Disclaimer: Still don't own it
The most annoying this about being dead was the boredom.
As I sat in the darkness of Spencer's room and tried to read an open book by the faint light coming in from the window, I found that I could moving my hand through the pages, it created a faint draft that could move them. It helped relieve some of the boredom, although Spencer had lousy taste in reading material.
There were no fashion magazines, her books were mostly from school, and the little fictional content she had was stuff I had read before. There was nothing foreign in her room and I longed to read something in French. If I wasn't so afraid of going home, I'd get some stuff from my room.
That is if I could figure out how to transport it all.
After a few hours, the sun began to rise and light started creeping into the room. I watched the sunrise from the window and saw that the cops were still at Alison's house despite the early hour. There were a few officers standing around and drinking coffee, but there was no sign of any of the DiLaurentis family lurking about. Though I didn't appreciate what Mike did, I couldn't help but smirk at the thought of Alison suffering in some way.
When it hit 6:30 am, I expected an alarm, but when 7:20 am came around, I realized that it must be the weekend; possibly Sunday. I knew from my own observations that Spencer always slept in on Sundays so it would be a few more hours until she got up. Not wanting to wait on her, I decided to see if anyone else was up.
Walking through Spencer's door and into the hallway, I could hear the sounds of activity downstairs and decided to check it out. As I walked down the steps, I heard sounds from the television and saw Peter Hastings in a blue robe drinking coffee on the couch, while watching the news. Veronica was next to him reading the newspaper, dressed in a silky white robe. It was definitely a Sunday since those two always took Sundays off.
"Nothing about what happened next door so far. I wonder if they'll mention it?" Peter wondered as he muted the sound and flipped to another news channel.
The news anchors were covering a car accident that had happened in Brookhaven. It had been a while since I had been there, and I had loved a particular doll shop in that town. Come to think of it, I missed my dolls, they had always given me comfort when I was sad. I think I could use them now more than ever.
"I don't doubt that they will. Every time something happens to Alison, it makes the news." Veronica muttered and I could hear resentment in her voice.
"At least there are only a few more months until Spencer graduates. Then she is off to college and out of this town." said Spencer's father, almost as if he believed what he just said.
The idea of any of the girls leaving without ridding themselves of "A" was laughable at best. If "A" was willing to start killing to keep the game going, then he/she was not going to let the girls leave Rosewood. As it stood, the girls were never going to college unless they got their butts in gear, and started solving the mysteries in this town.
"She's not going anywhere as long as she is a suspect in Bethany Young's murder. Until she is cleared, Spencer is stuck here." Veronica stated angrily. So Spencer was still a suspect in Bethany's murder; that was some new information for me.
"Which is why we should consider helping Leona with her lawsuit. If she can prove that little scamp Alison murdered her daughter then it breaks the police's case against our daughter." The way Peter said that only meant one thing; he was in full on lawyer mode now.
"If we help her then it will look like a conflict of interest and hurt the case." argued Veronica, her tone matching Peter's.
"I didn't say that we help her directly. We have resources and contacts that we could put in Leona's path, who could help her without being linked back to us. Right now we are at war with that family next door, and a second opening in our favor would help us in the long run." Peter argued back. Watching them go back and forth was interesting to watch. I sat at the end of the couch, glancing between them as they continued to argue.
"So you're calling this a war? I thought we were trying to save our daughter?" Veronica's voice was starting to rise and I wondered if they had forgotten that Spencer's room was right above where they were talking.
"This is a war for our daughter's future! I will do anything I can to make sure she gets a happy life and that she doesn't pay for my mistakes!"
It was kind of touching that Spencer's father was so adamant about protecting her and Melissa; it was a shame that Spencer never understood how far her father was willing to go to protect her.
"I know, and everyone in this family understands that. There is just so much to lose right now, and I am afraid that making the wrong move could cost Spencer." said a very worried Veronica.
It was interesting that both of them were so focused on Spencer and not on Melissa, it seemed like Melissa was in the clear. When it came to secrets in this family, Melissa's could send her to jail in a heartbeat. Some of them I knew because I helped cover them up, and others I could only speculate.
"I texted a friend last night and he says that there is yet to be a warrant drawn up on anything to do with Spencer. We have to act now so that the police are distracted, Alison as well before she can't make up any more lies about our daughter." coaxed Peter gently.
"What do you want to do?" asked Veronica, accepting her husband's plan to intervene. There was reluctance in her voice but she seemed convinced for now.
"We both have people in the private investigation field that owe us favors. We use those favors to help Leona dig up information about Alison. Since Spencer told us the truth about Alison not really being kidnapped, the investigators can provide the proof that she is a liar."
It was a pretty sound plan and it had a lot of potential to succeed since there was always a trail to be found when it came to Alison. This would cause some headaches for Alison and her family which brought a smile to my face. That smile faded though when I realized that my mother was the one who was suffering right now, because I was no longer with her.
There was a sound from behind and I looked to see Spencer stroll in, covered in her robe, one hand in front of her mouth to block her yawn. She looked half-asleep and would remain that way until her first cup of coffee. I was surprised that she was up, and wondered if something was going on since I missed some of the conversation she had with Aria last night.
Both her parents had stopped talking as soon as she entered but I don't think Spencer noticed at all given her condition. She passed right through me and shivered afterwards; I really needed to figure out how to use that to my advantage. It was another minute after she put some caffeine in her system that Spencer became coherent.
"Morning sweetie; how did you sleep?" asked Spencer's mother, with a smile.
"Fine, but I keep thinking about how there was nothing to bury yesterday and that Mona's body is still out there." Spencer said before taking another sip of her coffee. I was touched that I was fresh on her mind.
Unlike the past deaths in this town, it seemed that my murder was causing quite the impact even after all this time. I guess I was the new Alison in terms of being the famous case being investigated. But unlike Alison, I was really dead and would not turn up out of the blue with someone else being buried in my grave.
I wasn't sure what to think about that.
"The police will find her body and her killer. You just need to focus on your future right now." Peter said and I just snorted out loud.
"Did you guys forget which daughter you are talking to right now?" I asked both of them even though they couldn't hear me. The idea of Spencer letting this go to focus on her future was laughable
"What are your plans for today? Your father and I are taking Melissa to meet Wren at the airport. Did you want to come with us?" Veronica asked, changing the subject before an argument broke out. I caught a trace of resentment when Wren's name was mentioned, it appeared that Melissa's new husband was a sore subject.
"No, my friends are coming over so that we could all study for a test." The way Spencer said that, I had no doubt she was not envying her parents since Melissa wasn't the only one who was connected to Wren. "Have fun." She added after a beat.
There was little activity after that with the various Hastings doing random things like eating breakfast and dressing for the day. I did learn some new things; Peter had taken some time off from his firm because of his heart attack, as well as the fact that Melissa and Wren had eloped in England. It was implied that particular news was what cause Peter's heart attack in the first place.
I just stood back and watched, taking in my new life as a real watcher, only this time I was completely undetectable.
It was about noon when Melissa and her parents left for Philadelphia. Spencer waved them by, when the car was out if sight she rushed back inside and smartly locked the door. Not just locked, but applied the deadbolt too so that no one could pick the lock; she also made sure the rest of the house was locked up. I wondered if my murder changed how the girls made sure they were safe when they were alone.
It was another hour before there was a knock at the door, and I watched as Spencer let the rest of the girls into the house before locking up behind them. They had arrived bringing coffee and treats, looking solemn. Hanna looked especially distraught but fine in that pair of tight jeans and black blazer.
"How'd you sleep?" asked Emily as they all gathered in the front room. She sat next to Hanna on the love seat while Aria and Spencer were on the couch. I sat in the empty chair that was the farthest from them.
"Better than I thought; Mona kept haunting my dreams though," Spencer said and she actually seemed sad.
"Me too," Hanna said, both Aria and Emily nodded in agreement. I was kind of happy that my death was causing an impact on them since it meant that maybe they will finally get their butts in gear.
"It's funny; Mona's been dead for months but I didn't feel she was really gone until the funeral yesterday. It was like when Ali first disappeared; I had always believed she was dead, but it wasn't until we were all at the funeral that I felt she was really gone," Aria declared sounding like she was speaking from her heart.
"You're right; I thought so too. I almost thought that this was all one of her schemes and she was safe somewhere just laughing at everyone," Emily said, and from her tone I figured that she really had believed that at one time. I wasn't sure whether to be offended or not.
"I was actually hoping that, that actually happened. That this was all part of the plan to rid us of Alison forever," laughed Hanna.
"Yeah….well she's dead. And Alison killed her," Aria stated, changing the tone of the conversation.
"Or at least her partner did. Is Ezra sure it wasn't Cece?" Spencer asked Aria. I was wrong; it seems they had been investigating my death, and getting help doing it for once. These girls had a problem of not utilizing their resources in their loved ones; which had added to my advantage, when I was still in charge of the game.
"No. Ezra says that the cops in France had Cece in custody when Mona was murdered," Aria answered, shaking her head.
"It could have been Noel; we know Alison has something on him to make him do her dirty work." suggested Emily, as she grabbed a pastry.
"It couldn't have been Noel. We all saw him after it happened, he didn't have a scratch on him. Her house was a mess which means Mona put up a fight and hurt whoever killed her," Spencer reminded everyone. I wasn't surprised that I put up a fight I just wished that I could remember it.
It was bad enough waking up dead and a ghost, unable to physically do anything to my surroundings. But to not remember those last moments of your life was what really sucked. I couldn't remember anything of importance, which meant that even if I gained the power to communicate with the living, I was useless.
"But why take the body? After all these months, it still hasn't turned up," Aria said and I was curious about that too.
"Because Mona fought back…duh. She probably has whoever killed her's DNA all over her. I am willing to bet that some of all that blood was Mona's murderer," Hanna said, and it was such an intelligent thing to say that I was proud it came from her.
The thought of my corpse all bloody gave me chills though.
"So who's left? Shana's dead. Jenna and Sydney would never have done it. None of Alison's new friends are that bad. Lucas is just as angry about Mona's death as we are. Melissa hates Alison, and wasn't in town when it happened. The same for Jason. There is just no one left to think of," Emily said and I heard the frustration in her voice.
"Unless it was someone we haven't met. Alison was gone for two years; who knows how many friends she made while she was away," Spencer stated.
"Like Cyrus; we don't know anything about him so for all we know, he is still around and helping Alison," Hanna said.
"Cyrus is wanted for kidnapping so I think he's gone and far away from Rosewood as possible," Emily countered. I agreed since Alison couldn't risk Cyrus being captured and spilling the beans on her fake kidnapping.
"Think he's dead? If Alison was willing to go all the way and murder Mona, I'd think Cyrus would be an afterthought," Aria declared. That thought had occurred to me as well, and I wondered if I bothered to find out when I had been still alive.
"Maybe. We're going to need help when it comes to digging up what Alison was doing the last couple of years. Is Ezra and Caleb on board?" Spencer asked Aria and Hanna. Both girls nodded. "Good. That means we can focus on the clues that Mona left us and hope it leads us to something we can use."
"It will. It's because of Mona that you aren't in jail right now," Hanna pressed while giving Spencer a slight glare.
"Really? How?" I asked out loud, forgetting that they couldn't hear me.
"I know and I am grateful that she taped me going back to the barn with a shovel that wasn't bloody. Also that she had the foresight to hide the tape so that we could show it to the police. I'd just wish her clues would make a little more sense," Spencer stated, but she did sound grateful for once.
A memory suddenly came to mind and I had a flash of the night Alison vanished. I remember taping Spencer leaving the barn, and grabbing the shovel. I continued taping her until she met up with Alison, and then when she reentered the barn. I had also focused on the shovel and, the fact that Spencer had dropped it on her way back to the other girls.
Leaving it behind had been smart apparently, and I was curious to what else I had out there that wasn't stolen by A.
"Mona was different and we should have trusted her more," Hanna said and I heard the regret in her voice. "Maybe we would have ended this "A" mess for good." I was both elated and saddened by what she had said.
"I know. When we worked with her, sneaking into Radley, seemed like we were actually doing something important instead of just reacting to "A"," Spencer frustratingly said.
"So what do we do now? I still don't get this new clue. "E.T". What the heck does that mean?" asked Aria, switching subjects.
"No clue. I asked her mother if it meant anything to her but I think she's as too out of it to think properly. She asked if I wanted to look through any of Mona's things in case I wanted anything," Hanna announced. Spencer's head jerked in Hanna's direction.
"What did you say? This is the chance we need to see if what we are looking for is in her room," Spencer argued and I swear she sounded like her father right now.
"I am not going back there. I am not about to look through Mona's stuff like a scavenger, and I still can't over seeing all that blood," Hanna argued back and looking enraged.
"A is playing bloody game now and we all have to be careful. She is killing people and there still people in our lives we have to protect," interjected Aria, no doubt to help Spencer prove her case. Hanna didn't look convinced.
I couldn't blame her. I still wasn't over the fact that I was dead, the fact that someone was going to go through my stuff felt morbid to me. I may have left a clue in my stuff at home but it still didn't make it right. I kept thinking of my poor mother, and the fact that she didn't know what to do with my things now.
"I'll come with you. Maybe Paige too. You don't have to be alone in this Hanna. You aren't alone." Emily said taking Hanna's hand and clasping it between her own. I was instantly jealous that Emily could hold Hanna's hand while I could not.
Before Hanna could respond, there was a knock at the front door which startled all of us. The girls looked at each other, and Spencer stood up and slowly walking to the door, trying to see who it was. I just rolled my eyes and moved past her to see who it was myself, my eyes widened as a voice rang out.
"Spencer Hastings? This is the Rosewood Police."
Please R&R and a big thanks to Paraddicted for the Pre-Read!