying has flustered when Emily was acting on her feelings, she loved the shy, sweet side of Emily but hoped she bring out a more confident Emily with time. Courtney knew that it would come once Emily truly believed that she wanted it as much as her, the confidence would come.
"Shall we get breakfast then, we have got to meet the other girls in few hours to talk about Ali" Emily said while getting up out of her bed and stretching her legs.
"I'll make breakfast, you usually run in the mornings, don't you?" Courtney offered.
"Yeah I usually do, but I want to stay with you to keep you safe." Emily whispered.
"It will be fine , I can look after myself Em, besides my sister is not stupid there is no way she will try again so soon , she will be planning every last detail of our collective demise" Courtney said while encourage Emily to get out the door. Courtney didn't want them to lose any more of the lives due to Ali's insane method of revenge, these girls had done nothing wrong apart from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She wanted them to get back to normal as soon as possible doing normal teenage things, that's all Courtney had ever wanted was to be normal and live a normal life but thanks to Ali she has never been able to have that.
"Alright I'll go just promise that you will stay safe, I can't lose you again, it hurts too much" Emily said while sobbing.
Courtney immediately got up and wrapped her arms around Emily pulling her it to a hug trying to make her feel better. "I'm never going anywhere again, we will get our happy ending Em, I love you so much Em" Courtney said with tears in her eyes. Courtney pulled away for a moment and grabbed some tissues of Emily's desk and began to wipe away the tears from Emily's face.
"Now go do you morning run and when you get back, I'll have breakfast ready" Courtney said while leaving the room so Emily could get dressed in to her running gear. Five minutes later Emily came down stairs and saw Courtney sitting down at the kitchen table. Emily walked over and gave Courtney a kiss on the forehead and whispered "Bye" and went out the front door on her morning run. Courtney began searching through the kitchen to see what she could make them for their breakfast and decided that she was going to make them bacon and pancakes.
An hour later Emily walked in the front door to her hours and was greeted with the smell of bacon and pancakes and saw the blonde finishing dishing up their breakfast. "Hey, just in time "Courtney ushered Emily to sit down at the table. Courtney then placed and plate stacked with pancakes and bacon in front of Emily and walked over to the seat next to Emily and sat down. They both started eating and sat down in comfortable silence, before Courtney spoke up. "How do you think the girls are going to react today Em?"
Emily thought about whether she should be truthful or spare the blondes feelings, she decided she would be truthful because Courtney is excellent at reading people and would realise that she is lying pretty quickly.
"They are going to be a lot of different emotions when they see you because you were our friend but we never really knew anything about you whereas you knew everything about us. So there might be some issues there but we can work on that, show them you want to build a friendship properly and the trust will come it will take some time." Emily said while gazing at the blonde.
"Thank you for being honest Em" Courtney said with glimmer of hope and smiled at the brunette to further show her appreciation.
"Besides Spencer is your sister right, so I think she will want you as a part of her life. You also know that I want you in my life. It might take a bit more work with Hanna and Aria but it weird you know we have grieved for you twice now, so it's a bit confusing for all of us" Emily replied as she finished her breakfast.
Courtney nodded in understanding." Shall we get ready to go then" Courtney asked.
"Yeah"
The two girls placed the dishes in the kitchen sink and went back upstairs to get ready for meeting the rest of the girls at spencer's barn later in the day. Half an hour later the two girls left Emily's house. Courtney was wearing a hoodie and some leggings and had the hood up to avoid being seen during the day. It didn't take them long to arrive at spencer's barn as Courtney had to be careful about being seen. The two girls unlocked the barn and slipped inside the newly renovated barn and were a little early so the other girls hadn't arrived yet. The two girls sat down on one of the sofas next to each other and began to strike a conversation while they waited for the others.
Ten minutes later spencer entered the barn and saw the two girls talking and was struggling on how to feel with her sister being back.
"Courtney, it's good to see you." Spencer chocked out and drew the blonde into a hug. While she was angry with the blonde, she was family and she wanted to have her in her life, so she decided to let go of the way Courtney treated her and hoped things would be different. The two girls broke apart after a length hug and spencer wiped her tears away.
"The others will be here soon, you know what Hanna like" Spencer joked causing the other two girls to laugh at their blonde friends antics. Hanna was always the last one two arrive punctuality was not a word to describe her.
Aria was next to arrive once she entered, she starred at her blonde friend who she thought was long gone and then made her way over to the blonde and drew her into a hug , which Courtney happily reciprocated. Courtney wasn't expecting such a positive reaction from the girls and it even surprised Emily who looked content. Emily was just enjoying the chance at the five of them being together like they should have been.
The last to arrive was Hanna arriving fifteen minutes later, as she entered she heard the four girls engaging in conversation trying to help Courtney catch up on all she had missed out on while she was on the run. Hanna approached the blonde apprehensively and reached out and gave the blonde and hug.
"I'm glad you're still alive Courtney" Hanna whispered into Courtney ear. The two pulled away a Courtney gave the four girls a shy smile as she returned to her seat next to Emily and Hanna sat with the other two girls.
A few moments later the chatter around the room came to an end, this had Courtney feeling nervous, due to never having spoken at all about her life.
"I'm not sure where to start" The blonde whispered while trying to keep her nerves at bay.
Spencer was the first one to speak up "Courtney why don't you start at the beginning" Spencer motioned with some encouragement.
"Well the reason that my family moved to rosewood in the first place is due to the issues between my sister and I. We started off with a normal sisterly relationship, we did everything together, all the usual things that you would do with your sister" Courtney paused for a moment wondering what to say next.
"Then it all began to go wrong, Ali's jealousy started to get worse. Ali had my parents wrapped around her little finger, she couldn't deal with the fact that they gave me some of their attention as well. It started with little arguments, trying to make me feel lesser than her. It got worse she started threatening me if I didn't pretend to be her." The girls were giving Courtney their undivided attention as she told her story.
"I was terrified of her, so I did what she asked I pretended to be her. When she asked I went to school as her, sat in her seat and hanged around with her friends. I introduced myself as Ali. By the time I realised what she was doing it was too late." Courtney explained while trying to hold back the tears. The four girls were shocked and were quickly beginning to feel sorry for the girl that had never been allowed to be herself. They understood just how broken that the girl in front of must be, that she doesn't exist, she is just an Ali clone. It must have been terrible.
"When I talked to parents about what she was forcing me to do, they just shrugged it off at first. It was like they didn't really care, it felt like they thought they only had one daughter." Courtney struggled to get the words out she would be glad if she didn't have to retell her story again.
"I kept complaining about, so eventually they spoke to Ali about it and she just shrugged it off that she hadn't been threatening me and forcing me to pretend to be her. Then the school got in touch with my parents as they were concerned with my behaviour." Courtney felt that she had never been real that she didn't know what was really her and what she was forced to be. She was extremely confused and was struggling with inner conflict that would probably stay with her for the rest of her life.
"Then I and sister got into a huge fight and what my parents came home two was not a pretty sight. The scar that I showed you Em she did that to me, I know I told you I did it myself. I couldn't tell you that because I couldn't revel that I had I twin." Courtney sobbed out and Emily inched closer to the blonde and pulled her into a hug.
"It's ok, I won't let anything happen to you." Emily heart ached for the blonde, in the moment that she knew that if Courtney ever gave her heart to Emily she would protect it at all cost and would do anything to help repair the damaged blonde. To give her the best life possible. The rest of the girls stayed silent shocked at all the girl in front of them had to endure just to be sitting with them right now.
"Thanks Em" Courtney said as she pulled away from the hug and turned to face the others.
"She stabbed me and it looked like she was going to leave me to bleed out but luckily my parents came home just in time and called an ambulance. I was in a coma for a few weeks." Courtney looked down at the floor in shame. "Sometimes I think about that day and I wish that my parents never came home, I would have died but I would be free from her" Courtney sombrely stated.
"No don't you ever dare think like that Courtney, I know your life has been hard but it won't always be that way. You have me, all of us" Emily encouraged the other's to speak up.
"You're my sister Courtney ill help you get through this, I'll show you what it's like to have a sister. I love you so much" Spencer said while reaching over to Courtney to give her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"I don't regret meeting you Courtney we had some really good times, I want more of that" Hanna further added hopping to help the blonde feel a bit better. Aria looked over at the blonde and gave the blonde a reassuring smile saying she agreed with the others.
"You can get redemption Courtney, You have made some mistakes but you can still find out who you are. You don't have to be someone, you are not anymore and I look forward to getting to know the real you" Aria encouraged.
"Thank you for giving me a chance!" Courtney sobbed out and tried to smile at the four girls who were the best people she had ever known.
"After I woke up from the coma both of us had a psychiatric evaluation performed, to find the root of the problem. Ali kept calm and composed and passed the evaluation whereas I didn't. I was nervous and panicked, I was just trying to be honest so I kept telling about her forcing me to be her and that she stabbed me." Courtney looked around the room before she continued her story.
"I was then diagnosed with Schizophrenia and also depression, whereas my sister was mentally deemed normal. My parents gave the choice of what to do with me to Ali. Of course she wanted me gone so that I would be forgotten about so she decided that I should be sent off to the Radley institution because she didn't feel safe." Courtney stared at the four girls and then gave them each a sad smile.
"So off I went to the Radley where I stayed there for over I year. I think I can count the amount of times my parents visited me. Jason was the only one who ever really cared and he came to visit me quite often. We talked, played games, he was the only positive thing being there" Courtney Explained and the girls were glad at least she had Jason.
"I realised that the only way I would ever get out of there is that I had to believe my sister's version of events and roll with the program. The Radley was going to be shut down so I was sent home the weekend I met you guys before I would be transferred to the preserve. I wasn't allowed outside at all because it would tarnish my parent's perfect reputation if they had a mental patient as a daughter." Courtney said the last part with a tone of anger as she often found herself despising her parents as they had let Ali torture her for so many years.
"I couldn't start over at another hospital, I just couldn't do it so I broke into my sister's room and stole her A for Ali ring; because they couldn't tell us a part without the rings. I saw you four outside when you came so steal my time capsule piece and I came out to talk you. That left my sister as the only girl in the house so my parents believed she was me and she kept insisting that she was Ali and they took her to the preserve." Courtney sombrely stated a bit ashamed of what she had done but she still felt the Ali deserved it after all she was the one who was crazy.
"Now I was Ali and I was free. I got to do normal things: go to school, make friends, go out, and fall in love." Courtney smiled thinking about the memories she had made.
"Now we get to the night I went missing. Spencer and I had an argument so I left the barn that night. Of Course Ali was at home that weekend and she snuck out that night and found me that night. We began arguing a she had a weapon and was threatening me saying that I deserved to die for what I did" Courtney tears began to fall down her face as she continued to tell her story.
"I begged her telling her that I would switch back that she could be Ali again, I wanted to have my sister back. But she wasn't having any of it and she hit me round the head and knocked me out and she began dragging along the ground and threw me down a hole and began shovelling dirt onto of me burying me alive" Courtney began shaking and tears flowed down he face. "I kept trying, begging for her so pull me out but nothing she didn't care, she wanted me gone. I thought that's it I was going to die but I managed to dig my way out and I vowed that I wouldn't return until my sister was gone. I had no idea she was going to torture you four, I would of helped you if I knew" Courtney said trying to convince them that she does care about them
"We know" The four girls nodded in unison understanding that Courtney had no choice but to hide, she had nearly lost her life and needed to stay safe.
"So I watched on never staying in one place too long in case she found me. Once I realise that was went missing a police investigation was undergoing about my disappearance, I realised that my sister's plan must not of worked , that my parents must of thought she was still Courtney and they sent her back to the preserve. I still couldn't come home the though she got out once and I knew that she would be able to get out again. I only came back because I thought she died in that fire" Courtney's voice was full of concern, trying to appear strong for the others but it was a struggle.
"Oh my god you have been through so much, how could our sister do this to you?" Spencer asked with hint of anger resenting Ali.
"It would be better Spence if you didn't think of her as our sister, she doesn't care at all. All we do is get in the way and take the spotlight of Ali and she can't have anything like that happening. She is the perfect little Ali" Courtney's voice full of reason.
"What are we going to do?" Courtney asked the group. The group sat in complete silence as they tried to rack their brains to come up with a plan to stop Ali but nothing. It was going to take time to figure out a way to stop her as she has always been one step ahead seeing there every move before they had made it. The only she hadn't expected was Courtney still being alive and surely that must have rattled her because whether Courtney knew it or not she was clever and could beat Ali. The four girls chimed simultaneously and a look of dread appeared on each of the girls faces before they looked into their bags and pulled out their phones and looked at the dreaded message from A.
Five little liar's vs moi. I like a challenge! -A
"She knows that we are working together now, when we come up with a plan we need to make sure we are not being watched" Courtney said while looking out the window to see if her sister was about. The four other girls agreed and sat back down once they checked to see if she was watching them.
"I've got to go" Courtney said with a worried expression.
"Why?" Emily asked rather sadly.
"I've got to go to therapy but that's another story for another day." Courtney explained to the four girls
"I'll be back sometime next week. " Courtney stated not leaving time for any debate.
"Emily remember the story I told you, I will use it to prove I'm who I say am. I'll see you all later." Courtney said while pulling Emily into hug which Emily gladly reciprocated. Courtney slipped out of the barn into the black of night and left the four girls too it.
"She be alright Em." The three others tried to reassure Emily.
"It's just that I love her so much , I know what it's like to live without her , I don't ever want to feel that way again" Emily squeaked it out while sobbing . Hanna pulled Emily into a hug trying her best to reassure her friend that Courtney Could look after her self.