ꗃ ﹕𝓓𝐎𝐍'𝐓 𝓑𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝓜𝐄 . . . . . 𓈈 𓍢 ░
𝖯𝖱𝖤𝖳𝖳𝖸 𝖫𝖨𝖳𝖳𝖫𝖤 𝖫𝖨𝖠𝖱𝖲 ── ༅𓂃👜゛໒ ࣪˖˚

𝒊.   𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗘      𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘,     𝖦𝖮𝖫𝖣𝖨𝖤 ‧₊˚📱✩
˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐔
𝐖𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝟒 ── 01𝗑14 ｡𖦹°‧
𝖩𝖤𝖠𝖫𝖮𝖴𝖲𝖸, 𝖩𝖤𝖠𝖫𝖮𝖴𝖲𝖸 𐙚𓏲⋆ ִֶָ ๋𓂃 ⋆ᡣ𐭩

▐ 𝖧𝖠𝖲𝖳𝖨𝖭𝖦𝖲 𝖱𝖤𝖲𝖨𝖣𝖤𝖭𝖢𝖤
𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝖪𝖨𝖳𝖢𝖧𝖤𝖭

❝ 𝑰𝑭 𝑻𝑯𝑬 girls knew I was seeing you, my God, they'd never shut up about it. ❞ Alison's voice flows from the video, the girls re-watching it for a third time."I wish they were more mature, but....we don't have a lot of time. I have to get back before they wake up. I know you wanna kiss me." She stands up from the rock she was sitting on, taking the camera and turning it to show Ian behind it.

"She doesn't even look scared." Spencer says, eyes on the video still.

"Did Alison ever look scared?" Hanna asked.

"Come closer."

"He pushed her, didn't he?" Aria asked.

"And all that mumbling and groaning, maybe she was gripping the ground because she
was—,"

Spencer cuts her off, "Looking for a weapon to defend herself?"

"Why are you snapping at me?" Hanna turns to her, "I'm trying to give your brother an out."

"In-law, okay? Ian is my creepy brother-in-law." Spencer sits on the seat behind her.

"Whatever he is, he just married your sister, and he might be a killer." Sadie crossed her arms over her chest with an annoyed huff.

"This definitely proves he was with her the night she died." Emily stands behind the four, her arms also crossed over her chest.

"Can we just watch this video one more time...and figure out what they're saying?" Hanna asked, moving to press play again.

"No. I can't watch this again." Emily says.

"Yeah, Em's right. Let's just give it a rest." Aria waves the video off, three of them moving off to the couch while Spencer and Sadie stayed on the stool's they were sat on.

"Is anybody else freezing?" Emily asked, running her hands up and down her arms.

"I'll make some hot chocolate." Spencer says, standing up from her seat.

"Hot chocolate?" Hanna asked, "What's this, Camp Tamarack? We can't sit around singing "Kumbaya". We have to hand over that video."

"What video?" Ian asked as he walked in the back door.

"Shit, dude!" Sadie's hand goes up to her fastly beating heart, "Warn a person before you just walk in.

Ian chuckled at the blonde, "Sorry."

"Hanna rented Tootsie, but she left it at home." Spencer tells her brother-in-law.

"Well, you're welcome to hang with us in the barn." Ian tells the girl, not noticing the way Sadie's lip curled up in disgust as she eyed him. "Your sister picked some chick-flick on demand. Where do we keep the popcorn?"

"That drawer." Spencer points to it as the girls motion towards the computer screen.

"Oh, Emily, I've been meaning to ask you." Ian turns around with popcorn in his hand just as Sadie clicks off of the video on Spencer's laptop since she was closer to it, "Ready to grade your goggles in for a field hockey stick? We could use some speed on offense. Right, Spence?"

"Mm-hm."

"Thanks, I'm still into swimming." Emily tells him.

"You wouldn't be if you saw what they skimmed out of that pool every week." Ian says before noticing the uneasy feeling on each of their faces, "What's up? Did I walk into the middle of a chick flick? Okay, I get it. No guys allowed."

Aria sighed as he left, "God, that was close. Spencer, how can you even sleep here knowing he's living in your backyard?"

"We have to give that tape to the police. Tonight." Emily said.

"And what are we supposed to say when they question us on where we got the damn video from?" Sadie asked, running a hand through her hair.

"Coming in, Sadie!" Ian calls out as he walks into the room, "Forgot the salt."

──── ୨ৎ ────

❝ 𝐎𝐊𝐀𝐘, 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒 this look even? ❞ Aria asked as she and Emily hung up a poster above the door, turning her head to look at Hanna who was typing away at her computer, "Earth to Hanna!"

"Sorry, what?" Hanna looks up, "Oh, uh, yeah, it's fine."

"Okay, remind me. How you're the chair of the decorating committee...and we're the ones decorating?" Aria asked the blonde.

"I can't climb up there. I'm saving my one good leg for tomorrow night." She tells her.

"Hanna. The printer guy needs to be paid." Sean walks over, carrying a life-size cut out of Barack Obama under his arm and Sadie carries another one, "Did you order six Barack's and no Michelle's?"

"Are you kidding? Tell him no Michelle's, no money."

"Uh, maybe you should tell him. He says this is what you ordered." He asked, "Sadie told him, but I think she scared him off when she threatened to stick a Barack where it wouldn't fit."

"I'll be right back." Hanna tells them, closing the top of her laptop. "Oh, and it's a little low on the left."

"Can we just break her other leg?" Aria asked as the blonde walked away with Sean, leaving Sadie in the room with her and Emily.

"Hey, are we still doing this at lunch?" Spencer walked into the room, pulling her bag tighter up on her shoulder.

"If by "this" you mean taking your laptop to the police, then yes, we are." Emily stands with her arms crossed.

"But no one called, right? They don't know that we're coming."

"What's with the cold feet?"

"It's just....I was up all night thinking." Spencer moves further into the room, sitting her bag on the table, "What if this is a setup? A could've planted this video on my laptop....knowing we would turn it in."

"Let's not try to second-guess A. We've been there. We ended up scared of Noel Kahn who turned out to be just a jealous freak looking for a better grade." Emily says.

"Yeah, let's not forget that A also tried to kill Hanna for knowing too much, which got Sadie hurt in the process." Spencer says, reminding the blonde as she brought her hand up to rub where the scar was on her collarbone from the surgery she had. "We could be walking into a trap."

"You are already living in it." Aria tells the Hastings teen.

"No." Spencer shakes her head in denial, "Ian...might have done other stuff, but he's not A. There's no way he'd want us knowing this video exists."

"But it does, and the police need to know what happened to Alison that night." Emily said.

"Toby gave Alison his sweater before she saw Ian. And Toby shouldn't go to jail for a crime he didn't commit." Sadie says, looking at each of the girls, wanting them to say that Toby had something to do with it when he didn't.

"They're right." Aria looks at Spencer, "Hey, I'll drive you to the station during lunch."

──── ୨ৎ ────

❝ 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃𝐍'𝐓 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 even recognized her. ❞ Emily says as the girls walk out to meet up with Hanna, "When's the last time you saw Simone?"

"Huh? Oh, I don't know. It's been a while."

"Well, she must be doing pretty well if she's willing to sponsor all four of us." Spencer says, turning to Sadie, "Whose sponsoring you?"

"Will and Jesse."

"Come on, Han. You can look at Help Wanted on the way over. I hear Rosewood P.D. is hiring."

"Well, I do have experience with them, just the wrong kind." Hanna looks up at them from her computer.

"Okay, come on, we have to go." Emily says this time, "We only have forty-five minutes."

"Wait, hold on." Hanna stops them, "What's this?"

"What?" The four gather around the girl.

"How come your music library's on...when your laptop's on your shoulder?" Hanna points at her screen, "Look, isn't that your playlist?"

"What?" Spencer takes her bag off of her shoulder and takes her laptop out...only it's not her laptop.

"Why are you carrying a yearbook?" Aria asked.

"I'm not."

"Where's your laptop?"

"It's in my bag, except it's not." Spencer puts the yearbook back, looking through one more time, "This is insane. This bag has been plastered to my side all morning."

"What about P.E?" Sadie raised an eyebrow.

"It was in my gym locker but no one else has that combo."

"The coaches do....," Emily says to her, "Ian must have heard us last night."

"If he did, he knows what's on there."

"If he has my laptop...,"

"He knows we've seen what's on there too."

"We're screwed."

──── ୨ৎ ────

❝ 𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐄! 𝐘𝐎𝐔 have a guest! ❞ Cassie yells out for the blonde that stood in the kitchen.

"I hate when I have — Caleb!" The blonde rushes down the rest of the stairs, throwing herself into the boy's arms, the two laughing as they hug.

"Hey, SJ." Caleb grinned, swaying them side to side.

"What are you doing here?!"

"Someone told me about a small town, and I wanted to check it out." He shrugged as they pulled away, his hands going into the pockets of his jeans, "Thankfully, I still had your address written down."

"Wanna introduce us to your friend?" Will raised an eyebrow at his little sister.

"Right! Caleb, this is one of my brothers, Will and that's his girlfriend Cassie. Cass, Will, this is Caleb, we met through a friend." Sadie introduces them to each other.

"The doctor or the cop?" Caleb raised an eyebrow at the blonde standing next to him.

"The doctor." Both the brother and sister answer him.

"Okay, we're gonna catch up in my room."

"Keep the door open, Sadie James!"

"She's married!"

"He knows I'm married!"

──── ୨ৎ ────

❝ 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄 you wanna check your purse? ❞ Spencer asked as she stood in line with Hanna and Sadie.

"Yeah, why not?"

Sadie raised an eyebrow, "It's sloshing."

"What do you have anything?" Spencer questioned her.

"Nothing." Hanna says, "I just brought a little beverage in case the punch bowl has no punch."

"You brought a flask?" Spencer laughed, "Jeez, Hanna."

"Don't worry." Sadie grinned as she pulled her own from her purse, "I brought one too. I'll need all the alcohol I can get this night over with."

"At least fold your People Magazine around it."

──── ୨ৎ ────

❝ 𝐘𝐎𝐔'𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄 your laptop's in that bag? ❞ Aria asked Spencer after they had all met up with each other.

"Only one way to find out."

"Why would he bring it to school when he knows we're all gonna be here?" Hanna asked.

"Because he's stupid."

"Maybe he thought you'd bail early, go snoop through his things." Emily suggested.

"Why don't you?"

"I already did. We need the bag."

"I know you're all eager to get started, but first, the rules, alright?" Ian stands on the small stage, "Number one: there's no stopping during the dances. Chaperones will be making sure you're moving. Two...,"

"What if he already erased the video?" Aria asked.

"Well, then we know for sure he's hiding something and we go to the police."

"With a non-video?" Emily questioned, "You think they're gonna take our word for it?"

"Look, we saw what we saw. Something went down between him and Alison and he buried her in the yard to shut her up.

"Now, let's get this party started."

"Let's get ready to dance our asses off." Sadie sighed before she and the girls made their way to the dance floor.

──── ୨ৎ ────

❝ 𝐈 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 just want to be at home, in my bed. ❞ Sadie groaned as she leaned against a wall, her phone pressed against her ear.

Jason chuckled, "You signed up for it. I believe your words were, 'it's for charity"."

"Shut up." She laughed, pushing a piece of her curled hair behind her ear, "So, when are you gonna make your next trip up? I could make it worth it."

"Yeah? How worth it?" She could hear the teasing tone in his voice, "I've been apartment hunting there, but I can't seem to find something that my high maintenance wife would like. I don't think she would enjoy sharing the place with rats and bugs."

Sadie scrunches her nose, "Yeah, no, she wouldn't." She glances up to see Spencer standing there and waving a pair of keys in her hand, "Oh, I have to get back. Spencer is looking at me like she might cut my head off."

"Okay." Jason laughed, "Call me before you go to sleep. I love you."

"I love you." She hands up and bounces down the hall the best she can in her heels, "You got the keys?"

"I got the keys."

──── ୨ৎ ────

𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐀𝐍𝐃 Sadie walk towards Ian's office, the Hastings girl opening the door as the two rushed inside.

"Hurry before someone catches us." Sadie hisses as she closes the door behind them, both crouching down to try and unlock the drawers, "Give me those, God."

Spencer holds her hands up as Sadie tries to unlock the doors.

"Need some help with that?"

"Yes!"

"No." Spencer shoots Sadie a look, "We, uh, were just looking for...,"

Caleb raised an eyebrow, "A chainsaw? I can pick that for you if you want. Though, Sadie, I taught you how to pick a lock."

The blonde rolls her eyes, "I still now how to pick a lock. Does it look like I have anything to pick a lock with?"

"Could you close that door, please?" Spencer asked, confused on how Sadie knew the guy.

"Feeling a draft?" He pushes the door open wider.

"Don't be a dick, Caleb."

"This is way too complicated for me to explain right now." Spencer says to him.

"What's complicated?" Caleb asked, making a face, "I don't live in a cave, I get it. The rich girls steal, the pretty girls lie, the smart girls play dumb, and the dumb girls spend their days trying to be all of the above."

"How much will it cost to make you forget you walked in here?" Spencer asked.

"Caleb Lee Rivers, I will strangle you!"

──── ୨ৎ ────

❝ 𝐒𝐎 𝐈 couldn't get into the drawer. ❞ Spencer moves along to the music as she stands with Aria and Sadie, "None of the keys worked."

"What did this kid see? Did you have to pay him off or something?" Aria asked before her eyes shifted to Sadie, "How do you know him?"

"I met him through a friend last year while I was staying with Jason and his parents."

"No, he wouldn't take any money, but I think he'll keep his mouth shut..," Spencer tells her, "Besides, Sadie threatened him using some not so very nice words, words that I didn't even know existed. Aria?"

"Alright, that's it. I will kick her to New York if I have to." Aria says as she watches her old babysitter laughing along with her teacher-boyfriend.

"Slow down, doggy." Sadie steps in front of the girl as Spencer tries to pull her back. "Before you do something you'll regret."

"Spence, let go of me."

"There are teachers here, and your parents."

"I don't care!"

"Why do we even bother?" Sadie shakes her head before rushing over to where Aria stands with the two adults, "Ezra, dance with me!"

"Sadie....,"

"If you don't get your ass over there and dance with me, I will tell all three of them about that time that you and Will were in college and you jumped into that—,"

"Okay!" Ezra slaps a hand over her mouth as he sends the other girls a sheepish smile, "Let's dance. You are so mean to me. You're not this mean to Wes."

"That's because—,"

"Yeah, yeah, because you like him more than me. I know."

──── ୨ৎ ────

❝ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 hell was that about? ❞ Aria walked up to Sadie with Spencer after the song the blonde and Ezra were dancing to.

"Okay, don't come to me with that attitude because I will slap it out of you." Sadie points her finger in Aria's face, "I was saving your relationship. Five more seconds of whatever the hell you were saying and you would've ended up on YouTube."

"What is going on with Emily?" Spencer asked before the three walked over to her, where she was playing with the strings of the red curtain. "Hey."

"Em, you okay?"

"Come on. Hey, sit down." Aria pulls Emily over to sit down, "Okay, I'm gonna go get you some water."

"Caffeinated water."

"I'm not thirsty." Emily tells them, before looking at Ian, "He shouldn't be here. He's not a chaperone. He's a killer."

"Emily." Sadie sends her a look.

"Why is Toby at home wearing a LoJack while this freak can go anywhere he wants, do whatever he wants...,"

"Emily—,"

"....marry your sister."

"Okay, Emily, come with us." Spencer stands her up, "Come on."

"Shit." Sadie chase after her with the others as Emily walked up to Ian.

"I know what you did." Emily tells him, "We all know. And you're not gonna get away with it."

"Emily."

"Aria and Sadie can handle it." Ian stops Spencer from walking away from him.

"What are you doing?"

"You and I are gonna dance."

──── ୨ৎ ────

𝐒𝐀𝐃𝐈𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐃 behind the girls as they tried to get a very drunk Emily out of the school and home.

"Was that tree always there?" Emily slurred as she points.

"Here, take these." Spencer holds out Emily's keys to Hanna, "She's not driving."

"No, I'm not taking her home. If her mom finds out it was my flask...I'll be feeding the bears with Maya."

"Fine, I'll drive her."

"No, I'm not going home." A very drunk Emily tells them, eyes wide.

"Okay, just crash at my place then, okay?" Spencer tells her before looking up at Sadie and Hanna, "Both of you too? I don't wanna be home alone when Ian walks in."

"Will and Cassie are working the late shift, so I really don't wanna be alone either."

"Okay."

"Hanna."

"We'll....meet you there." Sadie says before walking off.

──── ୨ৎ ────

❝ 𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐈𝐒 she? ❞ Sadie asked as Hanna walked back down the stairs, not looking up from her phone as she replied to the messages from bother her brother's and Jason.

"Passed out." Hanna sits next to him, "She wanted to call Maya, so I took her phone."

"Smart." Spencer takes her heels off her feet, "Could have caused some serious damage."

"Spence?" Hanna moved some papers around in front of her, Spencer's laptop hidden underneath them, "Was this always sitting here?"

"No." Spencer rushes over as Sadie sits up straighter, "Ian must have put it back before the dance."

"Wouldn't you have noticed it?" Sadie questioned, eyebrows pinched together.

"He left after me." Spencer clicks a few buttons before a sigh leaves her lips, "The video's gone and the trash has been wiped."

"Surprise, surprise."

"Oh, my God. It's Ali."

"What? What is it?"

On Spencer's computer was a picture of Alison the night she went missing, with a message from A.

"Watch your backs. I didn't, A." Hanna read from the screen, "That was taken the night she disappeared. She's wearing the yellow top."

"Look." Sadie points to the screen, "There's a shadow right there like someone was following her. Spence, you know who that is?"

"I have no idea."