2.01

•

"It's Alive"

Once more, Halle Brewster woke up in the hospital. Her ending up there was a recurrence Halle was beginning to regret, especially when the nurse had to stitch up her head again. This was the second time in the past few months her head needed stitches. She would have two scars now, each from a time she protected a friend.

Her parents weren't thrilled either. Worry and frustration were the key themes from them, and when one was worried, the other was frustrated and vice verse. Either way, Halle knew from the moment she woke, things were going to change. It took a lot of serious convincing on Halle's part to get her parents to agree to let her join her friends at a sleepover at Spencer's after. Halle just needed to be with her friends that night. She needed to know what happened when she was out cold. It involved too much pleading on Halle's part and putting on the tears to appeal again her parents' better judgment.

Halle didn't like lying to her family, but she did it anyway. She lied so well, even the doctors thought she was good enough to go home. Soon, her parents fell into letting her go to the Hastings' with the promise of if she felt off, then she was to come home straight away.

What else did she expect?

Morning came faster than any of the girls wanted. Hanna groaned loudly. She hated being up so earlier when going bed far too late. Her face swollen was with tiredness, showing signs of just coming around from sleep. Hanna complained, "My brain is numb from all those cop questions."

All of the them were huddled in an awkward circle on the carpet of Spencer Hastings' bedroom, each wrapped up in blankets and dressed in cosy pyjamas, surrounded by a fort of pillows. They stayed together after the bell tower; slept on the floor so they were close enough to one another to feel the warmth that came off their bodies. It was an odd comfort which no one openly admitted to having, but none argued against.

"Your head is numb? Han, I have stitches in mine, I think win," Halle retorted. She winced that morning when her eyes first met the sunlight coming through the curtains. Halle's head was throbbing as she refused to get up from her horizontal position.

Spencer pulled at her sleeves and said, "I don't think I'd be here if it wasn't for A."

"A killed Ian to keep you both here," said Aria; the words aimed at Halle and Spencer unnerved them.

Halle had been filled in on Ian Thomas's attack of Spencer in the bell tower the second they were all alone again that same night. She had been there when the girls told their parents. Instead, Spencer retold the story to Halle when the rest of her household slept. Halle couldn't help but think how lucky they both were — how lucky Spencer was to have A save her, when Halle couldn't.

"I'm sorry, but that is not a comforting thought," Hanna said flatly.

Simply-put, Emily informed, "A gives so she can take, we know that."

"What else can the bitch take?" asked a suddenly irritable Halle. She exclaimed, "She's ruined our lives already. I don't know about you guys, but I have nothing else to give."

"Whatever it is, I don't think we can afford it," added Spencer.

Still curious about what happened in the church and bell tower, Aria asked Spencer again, "Spence, you didn't see anything?"

"I saw a black hoodie, black boots and black clothes," Spencer answered, sighing heavily.

"Well, I think it's safe to say that A's not Jenna," Aria concluded.

Her brows tightening, Hanna asked seriously, "Are we sure?"

"Pretty sure, her being blind and all," Halle replied. As far as Halle was concerned, Jenna was no longer on her A-list.

"A sees all, Hanna," Spencer stressed, in agreement with Halle.

Emily spoke, worry lacing her voice. "I'm starting to think we should tell someone about her— him, her, it," she said. "What's the worst thing that can happen?"

"A knows all our secrets," Spencer said firmly.

"Yeah," Hanna agreed with Spencer. She said, "If anyone finds out, we'll always be those girls that blinded Jenna Marshall."

"But we're okay with everyone thinking Toby did?" Halle snapped. "How is that fair?" A shot of pain ran up her forehead making her inhale sharply. She grimaced and held back the water in her eyes. Halle did her best to blink away her tears. After all that had happened, Halle still was not a crier.

"Then we'll also always be those girls who forced Toby take the fall," Aria added, against telling.

"And how those girls were afraid of A," argued Emily. She was on Halle's side with this, which really meant being on Toby's.

"Yeah, Em, you're right, but look," Aria reasoned seriously, "we have so much to lose. And Halle—" she turned her attention to the cheerleader and said, "I know you said you have nothing else to give, but A doesn't see it that way. A will take whatever she wants until we have nothing, okay? We won't have anything."

Hanna groaned again. "I feel like I have a hangover and I never even went to the party."

"We need caffeine," stated Spencer, whining.

In a hurry for their early morning coffee-fix, the girls headed downstairs. On rounding the staircase, they were faced with their parents. The group stopped, confused. There was Spencer's parents, who they were expecting, but joining them was both of Halle's parents, Byron and Ella Montgomery, Ashley Marin and Pam Fields. There was a reason, only the girls foolishly thought it was just because of last night.

"What's going on?" Aria asked, being the first to speak.

Hanna looked to her mother for an honest answer, questioningly. "Mom?"

Ashley Marin took in a harsh intake of air and then faced Spencer's mother. "Veronica, since this was your idea, could you..." she requested.

Veronica Hasting agreed. She stood up from the stool she was sat on and addressed the girls directly. She told them, "The accusations you made about Ian have cast a bright spotlight on all of you. Spencer is still a person of interest in Alison's murder investigation and now the police seem to believe that you four are also involved."

"Ian killed Alison." Firmly, Spencer countered, "And last night he tried to kill me and Halle."

"I have the stitches in my head to prove it," Halle argued, backing up her friend.

"We were all there, we told you exactly what we saw," Aria said, looking rather panicked.

Her mother saw this, and Ella Montgomery said calmly, "And we heard you."

"We don't need to rehash what we talking about last night," Byron Montgomery reassured. "This is about moving forward."

"Moving forward?" Halle scoffed in disbelief. She was looking at her own parents to see if this was where they stood on the matter too. "I'm not moving forward. I can't move forward, I have a hospital appointment to remove stitches next week — stitches I had to get last night after Ian attacked me!"

"No one is denying Ian attacked you," said Veronica.

"No, you're just denying he attacked Spencer and killed Alison," said Halle hotly.

"Hal, you need to calm down," Nick Brewster said. Another line had appeared on his face overnight from worrying too much about his daughter. More often that not, he was the worried parent and her mother was the frustrated one. Another phonecall from the police to say Halle was being taken to the hospital was enough to set Nice Brewster off-edge; he was in a constant state of worry for Halle now. He said, "Calm down, you'll work yourself up on the pain-meds."

"Calm down? How can I calm down? You don't believe me!" said Halle, outraged.

Halle's mother did her best to try and reason with her daughter. Luisa Brewster said, "You said Ian was dead." This time, she talked to Halle's friends rather than Halle. "You four said he was dead, that he was hanging from the bell-tower."

"He was!" raged Halle.

"You weren't there!" Luisa snapped, stunning Halle silent. Luisa took a deep breath, noting the clamped mouth of her daughter, and then coolly said, "Halle, you were unconscious. You never saw Ian push Spencer and you didn't see Ian's body. Your friends say they did."

"I believe them," Halle said, "he's dead, Mom, he was hanging there."

"And I believe you, I do," Nick said softy. A part of Halle's heart was tugged on; her father was telling her that he believed her. "I believe all you girls, but..." he sighed, "Ian's body wasn't there."

Veronica, on seeing a calmness return to Halle, decided to tell the girls then, "While the police sort through this, we want you girls to see a grief counsellor."

Ella added more supportively, "She's a therapist that can help you deal with Alison's death and—"

"And what appears to the police as an obsession with trying to pin her death on Ian," Veronica stated, cutting off Aria's mother mid-sentence.

Hurt, Emily was looking at her own mother. "You think we're lying?"

Pam Fields couldn't cope with seeing the betrayal on her daughter's face. The woman's hand went over her chest, where her heart was, and firmly, she said, "Emily, I do believe you. But it's the way it looks that concerns us."

"This is a preemptive strike and the goal is to garner both police and public sympathy," Veronica formally explained.

Luisa gave the Hastings woman a strong look and countered, "Veronica, try to remember who are your clients and who are our children."

"I'm not going to a shrink," Hanna vowed, completely shut off to the suggestion of therapy. "That's what friends are for," she said.

"You can't be the only one that doesn't go," Ashley Marin told her.

"She isn't." Halle looked to her parents. A scoff left her when she met their eyes, and she said, "Oh, I know you don't think I'd actually go. I don't need to see a shrink. None of us do," Halle added.

"Actually," Nick Brewster said, "I think seeing a shrink is exactly what you girls need."

Hanna was livid. "This is bull—"

"Hanna!" scolded Ashley Marin quickly. She gave her daughter a hard glare, stopping Hanna from swearing at another parent.

Spencer had her eyes on her own parents, mainly her mother; her father hadn't spoken once during the argument. Spencer couldn't get a hold on whether it meant he wasn't happy with it, or that it was actually his idea and he was smartly staying silent so the attack wasn't solely on him. So, Spencer focused on her mother. She asked, "Do you believe us?"

Veronica Hastings sucked in a breath and said, "What I know is that one of my daughters is in the hospital and the other one is in trouble, and it's my job to protect you both."

Disappointment leaked onto Spencer's face. "You didn't answer the question."

•

It was clear nobody else believed them either. Eyes were on the five of them the moment they arrived at school the next week. Emily stuck by Halle's side to stop her from attacking someone who made a snarky comment. The two even walked to class with their pinky-fingers linked together. At their entrance, them accompanied by the others, Mr Fitz's junior English class went silent. The girls turned their heads to see the game of hangman on the chalkboard.

L — SPACE — A — R — SPACE

The figure drawn was hanged already. Then, the students started to laugh at them. Deciding she wasn't going to be terrorised by a prank, Halle took upon herself to go to the chalkboard. Her friends thought she was going to wipe it clean, but Halle didn't. Instead, she picked up the chalk and filled in the missing two letters, underlining the word after in a confident rage.

LIARS

Mr Fitz walked in as the bell rang. He was about to tell Halle off when he saw her behind his desk, but stopped the moment his eyes landed on the hangman. His eyes went the game and he only saw a threat. Halle handed the chalk over to her teacher on her way to her seat, at the far left of the classroom. Mr Fitz took to the board and started to wipe it clean when he was interrupted.

"You need some help with that, Mr Fitz?"

Noel Kahn stood in front of the class, a cocksure grin on his face. Students snickered at his smug attitude; some even fist-bumped him. He was back to prowl the halls with his usual, unchanged attitude. His time away surely hadn't worked the way the school had intended, but his reputation would exceed him.

"You can take your seat, Mr Kahn," said Mr Fitz, gesturing to an empty desk.

"What's up, Noel?" hollered a male student.

Noel acknowledged him. "Hey."

"Suspension over?" asked another student.

Taking to his seat, Noel Kahn wore a smirk. He seemed proud of himself. He had come back more popular than ever. He leered over his desk. "Miss me?" he asked Aria pointedly. Noel still thought it was her who got him suspended. Then, his eyes found Halle, sat at the back of the room. He lingered on her for a moment, on the obvious medical-tape on her head, before he focused ahead.

It was decided in that moment, he wanted to speak with her.

Noel caught Halle at the end of class. He tried calling out after her to stop but she didn't. He chased down the hallway after her. Noel's hand curled around her bicep and eventually pulled her to a stop. "Hey, hey," he said. "I called your name."

"I heard," Halle said dryly.

"And you didn't stop?" he asked.

"Clearly," she said. "Look, I don't have the time for whatever this is." Halle didn't want to hear the blame-game; she heard enough of it when it first happened and he chose to pin it on Aria.

"So I just get back after being suspended and you don't have the time for me?" Noel asked her, a little hurt by her words.

Halle sighed and shook her head. "No, I'm sorry," she said sincerely. Halle was wrong to believe Noel would only speak to her to bash her friend. Part of her forgot, in the middle of all the chaos, she and Noel were friends too. She pushed her hair from out of her face and said, "We can grab lunch together if you wanna catch up."

"There's a movie playing at the theatre," Noel suggested, nervously rubbing at the nape of his neck. "We could go after school and then get dinner after."

"I would..." Halle lowered her gaze and uttered quietly, "but I can't."

"If you don't wanna hang out, just say it," Noel said. He nodded in acknowledgement and waved her off, annoyed slightly. "I'll see you around, Halle."

"Noel!" Halle snapped her head up. Her hand caught hold of his and stopped him from walking away. Her eyes flickered down to their connected hands as did his. A deep pit opened in her stomach and grew wider when Halle finally looked up and met his searching eyes. Halle dropped her touch from his, feeling a void from where his hand was. Increasingly more uncomfortable around him now and wanting to ease some of that, Halle told him, "I have to see a grief counsellor after school today. I'm going with the girls, it's our parents' idea."

"For Alison?" he questioned.

"Yeah," said Halle, her voice small. "And what happened in the bell tower. They think we have an obsession with pinning Ali's murder on Ian."

For the first time since leaving class, Noel's eyes went to the medical-tape on Halle's forehead covering the series of stitches there. His hand came up and gently traced his thumb over it. "Eric told me Ian attacked you in the church, said your hit your head pretty hard," Noel said. "Does it hurt?" he asked her.

Halle shook her head, a sad smile gracing her lips. "Only when I think about it."

Noel chuckled, "Constantly, then."

"Pretty much," Halle agreed, a soft laugh leaving her. Her eyes fluttered to a close; she felt Noel's thumb fall from her forehead to her cheek. Her breath caught in her throat and she had to forcefully swallow when she opened her eyes to meet his face.

"I miss you," Noel confessed. His hand had dropped from her face. "I don't wanna fight with you like we did that day in town."

"I was an asshole," Halle stated. "I shouldn't have blamed you for the problems I caused myself for myself," she said. "And..." Halle nudged Noel with her hand, "I miss you, too."

"Pick you up after your session this afternoon?" Noel gave her a smile and said, "Movie's are still playing then, you know."

Halle bit back her smile and nodded her head. "Okay, I'll text you."

After, Noel leaned down and pressed a kiss to Halle's cheek. He lingered there a moment, only briefly, before he pulled back. He smiled softly at her and then walked off in search of his second period class, leaving Halle stood alone in the hallway.

Sure, Halle was happy to have him back. But did Noel being back complicate things? Entirely. Her world would be flipped again.

•

If Halle was being honest, she had been through more than most seventeen-year-olds. If she was being brutally honest, Halle probably needed therapy. Did she want it? No, most certainly not, and if asked, Halle would profusely deny the need and want for therapy. Yet, at the very least, Halle did show up to the group's session.

The same couldn't be said for Hanna.

The four girls sat awkwardly on the couch in the therapist's office. Halle tightly pressed together her lips and wondered if people ever laid down on the exact couch they were sitting on and got hypnotized. She glanced at Dr Sullivan, the very respectable looking woman seated across from them, and subtly raked her eyes over her trouser-suit for any pockets big enough to fit a pocket-watch in. Halle decided no when she came up empty.

Twenty-three minutes of silence went by. None of the girls spoke, though Dr Sullivan tried to pull something out of them; she got nothing. They wouldn't even consider talking without Hanna. Another seven passed and then the blonde finally arrived. Clutching a collection of shopping bags from high-end stores, Hanna came bounding abruptly into the quietness and broke it up.

"Sorry I'm late," said Hanna. "But have you see the sales downtown? The sales are huge!" she said, as if it justified them sat there for the past half an hour waiting for her.

"No, we haven't seen the sales, Han. We've been here, waiting," Halle replied, motioning to the therapist in the leather armchair.

Hanna followed Halle's gesture and her eyes landed on the woman. Dr Sullivan greeted Hanna with a welcoming smile whereas Hanna struggled to return one.

"You must be Hanna," said Dr Sullivan. "I'm Anne."

The blonde nodded. She put on a satisfied smile and took to the chair adjacent to the couch her friends occupied, slouching down and dropping the large bags to the fall. "So, what did I miss?" she asked, seeming giddy at the thought she missed half of the session.

"Not a thing," Aria answered her.

"We waited for you," added Spencer.

It was Halle turn to wear the satisfied smirk as she commented sarcastically, "We knew you'd appreciate it," at Hanna's fallen face and the frown suddenly appearing in the place of her smile.

Dr Sullivan was the only one thankful that the session could officially start. She was intrigued by the girls and their files; and what they went through with Alison. She managed to get some answers from the girls about how they all first met, how they came to be friends after all they were so different. Aria Montgomery was a creative and shy, Hanna was sweet and bullied for being 'Hefty Hanna', Spencer was obsessive and in debate, Emily was sporty and quiet, and Halle — well, she was a cheerleader lacking a personality outside of Alison's right-hand.

"It sounds like you credit Alison for the friendship," Dr Sullivan had concluded.

Emily smiled softly and nodded. "We became friends because of her."

"But she's gone and the five of you still seem close," Dr Sullivan said, and the girls went quiet in guilt again.

"We weren't always," Emily admitted, her eyes looking down at her lap.

Hesitantly, Aria filled in the blank, "... We lost touch when Ali went missing."

"What brought you back together?" asked Dr Sullivan.

"Her death," Halle answered bluntly, not missing a beat.

Dr Sullivan noted the others might have thought different; they shifted in their seats. Calmly, Dr Sullivan told them, "You don't all have to agree. There are no right or wrong answers here."

Lulling it over, Spencer found herself agreeing with Halle. She repeated the words, "Her death," as her own answer also.

"They mean when they found her," Aria tried to explain, but they didn't.

At least, Halle didn't.

"When they found her body," Emily put in.

"Do you think you were looking for closure?" Dr Sullivan asked them, her eyes glancing between the girls as she looked for tells in their faces as well as words.

Spencer said truthfully, "We were looking for answers."

"The answer to whom killed Alison?"

Halle laughed, seemingly unprompted and without reason. "To whom," she mocked humorously. "Ian Thomas killed Alison," she said.

"The five of you don't have to go through this alone," Dr Sullivan assured them. "This is a safe place to talk. Nothing you say here goes beyond these walls."

Aria picked up hope at that. "Do we...?" She looked to her friends and asked, "Do we wanna talk about that thing?"

As they went to speak, cell-phones began to beep loudly. It shattered — obliterated— any suggestion of telling the therapist. The girls shifted, suddenly uncomfortable in their seats and visibly unnerved.

Confused by the immediate disconnect, Dr Sullivan asked, "What is it?"

Halle heard her phone go off this time. "I vote no," she said quick. Halle was more standoffish than she had been before and crossed her arms over her chest.

Spencer attempted a smile. It was forced and large, aimed at the baffled therapist. Spencer saw the clock and explained, "Our time is up."

The immediate shut-off had left Dr Sullivan stunned. A different feeling consumed the girls as they piled out of the office as fast as they could. Halle swore she didn't let out a breath until she checked her phone. She exhaled deeply when she saw Noel's name on her screen.

"It's not A, it's just my mom," Aria told her friends, leading the way out of the building.

"Yeah, same here," Hanna said. She was checking her phone also. "She wants me to come home."

"Is that Noel?" Spencer's question caught Halle's attention.

Halle looked up at saw Noel parked up down the road. He was in the driver's seat and held up his hand when he saw Halle looking over, smiling at her. Halle waved at him and then held one finger up to him to signal she would be over soon. "Yeah, we're gonna go see a movie," she told her friends.

"Don't you think it's weird?" Hanna asked her. She said, "You see more of your boyfriend's brother than you do your actually boyfriend."

"Well, Eric's busy," Halle reasoned. "He's majoring in Law now, he's gunning for an internship at the DA's office."

"Wow," Spencer was impressed, "score for you." She started to laugh, nudging Halle's side playfully, but halted when her eyes landed on Toby. The boy was smiling at Spencer. He went to approach her, but Jenna appeared with her cane out of a store. Dashed of anticipation, Spencer let her shoulder fall as well as the smile that was just on her face.

"You could still go over," suggested Halle. "I'm sure he's not in a rush to take Jenna home. He'd probably like it if you did."

Spencer shook her head. "I shouldn't."

Emily broke up their conversation. Appalled, her voice ripped through the air around them. "'What Really Happened'?"

She was stood in front of a paper-box; their faces, minus Halle's, plastered on the front of the paper. The words written about them were accusatory and aimed to point fingers at them in a humiliating fashion. Halle wasn't even on the front and it worked for her. They called her accident-prone and reckless. It wasn't untrue, but it made her blood boil knowing the whole town probably read it.

"They found Ian's car by the train station and ten-thousand dollars that he took from his bank account," Spencer said, her brows furrowing. "They think he skipped down and we made up the story because we knew he left?" She was in disbelief, huffing at the story. She was irritable, angry, as were the others.

Halle thought it was plain stupidity. "What idiot draws out ten-thousand dollars and then doesn't take it with him?" She scoffed, "People can't seriously believe this!"

At that moment, the sound of their phones chiming cut them off. Nervously, they each checked their phones and saw a new group message.

I SPY A LIAR.--A.

•

It was around seven when Halle got a text from Aria to meet at Emily's house. Halle arrived last, having been dropped off by Noel, and entered her friend's bedroom with a pick-and-mix bag in her hand. "Sorry, traffic was bad," she apologised. "What did I miss?"

Aria had gotten a further text off A and that was why the girls met up at Emily's. Aria was panicked and on high-alert, raving hotly in her worry. "A had to have followed me to Ezra's." She stared down at the phone screen. "And he — she, it! — must've seen me get that key from under the doormat."

"God, it's like Fitz wants someone to break into his apartment," Halle commented nonchalantly. "The first place anyone checks for a spare key is under a welcome mat." She moved to perch herself on the end of the bed. "I don't even think A would've had to see you take the key from there to figure that one out."

"You're scary sometimes," Spencer commented at Halle, her sat behind Aria as she tried to comfort her best friend.

From the desk chair, Hanna sighed and held out her hand. "Let me see that." She accepted the phone from off of Aria so that she and Emily could have a better look. "Okay, I see books, photographs, magazines..." A bold smirk etched its way onto Hanna's face.

"What?" Aria asked on noticing.

"Is that a Playboy?" Hanna said brightly.

"What?" Spencer snapped. She sat up, eager to see.

Hanna pointed it out. "Right there."

Teasingly, Halle fanned herself with her hand. "Oh my, Mr Fitz." She mocked her teacher by pressing her hand to her forehead and throwing herself back down on the bed with a overdramatic, blissful sigh. She laughed like a small child would before stopping when she felt a rush of heat take over her. Halle, in a instant, began to sweat and breathe a little heavier. She thought it was because of her head and all the sugar. Halle picked herself up and crossed the room for the window-seat, cracking open the window for the cold night's air.

"It's under the black thing on the cabinet," Hanna stated.

Spencer had the phone in her hands now. She shot back at the blonde, "That black thing is a called a typewriter."

Aria rolled her eyes. "Han, that's not a Playboy, that's a Playbill."

"I don't think what's missing matters," Emily told them. "A wants us to know she can come and go from Ezra's apartment."

"And it doesn't have to be Ezra's apartments, it can be any of our homes too," agreed Halle.

Emily sighed heavily. She begged the question, "When's it gonna stop? Remember where we were a few months ago?" she recalled, glancing at Halle and Hanna.

"Visiting us in the hospital," said Hanna lowly.

"A hit Hanna and Halle and kept going," Emily said sternly.

"A didn't even hesitate before pushing Ian," confessed Spencer, remembering that night in the bell tower. She shivered at the thought, wondering briefly how Halle could be sat basking by an open window. Spencer said, "It's almost like it was no big deal."

"I don't wanna be sitting next to you guys at another funeral," Emily said warily.

Instantaneously, Spencer was clued in. Her eyes widened. "You think we should tell the therapist?"

That thought sat comfortably with Aria, too. She and her friends exchanged looks as if they all shared the feeling as well and longed to tell someone. "We were really close to telling her yesterday," she said, "it felt so good."

"Telling Anne wouldn't be like telling our parents," Emily mentioned, already feeling an odd familiarity with the woman. "I mean, she had to keep it a secret, right?"

"Wrong." Halle spoke coolly. Her friends turned to face her. Halle sat forward on the window-seat now staring directly at them with a dark, serious look in her eyes. "You're right in saying that there's client confidentiality, but wrong in assuming that means she'll keep our secret." Halle explained, "Therapists keep it confidential unless it's harming us or others. A ran over Hanna on purpose, leaked a video of me as some sort of revenge-porn, has repeatedly tortured each one of us since Ali's funeral. And you wanna tell the therapist?" she asked, as though the very suggestion was one of idiocy. She was not a fan of the therapist; she didn't have the same reaction Emily had.

However, something pulled at Halle when she saw the hope die from each of her friends' faces. Halle felt she broke them. At the very least, she broke their last chance of comfort. Halle sighed and said, "If you guys wanna tell her, we can. We need to water down the truth though. None of the big life-in-danger stuff. A is just a bully," said Halle firmly, "and it's A for anonymous, not Alison. This can't have any link to Alison."

Aria seemed to ignore Halle. She said, "Look, okay, I know we promised Garrett we wouldn't show the video to the cops."

Halle inhaled forcibly. "What have I just said?"

"But if we want Anne to believe us," urged Aria.

"A picture's worth a thousand words," Spencer offered.

"We don't have a picture, we have a video!" snapped Halle aggressively. "A video of Alison the night she was killed."

"She'll believe us if we show her," Aria insisted. "Don't you want her to believe us, Halle?"

"Of course I do, but—"

"You know, she was wearing a gorgeous pair of Chloes," mentioned Hanna absently, in her own little world.

"Who?" Aria asked.

"—The shrink," said Hanna.

Spencer shook her head, looking to Hanna in questioning. "And this is relevant to this conversation because...?"

"You can tell a lot about a person by their shoes," Hanna told them.

Emily chose to move around the blonde's weird justification. She pleaded with the girls, mainly Halle, and said, "I really heard her when she said that we don't have to go through this alone."

There was a brief silence that hung over them before Spencer spoke again. "Do we all agree?" she asked, eyes on Halle.

When Halle gave a small nod, it was decided. The girls were going to tell the therapist about everything that had been going on — about A.

So, Aria made the call and the friends found themselves once more in the office of Dr Sullivan the following day. Aria spoke first as they entered the room. "Thank you for seeing us today."

Dr Sullivan was welcoming again. She said soothingly, "It sounded like there was something you really wanted to tell me." The woman motioned to the couch as she took to her own chair, watching as the group of teens cautiously sat down too.

"There's also something we wanted to show you," explained Emily, reaching for her bag where she knew the laptop was.

Hanna interrupted, "Um, I just wanna get one thing straight here. You're not allowed to tell anyone anything that we say in here, right?"

"Unless you tell me something that leads me to believe that you're a danger to yourself or to someone else," said Dr Sullivan, honest and serious.

"Told you," Halle muttered. She was sat in the chair next to the couch and the only one of her friends to slouch back; she didn't want to be there.

"Okay," Aria nodded. "Halle?" she asked, looking to the cheerleader. All of them knew Halle was the one most against telling the therapist about A; a close second was Hanna.

"Fine," said Halle.

"Hanna?" Aria now asked.

Hanna was looking down at the shoes Dr Sullivan was wearing instead of paying attention. Her brows were raised in pleasant surprise as she commented, "I didn't know Tory made those boots in brown."

Spencer's head rolled around to glare at the blonde. Through a clenched jaw, she asked, "Are you satisfied?"

"Yeah," Hanna quickly said. "Yeah, I'm good. Go ahead, Emily."

"I think we should tell her first and then..." Emily suggested.

"Yeah, sure," said Spencer.

After a few glances at each other, Hanna singled out Aria since it was Aria who argued in favour of telling Dr Sullivan about everything. So, Aria was the one chosen to speak for the group. Deciding to pick up from what was said last session, Aria began, "We did drift apart after Alison went missing, and it's true that he death brought us back together. But I don't know if we'd be as close as we are now—"

"This conversation is premature!" barked Spencer quickly.

"Prema-what?" Halle was confused. Her eyes went up at Spencer's explosive interruption. She saw Spencer was tight-bodied, rigid as her eyes kept glancing at the shelving unit. Halle followed Spencer's hints, her dark eyes landing on a framed certificate. Squinting, Halle realised who's it was and filled in the mystery of what was missing in the photograph Aria received last night.

Uncomfortable suddenly, Emily closed down the laptop, putting it back in her bag. "Erm... I'm sorry we wasted your time," she said awkwardly.

Dr Sullivan looked between them and stunned Aria. Bewildered, she asked, "What just happened here?"

Aria was lost, too. The petite girl was the only one still sat down. Halle and Hanna made their way behind the couch towards the shelves while Spencer chatted, trying desperately for a cover.

"Um, you know, we need to figure out what we wanna say..." gave Spencer. "So that we can communicate more, um, effectively."

Hanna opened her bag wide and Halle made to grab the diploma belonging to Mr Fitz. Halle shoved it down in the bag and helped Hanna to shut it as while Spencer and Emily did their best to distract Dr Sullivan.

"And that's what we'll do," Emily told their therapist.

Spencer fake a smile. "So, we're gonna reschedule."

Dr Sullivan, annoyed slightly at the abrupt notion to leave, reminded them, "You girls called me, remember?"

Aria picked up on the urgency and began to splutter an apology out, still in the dark about what was happened. "Um, I'm really sorry about this—"

"Now!" Halle said impatiently. She clicked her fingers at the girls, ushering them out of the room quickly. She was the last one one, saying a quick goodbye for them. "Thanks, Dr Sullivan, you've been a big help. You should really consider this for a living," she ironically joked in the hope it would make up for the sudden exit as well as entrance.

The second they were out of the office building, Aria huffed at her friends. "Well, if she didn't think we were crazy before, she does now," she exclaimed. "What was that?"

Hanna opened her bag and pulled out the frame, handing it over to Aria.

Aria's eyes grew large. "Where did you get this?"

"On the bookshelf behind the shrink," Hanna answered.

"This is what A took from Ezra," Aria confirmed.

Panicked, Spencer said, "A knows we're coming here."

"And that we were gonna tell," Emily added.

"How is A always one step ahead of us?" asked Halle, baffled.

"Yeah, I'm starting to think that bitch has superpowers," Hanna fired.

•

Halle made it home around seven. When she walked into the house, she was instantly greeted by Pacha. She did her usual, "Hey, sweet boy," followed by a series of belly rubs and soft kisses to the dog's head before she started for the kitchen. Pacha walked behind her originally before he decided to cut her off right before she entered through the doorway.

"God, Pacha! I'm walking here," she said, laughing. Halle beamed at the sight of his tail wagging in delight, shaking her head as she laughed. "You are so annoying."

"If he could speak, he'd say the same about you," jested Halle's dad.

The sixteen-year-old looked up to find her dad busying himself over the stove. His back was to her as he focused on cooking. Halle walked around the counter and wrapped her arms around her father's middle, pressing her cheek to his back. "Hey, Dad."

Nick Brewster couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face. One hand came up to hold hers, laid over his stomach. "Hey, Hal. Good day?" he asked.

"I didn't hit anyone," she replied.

"You've still got time," muttered Nick.

Feeling her father tense, Halle pulled back. "What's happened?" she asked seriously. "Is nana okay?"

"Yes, yes," Nick reassured her, "your nana is fine." He put down the wooden spoon and turned to face his daughter. Nick said, "Your mom spoke with your therapist today."

"Oh?"

Nick gave a heavy sigh. His eyes flickered over Halle's shoulder, seeing his wife's presence now in the room.

Halle noticed, too. She moved aside so she could easily glance between her two parents, desperately searching for some sort of explanation. "What? What did she say?"

"Dr Sullivan thinks it's best that you girls don't see her together anymore," Luisa Brewster informed. "She thinks it would be best if you see her separately from now on, as in solo sessions to really focus on each one of you."

"Okay..." Halle noted a hesitation there. "What else?"

"She also thinks that should venture further than your session," Luisa mentioned. "Dr Sullivan thinks you and your friends should take some time apart and not... see each other anymore."

"Are you playing with me? Please tell me you're playing right now," Halle begged. Her eyes had already glassed over. It was shocking how quickly she worked herself up. "Please! Please tell me you're joking!"

Luisa shook her head. "No," she said.

"I hope you told her where to stick it," Halle said. She saw her mother shake her head again. "No... no. No! You can't!" She snapped her head back and forth, looking at both of her parents in desperation. "You can't honestly think that's a good idea."

"I do," Luisa spoke softly. "I think you really need to heal alone before you heal together."

"No!" Halle screamed. "No, that's not happening— they're my friends! I need them! Dad!" She looked hopelessly at her father, pleading for him to say something.

"I'm sorry, Hal, but it's for best," he responded.

"They're the best for me!" she shouted. "Please, please don't do this! Reconsider!" Shamelessly, Halle had resorted to begging. "Reconsider this, please!"

Nick Brewster looked down, guilty. "It's final. You're not to see them," he said.

"Your first session is tomorrow," Luisa told her. "Let's see if we can fix this problem."

Without thinking, words Halle had never spoken before left her lips. "I hate you. I hate you both. You've ruined my life."

"Halle," Luisa tried. "Check your attitude, fast. Halle, you need—"

"Don't! Don't tell me what I need," Halle snapped harshly as she went to leave.

"We've only looking out for you," Nick said once Halle reached the door.

Halle turned back around, furious tears hot in her eyes. "You don't get to play the worried parents right now. You're taking my friends away from me! Right now, I get to hate you," she said fiercely.

No other words were spoken after. Halle didn't give either of her parents the chance to say any more before she ran upstairs. She fled to her bedroom — her sanctuary — and threw herself down on the bed, sobbing heavily into a pillow. She heard her door creak shortly after.

"Go away!" Halle cried, her voice cracked.

"Halle, it's Riley," came a small voice.

Halle turned her head from her dampening pillow to see her little sister stood in her room. A soft-teddy was clutched in Riley's hand and her hair plaited innocently in pigtails.

"Are you crying because you can't see your friends?" asked Riley. "Mom said they have to go away for a while. Said it's like a holiday for you all."

Anger flooded Halle's body. How dare her mother tell her sister lies, the thought burned Halle. Boldly, Halle rose from her position and sat glowering at her little sister. "They're not going on holiday, are they though? I can't see them because mom and dad won't let me."

"It's to help you, mom said it'll help you get better," said Riley.

Halle let out a scream. "When are you going to grow up, Riley? They ain't doing this to help me, it's to help them! They're taking everything away from me! They aren't helping me!"

Riley's bottom lip quivered. Her brown eyes grew enlarged with wet tears. "But they said the doctor's gonna make you better."

"They lied, Riley! They lied!!" Halle screamed, her throat scorching at the coarseness of her voice. "Grow up and stop being so stupid!"

"I'm not stupid," sobbed Riley, "you said I was smart."

"Well, I lie too!"

"I hate you!" yelled Riley, her little louder than anything Halle had ever heard before.

Halle stopped. For the first time, she finally heard herself — what she was saying. She softened and shame hit her like a ton of bricks, seeing her little sister distressed. "Oh, Riles, I didn't mean..."

But it was no use. Riley had gone running out of the bedroom into the comfort of her own across the hall. The door slammed shut, and Halle knew she had messed up.

Quietly, as she caught sight of her reflection in a her mirror, Halle whispered to herself, "I'm an awful person."

And then her phone went.

SOS

The SOS-code wasn't something used lightly. When Halle received it, she braved a face and wiped away the wet tears from off her cheeks. Grabbing a coat, she headed downstairs. It was late and dark out. She passed her parents in the living room and went straight for the front door, ignoring any of their pleas for her to come back. Instead, Halle took off for the woods.

It was a long walk to the abandoned greenhouse. Through the woods behind both DiLaurentis' and Hastings' houses, Halle traipsed over the leaf-covered ground in her sweats and found it on the other side. She met with her friends there and the suddenly re-connection with them after being told they couldn't see each other was oddly emotional for Halle. She didn't see a way out of the madness if she didn't have her friends next to her.

Being in her feelings didn't last long, not with the reason behind Spencer's SOS. In her hand, Spencer held her older sister's mobile. Earlier in the night, Spencer had stumbled across it and found messages from an unknown number claiming to be Ian.

"Anyone could have sent that, Spencer," Aria tried to reassure.

"Yeah, it could just be some kook trying to mess with Melissa," Hanna said.

"When I showed Jason that photo of Alison in your yard, he said his family got them all the time from complete strangers," Halle reassuringly told Spencer. "He said people used to write to them with theories about how she died — who killed her. It's messed up, and all of it made up."

"Exactly," Hanna agreed.

But it didn't sit well with Spencer; she still questioned the messages. "Maybe, but it doesn't seem random," said Spencer. "'It's not safe. I can't tell you'?"

"Can't tell you what?" asked Emily.

"Where he is," Spencer snapped, as though it was plainly obvious.

"Guys, Ian is dead," said Aria lowly. "We all saw him."

Halle reached her hand up. "I didn't." She saw the glare on Aria's face and dropped her hand. "Sorry, not helping," she muttered.

"There's only one way to know for sure," Hanna said. "Send a reply," she urged.

As she typed, Spencer read aloud, "'How do I know this is you?'"

Seconds after it was sent, the cellphone beeped.

Ask me anything.From: Unknown

"Um, what's something that only Ian would be able to answer?" Hanna asked her.

"Oh, I know," Spencer said immediately. She began typing again. "'What are we naming our baby?'"

"Wait, was is the name?" Aria asked as it sent.

"Taylor," stated Spencer.

The phone beeped again.

Taylor.From: Unknown

Gasps left the girls. "It's him," Hanna said in shock.

Spencer's breathing quickened and she panicked, "Ian's alive."

A howling wind hit the glass surrounding them. Suddenly none of the girls felt safe in their little meeting place. They were increasingly scared —terrified of Ian — and wrath that followed what they all thought was a dead man. "Did this just get incredibly worse?" Aria asked.

"Uh, you think?" Halle asked in a incredulous tone.

"I can't believe this," Emily shivered, "Ian's dead."

"No, zombies don't text!" said Hanna loudly. "Okay, he is alive somewhere!"

"So, someone who left me for dead and tried to kill Spencer is alive somewhere and we don't know where." Halle's hands shook violently, but her sarcastic nature still came out, "Oh, that's just great. Another win for us."

Aria noted the silence hanging over Spencer. Softly, she tried to get her best friend's attention, "Spence..."

"I have to get this phone home before Melissa realises that it's gone," Spencer said.

Hysterical, Emily questioned, "Okay, you put it back, and then what do we do?"

"Do we call the cops?" Aria asked.

"Oh, yeah, because that always works out well for us," spat Hanna sarcastically.

"Why is Ian texting Melissa?" Aria pressed Spencer for an answer.

"And why is Melissa answering him?" asked Hanna.

"Because," Halle said madly, "as obvious as it freaking is that Ian didn't run off, nobody in this damn town wants to believe anything we say! Our own parents don't even believe us."

"They said they did," said Aria.

"Come off it, Aria, they're splitting us up!" Halle lit up with a sudden irritable rage, yelling loudly at her friend. "Our parents are splitting us up! Tearing us apart because no one believes us! Spencer's own sister is texting Alison's killer — a man that tried to kill Spencer! No one believes us!"

"...Is she?" Emily asked quietly, her eyes on Spencer. Her timid questioning cut through Halle's yells. "Is Melissa answering? I mean, I don't know how long this has been going on for," she said.

"Spencer, look, you're gotta find out what Ian told Melissa," persisted Aria. "You're the only one who can find out what he wants," she said frantically.

Adamantly, Emily ended with a strong, "And where he is."

•