Lies to survive.

Some time ago, for a project, I decided to write a short story inspired by "Pretty Little Liars". Following good feedback from my friends, I decided to share it.
h-Appy reading!

Postscript: You may notice that I have not used my identity, and although it's not a mistake, it was the goal! There is a fault in the name it is to break the context.

(Chers amis francophones, je suis désolé mais cet article pour l'instant n'est disponible qu'en anglais. Si vous comprenez la langue de Shakespeare, je vous souhaite une bonne lecture ! Sinon attendez un peu :) Sachez qu'elle est inspirée de "Pretty Little Liars")

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Sure, Alison was Alison. She was the shoulder to cry on, the only one you'd ever want calling up your crush to find out how she felt about you, and the final word on whether your new pair of jeans made your butt look big. But the girls were also afraid of her. Ali knew more about them than anyone else did, including the bad stuff they wanted to bury-just like a body. It was horrible to think Ali might be dead, but ... if she was, at least their secrets were safe.

And they were. For one year, anyway.

LIES TO SURVIVE

Inspired of "Pretty Little Liars"

  

Sarah Shepard

             HARPER TEEN -2012

'The icons of vengeance teach us that for the truly wronged, real satisfaction can only be found in one of two places: absolute forgiveness or mortal vindication. This is not a story about forgiveness.''

Mike Kelley - ''Revenge''

HOW IT ALL STARTED

It was a stormy night, Spencer Hastings had organized in a large number of properties of her parents a sleepover with Aria Montgomery, Hanna Marin, Emily Fields and the leader of the group Alison DiLaurentis. But Ali had still not arrived, the four other girls had started their small party, when they heard a noise ...

The girls panicked. "It must be the storm." said Spencer, but Aria was sure of herself "Something's out there!". Out of fear Hanna had only time to whisper "Guys...".

The door opened and there was a commotion, the girls cried, but it was Alison who laughed and cried "GOTCHA!"

-"That's so not funny Alison!" Spencer replied. "Hey Ali, did you download the new Rihanna?" asked Hanna. "Ugh, not yet.". Emily says "I love her new video", and Alison -usually- would make a point "Maybe a little too much ... Em your turn." Spencer said to Ali "Take too much and you'll tell us all your secrets, and you have a lot ..." "Friends share secrets. That's what keeps us close... Drink up Aria and you'll reveal all your darker secrets!".

The girls were continuing to talk while listening to mucic. They had shared many secrets that night, maybe a lot. Without even realizing it, they were asleep, silence reigned in the garage.

Aria began to gradually awaken when Hanna asked "Where's Ali?''

"And Spencer?'' Emily also asked.

"We don't know... Ali!? Ali!?'' cried Aria

Spencer returned with a look of despair saying "She's gone..."

The other girls looked at one another, not understanding what Spencer meant by "She's gone"... Aria then asked her "What do you mean? She's gone? Where? When?"

"I've looked everywhere for her. I think I heard a scream." Spencer responded.

The girls searched through the woods for hours, but they found ... nothing. While Aria called the police, who asked them many questions ...

Alison had disappeared.

ONE YEAR LATER

After the disappearance, the girls had all lost sight of the others and had taken different paths. If they had met, it was thanks to Alison, if they were friends, it was also thanks to Alison and now if they were not speaking to one another it was because of Alison. While Ali was still their bad thoughts, she was the only one to know them, she had them under her control, like she had the rest of High School at her feet. If Ali did not like a schoolboy, he was a loser and no one spoke to him. Her disappearance had transformed the school, people seemed very happy to see her missing... They thought that they were free.

Aria, had gone to settle in Paris, in France. Her family needed a fresh start. With her father, the relationship was tense from the day when with Alison, she was walking to go to Emily's house, as Mona screamed from behind for the girls to wait for her. But Ali never would have expected that Mona was part of the blacklisting of Alison, she would never send her if it was not to criticize her... The girls ran, like Mona. But she stopped with hatred and revenge in her. When Aria and Ali stopped, they saw Byron, Aria's father in a car kissing a girl of twenty student! Only Ali knew this secret ... But the year passed in France helped Aria and her father to revive those links. Aria and her family were back to Rosewood.

Alison was still missing. Aria decided to find her bearings in the city by going for a walk. In a bar she met a beautiful young man about 25 years, who was a young professor. She approached him, he approached her, their eyes met. They began to take a drink and talk about everything and nothing. She made him believe she was the same age as him. Fire was between them. They felt a force betwixt them. This force had a large power which was beyond their control. He go for walked towards the toilets of the bar and made a sign which significated "Come on if you want..." During few seconds, Aria didn't move and stayed on her chair. Them, she went to the toilets too. They kissed intensely for a long time. She was falling in love with this young stranger, and now wanted to know his identity.

In High School, Hanna became the most famous, she took this role with Mona,who had become her best friend, instead of Alison... She was transformed, it was no longer the fat girl, now she had a perfect figure. This is the new Hanna, nobody could offense her...

Spencer was always that girl model, and talented as her sister Melissa. Indeed, this latter would get engaged soon, and tonight Spencer and her parents were going to meet Melissa's perfect boyfriend. A perfect guy for a perfect girl in a perfect family...

Aria was back in High School, she would make a comeback, the girls were not yet aware of it. When she arrived, she met Emily who almost did not recognize her. They discussed, and Em told Aria all the recent events in the city, and also explained to her that Ali was still missing. And today it was the ''anniversary'' of Alison's disappearance...

The girls were in the same class for literature courses. It was a new teaher, it was said that he was young and charming, it was Mr. Fitz. Shortly after the beginning of the course, Aria recognized the man with whom she had fallen in love at the bar, and he too also noticed when he said "It can't be possible!". Aria was embarrassed, then her phone vibrated, she received a message from a stranger who said :

"Aria: Maybe he fools around with students all the time. A lot of teachers do. Just ask your dad. -A".

Aria began to feel observed by everyone in the classroom, not by the sentence of Mr. Fitz, but by this unknown message. Who could know? Who could send this text message? She was afraid.

She wanted to forget this text during the course, so she took a look in front of her, and she saw Hanna and Mona. She was shocked by the transformation of Mona, who was nothing when Ali was still here. It was enough that Alison disappeared to take her place ... The four girls were observed at the same time, as if nothing had changed. They seemed closer than ever ...

On returning home, Emily's mother said to Em that Ali's house had new tenants. Then, her mother asked her to go to Ali's house to offer food to welcome them. The house of DiLaurentis now belonged to a certain Jane, friendly and smiling. They had the same age. The two girls got to know each other, something had happened between them, as if they were now alone in this world and especially in this house, which was familiar to Emily. Besides, she did not explain to Maya what had happened, so she was still in shock or at least that she preferred not to talk about that. Alison was the most important person for Emily, far more than the four other girls. Now she had become more solitary, even if she had a boyfriend, and she was the honor of the High School Swimming-Class. Emily was lost in the depths of her memories with Alison, she did not even notice that Maya was smoking canabis. So Maya, offered to try this to Em, and she accepted. They laughed, and Em needed to go for swimming-class, so they hugged affectionately. In few weeks time, she would have a big competition and she needed to win this competition with Philadelphia's High School, so she remained until the school closed.

While she was swimming, she heard a noise coming from the dressing rooms. She really did not know what to do: stay in the water or going to see what was happening? She opted for the safety and acted as if she had heard nothing and continued her training to win the competition but it was also personnal, she wanted to win a scholarship for Harvard or Hollis.

Half an hour later, she went to the dressing room, and had forgotten the event that had occurred earlier. When she oppened her locker, she found a letter with the message "Hey Em ! I've been replaced, you've found another friend to kiss ! -A". Besides, Spencer noticed that Emily had not received a congratulatory letter when she asked her if everything was OK, Emily replied "Always" and she left quickly, staying shocked by the letter. It meant that Alison was still alive...

At home in Hastings, it was the big night, Melissa had found her perfect perfect gentleman, and they would get engaged ... But before the big event, like every night Spencer trained at tennis in her garden, but she had a breakdown. Outside her door, she saw a stranger who prepared cannabis in his cigarette, she realized it had to be Melissa's boyfriend : Wren. Before arriving, she said sarcastically "I guess that Melissa doesn't know". He played the game and simply replied that she was not obliged to know everything ... He noticed her breakdown, so he offered to her a massage, she accepted but when they heard Melissa arrive, they stopped. 

After that evening, Spencer returned to her bedroom and her computer to do her homework. Entering her room, she went first to her mirror and looked at herself. Looking up she saw a blond girl who was watching her. And she had seen her computer's switched on because she had just received an email from an unknown source who said "Poor Spencer. Always wants Melissa's boyfriends. But remember, if you kiss I tel -A". She could understand that it was referring to Ian, the ex-boyfriend of Melissa, that Spencer had embraced. But only Alison knew this secret, and she wanted for the good of Spencer, to reveal it to Melissa. Panicked, she called Em to see her quickly... 

Whem, Emily arrived to Spencer's house, Spencer explained to her, her thesis on the fact that Alison was still alive because she was the only one able to send this email because no one else knew ... Emily explained that she had also received a message from -A, and could not tell anyone because it would affect her parents and her life. They thought that Ali was playing with them and their secrets...

For Hanna -A had still not appeared, and it was better because she also had a lot to hide, like the fact that she had become cleptomaniac because of her friend Mona. Her last theft back today, this was a pair of sunglasses over $ 200, and it was not because of money problems. She was arguing with her mother who said to Hanna that she had met Ella, Aria's mother, in town and she had to explain to her why Tyler was not here, because he left her for another woman ... And when they finished their discussion, the police knocked at the door with an arrest warrant for Hanna with a video who proving that she had stolen in the supermarket.

While the FBI agent talked to her mother, Hanna waited beside a basket of M&MS at the Police Station. She would take a fistful, but she felt her phone vibrate, so she let the chocolate and open the message. -A had just sent a message to Hanna who said "Be careful, Hanna. I hear prison food makes you fat. -A.'' Hanna looked around her, who could send this text? Who have could seen that she ate? Was Alison still alive? She asked many questions to herself and then, she was silent and did not move, until her mother told her that she would arrange the matter in her own way ...

On the way home, Emily seen passed a fire truck that was in her street, she was panicked! Then she noticed that it was for her new neighbors, who lived in Alison's house. Maya stood before the house, Em joigned her. She told her that they had found Alison, Emily was happy and asked to her where she was, saying that she was sure that Ali was not dead... But Maya told her the terrible piece of news: “We had found the body of Alison who had disappeared a year earlier …".

The Past is the Present

Their lives had changed, nothing was as before and they could not do anything. But if Ali had united them, she also had destroyed her. But her death had reunited them for better or for worse ...

Emily does not claimed, but she was surely the one that was most devastated, she was secretly the closest to Ali . Besides -A often sent messages to girls, they all received the same, except that Em was receiving more than others. The last was "You will never exist if you continue to hide behind a girl you're not. But I know the real Emily. The girl I kissed ... -A". This message remained in her memory, because it was as if Alison was still alive.

One day, Alison had waited for Em at her swimming lessons, they had gone to study at the school library. Alison knew that Emily loved boys and girls, then she kissed her. Emily was secretly in love with her since they knew, but it was not requited. A few days before her death, Em tried something but Ali had refused, explaining that the kiss was to show her that she liked her. Although she said she understood, she was furious against her.

The announcement of the death of Ali devastated Em and made her closest to Maya. They did everything together and not left her, even though Em was still very often with other girls who were united as the fingers of one hand. Maya was very close to Emily, one would almost believe a couple. Maybe Maya loved her, anyway she invited her every day, made her a lot of gifts, surprises. Maya was always there for Emily, at every moment.

Emily wondered what the nature of their relationship was, did they love each other? Emily believed, so she tried to kiss her, Maya let her do it. But the next day, she pushed her away, telling her never to approach her. She didn't understand.

Girls continued to be tracked by this mysterious -A. Who knew all their secrets? He even revealed the secrets that they could hide to another. How could know all these details, how?

While they were eating in the cafeteria, their phone rang "Someone died today. Is this the same killer? What lies have you done, again! -A". They did not know what to do. According to Aria, they had to say nothing. She was probably the most deceitful of the four of them. For Emily, and Hanna, it was necessary to call the police while Spencer was already being investigated. -A went on to say "This is basically the path that is light. -A". For Spencer, this message was referring to the forest where they used to go with Alison, they had to go and see what was happening. But for others, they should not go there because it was getting dark. Then, they waited for the next message. -A told them "What if this person was not dead, but s/he was dying. Would you have another death on your conscience? -A". This time, they got up and went quickly away from the cafeteria. They had followed the instructions from -A and they saw a flag planted in the ground with the inscription "Can I survive?". They dug a hole in soil. A police helicopter arrived, they had been trapped by -A... Actually hiding a body in this land. Maya was dead.

THREE MONTHS LATER

Are they destroying everything because they were best friends? This was the question. If the purpose of -A was to separate them, he failed. They were more united than ever. Emily was now living in Spencer's house, because her parents had left to live in Boston, but as her High School granted her a scholarship and all these friends were here at Rosewood, she could not leave, and she did not want ... If these parents were absent, -A was always present and more than ever before.

The relationship between Aria and Mr. Fitz alias Rob was increasingly symbiotic. Of course, their relationship was secret, girls only knew, but it was not Aria who had taught to them, it was -A. Many times, the couple believed to be in danger but it resisted because -A has not decided to target them. Moreover, now Aria's mother, Ella, became a teacher and she was one of his best friends. How would she react against this betrayal? it was better to not speak and think about that...

Emily, meanwhile, is gradually recovering from the death of Maya, with Spencer and also Spencer's mother. She was very nice to her, as Melissa. Emily was at the center of all the nice presents.

In three months, their lives had evolved, now they shared their misfortune. Because -A was becoming more and more present. Last month, Hanna had been run over by a unknown car which had fled. This could be the work of -A. Moreover, while she was in the hospital, she believed in a mirage had seen Alison. For girls, Ali was the source of this misfortune, but they had no evidence, -A did he appear before or after the disappearance of Ali? That is the question...(without answers). Aria, for the moment was the only one to have had no threats or physical harm. Emily had lost Maya. And Spencer was made to transfer from her position as president of high school students, because of a supposedly unknown letter, which said that Spencer was a person with a bad influence on others, aggressive and sectarian.

The girls gathered now every night at Spencer's house, who seemed the most secure, given the wealth of the Hastings family. But for Spencer, was nothing. She had discovered, a short time ago that her family was embroiled in a scandal with the family of Alison. Before she disappears, Ali often said to Spencer, that they were united, and that it was more than friendship but a blood relationship. Spencer didn't believe her until now, but no. She thought that Ali made jokes like ever. Spencer's father had an affair with the mother of Ali long before their birth that gave birth to Jason, the brother of Ali. Between the two girls, no real connection but Jason was her half brother. She finally understood why his parents did not want Melissa to have a relationship with Jason. She had decided not to involve girls in this family history, because everything was about break out. Her mother might be adorable with Alison, but she hated the following blackmail Ali had conducted one day, laughing. But Mrs. Hastings had not appreciated the gesture. In Hastings, when Em was not there, it was all in settlement of accounts ...

The girls had now decided to investigate discreetly on -A because he knew all about their every move, secrets and lives. They tried to trap him ... in vain. This person was much more powerful! Aria was the first to wonder if Ali had not been harassed by -A, because before she had been too secretive with them. Theyn, they asked Jason, who still lived in the house since the death of Maya, if he had found nothing suspicious. Then he replied that everything was in boxes, and he never looked at it, still not recovered from this death but he suggested they looked into her affairs and that if they wanted they could take some things before that ended in a charity.

They searched for hours without finding anything. Then, by chance, Spencer fell on a mysterious box with a sign they did not understand. This was the "times infinity", tattooed on Alison's arm the day of her 16th birthday. Why was she fascinated by this sign? They did not know. The box was closed, Aria knew that manipulating the locks would open it. There were lots of pictures, words, and a key ring with the inscription "BNY Mellon" with a tiny key. Spencer had the bright idea to do a little research on the Internet. It was a bank, which was located in Boston. They had to go, there might have answers to all their questions. What could Alison be hiding in Boston?

They did not know if -A was aware but he had tried to attack Spencer, by degrading her car.

But it was now necessary to recognize that their research had been effective, they were finally at the end of their investigation. Who was -A? That is what they would discover, or not. They went into the bank in Boston, and demanded access to the boot thanks to the keys found in the box of Ali. The banker woman took them to the place. The locker was opened. There was a box, with the sign of "times infinity". It is Hanna who opened the box. There were pictures, then at the bottom of the box, they found a piece of paper with writing 'Amand-A'. They all turned to Spencer, who says "My mother can not be -A".

Aria said, "Are you sure about that?"

"Why would she?"

"You would not be responsible for something by chance" Aria said as if she already knew the answer.

"What's ? ... Yeah okay but I recognize it was an accident, I did not want to kill Alison. My mother promised me she would get rid of the body..."

"Your mother killed Maya! She used me ! Now I understand why -A knew everything! Because -A was in your home!" Emily said, crying.

"What do we do now, that we know that. We can not go to the police" asked Hanna.

Aria concluded by saying "This will never end. because -A is not just Amanda, many of us are -A, although Amanda is behind this project. I have believed that you had guessed it, because something happened to all of you, but not to me. And know that, this is only the beginning of your misfortune." with a desire of revenge

The other three phones vibrated "I am here, and I will always here. You will not escape me, bitches.". They looked up and realized that the banker's face was familiar to them. It was Alison.