chapter three
to kill a mocking girl
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The girls were currently walking through the woods. "Whose idea was this, again?" Hanna asked. "Em's mom's." Gwen responded. "The shed was me, my mom just said we should do something for us." Emily explained. "Well, couldn't we do something without mosquitoes?" Hanna asked. "They're not mosquitoes, they're gnats." Aria corrected her. "Whatever! They're small and annoying and they're flying up my nose." Hanna complained, making Gwen snicker.

"Well, they're attracted to your perfume, and your hair products, and your lip gloss." Spencer teased her. "So, what are you saying? I attract flies?" Hanna asked as she looked back at Spencer. "Gnats." Gwen corrected her. "Why do I feel like this is the wrong way?" Emily asked as they stopped by a large tree. "No, this is it. I remember that tree, it's the halfway point, there's a 136 step left to the shed." Spencer told them.

"Have you been out since... Alison?" Emily asked her. "Me? No. No way." Spencer scoffed. "But... you remember that tree." Aria pointed out. "You guys, it's not that weird. We came out here in eighth grade like, every day, even after." Hanna said, defending Spencer. "I think this is totally the wrong place to do this.... Whatever you call it, Shrine." Spencer gave her opinion. "It's not a shrine, it's just a place to remember Alison. What's wrong with that?" Emily asked.

"Doing it way out here makes it look like we have something to hide." Spencer said. "You're worried what other people think?" Emily asked. "Aren't you? Do you really want to give that creepy detective more reason to question us?" Spencer asked. Hanna sighed from beside Gwen before moving to walk forward, confusing the girls as they followed her.

"Hanna, why are you so quiet?" Emily asked her. "I'm trying to keep the bugs in my nose and out of my mouth." Hanna responded. "You're allowed to have an opinion on this Han," Gwen told her, making her stop and turn to the girls, who also stopped. "You want my opinion?" she asked "I say we hold off and not remember her till we know for sure she's not still here." Hanna responded.

"What?" Aria and Hanna said in sync.

"What are you talking about? You think she's still alive?" Emily asked.

"They found her body, Han. They buried her." Gwen spoke softly.

"Stop, I'm...officially scared. Can we just not–" Aria interrupted the conversation. "Okay, you know what? You asked for my opinion." Hanna remarked. "I don't believe she's really gone." she added before she continued walking. "We went to her funeral!" Spencer exclaimed as she followed Hanna along with Aria, Emily and Gwen.
"Yeah, and when we left we all got a text from her." Hanna responded.

"We don't know if it was her, I think someone is messing with us," Gwen told her. "How do you know? And what about all those nasty messages? I mean, how does this 'A' person know stuff only Ali knew? " Hanna asked. "Okay, this conversation is giving me a hive." Aria complained. "Not hive, that's a mosquito bite." Gwen told her just before the girls stopped. "Spencer, have you gotten any more messages?" Emily asked.

"Haven't you?" Spencer asked her just as they heard a twig snap and leaves rustling in the distance. "What was that? Did you hear that?" Emily asked. "Yes, I heard that I'm standing right next to you." Aria responded. "Hello? Is anybody out there?" Hanna called out. "It's probably a rabbit." Spencer explained to her. "Hello?" Hanna called out again. "It's a rabbit, Hanna, it's not gonna answer you." Spencer repeated, making Hanna turn to her.

"Can we just get this over with? This is beginning to freak me out." Gwen asked as they heard more rustling in the distance. "Okay, that is definitely not a rabbit, someone's out there." Hanna said, turning to look at her friends. "Let's turn around." Emily suggested and the girls were about to walk back when their phones rang, stopping them, causing them to pull their phones out from their bags or their pockets, checking the message.

UNKNOWN ID
Heads up, BBFs
It's open season
on liars and I'm hunting...
⎯ A

The girls looked up from their phones and shared a look, a look of fear.

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"Ah! Totally love this colour." Mona said as she tried on a lipstick of Hanna's in the mirror of her phone as she, Gwen and Hanna were standing in front of Rosewood High. "We should've stocked up on a few more tubes." she added as she turned around to hand it back to Hanna. "Well, I only have two hands. Keep it." she told Mona, "Why is your mom asking to see receipts now?" Mona asked as Sean, Hanna's boyfriend and Noel Kahn walked up to them.

"Sean." Hanna said with a smile, walking over to them, Gwen and Mona following her. "What's so funny?" Hanna asked. "Nothin' Noel's just out of control." Sean answered before kissing Hanna. "Mm, you smell good," he commented. "Save something for tomorrow night." Noel said, making them look at her. "What's tomorrow night?" Gwen asked, looking at him.

"Noel's parents are leaving town." Sean answered. "It means the party of the year is officially on." Noel added,   smirking. "Think big, think wild, think parental units in a different time zone." Noel bragged, Mona and Gwen shared a look of amusement at Noel's excitement. "I gotta get to practice." Sean said to Hanna. "Save the smell," he muttered to her before kissing her before he and Noel walked off.

"So, the pressure's on." Mona teased. "What do you mean?" Hanna asked. "Not all of us have a Sean to wear to that party and I'm not gonna spend the night guarding the bushes so you two can jump each other's bones." Mona said, making Gwen laugh. "Okay, we're not gonna be doing it in the bushes." Hanna deadpanned. "Oh, whatever." Mona scoffed. "Have you guys even done it yet?" Mona asked as the three of them began walking towards the entrance.

"It's not a race Mona, she doesn't have to if she doesn't want to." Gwen said, making Mona scoff. "Okay, mom, seriously." she said before looking back at Hanna. "No one's pushing you to be a natty ho, but you guys have been going out for, like, months, if you're not together in that way, how do you know you're together-together?" Mona asked, making Hanna stop.

"How long can you wait before you lose him?" She asked as she continued to walk as Hanna stared at Sean, who was with Noel, walking to a couple girls, obviously, making Hanna feel insecure. Gwen sighed, resting her hand on Hanna's arm, "Don't listen to her," She said, "Some people like to wait, Han, it's okay." she added, making Hanna give a faint smile before linking arms with Gwen as the two walked into the school.

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Hanna and Gwen split up from Mona before they saw Jenna Marshall and Toby Cavanugh turning down a hallway, following them, shocked that Toby Cavanugh was back at Rosewood High. Hanna and Gwen moved to stand next to Aria and Spencer as the four of them watched the step-siblings disappear down the hallway.

The girls stood together as Emily and Maya walked towards them, probably explaining to her who they were before Maya said goodbye and went a separate way. "He's back, too? When did that happen?" Aria asked. "Maybe she needs help sending radioactive emails." Hanna said. "Or he may be sending his own." Gwen responded.

"Hanna." Someone called out, making them turn to see Wilden walking towards them. "Cops on campus too." Aria said, shocked as Hanna turned to Wilden. "I just spoke to your principal, asked him if we could have a chat." He said. "No, I have to get to class." Hanna declined. "Don't worry, you've been excused." He explained, making Gwen furrow her brows. Aren't they not supposed to talk to minors without a parent present? She thought as he led Hanna away from the girls and down the hallway. "What is going on? Why just her?" Aria asked. "Probably thinks she's the easiest to crack." Emily responded. "She is," Spencer uttered. "Whisper, Whisper, Whisper, almost feels like Alison's still here." Jenna said as she passed the girls.

Later on, the girls stood around Hanna's locker, waiting for her, but she still hadn't shown up, worrying them. "What are you doing? Is that a new phone?" Gwen asked Aria as she stood in front of her. "Yeah, I'm checking my Kin." Aria responded. "I'll just write on Hanna's wall from here." she added. "If she's not answering texts, what makes you think she's checking facebook?" Emily asked.

"It's worth a try." Aria responded, as she typed a message. "What's going on?" Hanna asked as she walked up to the girls. "We-we've been trying to get a hold of you." Aria told her as she moved off Hanna's locker. "What happened in there?" Aria asked as Hanna opened her locker. "Nothing, just the same old stupid questions." Hanna responded. "Han, you were in there for an hour, what did he ask you?" Gwen asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Hanna shut her locker, turning to her, leaning on her locker.

"Nothing, he just took a couple calls and I just sat there waiting for him to shut up." Hanna explained, but Gwen could tell there was more to the story. "Well, is he gonna question all of us alone now?" Aria asked. "Who knows? Look, let's do this at lunch, okay? I have to hit the ladies, before my next class" Hanna asked before walking off. "Is she being weird?" Spencer asked. "Definitely being weird." she said as she nodded her head. "I'm gonna head to my next class, I'll see you guys at lunch." Gwen bid them goodbye before walking off.

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"If you need me, you call me, understand?" Sophia said as she stood in the doorway of Gwen's room as she put her necklace on. "Yes mum." Gwen responded as she turned around, smiling at her mom. "Okay, okay," Sophia held up her hands in fake surrender. "I won't be home later than ten, I promise." Gwen said as she grabbed her jacket from her bed before stopping in front of her mom, kissing her cheek before walking out of her room.

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Gwen stood with Hanna as they watched Sean and Noel play pool. Sean turned to Hanna after he had won. "Did you see that?" he asked her excitedly before he kissed her cheek. "Awesome." Hanna responded with a fake smile making Gwen snicker. "Look, can this be your last game?" she asked but Sean didn't answer, too distracted by the game. Mona walked over to the two of them. "Have you guys... Seriously?" Mona asked as Hanna shook her head before Mona and the guy she was with walked away.

"Should we go find the girls?" Gwen asked and Hanan nodded before she walked up to Sean. "I'll be right back." she said, before walking off, Gwen followed her. "What's up?" Hanna asked as she and Gwen joined their conversation. "Toby Cavanaugh got into a fight with Ben over Emily." Aria answered, causing Gwen to raise her brow. "It wasn't over me. God!" Emily scoffed in response. "Look, he just...saved me." she added. "For what? Himself?" Spencer asked.

"Ew." Hanna and Gwen responded in sync. "Well, if we hadn't asked you about Ben, would you have told us about this?" Aria asked but Emily didn't answer. "Hey, Toby is not a good guy, Emily, he could be seriously dangerous." Spencer said. "If he's such a bad guy, why'd he take the fall for us?" Emily asked, making Spencer hesitate as she looked from Emily to the rest of the girls.

"Another secret? Do you know something we don't?" Gwen asked. "Guys, why don't we just, like, chill and talk about this somewhere else? When we're alone." Hanna asked. "I... Don't even know what 'just us' means anymore." Aria admitted as Hanna turned to see Sean and Noel coming outside. "Yeah. uh... let's talk about it tomorrow, okay? Are we still meeting up at the shed?" she asked as she walked away, Gwens staying behind knowing what Hanna was going to do.

"Yeah. Yeah, sure, why not?." Aria scoffed before beginning to get her bad she had with her. "Where are you going?" Emily asked. "The Gallery, I... promised my mom." Aria answered before walking off. "I think i'll head home, not really feeling up to the party anymore." Gwen said, "Bye," "See you tomorrow." Spencer and Emily said, waving at off as Gwen began walking off, turning to look at them and wave back before continuing her walk to her car.

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The next day the girls met up in the woods again. Spencer had explained the secret about the night of 'The Jenna Thing'. "Alison wanted us across the street so she could have it out with Toby. Ali had something on him." Spencer finished. "Besides being a total perv who peeped in our windows?" Hanna asked. "Yeah, something way bigger, and she was threatening to tell everybody. That's why he took the fall for us." Spencer answered. "Why are you waiting until now to tell us?" Aria asked.

"I don't know. Ali made me promise and...  I guess I was scared." Spencer admitted. "I thought if we never talk about that night again, i-it would just go away." she added. "Well, it's not going away." Gwen remarked as she readjusted her stance. "Not unless we toss our phones and join the Navy." Hanna jokes before Spencer begins  to walk.

"Look, there's five of us and one freak sending messages, if we just talk to each other like this I feel like it makes it easier to deal with everything." Emily said as the girls followed Spencer deeper into the woods. "I think Emily's right. And there's way too many secrets, we shouldn't do this in the middle of nowhere, we should do it where we can see it everyday." Aria said. "Like somewhere in school?" Gwen asked.

"No, in town, we should ask if we can put a bench somewhere," she added. "Wait, and you know what?" she asked just before the girls stopped. "Whoever did this to her, if they're still in Rosewood, we should make them look at it every day, too." she said. Hanna sighed, making them look at her. "What? You hate the idea?" Spencer asked her. "No, no. I just.. I had a rough night." Hanna responded before the sound of rustling was heard, startling them.

The girls shared a look before Spencer ran towards the noise, the others following after her, dumping their bags. They ran for a bit before coming to a stop near a big tree, looking around. "Look," Hanna said, as she looked at the ground, the girls making a circle around what was on the ground. It was a bracelet, a purple one, like the one Ali had given the girls. "Is that yours?" Spencer asked Emily. "Alison's," Aria said, in shock.

⎯ AUTHORS NOTE
new chapter <3 | sorry it's been so long, i've been so unmotivated but i'm back !!