Aria's POV
It's been a year. The sabbatical is over and we've returned to Rosewood. Unfortunately, my curse came with me. I was still a werewolf and I had to come up with excuses to go out on full moons. I learned how to prepare better so I had less ripped clothing. I didn't remember anything about the change, but as far as I knew, I hadn't killed anyone. I didn't know anything about the werewolf who bit me. Was there some way that werewolves could identify other werewolves? I knew was that I was on my own with this stuff.
They never found Alison. It was likely that she didn't want to be found. I couldn't understand why she would want to run away. She had a lot of things. Of course, the only way that I could ever really know would be to talk to her and I would have to find to her first.
I looked around my room. It didn't look the same because most of the stuff was still in boxes. My mom came up behind me. I was wearing all black, except for the white on my plaid shirt. I also had on some shredded shorts with knee socks and a pair of black boots. I usually took my shoes off upon entering the house but I didn't want to drop any boxes on my feet, even if they would heal pretty much instantly.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Everything just seems so different here." I remarked. Of course, it was different.
"Well we were gone for a year. That can seem like a long time when you're 16." She pointed out.
"It's hard being here because I can't help but thinking about her." I explained. That and I was thinking about the full moon. I would have to find another excuse to get out of the house.
"I know but I'm sure that she'll turn up eventually." She remarked. I had considered the possibility that she was dead, but I didn't want to think that way. I wanted to have hope that she was still alive.
"I need a ride to lacrosse practice." Mike declared as he ran by the room. That was an excuse to get out.
"I've got it." I remarked as Mom gave me the keys. I wasn't going to leave the car somewhere, but I could at least find a place to go.
I went downstairs and found dad was at the table and Mom was helping Mike look for his stick.
"Hey, can we talk?" He asked before I gave him my attention. "I know that being back here will trigger a lot of old memories."
"I'm still keeping your secret, Dad." I told him. Though compared to mine, it was pretty small.
"I was talking about Alison." He stated. At that time, Mike came into the kitchen,
I headed to the school. Technically, Mike was going to tryouts, but we both knew that he was good enough to be on the team. He had made the team last year but we left before he could actually play.
"Hey, what time do you think you'll be done?" I asked as he prepared to get out of the car.
"Six?" He guessed.
"I'm going to go get something to eat." I declared.
I decided to go check out a restaurant that had good food. It was technically a bar, but they weren't the place that you needed an ID to get into, at least not during the day.
"Can I get a cheeseburger?" I asked. As much as I wanted to stay away from meet, I just couldn't. There was a guy at the bar reading a book.
"You got it." The bartender replied.
At that point, I looked around. The thing that I noticed the most was a missing poster for Alison.
"You okay over there?" The guy asked.
"I'm a bit jet-lagged. I just got back from Europe." I lied. I was just anxious.
"What part of Europe?" He questioned without looking up.
"Iceland." I answered. I wasn't sure why I was talking to this guy, but there didn't seem to be any harm in it.
"I spent some time in Reykjavik before I went to Amsterdam." He responded. I couldn't help but wonder why he was telling me. Then it dawned on me. He was hitting on me. He was definitely older than me, but maybe he couldn't tell how old I was. I wondered if I should just tell him, but then I thought there was no harm since I was probably never going to see him again. I also couldn't help but wonder why he went to Amsterdam. If he was a pothead, I definitely knew I wouldn't see him again. "It's a great city."
"So, do you go to Hollis?" I asked as I turned toward him. Because it was a full moon, my hormones were acting all crazy.
"Just graduated." He declared with a nod. "I'm about to start my job as an English teacher."
"I like English…well writing." I remarked. This would make a good meet cute. I would have to try to remember it. I should have brought my laptop.
At that point, "Candles" by Hey Monday started to play. I really needed to see them live sometime.
"Oh, I love this song." I stated.
"I didn't know you were into indie rock." He replied. Apparently how I dressed didn't give off that vibe. "What's your major?"
So, now he thought I was a college student. Well, considering that I was at a bar by the college, it made sense.
"I wanted to major in Writing." I explained.
"I've never been good at writing." He replied as he moved over to the stool next to me. "You're lucky. Maybe I could read something sometime."
"Yeah sure." I responded. I was pretty sure we both knew that it was never going to happen. We wouldn't ever see each other again. It also looked like I wouldn't be able to scout out a good location before picking Mike up.
"You know it's not often I meet girls like you." He declared. "You're smart, you've traveled, and you have a great taste in music. I'd like to know more about you."
"Then let's get to know each other." I responded before I looked at the bartender. "Can I get that burger to-go?"
We then went into the bathroom. I didn't waste a lot of time throwing him against the wall. It was possible he would be scared to see me after knowing how forceful I could be. It felt pretty great.
Hanna's POV
I looked around the mall. The year had been kind to me and I looked fabulous. My friend Mona and I had played around with a spellbook to make us hot. Okay, so that wasn't how I lost weight, but I did wake up one morning weighing less. No instead, I used diet pills. The point was that I looked amazing whether I used magic or not.
Of course, my latest obsession was getting what I wanted, no matter the cost. I grabbed a pair of sunglasses to try on and managed to sneak away from the store. They went great with the navy lace dress I was wearing. I headed to another store where I managed to see a familiar blonde.
"Well, well, if it isn't Spencer Hastings." I declared. After Alison disappeared and Aria left, Spencer, Emily and I sort of drifted apart. High school could do that.
"Hanna." She said before she gave me a hug. "It's good to see."
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"I'm shopping for a night out. I'm meeting my sister's new fiancée tomorrow." She declared.
"Didn't you sleep with her last fiancée?" I questioned. I knew something had happened between them.
"No, I only kissed him." She replied in defense.
"Wear this." I declared as I gave her a dress. "So, you're still working hard on school. I heard that you're already taking college courses."
"It's nothing too big." She replied. "They're mostly just electives and I'm taking them mainly for fun."
"You're probably one of the few people who could find school fun." I joked.
"So, it's been almost a year now." Spencer declared.
"Yeah, they're calling it the anniversary of her disappearance." I replied. "Ali loved being the center of attention and she probably loves this too, if she's still alive."
"Of course, she's still alive." The blonde remarked. "We can't think like that."
"She's been gone for a year." I pointed out. "You can't tell me that you haven't considered it. Anyway, you'll look hot in that."
I then left the store and went to meet Mona.
"What did you get?" I asked.
"This hot scarf." Mona declared as she showed it off. "What about you?"
"This killer pair of shades." I explained. "I made them disappear like I was Ron Weasley."
"You have to be the only person alive who likes Ron Weasley." She told me. That couldn't be true.
"What can I say? I like British redheads." I declared. "Now let's get out of here."
"Excuse me, Miss." A security guard interrupted. Oh fuck. "You need to come with me."
So, I was arrested. They called the cops. I didn't see why everyone was making a big deal over a pair of sunglasses.
My mom was not happy. She didn't say anything to me as we were heading home.
"Damn it, Hanna, what the hell were you thinking?" She asked. "Why did you feel the need to steal those sunglasses? I give you enough money to buy these great clothes."
"It's not about the money." I declared. "I forgot that I was wearing them. That's all."
"Do you honestly expect me to believe that. You're lucky that I convinced the detective not to press charges." She explained. The detective was an okay-looking guy. He looked pretty smug. "You can't start acting out again."
I hadn't exactly been through the best year. My mom sent me to treatment once she found out how I was losing weight and managed to cover it all up. She seemed like she was good at covering things up.
That night, I figured out how she managed to convince the cop not to press charges. She called him over and…I don't want to talk about the rest. I opened the window to try to get any other sounds to fill my ears. Interestingly, I thought I heard a wolf howling, but I didn't think that was the case. It was probably just a dog or something.
Emily's POV
I walked into the school. I didn't really have a lot of friends at school, other than my boyfriend Ben. Things were like how they were before we met Alison. I missed her so much. I couldn't believe that she was gone. As I walked into school, I couldn't help but notice a familiar head of brown and pink hair.
"Aria." I declared as I ran over to her. I knew that if it wasn't her, I would look like an idea, but she turned around to look at me.
"Emily, it's going to see you." She replied before giving me a hug.
"When did you get back?" I asked.
"We just got in yesterday." She explained before she started to look around. "Where are Spencer and Hanna?"
"We…don't really hang out anymore." I replied. "We kind of drifted apart after you left. Well there's Hanna?"
I saw the brunette and she waved at us. It seemed like she didn't feel like welcoming Aria back.
"That's Hanna?" The short girl asked in disbelief.
"And where Hanna goes, Mona isn't far behind." I added as I saw Mona. Her transformation wasn't as drastic as Hanna's. She had just gotten contacts and changed how she dressed. Hanna looked good after losing all of the weight. She was really hot now, better than I looked at least.
We then walked into our first class where we had a new English teacher. He was supposed to be really hot. He was writing on the board when we walked in. I was glad that Aria was back because I had someone to sit next to in the classes that Ben wasn't in.
"Okay welcome every…holy crap." The teacher said after looking at Aria. Had the two of them met or something?
After school, I got prepared to go for my run. We didn't have swim practice on the first day and my family didn't actually have a pool, so I was running. I wore a grey cropped hoodie and black leggings. My mom was in the kitchen.
"So, did anything interesting happen at school today?" She inquired.
"I ran into Aria." I explained with a smile.
"Does she still have those pink streaks in her hair." She asked. I nodded. "I can't imagine what kind of mother would let their daughter run around looking like a Goth."
"Mom, Aria can dress however she wants." I pointed out as I started out the door. "I'm going for my run."
"You should stop by the new neighbors' house on the way." She suggested. That got me to stop in my tracks.
"New neighbors?" I repeated.
"Yeah, someone bought the DiLaurentis house." She explained. I was surprised. I didn't even know that they had sold.
I went out running and stopped in front of the house and saw a lot of Alison's things were outside by the curb. I thought her parents would at least donate them or something.
"You can have any of that that you want." An African-American girl about my age said as she walked toward me. "They were in my room. The old owners must have left it here."
"Those things belonged to my friend Alison." I explained as I picked up an old swim medal that I had given her. "She used to live here."
"That must be the story of the girl who disappeared." She responded. "I'm Maya St. Germaine, aka new girl."
"I'm Emily Fields." I explained. "It's nice to meet you."
"So, what was Alison like?" She questioned.
"She was amazing. She was a year older than us." I explained.
"Us?" Maya asked.
"Yeah, us. There were five of us: me, Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Alison." I answered. "We were inseparable. Then Alison disappeared and Aria moved away and we just drifted apart. You know I have to finish my run, but maybe we can get some coffee some time."
"You mean like a date?" She asked with a smile.
"Yes…I mean no…I mean like coffee." I babbled. She then started giggling and I realized that she was just joking. I laughed nervously before I started to run again. There was something different about her and it wasn't just the color of her skin. She was really beautiful…and she was also really tall. I would like to get to know her better, especially if I wasn't going to hang out with Spencer or Hanna anymore.
Spencer's POV
After school and after field hockey practice, I headed home and took a shower. Once I was done, I put on the dress that Hanna had given me. It was pretty casual: navy with small white polka dots. I was meeting my parents there along with Melissa and her fiancé.
I didn't know a lot about Melissa's fiancé other than the fact that he was a doctor. Melissa was pretty much the definition of a blonde bombshell. She was tall with big breasts, thin and she was also really smart. I couldn't help but feel a bit inferior to her.
I drove to the restaurant and told the host that I needed to go the table for Hastings. It was then that I found out that my mom was running late. I saw my dad, Melissa and Korean man. Melissa got up and gave me a hug.
"Spencer, this is my fiancé, Wren Kim." She explained before he kissed my hand. I blushed.
"You know you're younger than I expected you to be." I commented. I couldn't help but wonder if that was rude of me to say. "I mean…"
"You don't have to apologize. I get that a lot." He declared. "I knew that I wanted to be a doctor since I was young, but I didn't want to wait eight years, so I went to my parents' alma mater in Seoul."
"Can I get you something to drink?" The waitress asked me.
"I'll have a vodka soda." I declared. I really felt like I would need a drink to get through dinner with my family. The waitress looked dumbfounded.
"She's kidding." Melissa declared.
"I'll have a Sprite." I stated. I knew they wouldn't let me get a drink.
"You know I think I'll have a vodka soda." Wren declared. I was a little intrigued.
"So how about we play One Up while we wait for the food?" Dad suggested. I didn't like that game.
"What?" Wren asked.
"It's this game my family plays where try to see who had the best day." Melissa explained. "Spencer, why don't you start?"
I had the kind of family where I wasn't just supposed to be valedictorian but also have the best possible GPA and as many college credits as possible. Melissa had finished college in three years thanks to all of the extra work she put in.
"Well I scored two goals in field hockey practice today." I remarked.
"I got a maximum sentence on a case today." Dad replied.
"Oh I think I have one." Wren replied. "I got a really nice parking spot at work today."
I then noticed that he slipped his drink over to me and I took a sip of it.
When I got home, I was met with a surprise. I was prepared to move into the barn so I could have some space away from my family and could study in peace.
"What do you mean you two are moving into the barn?" I asked in disbelief. Why did they have to live with us at all? "No, I did everything that I was supposed to do. I held up my end of the bargain."
"We're a couple, Spencer. We need our own space." Melissa argued. I couldn't believe that she was doing it again. Melissa always got everything that I wanted like she wanted to prove that she was better than me. I thought things were going to be different after she moved out but she now she was moving right back in to make my life hell again.
Later in the night, I was preparing to the use the hot tub. We didn't have a pool, but we did have a hot tub inside. I heard that Aria was back in town. Her family had a pool. I didn't know if I would talk to her. It would be weird with her back since none of have really talked in a while. Yesterday was the first time I spoke to Hanna in months and it had probably been even longer with Emily. We were just like those friends from the movies who didn't hang out any more.
I happened to notice that Wren was in his swimsuit. It seemed like he had just finished using the hot tub.
"You know if I had known that you wanted to live in the barn, I wouldn't have said yes." He commented.
"It wouldn't make a difference," I pointed out. "Once Melissa puts her mind to something, she sticks with it. You know you're not like the usual guys that Melissa dates."
"I wonder if I should take that as a compliment." He remarked. "I'm assuming you also mean other than my ethnicity."
"How did the two of you meet anyone?" I questioned.
"It was at a library in Philly." He replied. I supposed that made sense since the two of them were both very smart.
"I also meant that you seem smarter than a lot of the guys that Melissa dates." I replied. He seemed like a guy that I wouldn't mind dating if he was a few years younger. I saw him looking at me in my bikini, but it was probably because I was wearing a bikini and a lot of guys couldn't resist such a thing as long as I didn't look like I was 12.
Just as I was about to get in, I heard sirens coming this way. I walked outside and saw that there was an ambulance heading towards Alison's house. Well it wasn't Alison's house anymore considering that her family didn't live there anymore and someone else did. I knew that they were black, but we hadn't actually met them.
I stepped outside to see what was going on. It turned out that I wasn't the only one. In fact, a crowd was beginning to form. I couldn't help but notice that Emily, Hanna, and Aria were there as well. Emily walked over to the teenage daughter of the new neighbors.
"Maya, what's going on?" She asked. So that was her name.
"The constructions workers found a body in the backyard." Maya explained. "A young girl dead in an animal attack. She was torn up pretty bad. There's something else you need to know. They think it's Alison."
Alright, there are a lot of new characters in this chapter, so let's get them all out of the way. Ella is played by Alyssa Milano, Mike is played by Gus Kamp, Ezra is played by Dylan O'Brien, Mona is played by Dylan Gelula, Ashley is played by Morena Baccarin, Wilden is played by Adam Devine, Pam is played by Isla Fisher, Maya is played by Zendaya, Melissa is played by Aly Michalka, Peter is played by Alexander Skarsgard and Wren is played by John Park. Also Hanna is a witch and Aria might have killed someone. Please don't forget to review.