Welcome to chapter five, everyone. This is a big one. Or should I say, "A" big one?

nick2951 - You don't have to wait long, fortunately. Something big between them is going to go down in this chapter.

Pinkpoodle8 - Oh yes it does, and it will, as Viola is soon to discover.

Siren of the Dark Seas - Well, Viola didn't realize exactly what was going on at the time that she told the girls about her own "A" message. But I think she'd agree with you, especially after what is to come.

Chapter 5

It's been two weeks since my run-in with the girls in the bathroom, and I haven't heard anything more about Ian, Alison, or "A." I'm starting to believe that "A" never really wanted to target me. Maybe they just panicked when I saw something I shouldn't have and sent me that text to scare me.

It worked.

Even though it's been almost a month since I got that text, and three weeks since I found that sticky note in the hall, I'm still jumpy every time I hear a strange noise or see a shadow at night. Clearly "A" is still around, just not tormenting me at the moment. But that doesn't mean I'm in the clear.

And anyway, there's still another issue. Mona has been acting very strange lately. She is home less than ever, and never tells any of us where she's going, no matter how many times I ask. I'm pretty sure this has something to do with "A," especially after that note I found. Whoever this psycho is must still be holding that money over her head.

It has occurred to me that I should probably tell our parents, mostly because this appears to have some connection to a murder. I really don't want my sister to be the next person found buried in a backyard.

But I haven't told anyone, because I don't really think this is my business to tell. And if I tell my parents about the text that I got from "A," they'll want to know what my secret is. I've spent so long trying to forget about that night. I can't relive that again.

And anyway, Mona's been through bullying once before. If it gets that bad again, I'm sure she'll tell our parents herself.

But I still want to talk to her about it myself. She should at least know that I got a message from "A" the night Hanna was hit by a car.

It's nine o'clock on a Friday night and I'm sitting on the swing on our front porch, doing some chemistry homework and waiting. Mona never came home after school, so this seems like a perfect time to ask about her anonymous stalker.

But it's been almost an hour, and soon I'm sure my mom will be coming out to make me come inside or, worse, actually sit with me. I'm just starting to get irritated when a flash of black passes between the two trees to the side of our house.

Oh, god. I bolt upright, my homework fluttering to the ground. I jump up and am reaching for the doorknob when I see a shadowed figure right beside the porch.

A random burglar at nine o'clock on a Friday night? Or "A"? Option two seems more likely, and suddenly I'm so angry I lose all sense of logic. I jump down from the porch and tackle the figure before I can reason with myself.

They push me right off with an amount of strength that I was not prepared for. "What the hell are you doing?" I cry out, scrambling back up and tearing after them. Whoever this person is, I have no idea as I run after them, around to the back of the house. They're wearing a black hoodie with the hood pulled up. It's baggy enough that I can't even make out a gender.

There are woods right behind my house and I'm determined to get to this person before they can get to them. It would be impossible to chase someone wearing a black hoodie through the dark woods.

"You're 'A,' aren't you?" I yell, out of breath. This is probably the scariest situation I have ever been in, but for some reason I have never been less scared of anything.

That is, until the hoodie person stops in the middle of my backpack, whirls around without warning, and punches me. A fist, covered by a black glove, hits me right on the chin. I cry out and stumble back, and as soon as my hand flies to my chin the person takes off into the woods.

I sit down on the back steps, breathing hard. My chin is throbbing and appears to be bleeding a little, though it's too dark to really tell. I want to go inside. I want to tell my mom everything. This isn't just someone sending nasty messages anymore. Someone just attacked me. The fear catches up to me all at once.

I step onto the back porch but stop myself from going inside. Whoever this person is wanted to get into my house badly enough to try and get away from me before just running off. I have a strange feeling that they'll be back.

Trying to calm my heart, I duck behind the railing beside the deck stairs and crouch down. This might be a total waste of time. It probably is, actually. Most likely, "A" has given up on trying to break in tonight and will just wait until they know everyone's gone. Or, if they do come back, who's to say they'll come in through the back?

I glance over my shoulder and wince at the dark woods, touching my finger to my chin. There's a gross metallic taste in my mouth and I would really like some water and a Band-Aid. But what I want more than that is to murder the person who did this to me.

It's purely my anger that keeps me squatting on the deck for nearly half an hour. Hopefully my mother hasn't tried to come check on me. She could be calling the police right now for all I know.

My stomach rumbles and I squint at my watch. It's nearly ten by now. I need to go inside.

A twig snaps, and my breath catches in my throat. I recognize the sounds of someone trying to be quiet as they stumble out of the woods. I've made those noises plenty of times myself.

I hold my breath, concentrating on not making a sound. My heart is thumping so hard that I'm sure whoever is out here with me must be able to hear it. I'm afraid now, but then again, I already have a bloody chin. What more can they do?

I hear footsteps moving across the backyard and up the porch stairs, and as soon as I see a black pant leg I leap up, grab the hoodie person by the shoulders, and shove them against the back of the house. Even I am impressed by my own agility. I should have done a backflip during all of this to make it more impressive.

The hood falls over the person's face in such a way that I can't make out who it is. "I'm sick of your stupid games," I snap. They struggle and I knock them harder against the stone wall. I am very surprised that I'm able to hold this person, because, despite all of the gymnastics training, I've never been very strong.

Deciding that I better do something before they get away and potentially murder me, I shift myself so that only my left arm is gripping hoodie's shoulder, then use my free hand to grab their hood and yank it off.

I come face to face with my sister.

I get the same feeling that I had the night of Hanna's accident. I feel like I might pass out. I take a step back and nearly fall right down the steps.

Mona crosses her arms over the thick black hoodie. She looks a little scared and a little like she wants to murder me. Mostly the second one.

"What the hell?" I gasp. "What are you – what are you doing?"

"Funny," she says, and her voice is strangely void of most emotion. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

My anger suddenly takes over again. "What am I doing? I am bleeding because I thought somebody was trying to break in! Now what are you doing?"

She glances around, then grabs my arm and pulls me around to the side of the house, about ten feet down from my bedroom window. "I'll tell you, but not here."

…

Ten minutes later, we somehow managed to climb up the tree right outside my window, use the nearest branch to push open the window, and tumble into my room.

Now I'm sitting on the edge of my bed, holding a washcloth to my chin. Mona is pacing back and forth in front of me. The door is shut and locked.

This goes on for at least two minutes before I finally get fed up. "Start talking."

She folds her arms and asks, in that same flat tone, "Why were you waiting for me?"

"I wasn't waiting for you," I reply, rolling my eyes. "Well, okay. I was waiting for you because I wanted to find out where you keep disappearing to, but once I saw someone in a black hoodie run off into the woods I figured they'd be back. I thought I was going to catch…" I almost say "A" but stop myself just in time. "Some burglar. You've got to admit, you're not wearing your usual clothes." I pause and shake my head, fed up with having the questions turned on me. "Now stop avoiding my questions. What were you doing?"

Mona leans back against my desk and reties her ponytail. "Fine. But you're making a big mistake."

That unnerves me a little, but I raise my eyebrows and gesture for her to continue. "Do you remember getting a text the night of Hanna's accident? From 'A'?"

"Yes. And I know that same person has been sending you messages. I saw the sticky note in the hall a few weeks ago, something about money. Isn't that what you're doing, trying to figure out who's doing this?"

She lets out a long, exasperated breath. "Wow, Viola. I really thought you were smarter than that."

"What?" I ask just as the pieces fall into place. The random note in the hallway, the black clothes, the constant sneaking out. "Oh my god," I mutter, the cloth dropping out of my hand. "You're not trying to find 'A.' You are 'A.'"

My older sister smirks at me. "Bingo."

I stare at her, unable to comprehend this. "You're 'A,'" I say again, mostly to convince myself. "And you killed Alison."

"What?" Mona gasps, and her strange monotone finally begins to vanish. "Viola, I didn't kill Alison."

Nothing makes sense right now. My chin stings and I press my finger to it. "Then why are you doing this? I talked to Ali's old friends the other day. They told me that they've been getting messages since the beginning of the school year."

She flinches. I don't think she realized how much I know. "It's nothing that they don't deserve."

"What, exactly, have you been doing to them?" I demand, crossing my arms. "Just texts?"

"Just texts," Mona confirms, sitting beside me on the bed. "And a few other notes. I haven't actually done anything."

I shake my head, shifting away a little. "So just, like, cyber bullying?"

"Pretty much." She nods quickly. "I would never do anything to hurt them, especially Hanna. I just want them to know how I felt for all those years."

This still doesn't seem so innocent to me, but I'm beginning to understand. I really can't imagine my sister actually hurting anyone, so I choose to believe her. I still have one question, though. "But why would you send me a text? What have I ever done to you?"

"Nothing, Viola. I didn't want you to be part of this. But when you saw Aria and Mr. Fitz together…I was afraid you'd tell someone. It would ruin everything."

I grimace and look down at my lap. I don't like anything about this, and I have a feeling someone is going to end up getting hurt. "Okay. I believe you. I think what you're doing is absolutely insane, but I'm going to stay out of it. Just promise you won't do anything crazy."

Mona smiles. Her sudden giddiness is making me nervous. "I promise. It's fine." She leans over and inspects my chin. "I'll go get you a bandage."

I sigh, fall back onto the bed, and call after her, "You'd better change your clothes before Mom sees you."