Disclaimer: Still don't own it
Got this chapter done early so I thought I would release it now; thus giving you readers a treat. We are almost at the end with only a few more chapters left in this story; with the epilogue wrapping things up.
She felt that she had been very sloppy tonight.
As the cold metal tip pressed hard against her back, Mona wondered if the universe was somehow working against her.
She couldn't understand why in all honesty; especially since she felt that she was in the right in all of this. Alison deserved to die and it was up to her and Spencer to do the deed given that no one else would. While she wasn't religious by any means, Mona did believe that there was a higher power that guided her. It wasn't murder by any means but justice; something that she had told herself over and over again. Sometimes she had doubts about what she was doing and there was a little voice in the back of her mind that told her that there was another way. But a louder voice often reminded her that no one else would stop Alison and that it had to be her; given that no one in authority had the courage to do so. That was why it was important for her to prod Spencer into completing the A Game since she had also seen doubt in her friend's eyes. This needed to be done and that was that; no matter what the cost was.
The person holding the gun suddenly shoved her forward and it took Mona everything she had not to fall flat on her face. Turning around, the teen was actually horrified to see who it was that was holding the gun on her in the first place; it was Alison herself and the moonlight did a good job of illuminating the scene. The blonde was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a jacket; her shoes being ordinary sneakers that the blonde was never know for wearing. The gun she was holding was from her father's collection; an old Italian made berretta laramie that held thirteen shots. It had a rather large barrel and Mona was kind of intimidated with the thing being pointed at her; especially since it could kill her at such a close range. However, it was the look on the blonde's face that put a slight fear in Mona's body and even caused her to involuntary shiver. The look was of pure hatred and rage that would have instantly killed Mona if given the chance. It made sense of course given that it was Mona and Spencer that put the blonde in this position in the first place.
Once upon a time, Mona would have done anything to be Alison's friend and never would have imagined that they would get to this point. She had admired everything about the blonde; from her sense of fashion to the fact that she had an army of friends at her beck and call. Mona desperately wanted to become as popular as Alison and figured that she could get there by being her friend. She had even didn't mind at first that her only friend Hanna had been stolen away from her; believing that it would be her turn at some point. After all, every leader needed someone smart in their circle of friends and Mona was the smartest of all; though one could argue that Spencer fit that bill as well. However, she was never allowed to enter Alison's group of friends and nothing but torment awaited the shorter teen. After years of abuse, Mona's love for the blonde turned to absolute hatred and she wanted nothing more than her annihilation; which she was on the verge of achieving.
Thus Mona and Alison were destined to be enemies.
"I knew it was you all along. Even when the other's believed that it was someone else, I knew that you were really A," Alison accused the shorter teen as she pointed her weapon at her. The seething rage in her voice was practically dripping with venom.
"Well what did you expect? You spent years tormenting me and it was only a matter of time before I struck back," countered Mona with her own accusing tone of voice. For some reason, the blonde was making her even angrier though she didn't understand why.
"If you have simply known your place in the first place, then things might have gone easier for you," the blonde pointed out with an arrogant look; not caring if it had hurt the young teen. She had always found Mona's admiration annoying and had been happy isolate her.
"Well now look where you are; I have managed to do what no one else had the guts to and that was to take you down," Mona smirked at her enemy though she wasn't sure if she should goad the blonde like that. Alison was still holding the gun and there wasn't any way for her to move quickly to dodge a bullet.
"I can still overcome this; my mother and father will get me out of what you as well as Spencer did to me. Then both of you will spend the rest of your lives in that nuthouse Radley until your both old and grey," boasted the blonde with an evil laugh and waving her weapon around. Mona was once again nervous and considered jumping her; taking a risk that she didn't really want to do.
"Please; your friends have abandoned you and the cops are after you. Also, your parents are not here to save you and even your sister is out of the picture," argued the shorter teen with another smirk; an evil one by the look of it. The statement about Cece seemed to catch Alison by surprise and she temporarily paused.
"How do you know about Charlotte?" the blonde demanded to know, pointing her weapon at Mona once again. She had no intention of shooting her but wanted to intimidate the teen into talking.
"You think Spencer and I wouldn't find out about your secret sister and that she had been committed to Radley as a child; also the fact that she used to be a guy as well? You clearly misjudged me Alison in thinking that I couldn't find out your inner most secrets," Mona pointed out with a somewhat bravado statement; though it sounded a little lame to her. The look on Alison's face brought instant satisfaction to the teen despite the danger she was in.
"You're responsible for Charlotte being in a coma," the blonde accused angrily as the revelation suddenly occurred to her. As much as it would have been in her best interesting to deny the accusation, Mona couldn't help herself but smirk in response.
"Your sister really should check the medicine she was prescribed; accidents can happen to people," stated the shorter teen with a satisfied look upon her face. Alison's hand was shaking violently and it looked like she could pull the trigger at any moment.
"You had no right to do that to her," Alison snarled at the other teen; wondering if she should pull the trigger and end Mona's life for good. Her rage and hatred knew no bounds right now with nothing but revenge on her mind.
"I had every right to do that to that bitch; it's what she gets for trying to kill me with her car that night," Mona countered angrily as to remind the blonde of what her sister did. As far as the shorter teen was concerned, Charlotte had gotten off easy.
"She should have succeeded; then I wouldn't have to waste my time to deal with you right now," stated Alison as a weak counter argument against her nemesis. She had really wished her sister had gone through with it and made Mona a stain on her windshield.
"It doesn't matter anymore; even if you killed me right now, you're finished. Not only do your friends think you are A but the police think you murdered Bethany as well," informed the other teen; not seeing the point in keeping it a secret. It was a little cliché for Mona to reveal her evil plan but it wasn't like the blonde could do anything with it.
"Killing Bethany was an act of self-defense and she wasn't exactly an innocent person; after all, she murdered Toby's mother," Alison told the other teen and now it was Mona's turn to look utterly confused. While she knew that Marion Cavanaugh had been committed to the Radley Sanitarium, she never knew that the woman had been murdered; hearing that her death had been a suicide.
"Then why didn't you just call the cops then and say that? Your parents would have covered for you and maybe even been hailed a hero. Despite what she may have done, Bethany didn't deserve to be buried in your backyard while her family wondered where she was," declared the teen with a sudden tone of moral superiority. It was kind of hypocritical coming from Mona given that she was about to do the same thing to Alison.
"Because I had to protect my sister; the world thinks she is dead and I would never turn my back on my family," the blonde teen stated and she caught Mona by surprise by what she said. It was well known that Alison didn't protect anyone else but herself.
"It's a shame that you didn't have such a moral clarity early; it might have prevented your fate right now," Mona countered, brushing off her enemy's sudden act of kindness. Even with this news, Mona couldn't understand why Alison didn't display her feelings to her fellow peers.
"My biggest regret was allowing you to have Spencer as a friend as well as letting you still go to the same school as me. I should have told my mother about your when you went to the nuthouse," said the blonde in a tone of regret. The urge to pull the trigger was once again rushing inside her and if it weren't for Wilden being around, she would have taken the shot.
Truthfully, Alison had been having the urge to flee town for some time; especially given what had happened to Charlotte. Everyday had brought a new problem and not having her sister by her side meant that she was now alone to face the threat of A. When she first heard what happened to her older sister and that she might never wake up, the blonde had panicked and locked herself in her room; not sure on what to do now. After thinking about it for a few hours, it finally came to her that it might be for the best that she flee; before something actually happened to her. She first started by packing an emergency duffle bag full of spare clothing; as well as traveling materials. Not only did she have her passport, all of her fake ids, and other necessities in the bag; she had envelopes full of hard cash as well. Alison knew the combination of her father's safe and his bank accounts so she was able to siphon money just in case; more than enough so that she wouldn't have to worry about funds for a while.
Her friends had recently abandoned her and their alienation was making her furious; to the point that she had been tempted to form an all new group to replace them. Things had been tense ever since she had thrown Spencer out of the group; though the drama with A had only intensified things. For some reason, they had been incredibly distant and to the point that they seemed to be deliberately keeping their distance from her. At first, the teen had wondered if A had scared them away from their leader; though a quick investigation had negated that belief. Things took a dramatic turn when she discovered that Hanna was keeping the fact that she now had a secret boyfriend from her; that loser Caleb who was a computer geek. After that, the blonde was hanging around with him more though she didn't seem to know that Alison had found about the relationship. If that weren't a problem, it was the revelation that Emily was now hanging out with Paige; not buying that it was because of them being both on the Rosewood High swim team which Emily claimed. The fact that she had brought the tomboy to the dance was clear enough that Alison was no longer was the center of Emily's world.
When they all met at Aria's house, she had noticed that the others had been unusually apprehensive about something; though she originally dismissed it as having to do with A. She had done her usual routine of critiquing the girl's various dresses as well as touching up their hair and makeup to make them more presentable in her presence. When they had almost finished, Hanna had announced that she was bringing a date and that he was driving her; which caught the blonde leader by surprise since she lacked a date herself. Then Emily had informed the group that Paige was going with them; not bothering to even ask Alison's permission about it. Even before she could make her opposition to the newcomers being a part of their group tonight, she had been actually shushed into silence with an unspoken threat from her friends. The drive to the dance had been in silence with her being left out of the whispered conversation; which worked in her favor since a former lover on the Rosewood Police Force had tipped her off to the threat of Wilden. When he arrived at the dance with a small group of officers in tow and appeared to be looking for her, Alison knew it was time to flee.
Alison was now alone; though she would never admit that it was because of her attitude towards other people.
"You know; it's a shame we couldn't be friends because of how you treated me. I could have helped you; be the ally that you always wanted so something like this could never happen. However, as your enemy, I've taken you down," Mona stated to the blonde teen triumphantly, no longer caring if Alison pulled the trigger or not. She figured that if the other teen did indeed shoot her, it would make Alison all the guiltier.
"At least you won't be around to see it," Alison once again snarled; not caring if shooting Mona would draw Wilden to her. If she could end Mona's miserable life once and for all while escaping, she could at least sleep better at night.
"Stop it Alison!" called out a voice and Spencer suddenly entered the scene; arriving from a group of trees on the right of the pair. The teen winced as her former friend pointed the weapon from her girlfriend towards her direction.
"Well isn't this a treat; two birds for the price of one," Alison said gleefully; happy that she didn't have to hunt down Spencer to deal with her too. The back of her mind was telling her to flee but the blonde teen was ignoring it.
"Just run Alison before you make things worse for yourself. You can still get away and we will let you go," offered the taller teen and ignored the look of protest from Mona. As much as she wanted to get rid of Alison tonight, Spencer couldn't risk their safety.
"Why run when I can take you two down together? You were my friend and you betrayed me Spencer," declared an angry Alison and Spencer was caught off guard by the statement. It was so absurd and delusional that the teen wondered if her former friend had forgotten what she had done to her.
"Betrayed you; for what? Standing up to you when you started making Hanna toss her cookies so that she could stay thin? For calling you out for the horrible things you did to us even though we were supposed to be your friends? You kicked me out of the group Ali and made me a pariah; at a time when I really needed my friends because of my drug addiction. You made me your enemy; not the other way around," Spencer stated with rage towards Alison; taking a step forward towards her. She didn't care if Alison shot her at this rate since she was too blinded by her own anger.
"I was trying to teach you a lesson and it wouldn't have been forever. What I wanted to do was remind you who was in charge of our group," informed the blonde and that left the taller teen somewhat confused. If she meant what Spencer thought she was meaning, then Alison was even more of a paranoid narcissist than she thought she was.
"I never wanted to be the leader of our group Alison. I just wanted you to stop treating us so badly and act like a real friend; not a Dictator with her own minions," Spencer countered, trying to make a point. She was hoping that she could at least talk Alison down or distract her so that Mona could at least get away and get help.
"I created you; I created all of you. Before me, all of you were nothing but losers and at the lowest level on the social hierarchy. The others were already starting to turn to you more than me and I could see them using you as a prop for myself. Whether you meant it or not, you were a threat Spencer and I needed to teach you a lesson," Alison told her, taking here attention completely off Mona. The shorter teen was slowly started to move sideways towards the clump of trees that lead back to the lodge.
"So what was your plan? Isolate me until I came crawling back? Knock me down so I could kiss your feet like all the others?" inquired Spencer though she already knew the answer. Her anger was rising and Mona was afraid that her girlfriend was about to do something rash.
"Pretty much," was all that Alison said; answering her former friend's question. Now it was her turn to give the raging teenager a smirk.
Before Spencer could lunge at the blonde though, forgetting that she was pointing a gun at her, Wilden appeared on the scene.
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