chapter fifty four
crazy
⎯⎯⎯⎯

"That's why 'A' wants Garrett out of jail, so I can take his place." Hanna remarked. She had explained to the girls about Wilden coming over this morning and wanting her to come down for a blood sample. "Don't go there Han," Josie told her. "It's already passed there Josie, he knows about the note, he caught me at church, and it's my blood type." Hanna rambled. "So what? You didn't kill anybody." Aria responded. "Wilden said that Ali's family's been slamming him, have you talked to Jason?" she asked Spencer.

"No, I can't even look him in the eye, but I'm gonna talk to him today." she assured the girls. "Han, don't worry, there's nothing she can do until your mom gets back tomorrow." Emily tried to reassure Hanna. "So what? I have 48 hours left of freedom?" she asked. "Maybe Spencer's mom can block the court order." Josie suggested. "You guys, what if it is my blood?" Hanna asked. "How? Seriously, how could somebody take your blood and you wouldn't even know it?" Aria asked. "Emily has a whole night that she doesn't remember." Hanna shot back.

"Han, wait, you need to–" Spencer started. "I can't talk about this anymore." Hanna admitted as she cut off Spencer's sentence. "I have to go to school." she made an excuse before walking off. The girls continued their walk to The Brew. "Maybe one of us should call her mom." Emily suggested as they walked through the doors of The Brew. "I don't think her mom can have any more pull with Wilden, this isn't shoplifting." Spencer told her as they walked towards a table.

"Take it from me, you're always better off with a really good lie." They overheard some talking. "Is it just me, or did that sound a lot like..." Emily trailed off as the four of them turned around to see a blond girl at the register. "Alison." they all said in sync, causing the girl to turn around to see the girls staring at her. "Something wrong?" she asked. "Oh, no, sorry," Aria apologized as they walked towards her.  "You sound a lot like one of our friends." Josie explained to her.

"Hope's she's brilliant." she mused. "What's her name?" she asked. "Alison DiLaurentis." Aria answered and  realization crossed over the girl's face as she looked between the girls. "You were friends of Ali's." she said, making them nod. "Me too, I'm CeCe." She introduced herself. "Spencer." Spencer introduced herself. "Melissa Hasting's little sister. Ali talked about you." CeCe said. "She talked about all of you... a lot." she added.

"H-how do you know Ali?" Aria asked. "Before I moved to L.A, our families rented summer homes in cape may, we went through an intense couple week together, I dated her brother, Jason." she explained. "She never mentioned me to you guys?" CeCe asked. "No." they answered with shakes of their heads. "Well, it was intense for me, she was going through such a rough time, like a broken doll." she said.

"So why did you move back to Rosewood?" Spencer asked. "Listen, I hate to make tracks, but I'm already late, and my boss is high-strung and aggressively sober." she told them. "Come visit me, at the new boutique across the street," she said before leaning towards Josie. "Oh, and if you ever feel like doing a little free shopping, I'll be happy to turn the other way." she said, winking at her with a smile. "Oh um, I'm Josie-Josette, you're thinking of Hanna, she's, uh, she's not here." Josie stuttered with an awkward laugh. "Oh." CeCe said before walking out The Brew.

Once she was gone, Josie and Aria faced Spencer and Emily. "Okay, that's not just me right?" Aria asked. "I mean, that chick is freakishly like Ali." Aria continued and Josie agreed with Aria. "Or was Ali freakishly like her?" Spencer asked. "I mean, one hip out, the head tilt," Spencer listed. "Looking straight through you, like she knew all your secrets." Emily added. "God, they could be twins." Josie breathed.

⎯⎯⎯⎯

"It was like she and Ali could have been sisters." Josie rambled as she and Richie were walking through the school hallways. "She sounded like Alison that much?" he asked and she nodded. "Yes." she answered. "And let's not forget she thought I was Hanna and offered to help me steal from her new job." she added, making Richie laugh. "Alison probably describes you both as blondes and she got confused." he said.

"But how'd she know about Hanna's shoplifting? That was after Ali went missing." Josie said, making them both stop. "That... is weird," he admitted. "Maybe she heard it around town?" he asked. "No one else knows, Mrs. Marin made sure of it." she responded. "I don't trust this 'CeCe', if that is her real name." she grumbled. "Just be nice, but keep an eye out if you're so worried." he told her and she nodded before he pulled her into a side hug and they continued walking.

⎯⎯⎯⎯

After school Hanna, Aria and Josie headed over to Hanna's. "I mean, don't you just find it a little bizarre that she never even mentioned her before?" Aria asked, referring to CeCe. "A bit." Josie answered. "Hey, can you cheat on a blood test?" Hanna asked. "Okay, stop, that's not gonna happen." Aria told her before the three of them noticed an ouija board and planchette on Hanna's kitchen island. "Is that an ouija board?" Josie asked. As they moved closer, they noticed the A on the board was circled. "Don't touch it!" Aria exclaimed as Hanna went to touch it.

"Ow!" Hanna gasped, pulling her hand back, the tip of her finger was bleeding. "You okay?" Aria and Josie asked before they looked back at the planchette to see nails on the underside of it, along with a note. "See how easy it is for me to get your blood?" Josie read out. Hanna started freaking out. "'A' was in here?" she asked as she rushed towards her backdoor, making sure it was locked. "Hanna, what's going on?" Aria asked. "This doesn't look forced." Hanna said as she turned to the girls. "Do you think 'A' has a key?" she asked.

"Hanna, what is this thing?" Aria asked, looking back at the ouija board and planchette. "I-I don't know. We have to go check upstairs." Hanna freaked out. "Slow down Han." Josie said, trying to calm her down. "What is this  thing? Does it mean something?" Aria asked. "I don't know what it means, Aria, Josie." Hanna answered as she moved to look out the windows of the backdoor.

"Then why is it on your kitchen counter?" Aria asked as Hanna turned back to them. "We have to go." she told them. "Okay, Hanna, stop, okay? Talk to us, what is this?" Aria asked. "Do you remember that earring 'A' sent you?" Hanna asked. "Wait, you buried this with Ali?" Aria asked, confused. "Just the hand things," Hanna answered. "It's a planchette. And why just that?" Josie told her. "Mona and I played it before they found Ali's body." Hanna confessed.

Hanna then told them the story of how she thought she saw Alison that night. "Mona was already 'A' by then, she probably hired somebody to stand outside and scare you," Aria told her. "Yeah, well, it worked." Hanna responded as she put the ouija board in the bin. "Wait, did anyone besides Mona know that story? I mean this could prove she's in contact with 'A', how else would they know that keepsake was yours?" Aria asked.

"Well, there's no way to find out who Mona told, she's not allowed visitors, and I'm at the top of the 'not-allowed' list." Hanna explained. "Then I'll go." Aria volunteered. "I don't care if I have to scale the walls, I am talking to her today." Aria said as a crashing sound, made then jumped and turned to see a potted plant had been broken.

⎯⎯⎯⎯

After Aria left Hanna's to go try and see Mona, Hanna had gone to see Spencer and Josie had gone to Richie's house. "So you think Mona, who's in a nuthouse, is helping this new 'A'?" He asked as the couple were lying on the couch in the living room. "Yeah, I mean, it's the only explanation I can think of, I mean how does this 'A' knows which keepsaked who's." she responded. "What was your keepsake?" Richie asked, looking at his girlfriend. "A picture of Ali and I, one from a couple months after we became friends." she answered.

"That's nice," he commented. "Yeah, I have a copy of it, so I would have one and Ali has one– had one," she corrected. "I guess since someone stole her body and all the keepsakes." Josie said bitterly, causing Richie to rub her back. "It'll be okay Jo," he said, comforting her. "Will it?" Josie asked but Richie didn't answer, 'cause he honestly had no answer for her, he just hoped this would end soon.

⎯⎯⎯⎯

Later that night, Hanna picked up Josie from Richie's and they met Aria at Radley. "Hey," Aria greeted them. "You didn't have to come all the way down here." Aria said. "What'd she say?" Hanna asked, referring to Mona. "Hardly anything, her visits are supervised now, but she wanted me to tell you that she's sorry." Aria answered. "Guys, is it possible that maybe she's not behind any of this?" Josie asked, glancing between them. "Either way, she knows who is." Hanna told them before heading to walk into Radley but Aria stopped her.

"Hey, visiting hours are over." She told Hanna. "The nurses change shifts in twenty minutes." Hanna informed them, making Aria and Josie raise their brows at her. "What? I've been here enough times to know." she explained. "That is not what the look is for." Aria told her. "You're planning on sneaking in?" she asked. "Hanna..." Josie trailed off. "Look, I know you're freaked out about everything but you can just come back tomorrow." she added.

"And do what? Have a nice chat about 'A' in the day room?" she asked, making Aria and Josie sigh before sharing a look. "Okay, but we're going with you." Aria told her. "No, Aria, Josie, this–" Hanna started. "Hanna, friends don't let friends sneak into insane asylums alone." Aria cut off Hanna's sentence, the three of them sharing a look before they walked past the Radley gates.

Soon enough the girls were inside, walking through hallways before Hanna found the room she was looking for. "Wait out here, all right? Make sure no one comes." she asked, looking between Aria and Josie before opening the door and walking inside and shutting it behind her. "This place is creepier at night." Josie whispered and Aria nodded. "It sure is." she responded.

"Shit Aria." Josie whispered as they heard a nurse coming. The two girls quickly walked into Mona's room, making the tow turn to them. "Nurse was coming." Aria informed Hanna. "What is she doing back here?" Moan asked, glaring at Aria. "She never left." Aria sassed. "You need to give her some answers Mona, so talk." Josie told her as she crossed her arms. "Can I? Do they know about that day?" Mona asked Hanna, smirking, causing Josie to shift on her feet. "Know about what?" Aria asked. "Cut it out, all right? That's not why I'm here." Hanna responded.

"Is he really still mad at you?" Mona asked. "Who?" Aria and Josie asked at the same time. "What- Hanna what the hell is she talking about?" Josie continued to question. "I won't say anything if you don't want me to." Mona assured her. "What– say something about what?" Aria asked. "The night i saw Alison on my patio I called Mrs. DiLaurentis and I told her she was alive and then three days later, they found her body." Hanna confessed.

"God, he still hates me, I could just feel it, he's never forgiven me, another stupid mistake 'A' can use to ruin my life." Hanna added. "Han, where's Mona?" Josie asked, making Aria and Hanna turn to see Mona gone, they looked to see the door open. "Please tell me you still have your keys." Hanna pleaded with Aria before they left Mona's room in search of Mona.

The three girls hid behind a wall as someone passed that hallway before they continued walking. "Where the hell did she go?" Josie muttered to herself. "Oh, I'm going to twist Mona's head off." Hanna grumbled. "I know, but first we have to find her." Aria told her. "Do you think she's still 'A' do you?" Aria asked fearfully but Hanna didn't reply. "Wait, that-that door, it's always closed." Hanna said, making them look over to see an open door.

They began walking towards it. "Children's Ward, dedicated 1931." Aria read out the room title that was on the door. "Think she's in there?" Josie asked and Hanna sighed before they noticed a lock on the floor, with a pair of tweezers in the lock. "Those are mine." Hanna realized. "You gave tweezers to a mental patient?" Aria asked. "Of course not! She probably stole them." Hanna responded before she sighed. "Come on," she said before they entered the room and then they heard humming, making them share a look before they continued following the noises. "Do you hear that?" Hanna asked. 

The girls soon entered another part of the 'Children's Ward' but the humming had stopped. "They used to put kids down here?" Aria asked, disgusted and then the humming started again. "Wait, over there." Josie whispered, pointing to where the humming was coming from, the girls followed it and turned a corner to see Mona sitting there, brushing a doll's hair.

"What is she doing?" Aria asked Hanna, making Mona look up at them. "Miss Aria, you're a killer, not Ezra's wife. Miss Aria, you're a killer, not Ezra's wife." she repeated as she continued brushing the doll's hair. "Cut it out, Mona." Hanna snapped as she took the doll from her and moved it. "Where were we?" Mona asked as she picked up another doll from beside her and started brushing its hair.

"Maya's away, sleeping sweet, until Garrett's all rosy, count on me. Where were we?" Mona asked but before she could continue, a nurse called out for her. "Mona?" she called out, making the girls look towards where it was coming from. "Somebody's coming." Aria realized. "Look, Mona, I am begging you, if you know anything about what's happening to us, can you just tell me, please?" Hanna begged and Mona looked up at her.

"No one to save Ali from evil. No one to save Ali from evil." she said. "Mona is that you?" the lady called out again. "Han, we have to get out of here. Now!" Josie said strictly, not wanting to get caught, the girls hid in a closet. "Mona?" the lady asked, coming into the room with another nurse with her. "There you are." she said.

"It's time to go now, Honey." One of the lady's told her as she took the doll from Mona. "No," Mona whined. "Come," The same lady said softly as the two of them helped Mona stand. "I missed my dolls." Mona told them, but she was looking right at the closet where Aria, Hanna and Josie were. "They're not going anywhere, come now." she said as they both guided Mona back to her room. "Where were we? Maya's away, sleeping sweet, until Garrett's all rosy, count on me. Where were we?" they heard Mona say. When they didn't hear her anymore, the girls opened the door to the closet.

⎯⎯⎯⎯

After that, Hanna and Josie had decided to sleepover at Josie's house. "Mom, can we just– can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm exhausted." Aria asked as she climbed into the bed between Hanna and Josie. Her bed was big enough to fit the three of them. "God! You used to be so much more fun." Ella joked. "And then I grew up. God to bed, mom." Aria responded before hanging up. "What was that about?" Josie asked as Aria laid down. "She's a slut, let's just sleep." Aria answered, causing her to laugh.

Later that night Hanna had woken them up and called the others to meet at Josies, now they were all in Josie's room. "A code?" Spencer asked. "It's a stupid thing she made up back when we were friends." Hanna explained. "Why wouldn't she just come out and say it?" Emily asked. "Because Aria and Josie were there, she doesn't trust them." Hanna responded. "So it's our fault? You're the one who gave her a pair of tweezers." Josie said. "Look, Mona pushed me to remember that day with Ali's dad because that's when she gave me the code." Hanna explained.

"Okay, I have a french exam at eight a.m, could we just skip ahead to the actual message?" Spencer asked Hanna sighed before she recited the message. "'No one to save Ali from evil' That's what she kept saying."  Hanna told them. "If you take the first letter of each word, you get," Hanna said. "Not safe." Spencer figured it out, making them look at her. "It's not that complicated." she said. "Okay, yeah, but there's more." Hanna told them. "Oh my god, what's that other poem? Something about Garrett and Maya?" Aria asked.

"'Where were we? Maya's away, sleeping sweet," Hanna recited. "'Www.mass.' She gave you a website." Spencer told them as she opened her laptop. "What was the rest?" she asked. "'Until Garrett's all rosy, count on me.'" Hanna told her. "MassSugar? What does that mean?" Spencer asked, confused. "M.A.S, that's maya's initials. Anne was her middle name." Emily said.

As Spencer hit the website into the search bar, she turned it to Emily, Aria, Hanna and Josie. It had a photo of maya and a box asking for a password. Maya had a website? Josie thought, confused. "I don't suppose crazy slipped you the password as well?" Spencer asked. "Did Mona mean she's not safe, or we're not?" Josie asked, looking from the laptop to all of her friends.

⎯ AUTHORS NOTE
new chapter <3 | also josie being suspicious of cece....