Once upon a time, there were two identical twin sisters name Alison and Courtney. They were alike in every way; both had long blond hair, huge clear, round blue eyes, heart-shaped faces and winning smiles that melted hearts. When they were six, they rode matching purple bikes up and down their family's driveway in Stamford, Connecticut singing "Frere Jacques" in a round. When they seven, they climbed up the the big kid slide together and held hands the whole way. Even though their parents gave each of them their own bedroom with their own canopied princess bed, they were often found sleeping on the same twin mattress, their bodies entwined together
Everyone said that they shared an indescribable twin connection. They made promises to be best friends forever. But promises are broken every day. In the second grade, things started to change. They were little things at first - a dirty look, a slight shove, an indignant sigh.
The Courtney showed up in Ali's Saturday art class insisting she was Ali. Courtney sat at Ali's desk in school on a day that her sister was sick. Courtney introduced herself as Ali to the UPS man, the new neighbors with the puppy and the old lady at the pharmacy counter. Maybe she pretended to be her sister because Ali had a little extra sparkle, a certain something that got her noticed. Maybe Courtney was jealous.
Or maybe Courtney was forced. Ali made me do, Courtney told her parents when when she was caught. She said if I didn't pretend to be her for a day, something awful would happen to me, you and all of us. But when their mom and dad asked Ali if this was true, her eyes grew wide. I would never say something like that, she answered innocently.
I love my sister, and I love guys. Suddenly, Courtney and Ali were getting into screaming matches on the playground. Then Courtney shut Ali into a bathroom stall at lunchtime and didn't let her out. Teachers called the girls's parents, their voices full of concern. Neighbors pulled their children close when they passed Courtney, worried she might hurt them, too.
The final straw came that flawless spring day when the girls' parents found Courtney sitting on top of her sister, her hands around Ali's throat. Doctors were called. Psychiatric evaluations were performed on both girls. Ali handled it with poise, but Courtney panicked. She started it, she insisted.
She threatens me. She wants me gone. Paranoid schizophrenia, the doctors said in grave tones. That sort of thing can be treatable, but only with a lot of care. It was up to Ali to make the final decision, though- and, tearfully, she decided that her sister should go.
The parents found a facility and off Courtney went, away from her family, away from everything she knew. Her parents reassured her that they would bring her home as soon as she was better, but weeks passed, and then months. Suddenly, Courtney was sort of... forgotten. Sometimes, a family is like an ear of summer corn; it might look perfect on the outside, but when you peel the husks away, every kernel is DiLaurentises, the girl who seemed like a victim might just have been the tormentor.
Sending Courtney away might just have been Ali's master plan. Maybe, just maybe, all Courtney wanted was what she deserved- a happy life. This is Rosewood, after all- and these are Rosewood's most mysterious twins. As you know, in Rosewood, nothing is ever as it seems. The first thing Courtney DiLaurentis heard when she woke up the morning that her life changed was the ticking of the clock on the wall.
She looked around the unfamiliar bedroom. Her parents had moved from Stamford, Connecticut, a few days ago to avoid the shame of putting a daughter in a mental institution. They relocated to Rosewood, Pennsylvania, a filthy- rich suburb about twenty miles from Philadelphia where even the dogs wore Chanel collars. This was because they knew no one when they moved, they didn't have to tell anyone about their crazy daughter in the hospital. They even changed their last name from Day- DiLaurentis to simply DiLaurentis in hopes that it would keep nosy neighbors from Connecticut away.
The bedroom that Courtney had chosen when they had moved into the house, smelled like mothballs and had a twin bed with an old plaid comforter, a wicker dresser too shabby for even a mental ward's day room, and a small, chipped bookshelf containing dated cooking magazines and a bunch of boxes marked taxes and statements that her parents had not remove them from her bedroom yet. The closet was filled with Christmas decorations, pilled afghans her grandmother had crocheted for her every year and ugly sweaters that she loves to wear around winter time. Courtney was the one picked everything out for her room and the Christmas decorations in the closet is to decorate her room for Christmas. The only thing that was in her room that she didn't own was the boxed full with taxes and statements.
Courtney pushed the covers back and walked into the hall. The house, a huge Victorian, was designed in such a way that the upstairs overlooked a great, giving Courtney a bird's eyes view into the kitchen. Her older brother, Jason, was hunched over the table with a bowl of Frosted Flakes. Her twin sister, Ali, flitted around the counter. Her hair was a perfect blonde wave spilling down her back, and her pink T-shirt gave her clear skin a healthy glow.
She lifted a pile of newspapers and looked under it. Then she opened a silverware drawer and slammed it shut. "Alison, what's the matter?" asked Mrs. DiLaurentis, who wore a gray Diane von Furstenberg wrap dress and heels. It looked like she was going to a job interview. "I can't find my ring," Ali snapped, opening the trash bin and peering inside.
"What ring?" "My initial ring, duh." Ali opened another cabinet and slammed it hard. "It's the one I wear, like every day." She whipped around and faced her brother. "Did you take it?" "Why would I take it?" Jason answered between bites.
"Well, I can't find it," Ali snapped. "Just like I can't find my piece of the flag," she said giving Jason a pointed look. Jason wiped his mouth with napkin. "Even if I did know about your stupid piece of the flag, anyone is legally allowed to take it- even the people who helped hide it. The stealing clause, remember?" "Maybe you took it to give it to someone else."
Courtney stepped away from the railing. Back in the bedroom, she opened the flowered suitcase she had since third grade and studied it's contents. Inside was a T-shirt almost the same shade of pink as the one Ali was wearing. She found dark indigo jeans that matched Ali's too, She slipped them on. Courtney stopped to think about the Time Capsule thing that Ali was talking to Jason about.
Time Capsule was the a long- standing tradition at Rosewood Day, the private school that Ali and Jason had started a few days ago, and finding a piece of the torn-up flag was a rarity for a sixth grader. All weekend, Ali had been boasting about the Time Capsule scrap she found- although, technically, Jason had told Ali where the piece was, which didn't seem fair. Ali had decorated her piece at the kitchen table after dinner two nights ago, giving Courtney, who was watching TV in the den, superior looks. Look how important I am, those looks said. You are not even allowed to leave the house, which is true because of two reasons; one reason is that Courtney transcripts had not been transfer to Rosewood Day and she can't go to school without them, the final reason is that her parents wants Jason and Ali to make a very good impression on everyone before they let their crazy daughter go to school and ruined their name.
But Ali did not have that look on her face when her flag went missing yesterday. In the privacy of her room, Courtney had run her fingers over the the silken fabric and Ali's puffy silver drawings- a Channel logo, a Louis Vuitton design, a cluster of stars and comets. Courtney had drawn a little wishing well in the corner, just wanting to make her mark on something her sister coveted so much. Then I'll give back, she promised herself. But Jason had gotten to it first.
He had seen Courtney looking at it in her room and rushed in, saying, "Do you really want things worse between you guys?" Then he had snatched it back before she could say a word. Courtney was about to shut the suitcase when her gaze drifted to the pamphlet tucked into the suitcase's pocket. The Preserve at Addison- Stevens, the front said. There was a photo of a bouquet of irises beneath the title. They were the same sorts of flowers her parents had gotten for her grandmother's funeral.
She opened the booklet and stared at the first page. We assist children and adolescents in developing effective coping skills and building self- esteem to be able to return home and back to school, it read. tears sprang to Courtney's eyes. She had been in hospital care since she was nine- three whole years. Even though she had gotten used to Radley the same way a mouse might get used to living in a cage, she had seen horrible things that she never want to witness again.
Ever since the hospital announced that it was closing their doors and converting into a luxury hotel, Courtney had happy because she the hospital told her that she didn't have to be transfer to another hospital because she was cleared to go home. When her father had driven her to the house on Friday, he said that they will see if she has to do anything else while she is at school. Mrs. DiLaurentis had knocked on Courtney's door last night and said that they talked to Courtney's doctors. The doctors told them that next step is to have Courtney do Community service and volunteer work at the preserve while Courtney is at school. Mrs. DiLaurentis said this while giving Courtney a pamphlet that said the Addison-Stevens.
"We think this will be the best thing for you doing community service and volunteer work here." she cooed, stroking her daughter's hair. Courtney leafed through the pamphlet's pages, staring at the photos of the patients. They had to be models- they look too happy. She had heard terrible things about the preserve from the other kids who had gone their before transferring to Radley.
People had called it "death row" because so many kids committed suicide while inside. Others called it "Rapunzel's tower" because parents left their kids in there for years. No internet, television, or phone calls were allowed. The nurses were like extras from the One who Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest, and the doctors on staff had no qualms about tying kids to their beds to keep them calm. Parents love it, thought because the place looked beautiful from the outside.
It was super expensive - it had to be good, right? She buried the pamphlet under her still unpacked clothes and she went to the stairs to walk down the stairs. Something caught her eye the back window. Four girls were standing behind the bushes, whispering. They looked about Courtney's age, and she could hear their voices through the screen. One girl, a blond in a field hockey skirt and a white T-shirt, placed her hands on her hips.
"I was here first. That flag is mine." "I was here before you," a second girl spouted. she was a little on the chubby side and had frizzy brown hair. "I saw you come out of your house only a few minutes ago."
A third girl stomped a purple suede boot. "You just got here, too. I was here before both of you." Courtney ran her tongue over her teeth. Were they here for Ali's flag? They had made a reference to one girl coming from next door- that had to be Spencer Hastings.
Mrs. DiLaurentis had mentioned her name at dinner on Friday, and Mr. DiLaurentis had made a sour face. He had said that Spencer's parents were such show-offs, building a third addition to their house, converting that perfectly good barn into a luxury apartment for their oldest daughter. As if a bedroom is not good enough? he railed. "Do you see them out there?" Courtney asked Ali, who was now standing at a counter, angrily whipping through a magazine, headphones in her ears. Jason was gone, and by the sound of it, their parents were still upstairs, getting dressed.
Ali's head snapped up. She tore the headphones out. "Huh?" "There are some girls outside. One of them is the girl who lives next door." "She's in the yard? Ali look annoyed and walked to the window.
But when she peered out, she frowned. "I don't see Spencer. Thank God. "You're not friends with her?" Ali snorted. "No.
She is a bitch." Your're not? Courtney thought. Ali turned to face her as if Courtney had said it out loud. A nasty smile settled across her lips. "Cute shirt.
But it's giving me deja vu." Courtney grabbed a banana from the basket. "I liked the color." "Yeah, right." Ali sauntered to the counter and grabbed a donut from the open box.
"Careful," Courtney said, strolling toward her. "Donuts will make you fat." Jelly dripped down Ali's chin. "So will mental hospital food, schizo." Courtney winced.
She wasn't a schizo, and Ali knew it. "Don't." "Don't," Ali imitated, her features turning ugly. Courtney sucked in her stomach. Ali always used a nasal, dumbed-down voice to mimic her.
"Stop it," she snapped. "Stop it," Ali imitated. Courtney felt the old fire rise up inside, the one that had gotten her in trouble before. Although she tried her hardest to suppress it, something broke loose. "Guess what," she spat.
"I do have your time capsule flag." Ali's eye widened. "I knew it. Give it back." "It's gone," Courtney said.
"I gave it to Jason. He doesn't want to give it back to you." It wasn't exactly the truth, but this version sounded better. Ali glowered at Jason, who had just reappeared in the doorway. "Is this true? You knew she had my flag?" Jason looked back and forth between the girls, his gaze lingering on their matching outfits.
"Well, yeah, Ali but _" Ali's gaze darted to something in Jason's pocket. The shiny blue fabric peeked out. She snatched it out halfway, her eyes widening at the wishing well that was now wedged between the manga frog and the bubble-letter awesome. Her eyes narrowed on Courtney. "Did you draw this?" Jason grabbed it back from her and stuffed it back in his pocket.
"Ali, just let it go." Ali squared his shoulders. "You're always on her side!" "I'm not on anyone's side," Jason said. "Yes, you are!" Ali glowered at Courtney. "Ali, enough!" Jason shouted.
"Enough!" Ali imitated with a sneer. When she brushed past him for the stairs, she shoved him. Jason staggered backward and crashed into a wrought-iron bookshelf. The whole thing wobbled, and a platter with the New York City skyline on the top shelf shook precariously. Jason lunged forward, but it was too late.
The plate shattered on the wood floor. The silence after the crash was deafening. Jason glared at Courtney, who had frozen in the corner. "Why did you have to start things with her?" he hissed. "I couldn't help it," Courtney said weakly.
"Yes, you could," Jason said. Then letting out a frustrated groan, he pushed out the back door. Courtney's insides turned over. "Jason, wait!" she yelled, running to the window. Jason was her only ally-she couldn't have him angry at her.
But when she gaze out the glass, Jason was gone. The four girls were still cowering in the bushes, though. She glanced over her shoulder into the kitchen. Pieces of the New York City plate lay all over the floor. Courtney notice her blue wedges near Ali's blue ridges which were sitting by the door and slipped them on.
Courtney pushed the screen door open and watched as the girls, who were now arguing loudly, fell silent and looked up. By the intimidated, reverent expressions on their faces, she knew that they though that she was Ali. "You can come out," she yelled nicely. The girls didn't move. "seriously, I know someone's there," she said nicely.
"But if you have come for my sister's flag, it's gone. Someone already stole my sister's flag." Spencer emerged from the bushes first. The others followed. Courtney then explained that her name is Courtney and not Ali.
She also explained that the reason why Courtney and Ali look alike is that they are twins. The last thing that she explained was that the reason why that they have seen her around was because that her transcripts have not been transferred over to Rosewood Day yet, and she couldn't go to school until her transcripts were transferred. She had not walk around Rosewood yet because she was afraid to. Courtney decided to leave out her family drama and her at a mental hospital because she was scared that they would not want to be friends with her. Mrs. DiLaurentis appeared on the porch, she looked at Courtney making new friends.
She closed the door again, she went into the car with her husband within minutes. They drove to find a new job in Rosewood. Courtney was so excited, scared and nervous to be making new friends. Courtney went back into the house when the girls left. She was really happy to be able to make some new friends.
She look around the kitchen and saw pieces of the plate were still on the floor. A flower vase had been knocked over somehow. She walked through the silent rooms and then decided to run upstairs to sisters's bedroom to see if Ali was there. She took the stairs two at a time and saw that her sister was not there because she must have told her parents that she was going to see her two new friends who she can't remember their names and left through the front door which is why that Courtney didn't see Ali leave. Her gaze scanned Ali's black-and-white bedspread, the cutout magazines ads and pictures of her new friends on the wall, the bulging closet full of clothes.
Courtney figure out that Ali got bored and left her cutout magazines ads out on her to go and see her friends. She darted to Ali's bed and slid her hand underneath the bed to find Ali's yearbook to find out more information about her new friends. The first thing that she found was Ali's diary and she could not resist the temptation to read Ali's diary about her new life at school. She sat down and opened the diary and started to read, but when she got to the end she realize that the diary was all about Naomi Zeigler and Riley Wolfe her new friends which made a lot of shadowy references to secret and inside jokes that Courtney would have no way of knowing. The four girls in the yard popped into her head and she went to find the girls in Ali's yearbook from Rosewood Day.
She found each girl in yearbook and learned more information about them. Their names were Spencer, Aria, Emily and Hanna. Suddenly Courtney heard a slam and her hair whipped up, and she shoved the diary and the yearbook underneath Ali's bed. Only an hour passed since her parents left and she wondered if they were back already. She peeked out the front window and saw a black car chugging at the curb; she couldn't see the driver.
Footsteps sounded across the kitchen, then creaked on the stairs and she remained stock-still as whoever it was padded down the hall. She got out of her shock and ran to hide in Ali's closet as she recognize her brother footsteps as he walk to his room. The door slammed loudly, rattling the walls and a few seconds later, the opening bars of an Elliot Smith blared. Courtney got out of Ali's closet and ran to her room as her heart is beating because she was scared of getting caught in Ali's room. Courtney ran her hands down the length of her face as she walk to the mirror and the girl in the glass wore a deep-pink shirt.
The girl also had wedge heels, glossy hair, a heart-shaped face and a impish smile. She stood up straighter, admiring the girl in the mirror as a new Courtney with a better life. Suddenly, she remember something, ran to her bureau and open the top drawer to get her silver ring and she pulled it out and held it to her lamp to see a small C was engraved into the face. Smiling to herself, she slid the ring onto her right pointer finger, the finger that both Ali and Courtney both wear their ring. Then she stared at the girl in the mirror again and said "I'm Courtney and I'm fabulous."