Aria's POV:
I sit alone in my cell on the bed, running my hands through my matted air. I'm scared, so scared. I don't know what the time is. I have nothing in this room but a metal bed with a thin mattress, a toilet and a sink. It's not a hospital, I know that. It's a prison cell. I hope Ezra arrives soon, from what I can tell, it's around the time he usually comes. Not that I have any windows to look out of. I miss being outside, I miss my friends, I miss my house and I miss everything.
I feel a movement on the bed and look up and my heart skips a beat. Alison is sitting at the end of my bed, smiling at me as she usually is. I start to cry silently, moving backwards towards my pillow until I'm fully backed up against the wall. "Hello Aria." She says with a smile which is as fake as the tan Hanna used to wear.
"Please," I beg, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Please, just leave me alone."
"But Aria," She says, getting up and slowly walking towards me. "I'm just visiting my old friend."
"Why me," I ask, my voice trembling.
"You were always my best friend – the others just seemed to follow me around, you were different. I feel bad about not visiting when you're here. It's just my way of saying thank you." She smiles, taking another step towards me.
"I don't want you here." I say."You've made my life hell, Alison. Please, just go."
She laughs, a laugh I remember only too well. "Fine. If you don't want me here I'll just have to make you pay." She says smiling, walking towards me.
She stretches out her hands and puts them around my neck and clenches them. The breathe is choked out of me. "Ezra!" I scream at the top of my voice. "Ezra! Help me!"
A minute or so later, he bursts through the door. "Ezra!" I scream, still backed against the wall. He drops his bags and runs towards me, right through Alison. She seems to vaporize as Ezra runs through her and floats into the air in wisps of coloured smoke.
I throw my arms around him. "Alison was here." I say, tears streaming down my face. "She was trying to kill me." I say.
"It's alright." Ezra soothes. "I'm here now." He gently pulls me away from the wall and sits me down on the bed next to him.
"Please," I whisper, burying my face into his neck. "Please just stay with me."
"I'm not leaving you, Aria." He says. He frowns, as if in contemplation, then speaks again. "Would you like to come home with me?"
My heart leaps. I'll be able to walk outside again, sleep in a comfortable bed, see my friends and be with Ezra. "Yes!" I say, smiling properly for the first time in a long time. "Lets' go now – I can't stay here anymore. Please, I want to get out now."
"You'll have to come back after the weekend." He says and my face drops.
"What? Why?" I say. "Can't I just stay with you? You'll look after me, won't you?" I say, suddenly scared that Ezra won't look after me.
"They have cameras in the rooms, you know." He whispers to me, his warm breath on my face. "You're not supposed to know because they want to observe what you're really doing. But I've begged to let you come home and they've seen how different you are with me, so they've given me permission to take you home for a few days."
I didn't realise they had cameras. I didn't realise they could see me completely freaking out. But I'm thankful I'm actually allowed to get out, if only for a few days.
Then I realise what I have to do when I'm back. When Alison comes back, I have to not react, not freak out and just stay calm. It might take a while, but they'll let me go.
"Are you ready to go?" He asks, squeezing my hand.
I look around the cell. "Of course." I say. "I don't want to spend another second in this hell hole."
"Alright then." Ezra says. "Let's take you home."