THE LIARS. As most of Rosewood know the four troubled girls now joined with the third blonde girl of the friend group and the closet to the late Alison DiLaurentis.

Gathered together in Spencer's living room drinking and discussing their summers.

Also catching up with the Lowe girl who's returned from the big city.

"Em, you and I are the only ones who did anything worth talking about this summer. Te'a came back after being away for so long and had some mystery boyfriend. Which we still need details and a name for him." Hanna states winking at the giggling blonde girl.

"He was incredibly dreamy and his name was Nate." Te'a explains with a smile feeing the alcohol hitting her a little bit.

"Sounds cute." Hanna nods along with what she said previously making all of the girls giggle.

"Aria took some boring picture class and Spencer went to college." Hanna continues.

"I took a full load at Hollis. And Aria beat out a thousands applicants for a space in that photography class." Spencer responds sipping on her cup full of an alcoholic beverage.

"So, how many houses did you build?" Te'a questions giving Emily her full attention.

"Uh. I think we finished about six." Emily responds slurring her words.

"And in poor countries, one house is like a home for fifty." Hanna states looking at the surrounding girls.

"Okay, Miss Productive, how much of your list did you actually do?" Spencer laughs.

"Let's see," Hanna voices grabbing a hold of her small notepad and smiling at the others.

"Cooking class with Caleb. Done," Hanna states ticking off that section on her notepad.

"Volunteer at the Animal Shelter for pocket dogs," Hanna mumbles.

"Wait, that exists?" Te'a exclaims shocked, "Did not do." Hanna responds looking at the blonde girl.

"Expand my vocabulary, effectuating," Hanna smiles before looking at her list once again.

"Intern for Vera Wang," Hanna says, "You got an internship for Vera Wang?" Emily asks shocked.

"Yeah, I changed my mind. Turns out they want you to work for free." Hanna scoffs crossing off that part on the notepad.

Te'a sits beside Aria feeling the brunette girl flinch hearing a noise in the distance, "Was that a car?" Aria asks panicked.

"No, it's just the wind." Hanna responds seeing Te'a comforting Aria—knowing that the girls all went through something traumatic a few months ago.

Emily begins pouring herself another drink from her flask receiving the attention from all of the girls.

"Oh, careful, Em, they're already pretty strong." Aria suggests leaning forwards.

"Maybe for you, you're a pixie, I've gotten really good at this." Emily responds shrugging.

All of their phones chime with incoming text messages making Te'a frown and the others sharing concerned—tired looks with each other.

Show me your boobs — A

Spencer reads out loud annoyed, "Does Mona have a ten-year-old brother?" Aria quizzes irritated.

"A for annoying." Emily mutters shutting off her mobile phone, "Are these ever gonna stop? I mean now this person is targeting Te'a—someone who's only just arrived back in Rosewood yesterday." Hanna mutters.

"Eventually we'll be old news." Spencer lowly responds, "Yeah, and then Garrett will go on trial and we'll be news again or Mona will start talking and we'll be news again." Aria voices.

"Or I'll show someone my boobs and we'll be news again." Emily slurs oblivious to the shocked looks the others share with one another.

"Okay!" Spencer laughs leaning towards the growing drunk girl taking the flask away.

"Hey, I thought this was a party!" Emily exclaims holding out her hand using a gimme motion—wanting the flask back.

"You know what? You're right, Em, welcome back, and welcome home T-T!" Hanna states holding her cup into the air.

"And you're never allowed to leave for an entire summer again, same goes for you T—we all missed you so much." Aria firmly utters.

"I'm not going anywhere, I'm home now." Te'a responds with a soft smile on her face.

"To making it to senior year!" Spencer shouts clanging the plastic cups together in celebration.

"Not all of us made it," Emily sadly mumbles thinking about Maya, "I'm sorry, Em, I didn't mean it like that." Spencer responds lowly.

"To Maya." Emily murmurs holding her cup up before taking another sip from it.

"Em, you know that we're here for you, always." Te'a softly says rubbing her thumb against Emily's knee showing the Fields girl some comfort.

"To Maya." Hanna, Spencer, Aria and Te'a softly respond holding their cups towards the sky to mourn the loss of a loved friend—although Te'a didn't really know her that well.

Eventually the girls fall asleep on Spencer's couch together.

Te'a groans awakening from her drunken slumber on the couch noticing the lack of Spencer and Emily in the living room.

"Where's Emily and Spencer?" Te'a inquires suddenly more awake now.

"We don't know." Aria responds answering for both herself and Hanna.

"My head is killing me." Te'a grunts quickly checking her phone panicked that she missed Erin calling her for help but seeing no new messages or calls on her phone from her stepmom or her father.

"I need an aspirin and a trough of water." Hanna mutters, "Agreed." Te'a states yawning.

"Emily?" Aria shouts confused walking towards the open side door of Spencer's house, "She's gone." Spencer states from the staircase.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Te'a quizzes standing up feeling a sudden rush of deja-vu from the night when Ali went missing.

"I've looked everywhere." Spencer explains while Hanna quickly dials Emily's number.

Emily's drunken voice is heard answering the phone call mumbling the words graveyard and SOS.

─────────────────

TE'A STANDS BESIDE EMILY'S slumped figure against the tombstone hugging herself due to her nerves.

"Han, hand me Em's phone." Spencer demands softly.

Hanna does as so standing beside Te'a comforting the emotional drunk girl.

"Em, you got a blocked call at eleven. Who was it? Do you remember who you talked to?" Spencer questions.

"Um... I think I remember leaving your house, and the next thing I know you guys are calling me and I'm here." Emily responds with a tired slur.

"What? That can't be right." Spencer voices confused looking at Emily's phone with a frown on her face, "What is it?" Aria wonders.

"It says that at midnight she got a call from my phone." Spencer explains.

"You were asleep, right?" Te'a quizzes, "Oh, my god. Somebody called Emily from my phone. Somebody was in my house. You guys, this is a set-up." Spencer states shocked.

Te'a jumps in fright hearing a twig snap in the dark woods to the side of them, "What was that?" Hanna asks.

"We need to get out of here. Now." Spencer firmly states picking up the shovel handing it to Te'a who nods at Hanna and Aria silently agreeing that the three of them will get rid of the possible evidence.

"If I never see another shovel again, it'll be too soon." Hanna mutters.

"Is that why you guys were arrested a year ago?" Te'a questions, "Yeah." Hanna confirms.

"Wait. Do we wipe it off or something? Do we wipe off the prints?" Aria suggests.

"Here." Te'a responds handing Hanna her shedded jacket so the Marin girl can wipe their prints from the shovel.

"Who would do this to Emily? Who would do it to Ali?" Aria quizzes.

"Some twisted psycho." Hanna mutters shoving the shovel into the dirt below them.

"The only twisted psycho we know is locked up at Radley." Aria says placing dirt over the shovel helping the two blonde girls.

"Let's get out of here." Te'a demands standing up and rushing off towards Hanna's car to head back to Spencer's house to meet up with Emily and Spencer.

On their way back to the Hasting manor, "Duck." Hanna gasps seeing Lucas walking along the nature-strip looking at his surroundings.

"What?" Te'a asks confused sitting in the passenger seat, "Get down!" Hanna demands again.

Te'a and Aria duck out of sight while looking out the windscreen window.

"It's Lucas. What is he doing out so late?" Aria quizzes confused, "Shh!" Hanna utters.

"Hanna, he can't hear us." Te'a says glancing over at the girl in the drivers seat before looking back at Lucas getting into his car and driving off.

Leaving Hanna, Aria and Te'a looking at one another worriedly.

Aria, Hanna and Te'a rush back inside Spencer's house seeing Emily sitting on the sofa in-front of the fireplace.

"What's going on?" Aria inquires seeing Spencer writing a note.

"We're leaving. We're going to the lake house. And when my mom reads this note, she'll think that we've been up there since this afternoon." Spencer explains placing the note on the edge of the counter.

Spencer turns towards Emily noticing her staring blankly at the coals of the fire.

"Em?" Spencer mumbles gaining the girls attention motioning for her to follow out of the house along with the other three.

─────────────────

THE FIVE GIRLS STARE at one another blankly after a sleepless night at the Hastings lake-house.

Te'a flinches hearing the phone ringing just to the side of them.

"Hello?" Spencer asks answering the phone call making the others share looks with one another hearing Spencer talk to the person on the other line quietly.

"Were there... Any witnesses? No, mom, I... I understand." Spencer mumbles nodding.

"Okay, bye." Spencer mumbles hanging up the phone.

"The caretaker called it in this morning. The place is crawling with reporters, but the police don't have any leads." Spencer explains.

"So we're okay. Nobody saw us." Aria exhales in relief, "Yeah." Spencer responds.

"I'm so sorry, guys. This is all my fault." Emily murmurs feeling incredibly guilty for causing all of them stress.

"No one's blaming you." Te'a softly responds grabbing Emily's hand and lacing her fingers with the Fields girl gently smiling at her.

"Yeah, Em. Somebody took you there to make it look like you dug up Ali's body." Spencer responds sitting on the same chair she sat in last night.

"And I made it so easy. If I wasn't so wasted..." Emily states, "Em. Last night never happened." Hanna firmly responds.

"Are we sure about that?" Aria questions receiving confused looks from all four girls surrounding her.

"We can still go to the cops. We can tell them the truth." Aria explains.

"We don't even know what the truth is." Te'a voices sighing loudly along with the others.

"Okay. We got up here yesterday afternoon. We roasted some marshmallows, we talked about how much fun senior year is gonna be, and... we went to bed early." Spencer states seeing everyone but Emily nod at her in agreement.

"Em?" Te'a wonders, "I understand. Last night never happened." Emily confirms.

─────────────────

TE'A WALKS BACK INTO her house seeing Erin and Riven looking at her sympathetically.

"Are you.. okay?" Riven questions scared to see and hear his daughter's reaction.

"Um... I'm just shocked." Te'a responds with a sniffle feeling arms wrap around her in a tight embrace.

Te'a sighs in comfort in both Erin and Riven's arms before making her way upstairs to shower and unpack more of her bedroom.

After showering Te'a walks into her room through her own bathroom seeing the photograph on her makeup vanity of the six girls.

"I miss you, Als." Te'a whispers running her fingertips along Alison in the photograph.

"Tulip... you okay?" Riven questions knocking on Te'a bedroom door.

"Yeah dad. You can come in too." Te'a responds turning to face the door smiling at her father walking into her bedroom.

"I'm really glad you're home, sweetheart." Riven says.

"Me too. Minus the whole.. Alison's body was stolen." Te'a mumbles seeing Riven nod in response.

"That's understandable. Your aunt called, Rudy's doing good." Riven says.

Te'a bites her lip nodding hearing that Rudy's doing alright, "That's good. I can't wait to have him here." Te'a whispers looking at her father standing up and pecking her forehead.

Before leaving the her bedroom knowing she wants to enjoy her quiet time for a moment.

─────────────────

ROSEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL. The place of hell. At least in Te'a opinion, but she needs to graduate for her sake and someone else's.

Spencer and Aria wave at the blonde noticing her walking towards them.

"You can continue your conversation. I don't mind." Te'a says motioning for them to continue talking.

"Even if I say his name we get sucked into this vortex of awkwardness. And my dad pretends like he can't hear, but his neck gets all red and then his face pinches up like he's constipated." Aria explains looking at Spencer and Te'a who smile at her.

"So basically Ezra is like Lord Voldemort." Spencer states making Aria and Te'a giggle.

"Hey." Hanna greets walking up to stand beside Te'a, "Hey Han." Te'a responds.

"Hey." Spencer and Aria mumble in greeting as well, "Hi, Lucas." Spencer exclaims noticing Lucas walking past them on his phone before looking back at the four of them with a glare on his face.

"He knows something." Aria utters, "I thought you said he didn't see you guys." Spencer whispers.

"He didn't." Te'a mumbles, "It's no coincidence that he turned dark after the masquerade ball." Aria says.

"Well Jenna has that effect on people." Spencer says, "Yeah, but she's been gone all summer, and he's still Boo Radley." Aria replies.

"Have you ever noticed how many skinny brunettes go to this school?" Hanna quizzes looking at the girl Lucas is talking to in-front of the vending machines.

"She fits the costume." Aria quietly says.

"Has anybody heard from Emily?" Spencer questions, "No. I left her a bunch of messages." Hanna states.

"Yeah, me too." Te'a explains looking at the others looking at each other worried for Emily's sake.

"Hope she's okay." Aria comments looking back at the papers in her hand.

─────────────────

SPENCER, HANNA AND TE'A rush into the bathroom seeing Aria crying on the floor hugging her knees into her chest.

"Aria, are you okay?" Te'a exclaims rushing to Aria's side alongside Hanna and Spencer.

"I had a panic attack. Guys, I think I saw A." Aria explains tearfully.

"No, you didn't, ok? Mona is in a straight jacket at Radley." Spencer softly states.

"Yeah, I-I heard that's she's practicaly in a coma over there." Hanna explains.

"Come on. Let's get you up. Wipe those tears off your pretty face." Te'a suggests helping Aria off the floor of the bathroom towards the sinks beginning to fix the Montgomery girls makeup.

"Or that 'girl, interrupted' thing could just be an act to keep her out of jail. I mean, you know what she's capable of... we all do. Well except Te'a." Aria responds sharing a look with the blonde Lowe girl who nods in understanding.

"Yeah, but she can't hurt us anymore, okay? Bitch crazy." Spencer exclaims.

"Don't worry, Aria. Someday we will all have jubilation." Hanna says making Te'a, Aria and Spencer laugh at the word Hanna just used.

"That was a really good use of that word, Han." Spencer says.

Aria brings all three of them in for a hug wanting the comfort from all of her best friends.

Te'a doesn't hesitate in wrapping her arms around the traumatised brunette. Also hugging Spencer and Hanna in the process.

─────────────────

THE BREW. Te'a walks into The Brew ordering herself a cup of coffee smiling at the cashier politely before beginning to walk out of the cafe crashing into a firm chest.

"Oh!" Te'a exclaims shocked inhaling the all too familiar cologne she loves so much.

"Oh. Hi." Jason greets shocked seeing the blonde's back in Rosewood.

"Hey." Te'a smiles taking in Jason's sober look and noticing how handsome he's gotten while she's been gone.

"You look great, Tee." Jason smiles, "So do you, Jase." Te'a responds looking around.

"Did you want to catch up? Sit down somewhere?" Jason questions.

"Sure. Let's do it." Te'a smiles motioning towards one of the park benches across the road from them.

"How have you been? I... stupid question. I'm sorry." Te'a rambles.

"All good. Considering..." Jason responds seeing and hearing Te'a phone ringing beside them.

ROSEWOOD POLICE DEPARTMENT.

"Sorry. I should get this." Te'a explains receiving a nod from her ex boyfriend.

Te'a smiles answering the phone with a polite greeting not going that far knowing she has nothing to hide from Jason.

Since the two of them have gone through a lot together.

"Oh. Okay. I'll be right there." Te'a states with a confused nod ending the phone call, "Tee, you alright?" Jason questions.

"The police want to talk to me about last night." Te'a mumbles fidgeting with her hands in a nervous manner.

"Come on. I'll come with you." Jason offers leading Te'a towards the police station seeing Te'a looking at him with a soft gaze.

"Thank you." Te'a murmurs.

"Of course." Jason shrugs watching the police lead Te'a into one of the interview rooms closing the door behind them.

Eventually, Te'a walks out from the said room seeing Jason still waiting in the corridor for her.

"You didn't have to wait for me." Te'a says.

"I know. But.. I did." Jason responds seeing Riven and Erin rushing into the station towards their daughter.

"I'm alright." Te'a states waving off her parents gesturing towards Jason.

"Be safe. And be sensible." Riven demands, "I will. Thanks Dad, Erin. I love you, both." Te'a voices.

"We love you more." Erin exclaims watching Te'a walk out of the station beside Jason with a happy smile on her face.

"How's Rudy doing?" Jason curiously questions wanting to know about his boy.

"His doing good. He should be in Rosewood soon." Te'a explains looking at the man with a soft gaze once again.

"Good." Jason smiles.

After a while of catching up with one another, Jason drops Te'a back at her house watching as Te'a makes her way inside with a smile and polite wave goodbye.

Jason smiles at the thought of getting his girl and his boy back and for them to be a big happy family together.

─────────────────

THE NEXT DAY. Te'a, Hanna and Aria all enter Spencer's house together along with Spencer herself confused about Emily not being at the police station last night.

"I'll try one more time." Hanna says dialling Emily's number.

"Why wasn't she at the police station? Do you think she told 'em the truth?" Aria quizzes.

"If she told 'em the truth, we wouldn't be standing here." Spencer responds looking up as there is a knock on the door and a ringing coming from Emily's phone.

The girls rush towards the door letting Emily inside shocked, "Em, that was me calling you. Where have you been?" Hanna inquires.

"It's okay. If you told them the truth, we'll figure something out." Aria says.

"No, I would never do that to you guys." Emily responds firmly.

"They called all four of us into the station. Where were you? We were so worried." Spencer states.

"I didn't have my phone with me yesterday. And when I got home last night, the cops were waiting for me. But I told them everything that we agreed on. Everything." Emily lowly mumbles.

"Then why are you so upset?" Te'a softly questions.

"Because if it wasn't for me, we wouldn't be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and it could haunt us forever." Emily responds. "Em, it's fine. Okay? We've dealt with it." Hanna explains.

"I saw you guys at school yesterday, and all I could think about was because of me..." Emily sadly voices.

"Because of you, nothing. Okay? Nobody saw us, and if we just stick to our story, we are in the clear." Spencer firmly responds.

"I remembered something... About that night." Emily states explaining what she remembered leaving the girls confused, "That's it? That's all you remember?" Hanna wonders.

"I found out online that some people forget things because they don't want to remember. And if this is selective, then anything can trigger it... sights, smells, sounds." Emily explains.

"So the car that you saw, it just looked like the car from that night, or it was the car?" Te'a curiously questions.

"I don't know. I started to talk towards it because I wanted to look inside, but... I got a text. And the person that sent it to me knows I don't remember what happened." Emily mumbles grabbing her phone from her pocket handing it off to Spencer who frowns at the text confused.

"I bet you remember me." Spencer reads aloud, "Guys, is it starting again?" Aria nervously quizzes.

"No. You guys, that's not A. Mona is A, and she's drooling in her bed at a nut hospital." Hanna snaps.

"We don't know that for sure." Aria murmurs looking at the Marin girl.

"Yeah, we do. I've been visiting her." Hanna voices revealing the truth.

"What?" Spencer, Te'a, Emily and Aria simultaneously shout in shock.

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd think I'm crazy." Hanna says, "Yeah." Spencer exclaims.

"She tried to kill you, Hanna." Aria mutters.

"She's locked up in a room with bars over her windows. Trust me, she doesn't know anything that happened that night." Hanna explains.

"Yeah, well, someone does." Emily responds lowly looking at the others on the couch.

"There's something I need to show you guys. Come on." Spencer states grabbing her car keys and ushering everyone into her car.

Arriving at the Lost Woods Resort, Te'a shivers from the nerves and the woods surrounding them knowing no one is out there incase of danger.

"This place is friggin' scary" Te'a mutters under her breath following the others into one of the hotel rooms.

Spencer quickly sets up her laptop pulling up photos, "Ali's shrine is right over there... And then over here she had a row of black hoodies all just perfectly hanging, ready for A to grab one and run." Spencer explains pointing at the areas in the room.

"Mona. Ready for Mona." Hanna voices.

"Yeah. And there was a zombie costume hanging on the back of that door. Just like the one that attacked Ali on Halloween." Spencer explains.

Te'a doesn't remember much from that night when Alison was attacked.

Only that the zombie was supposed to be Noel. But Noel wasn't able to leave the party.

Not that Te'a was with the girls when the attack happened. She was with Jason getting high in the bathroom.

Which lead them to a heavy make-out and rough sex.

"O-okay, so you've been coming here all summer trying to remember what was in this room. Why?" Emily questions.

"We have to tell Emily the truth, and I guess fill Te'a in on the truth as well" Spencer states confusing both girls.

"The morning after they found Mona's body, we came back here." Hanna lowly says looking at Emily.

"Yeah, to get rid of everything. I know. You told me." Emily responds.

"We lied to you." Aria honestly says, "We didn't want it to be another thing you had to worry about." Hanna explains.

"When we came back here, it was empty. The file cabinets, the maps, pictures, Ali's diaries... everything was gone." Spencer states, "Maybe the police took it." Emily suggests confused.

"If the police found out what Mona knows about us, my mom would be in jail." Hanna responds, "Yeah, Ezra too." Aria voices.

Te'a and Emily look at one another genuinely shocked at the news, "So who took it?" Te'a inquires.

"Well, there are things that don't really add up. Like Mona was with you when A gave Emily that massage. And there's no way that she could have gotten Ian's body out of the bell tower by herself." Spencer explains.

"Wait. You're saying that you think someone was helping her?" Aria asks with a squint.

"If the black swan wasn't guilty of something, why would she run from you guys?" Spencer wonders.

Quickly pulling up the photo of the Black Swan costume on her laptop and looking at the surrounding girls who shakily exhale with one another.

"Jesus!" Te'a gasps hearing a distant car alarm outside.

Spencer grabs her car keys sharing confused glances with the others before walking towards her car noticing all of its doors open along with the boot of her vehicle.

Spencer turns off the alarm making the car chirp loudly, the five girls look inside the car seeing multiple photos of them standing in-front of Alison's grave.

All five girls share scared looks with each other hearing their phones chime and ring with incoming text messages.

MONA PLAYED WITH DOLLS.
I PLAY WITH BODY PARTS.
GAME ON, BITCHES
— A

The five of them simultaneously read out loud before looking around their surroundings in pure shock realising that A hasn't gone anywhere. And has always been here.

─────── ∘°❉°∘ ───────
TO BE CONTINUED...

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