Thanks to RHatch89, nick2951, and potterjay92 for reviewing, and to the favorites and follows that I've gotten as well. This is an INTENSE chapter, guys, so please let me know what you think. I'd love to update again soon, but that can only happen if I get feedback, so don't forget to review! I hope you enjoy...like I said, this is a big one. And a long one!

Chapter 67

Alison's wearing yellow.

That's good, I tell myself as I duck behind a waiter, who's wearing a cloak that looks nearly identical to the one my sister has on, to avoid running right into the person I'm supposed to be trailing. Yellow's an obvious color. If she gets away from me, it shouldn't be hard to find her again.

But I've been following her for half an hour and I haven't lost her once, which is surprising considering the amount of people here, along with the pounding music and bright, flashing lights.

Maybe Justin's right. Dances do kind of suck.

I pause in front of the server, taking a quick break from my trailing to grab something to eat, when I nearly jump out of my skin. The crowd has shifted, and Spencer is standing just a few feet away from me, talking intently to Toby as she winds her arms around his neck.

I leap back, nearly colliding with a dancing couple who gives me a disgruntled look. So apparently Alison wasn't the only one to sneak out of the barn. It looks like the whole crew is here.

I turn away quickly, scanning around the area only to discover that I've lost Alison. Crap. I don't see a flash of yellow anywhere.

How far could she have gotten in ten seconds? I think desperately, my eye focusing on a figure on the other side of the dance floor, wearing a red cloak and a wolf mask that looks suspiciously like the one that Mona is wearing. She figured it would be easier to track down Charles if she looked like the rest of the servers at the fairytale-themed dance.

I consider waving, but I blink and the person is gone. Fairly confident now that I must have been looking at my sister, I roll my eyes, and turn back to my search. I turn in a circle, squinting through the bright lights and hordes of dancing students, ignoring the sound of Macy yelling my name from near the snack table.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spot a flash of yellow disappearing around a corner leading to the maze of shrubbery that is always set up for any dance. My heart leaping, I rush after it, bursting into the cool, empty maze.

I raise my hand to my forehead, glad to be away from the hot, sweaty crowd. I allow myself a moment to catch my breath before I start through the twisting maze of vines, resisting the urge to yell out Ali's name.

I'm nearly at the end of the labyrinth when a shadow falls in my path, from right around the corner. Alison. Finally. I walk slowly to the end of the pathway, as quietly as I can in heels – which I'm just starting to realize are very impractical for what I'm doing – and flatten myself against the wall, peering around the corner.

I'm not looking at Alison, in a yellow dress. I'm looking at someone wearing such dark clothing that I have to squint to make them out through the dim light.

My heart begins to pound. The person, who looks somewhat small, isn't just wearing dark clothes.

They're wearing a black hoodie, the hood pulled around the face. There's only one person who would wear that to prom.

Charles.

I'm looking at Charles.

Even though I'm holding my breath so hard that I feel like I'm going to burst, I must make some sort of sound, because the person starts and turns toward me.

And I come face to face with "A."

Cece Drake's eyes meet mine, and before my brain even makes the connection that she's Charles – that she's "A" – a memory practically runs me down.

…

"I'm gonna come back tomorrow, okay? Dad's coming back home tonight and I know he'll come. Maybe we can even get Mom to come."

"Okay," Mona says, and her voice is dull and toneless. But this is the third time that she's spoken to me since I got here an hour ago, which is such a huge improvement over her usual catatonic state that I beam brightly and hug her.

I'm still grinning as I walk out of her room, reaching for my phone to text my mother with the good news. But apparently I chose the wrong time to look down, because a moment later I smack off of something – or someone, I guess – and let out a little yelp of surprise.

My head snaps up as I fumble with my phone. A young woman is standing in front of me, with blond hair and a half smile, and such a strong wave of familiarity courses through me that I nearly stumble back again.

"Hey," the girl says, raising her eyebrows at me. A large red purse is swinging from her arm.

"Sorry," I mutter, tearing my gaze away before it gets awkward. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No worries," she says, smiling slightly at me again. "Happens to the best of us."

My eyes widen. All at once, I realize why she looks so familiar. The tone of her voice, the tilt of her head, the style of her clothes…I'm basically looking at an older version of Alison, incarnate.

I open and close my mouth a few times, too caught off guard to process what to say next, until I glance around and remember where we are. Mona's room is at the very end of the hallway, and we're only a few steps away. There's only one possible reason why this girl is here right now.

Warily, I glance back at the closed door and say, "Are you, um…are you visiting Mona?"

There is a change in her expression, but it is so slight that I wonder if I imagined it. "I am," she says slowly, her face completely neutral. She looks me up and down, examining me the same way that Alison used to do, and I try not to squirm. "You're her little sister, aren't you?"

I nod. "I'm Viola. And you're…?"

She smiles, gesturing to the visitor's pass that is clipped to her shirt. "I'm Cece Drake."

She steps forward as if to move past me, but I block her, not quite finished with this conversation. Something about this is bothering me…maybe the fact that my sister is being visited by a woman so like Alison that they could be related.

"So," I say casually, leaning against the wall to keep Cece from skirting around me, "why are you visiting Mona? I've been coming here since April and I've never seen you."

She pauses, and I search her eyes for any sign of unease, finding none. "I have a friend on the staff," she says coolly, but not unkindly. "He called me up the other day, said they had a teenage patient here who's been showing some progress. He seemed to think I'd make a good role model for her."

Highly doubting this, I cross my arms and ask, "Is your friend a doctor here? What's his name?"

"Ah," Cece says, patting my arm and smiling almost condescendingly, "but if I told you that, then I'd have to kill you."

"What?" I say in alarm, but she's already edged around me and disappeared into my sister's room.

…

Almost as soon as that memory comes back to me, it's gone again, replaced by a rambling stream of thoughts.

Cece Drake is Charles. She's "A." She's the person who stole the game from Mona, who's been tormenting us all this time, who locked us all in the dollhouse…

We're staring at each other, and there is a look of shock on her face very unlike the cool disposition she had when I met her at Radley. I'd forgotten all about that, I realize, remembering when the other girls and I found Ezra's Ravenswood lair. They'd been talking about Cece, and I had thought her name sounded familiar…

My mind is spinning so fast that I can't do anything but stare right into the face of "A," who seems about as surprised as I am. But in the next moment, I'm raising my hand, taking in a breath, and she's gone, whirling around the corner and out of sight.

The sudden movement snaps me back to the present, and I run after her, my heart pounding so loudly in my ears that I can barely hear the music. I burst back out onto the main area of the prom, gasping for breath and looking around wildly.

I know who "A" is.

I know who "A" is.

I spin around aimlessly, desperate to find Mona and tell her what I just saw. I can't believe I forgot the ear piece at home. I don't see a red cloak anywhere, and I'm just preparing to shove through the crowd when someone grabs my arm.

I whirl around, bracing myself for an attack, but a girl with short blond hair stares back at me. It takes me a moment to realize that this is Sara Harvey.

"Sara, thank god!" I practically shout above the music and cheering, barely pausing to wonder why she's at our prom instead of her own.

"What's going on, Viola?" she asks, her eyes widening as she takes me in. I don't blame her – I'm sure I look hysterical. "Have you seen Emily?"

"What? No, I – who cares? Sara, listen to me." I grab her arm and pull her over to the side of the dance floor, closer to the hallway. "I was looking for Ali and – I found out who Charles is."

Sara's face goes immediately pale. "You – "

But the words burst out before she can say anything more. "Cece Drake is 'A,'" I announce, aware that she most likely has no idea who that is, unless Emily has filled her in on the past two years. "I don't know if you know her, but I thought I was following Ali into the maze and I turned a corner and – and there she was."

Sara stares at me, not blinking, looking a little green. My heart is hammering excitedly. I can't believe she isn't having more of a reaction to this. I just found out who kept her locked in an underground dungeon for over two years – shouldn't she be elated? Shouldn't she be helping me figure out what to do next?

But her eyes have slipped from my face down to the ground. "Okay," I mutter, shaking my head and beginning to push past her, "I have to find – "

"Wait, Viola," Sara bursts out suddenly, her hand closing around my arm and pulling me back. I catch sight of a flash of red disappearing around the DJ stand and try to release myself from Sara's grasp, but she holds tight.

"I can't wait," I yell, pulling away my arm. "Sara, I don't know what Emily's told you about what we've went through, but this is serious. We need to find her and the others and tell them this. I know who 'A' is. We have to end this."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Sara says shakily, still looking a bit green.

I'm so stunned that I stop trying to escape. "What the hell are you talking about?"

She shrugs, looking uncomfortable in the blue and silver dress she's wearing. "I mean…you guys have been wrong before, right? About 'A'? Do you really think that if this person really is Charles, that she'd make it so easy for you to find her?"

I shake my head. She just doesn't get it, I remind myself, forcing down my annoyance. She hasn't dealt with what we have. "Charles sent Alison a message telling her to come here tonight," I explain, my words all slurring together in my haste to finish this stupid argument. "So we already knew that he's – she's – here somewhere. Why else would Cece be walking around in a black hoodie?"

"I don't know," Sara admits, glancing around nervously and clasping her hands together. I narrow my eyes at her. I know from the others that she's been a little skittish ever since she got out of that place, but I'm beginning to get the feeling that something strange is going on here. "I just don't think you should jump to the conclusion that this Cece person must be 'A.'"

I fold my arms impatiently and raise my eyebrows. I really do not have time for this. "So you don't think I should tell the others what I saw."

"Not until we find more proof," Sara says insistently. "Do you really want to get their hopes up only to find out that we're not any closer to finding Charles than we ever have been?" She pauses, then continues quickly, her voice shaking, "This person tried to run me over with a car a few weeks ago, Viola. I want to find them as much as you do. I just don't think we should tell everyone something so huge without a better explanation than you seeing someone in a black sweatshirt."

But my eyes have focused on something behind her. Emily, Spencer, Hanna, and Aria are clustered together in a secluded corner, near the maze that I just came out of. Alison is nowhere in sight, and their heads are bent together intently.

Did they see her too? I think, desperate for someone who will take me seriously. I shove past Sara and rush toward them, ignoring her call for me to wait.

"You guys," I exclaim, and they all glance at me as I join the group. "I have to – what's that?" My eyes narrow at a small object clutched in Hanna's fist, but I can't make out what it is in the dim light until she opens her hand to reveal a cell phone.

"It's Ali's phone," she explains, her brow wrinkled in concern. "We just found it, right at the entrance to the maze."

"We think Charles took Alison," Spencer goes on before I can even open my mouth. "We were trying to keep an eye on her, but we lost her almost twenty minutes ago. Have you seen her, Viola?"

"Huh? Oh, no, but guys, there's something you need to – "

"Call her house again," Emily interjects, crossing her arms and looking sick.

I open my mouth again, growing desperate, but Hanna holds out a finger to shush me. "Nobody's home," she groans after a few moments, her hand falling to her side, her knuckles white as she squeezes the phone.

"Ali could be on the roof," Emily exclaims, throwing her arms out at her sides. "Did anybody check the roof?"

"Guys, we promised Toby that we would stay here until he escorted us out, remember?" Spencer says, but even she seems to be struggling to stay calm. But one thing is for sure – they definitely do not know what I know.

I hop up and down a bit, adrenaline still coursing through me, and try once again to interrupt. "Can you please – "

"The guys are talking to Clark and Tanner," Sara's voice rings out, and she appears beside Emily. "She's got a lot of questions, for all of us."

"Wait," I burst out, momentarily distracted. "You guys called the cops?"

"Toby called for assistance," Spencer explains, raising an eyebrow at me. "Alison is missing, Viola. What else were we supposed to do?"

"But how long do we have to stay here?" Emily says, exasperated. "We could be out there looking for her."

"Look, Em," Aria says anxiously. "We have to believe that Charles isn't gonna hurt Alison. She's his sister."

Emily turns on her, looking thoroughly fed up. "Charles drove his car through my house, Aria, okay? I believe he'll hurt anybody who gets in his way."

The mentions of Charles as "he" are making me twitch. "You guys!" I practically scream, and the others all jump, turning to me. "I have to tell you something."

"Okay, Viola," Spencer sighs. "What is it?"

I open my mouth and take in a breath – my god, they are going to freak, this is going to change everything – but Sara catches my eye and I freeze.

Do you really want to get their hopes up only to find out that we're not any closer to finding Charles than we ever have been?

You guys have been wrong before, right?

The exhilaration flies out of me like the air let out of a balloon. What if I am wrong? What if there's another explanation for Cece walking around the prom in a black hoodie? She was Ali's friend – maybe Alison sent her to distract Charles, the real Charles.

Maybe Sara's right. Telling them that Cece is "A" will distract us all, take the focus away from finding Alison. If I'm right, it might help the police – or, who am I kidding, us – find her sooner. But if I'm wrong…

"Um," I mutter, ducking my head to try and hide my indecision. "I, uh – "

A twig cracks, and Aria jumps. "You guys, I don't think we're alone in here."

We all exchange anxious glances. Is that Cece? I wonder, terrified, as I follow Aria and Hanna around the corner. But I don't see any shadows, don't hear any other sounds, no indication that there's anyone else here.

We meet back up a moment later, on the other side of the maze, with the other girls. Sara shoots me a small smile and nod, but I rip my gaze away, frustrated and suddenly wishing I had a flower so I could play that game.

I should tell them, I should not, I should tell them…

"Are you sure that you saw somebody?" Spencer asks warily once we're all standing in a group again, concealed from the rest of the dancers by the shrubbery.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Aria says immediately, her eyes large.

"Aria, there's no way out of here," Hanna says quickly, clearly trying to convince herself just as much as us.

But as soon a the words leave her mouth, a loud bang, followed by a low creak, echoes around us.

I stumble back as I watch the shrubs part, revealing a secret passageway leading into a narrow hallway. What the hell? After seeing Cece Drake in that black hoodie, I was convinced that nothing else would shock me tonight.

I was wrong.

I step back just as Emily begins walking forward, leading the way into the hidden room. Shaking my head, I follow, my shoulder basically pressed against Hanna's. This is absolutely insane. I've stood right here over a dozen times over the last few years. This place has been here this whole time?

The hallway is short, ending in a silver wall consisting of only a generator. I exchange an uneasy glance with Hanna, all thoughts of Cece pushed out of my mind. Are we about to come face to face with "A"? And will this be Cece…or someone completely

different?

But suddenly a person appears in front of us from somewhere to the side. A person wearing a red cloak and a wolf mask that hides their entire face.

I roll my eyes and my heart immediately settles, even as it becomes clear that I am the only one not panicking anymore. The other girls all look stricken.

I open my mouth to make a sarcastic comment when my sister reaches up and pulls off the mask, shaking out her hair. Sighs of combined relief and annoyance come from all sides, and I smirk, despite myself, moving to stand beside her.

"God, Mona, you scared the crap out of us," Aria gasps, pressing a hand to her chest.

"I've been following Alison since yesterday morning," my sister says, and with that, I turn away and stop listening, as girls ask questions and she explains the plan that I already know.

My mind is spinning so fast that I feel like I've just had about six cups of coffee…maybe laced with something. This is insane. I can't believe I'm still sitting on this secret. I may have just found out who freaking "A" is. The person who has been tormenting all of us for a year. The person who locked us in an underground bunker for months. The person who might be doing something terrible to Alison right now.

Screw Sara Harvey. I need to tell them. Now.

I'm just snapping back to the present, prepared to interrupt whatever they're talking about with Cece Drake's name on my lips, when I glance over and notice that they're all crowded around a tablet.

"What is it?" I ask, shaking my head.

"Charles has his own cellular network," Mona says faintly, not looking up from the coordinates on the screen, "and the servers are located at…"

"The Carissimi Group," Spencer finishes, her eyes wide.

"I knew it," Hanna exclaims. "Rhys is Charles."

What? I stare blankly as the girls exchange looks of mixed exhilaration and fear. They obviously know something I don't. And they look so certain about this Carissimi thing. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe whoever this Rhys person is really is "A."

"I'm going to get Ali," Emily states fiercely, and moments later we're packed into Spencer's SUV, all seven of us, as she pulls out of the school's parking lot and heads for downtown Rosewood.

I still know that I should tell them, new suspect or not. Cece was lurking around the prom in the black hoodie that we all know only too well. "A" or not, there's something suspicious about her…I've known it even since I met her in Radley so long ago, even though I wasn't aware of it then.

But my mouth stays closed the whole drive to the sleek building packed along one of Rosewood's main streets, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I'm shaking too badly for any words to come out. Maybe it's because it seems like it would be impossible to talk around the huge lump in my throat. Maybe it's because I can feel Sara's eyes on my back the whole drive.

Or maybe it's because I need to make absolute sure that I'm right before I screw everything up yet again.

...

Phew, hope you all got through that! Again, I would really appreciate getting a lot of feedback on this one, so review! Next, Viola and the others discover the true "A" lair, and someone's true allegiances are revealed.