CHAPTER ONE
Ambers' fingers moved over the, with dust covered, picture frame. Bright eyes stared into hers and toothy smiles covered their lips. Each person looked like they had the time of their lives, except one. Amber DiLauerntis. The scene, where they chose to take this hilarious picture, was on their last family vacation. They went skiing, and Amber couldn't remember where and when it was. Everything was blurred back then. Not because she was drunk or drugged, at least not from real drugs, but she tried to forget it so hard that it somehow worked.
Her eyes moved upwards and she looked around the room. It was not just a room, but the one in which she spent her childhood and the first of her teenagers years in. Nothing changed since the day her family decided to leave. It was hard to go back and Amber hoped that she would go back soon. Back to her home and where nobody called her Amphibian-Amber. That's how people used to call her, back then as her sister was still alive.
The sudden touch of a hand, caused her to drop the picture within a frame. The glass shattered into million of pieces and Amber almost slit her hands open, by trying to collect them from the floor. The figure moved closer and kneeled down next to her. "I didn't mean to scare you," the familiar voice of her brother ringed out. Her lips moved upwards and locked eyes with Jason. "It's okay. I have been through worse." Her blonde brother took the last pieces out of her hands and threw them in the trash basket. Relief spread through her body when she remembered that her mom wasn't here to lecture her.
Her brother's soft hands took hers and inspected them for injuries. "You don't have to check for cuts. I am not a child anymore." Jason may have looked unconvinced but did let go of her hands. "Are you sure you are okay? I mean this place doesn't really bring good memories up." Her brother admitted because he knew how bad it was for his sister. Alison wasn't only being that cliche mean older sister, but she also treated her like she treated people she hated. The youngest DiLaurentis, and the rest of the family, never understood why her sister treated her like that. She must have done something really bad to get tortured like that.
"I may rather be somewhere else, but I have to do this. At least for Mom." Jason tugged his sister into a tight hug, "You know, I thought you missed your charming brother." The girl snorted and hit her brother playfully against his chest. "I was actually happy to have mom all to myself." Jessica DiLaurentis wasn't always interested in her other children's lives, but after Alison went missing, she did try to get better. At some point, she overdid it and both of them had no privacy left. Jason was about to speak up but was interrupted by his phone. His eyes were moving over the screen before looking back up to his sister. "Mum asks if you want something to eat." The girl chuckled and sat down on the couch. "Would be nice, otherwise we will starve."
At the same time, Jessica was having lunch with Aria Montgomery, Spencer Hasting, Emily Fields and Hanna Marin. "Oh, they have made some nice changes to the menu, haven't they? Hanna, what are you gonna order?" The woman asked the blonde teenager. Hanna looked up to her, "Ahem, Chinese Chicken Salad." Jessica moved her straw in her glass. That was, well used, to be something her daughter Amber had done. It was an old nervous habit, that would cause Alison to snap at her. "Alison's favorite," Jessica replied to Hannah's choice. Her words turned the whole scene even more awkward as it already was. The girls shared a glance, before Spencer spoke up, "You must be really happy that Jason's moved back." The mother put down her glass, "Happy? I don't even think of that as our home anymore."
"Actually, we all thought Jason moving back was kind of odd." Emily tried to tell the woman sensitive, but she showed no signs of sadness or anger. "Jason came into family money and it's his choice what to do with it. He definitely marches to his own drummer, all of my kids do. Did." It was silent again when Aria decided to speak up. "How is Amber doing?" She asked, which caused the woman to smile a bit. "She is better. After what happened, she even had to go even more through. The moving and grief were a lot to take in." Jessica said as it was a normal thing to do. She did leave out many parts, but she did not want the girls to think even more bad of them as they already did. Gossip quickly moved in this town and she did not want another daughter of her to be the center of attention. All of her speaking did not help to lighten the mood.
"You know what?" Jessica asked, but did not wait for an answer, "I was gonna wait until after lunch, but..." -It is too awkward to not do anything helpful-, "Now I think "Why wait?" She walked over to the other end of the table and took four white boxes. Jessica gave each girl, one box while giggling. The girls shot her a smile, that could either just be relief or fake. As they all opened it, dresses, wrapped in golden crepe paper, were placed in it. "Did Ali ever show you these?" Jessica asked the four girls, who kept stealing glances from another.
"I know you like this one, Em," Alison said as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Don't I look hot?" She asked her friends, but mainly Emily. "Those feathers are really pretty." The girl answered her crush as Hannah picked up one of the dresses. "This stretch-side is to die. Can I try it on?" The chubby blonde asked her friend. Alison turned her gaze to her, "There is not that much stretch." Hannah moved her eyes from her, trying not to show that Alison's words hurt her. Sometimes she wished that she would just be as skinny as the other ones, but she knew that she was not strong enough. "It's a nice haul, right? All one-of-a-kind and all mine. Just like you guys." She said and the girls gave her a tight smile.
"She picked these out." Emily was the first one to speak up. "She did. And,-" Jessica stopped talking for a second, "It's shame that she won't get to wear them. You know I gave so much away too fast. Ali's father thought that it would help, but there were certain things that I just could not. And when I heard that the four of you were doing the show, I thought, wouldn't it be nice if Ali's dream could be realized, at least, by her friends?" All girls were still confused about what Jessica expected from them. "I don't really know what you are asking." Spencer asked and Aria continued, "Mrs. DiLaurentis, are you asking us to wear them?" Emily added, "In the fashion show?" Wearing old dresses of their dead friend was something, they never expected to do. "Ali would have loved it. The four of you that are keeping her memory alive. I already asked Amber, but she did not want to. So, please say yes." The girls exchanged glances, again, before agreeing to it.
After lunch, Jessica did not go home without a stop at a bar. She may have drink one or two drinks, making her drunk. It was something, she has not done since Alison's disappearance or funeral. It was clear to everyone that asking the girls was not only hard for them, but also for the woman too. She may not have been able to drive, but she knew that she could not go to her children home fully drunk. That is why she decided to go home in the dark, to get sober. Once she finally came home, she saw the light was still on in the living room. As she opened the door with a lot of strength, she saw her son sitting there. Jason looked at her with concern and anger. Jessica was still drunk and it only made him even angrier. "Why did it took you so long to get home from lunch?" The mother rolled her eyes while she walked towards the kitchen. "Who are you? Clearly not my boss." She took a bottle of alcohol and filled herself another glass. "Amber was worried," Jason said with a calmer voice.
Much to Jason's surprise, the woman threw the glass to the ground. "I only have one daughter and she is dead," She pointed to the floor, "Please clean this," before sitting down. The two did not know that Amber had been listening to them the whole time and tears were streaming down her face.