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Chapter 14

I can't do anything but stare for a moment, my brain having trouble comprehending this. My eyes skim over the black hoodie, black jeans, and sneakers that Toby is wearing. There's only one possible explanation for this, but I somehow can't make the connection.

"Viola," he says quietly. "What are you doing here?" He leans out and looks down the hall, then pulls me into the apartment and shuts the door.

I stumble into the room and spin around, still staring. Toby has always scared me a little, even though he's been dating Spencer for at least a year. Just a few weeks before Alison went missing, an explosion went off in the Cavanaugh's garage, permanently blinding Toby's stepsister, Jenna. He took responsibility for causing the explosion and spent a year in juvie for it. He was also suspected in Ali's murder for a short time last year. Even though he was cleared of suspicion, he still has always made me a little nervous.

And I guess for good reason, considering he's on the "A" team. Apparently.

As soon as I am able to come to terms with this, I shake my head and say, "You – you're working with Mona, too?"
Toby sits down in the chair in front of the computer monitors. On the biggest screen is an image advertising the upcoming Halloween train. "Just for a few weeks. She told me you joined the team."

"She didn't tell me that you did," I say in irritation. "Is there anyone else?"

He glances at me over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows. "Aside from Red Coat?"

"I know about Red Coat," I say. "What I don't know is why you would join the team that's actively trying to set up your girlfriend for murder."

I can see his shoulders tense up. "I don't want to hurt Spencer," he mumbles, still staring straight at the computer. "I want to help her."

"Oh," I say, hoping that there aren't video cameras in here or anything. "So you're a double agent, then."

Apparently there aren't, because he doesn't lower his voice when he says, "What about you? I thought you were friends with those girls."

"I wouldn't exactly say 'friends,'" I say hesitantly, standing up from the sofa and walking slowly around the room, examining various photographs. "But the reason I'm doing this at all is because Mona has something on me. I don't need either her or Red Coat exposing my secret. And," I go on after a slight pause, feeling suddenly like I can trust this sullen boy, "what better way to make sure that 'A' doesn't hurt anyone else, than from the inside?"

Toby turns back to look at me, but doesn't seem surprised. "So you're a double agent too."

I put a finger to my lips. "Don't tell Mona. I think she still takes this pretty seriously."

He snorts and shakes his head, turning away. "What are you doing?" I ask, joining him at the desk and peering over his shoulder.

"Checking to see when tickets are available for the Halloween train," he explains, clicking to a new webpage.

"Wait," I say slowly, putting the pieces together. "Is 'A' going to do something that night?"

Toby clicks the X in the corner of the screen, and the computer goes dark. "I don't know much," he says. "Just that we all have to be there."

That would have been a nice thing to know, even though I don't completely believe him. I wonder if Red Coat wants me there at all. Somehow I feel like she doesn't trust me yet. "I got my first order from 'A' yesterday," I tell Toby, since my sister isn't here and I still feel like I need to tell someone. "I did it tonight."

Once again, he appears to already know what I'm talking about. "The Lucas thing?"

"Yeah," I say in surprise. "Do you get texts like that, too? From Red Coat?"

"Most of my orders come through Mona," Toby explains. "But Red Coat's definitely in charge."

I sit back down and lean forward, intrigued. "But you don't know who she is?"

"No one does," he replies, shaking his head and leaning back in the desk chair. "Except your sister."

We sit in silence for a minute as I process this. It seems like there's more to this team than just Red Coat and her minions. There appears to be a sort of "A" team hierarchy going on…and I'm pretty sure I'm at the very bottom of the totem pole.

The quiet settles into something awkward, and I check my phone for something to do. I'm shocked to find that it's after two in the morning. "Oh, god, I've gotta go," I yelp, jumping up. I grab the doorknob and pause, not sure how to say goodbye. I can't say that I'm really friends with Toby yet, but being teammates has to count for something. "So…I guess I'll see you on the Halloween train, then?"

He frowns at me, and I get the feeling that he knows a lot more than I do. "I think we'll be seeing each other before then," he says slowly.

I want to ask what he means, but he turns back to the computer, pushing his hood down, so I duck out and practically run all the way back to my car.

…

Being "A," I've realized over the past few weeks, is pretty easy, especially when the girls you're dealing with spend most of their time talking in public places and jumping to conclusions. They'll believe anyone is "A," and all it takes is just the tiniest piece of made-up evidence to prove it to them.

It's a little sad, really, how gullible these four girls are. I'd think they'd be a little smarter when it comes to suspecting their classmates of being part of the team, but I guess some people never learn.

Since I'm currently the only member of the "A" team who goes to Rosewood High School, most of my orders from my sister and Red Coat involve spying on conversations and reporting back.

"They think Paige is 'A,'" I say one afternoon, leaning back against the sofa and messing with two phones, one in each hand. One is my actual phone. The other is the burner phone that I was finally given a few days ago. It was on my pillow when I got home from school, with a note that read, You know what this is for. –A

I should have been scared that "A" was in my house – my room – without me knowing, but I wasn't. I was actually excited by the possibility that I was starting to gain Red Coat's trust.

Mona ties back her hair and glances over at me. "You put the earring in her bag?"

I roll my eyes. "Um, yes. Hence why they think she's 'A.'" I remember something else and add, "They think she's the one who dug up the grave, and that she's the one working with you. They had an intervention with Emily yesterday morning, after they found the earring. I was listening outside. She's furious with all of them."

"Excellent." Mona smiles, and I feel a strange twinge of pride. She pulls out her own burner phone and presses a button, then pauses and nods at me, putting it away. "Why don't you send it?"

I know what she is talking about and grin. "Sure." I set my real phone down, careful to check and make sure which one I'm holding, and use the burner to type out a message to Paige's cell phone.

10 PM Saturday. Rosewood Cemetery. Or Emily gets hurt. –A

I press send and immediately am hit with a wave of nausea, from both the thrill of sending my first "A" text and the guilt that comes along with it. The nagging feeling that I am a terrible person runs through my head, but I quickly push it out. I'm not actually going to hurt anyone, and I'm going to make sure that no one else does, either.

A few texts never hurt anyone. And as long as Paige follows our orders, nothing is going to happen to her.

"Done," I say, dropping the burner back on the table and picking up my real phone. It suddenly goes off, singing out a ringtone, and I check the screen.

Justin.

I cringe, glance at my sister, and press "Ignore," despite the guilt. For the first time in months, I cut gymnastics class last week. I wasn't doing anything "A" related at the time…I just couldn't face him after everything. I promised him that I wouldn't lie anymore, that we could build our relationship back up.

But now everything's different. The last thing I want is Justin getting involved in the "A" drama. And if he found out that I'm possibly just as crazy as my sister, he won't want anything to do with me. Not that I'd blame him.

I set my phone on the table, screen down, and sigh. Mona looks up from her own phone and says, "I sent them the picture."

"What picture?" I ask, and she holds her phone out to show me.

It's a picture of Spencer, Aria, and Hanna, the night of the grave digging, holding a shovel. Even to me, they look guilty, and I know that they had nothing to do with the incident. I avert my eyes, frowning.

But I shouldn't feel bad. The plan isn't to frame them for digging up the grave, right now at least. All we have to do is get them to believe that Paige is the one behind all of this, that she's the one trying to set them up for grave digging while keeping Emily, her girlfriend, completely in the clear.

"You know that they still think you're involved, right?" I say, remembering another conversation I overheard while holding my breath in a bathroom stall. "They just think Paige is helping you."

"That doesn't matter," Mona snaps, just as her phone rings. "I'm here," she says into the phone after a moment. "I understand."

"What?" I demand once she snaps the phone closed. "What do you understand? Was that Red Coat?"

"Change of plans," she says, ignoring my questions. "Emily's going with Nate to the Lighthouse Inn tonight. We're not going to the grave." She picks the phone back up, presses a few buttons, and holds it up to her ear.

"Who are you calling?" I ask, completely bewildered.

"Toby."

...

Next up, Viola's conflicting feelings about the "A" team climb even higher as the events of the Halloween train unfold.