CHAPTER ELEVEN

"Mona?" Spencer blinked again thinking her eyes must be playing tricks on her. How could the features forming above her belong to Mona Vanderwaal? "What are you doing here?" She asked while slowly sitting up from Mona's lap where her head had been resting.

"When I heard you had been kidnapped, well I knew it must have been your awful brother in law. But I didn't expect to see him chatting it up with that cop Darren Wilden when I was out earlier. I heard them talking about you. He's in on it, Spencer. So, then I thought if Wilden's a cop and he knows Ian kidnapped you well what other cops are in on it? So, then I thought, well I can't call the cops now can I? But I had to make a decision because then Ian got into his car and drove away. I was scared, Spencer. But I realized if I were you and you were me, Spencer Hastings would follow Ian and get to the bottom of this. So that's what I did and here I am. But as you can see thinking like Spencer didn't quite work out for me because now, I'm kidnapped right along with you. And even though you as Spencer were kidnapped first, I as Spencer…"

"Mona!" Spencer interrupted. "Please I appreciate you trying to rescue me but maybe you can still help in another way. Do you know where we are?"

"Yeah. About an hour outside of Rosewood. I never heard of this town though. Fairington?"

"Can you call the cops now?"

"My phone broke on the way here."

"Then we're screwed." Spencer muttered in a defeated tone.

"Maybe there's a way out of here. Through a vent or something." Mona thought out loud as she stood up and started to move around the room examining every nook and cranny. Spencer was sitting on the floor against the wall hugging her knees. While she was glad in a completely selfish way that she wasn't alone, she knew the moment Ian came back that feeling was going to be replaced by guilt for being the reason why Mona was there with her and probably going to die. She looked at Mona preparing to tell her to run if she saw a chance and not to worry about her, but a strange feeling overcame Spencer. It wasn't quite de ja vu but that was the closest way she could describe it.

Spencer was of course terrified but seeing Mona right now was reminding her of another time she was scared. The room they were in was dark but the moonlight shining outside seeped through the cracks of the high boarded up windows allowing enough visibility to make each other's features out. Spencer took in Mona's appearance. She only remembered one other time seeing Mona in dark jeans and a dark hooded jacket and that was at Mona's glamping party. And just because the one she was now wearing didn't have "Camp Mona" emblazoned on it didn't mean that the fashionista didn't possess another dark hoodie.

It wasn't just her outfit though. The size and build reminded Spencer of another time when she was on the ground at this angle looking up.

The bell tower.

Spencer's mind began to work furiously as she pieced the last several weeks together.

"You didn't need to follow Ian, did you?"

"What?" Mona turned around and faced Spencer. One perfectly plucked eyebrow raised.

"You knew where I was because you traced my phone...because you're A."

"A?"

"It's okay, Mona, they are probably going to kill us or worse never let us go." Spencer muttered seemingly resigned to her fate. "You can be honest. You're A." Mona stared at Spencer for several moments before speaking.

"How did you figure it out?" She finally said.

"I remembered the Brew." Spencer said. "I was pretty out of it but just now after...he...left." Spencer whispered the last word as she looked at the door. She closed her eyes to try and control the impending terror she began to feel at the thought of Ian returning. "I remembered you comforting me after I freaked out." She paused. "Later at the police station we got our weirdest A text yet. A said she was "our friend, " and sure enough the next thing A did really helped us. This time with no strings." Spencer looked at Mona for several intense moments before continuing. "You came to Aria's that day because that's where our phones said we were. Didn't you?"

"Yes." Mona admitted.

"And after the NAT club was revealed, you left us alone."

Mona shrugged. "I figured you all suffered enough."

"Mona, I know we never stood up to Ali and I'm so sorry for that. But Hannah is your best friend. Or was that just an act?"

Mona sighed before taking a seat next to Spencer. "Fine. I admit it. When I first approached Hannah, it was out of selfish reasons. With Ali gone, I knew Hannah would be perfect to fill that void if I could remake her. I saw the same things in Hannah that Ali saw. Only instead of keeping her down, I knew I could build Hannah up and then she'd be unstoppable and by extension me too. And, well you know Hannah, you can't help liking her. So even if it started out as a means to an end, I came to really love Hannah as a friend...my best friend."

"Then why go after her?"

"I guess it was partly PTSD. With Aria back, I was scared the four of you would reconnect and I would be on the outside again. I thought you would be suspicious of each other when you started getting texts about your secrets. But my plan backfired, you became closer than ever after they found Alison's body. So, I just got pissed."

Spencer remained silent. Mulling over what Mona said. She couldn't help but compare Mona to Toby. Toby was an outcast. Constantly abused by his peers and the other close-minded people in this town. But he never sought vengeance. He continued to be the most honest, caring person she had ever met.

"Look Spencer." Mona broke the silence. "That thing with Ian and the videos. I had no idea he would try to kill you over them. In the videos I had, I thought Ian walked away and that was it. I really thought someone else killed Allison and he had nothing to do with it. And I definitely didn't know there was another set of videos with Jason...doing what he did to Ali. It's why I started helping you all. I know what Ian did to you is partly on me. I was the one that pointed you in his direction."

Spencer thought about that for a while before shaking her head. "Don't blame yourself Mona. Ian's a monster. He probably would have come after me whether I knew about the videos or not or he would have hurt some other girl. Who knows me and Ali might not be his only...victims?"

"I'm so sorry Spencer." Mona said earnestly. "For all of it. And I promise I know things seem grim now but I'm going to make it up to you."

"Mona." Spencer turned to Mona and stared at her just as earnestly. "You coming here to try and rescue me was amazing but please don't try and be a hero. If you get a chance you run. Don't look back. Just run."

"We're both getting out of here, Spencer. In fact...do you still have your phone?"

"Yeah but it's dead."

"Not for long." Spencer watches in puzzlement than amazement as Mona bends down and begins taking out her shoelaces because they are not shoelaces. What looked like black shoelaces were actually the wire of a cell phone charger with the power connector tucked underneath the tongue of her shoe. Mona looks up at Spencer's shocked expression and smirks. "You're not the only genius in this room, hun."

"I don't suppose you've got a key to unlock the door in that other shoe."

"Not quite, but as long as we find an outlet to charge this bad boy up, help should be here to let us out in no time." Mona and Spencer began looking around for an outlet. "I can't believe they let you keep your phone." She said as they looked.

"They don't know I have it." Spencer explained. "I have two phones and when Wilden grabbed me, I was on the other one. He took it from me and didn't think a sixteen-year-old would have another one stashed in her jacket pocket. I switched it to inside my boot the moment I had the chance. I was waiting to be alone before using, but the battery was really low since I barely use it and therefore don't charge it often. I never got a chance to call for help"

"Why do you have two phones?"

"Because of..well..you." Mona raised her eyebrows at this. "You as in A. We figured the only way you could know everything we were doing was because you were listening in on our phones, so we got new phones and used the old ones as decoys. We kept them with us at all times so you wouldn't be suspicious but whenever we needed to talk privately, we'd leave them in a room and go somewhere else or we would use notepads."

"Damn." Mona said, truly impressed. "How long have you known?"

"Not until you started helping us."

"Wow, so if I hadn't you may have never found out." Spencer shrugged before turning around to look some more.

"Found one." She said a moment later. Mona came over and plugged up the phone.

"Cross your fingers." She said before plugging it in. At first nothing, then a lightning bolt flashed on the screen indicating that the phone was charging.

"Yes." Spencer cried happily. The two hugged. "Call the police so we can get the hell out of here."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Only one more chapter to go!