My memory’s playing tricks on me, she told herself. This didn’t happen. It’s just a dream.
The Ali at the door turned, her hand on the knob. Suddenly, her skin began to fade from pink to pale to white to ashen. “Ali?” Spencer called out cautiously. “Are you okay?”
Ali’s skin had begun to flake off in thick curls. “Does it look like I’m okay?” she snapped. She shook her head at Spencer. “I’ve been trying to tell you…”
“Trying to tell me?” Spencer echoed. “What do you mean?”
“All those dreams you’ve had about me? Don’t you remember?”
Spencer blinked. “I…”
Ali rolled her eyes. Her skin was peeling off faster now, revealing ropy muscles and bleached bones. Her teeth plunked to the floor like acorns. Her hair turned from golden blond to pale gray. Then it started to fall out in chunks. “You really are stupider than I thought, Spence,” she hissed. “You deserve this.”
“Deserve what?” Spencer screamed.
Ali didn’t answer. When she turned the knob, her hand flaked off at the elbow, as brittle as a dried flower. It landed on the wood floor and promptly dissolved into dust. Then the door slammed hard, the force resonating through Spencer’s body. It sounded close. Real. Memory and reality collided.
Spencer’s eyes sprang open. The bedroom was oppressively hot; sweat poured down her face. Her old friends sat cross-legged on the carpet, their faces docile and relaxed, their eyes sealed shut. They looked…dead.
“Guys?” Spencer called. No answer. She wanted to reach out and touch Hanna, but she was afraid.
The dream crackled in her brain. I’ve been trying to tell you, the girl in the vision said. The one who looked like the Ali she remembered…but the one who was wearing Courtney’s ring. All those dreams you’ve had about me. Don’t you remember?
Spencer did remember plenty of dreams about Ali. Sometimes, she even dreamed about two different Alis.
“No,” Spencer whispered perilously. She didn’t understand this. She blinked in the darkness, looking for her fourth friend.
“Ali?” she squeaked.
But Ali didn’t answer. Because Ali was gone.
29
THE LETTER UNDER THE DOOR
Aria heard a slam and jerked awake. Half the candles had blown out. A putrid smell filled the air. Her three old best friends were sitting on the carpet, staring at her.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “Where’s Ali?”
“We don’t know.” Emily looked terrified. “She…disappeared.”
“Maybe this is part of the reenactment?” Hanna suggested groggily.
“I don’t think so, guys.” Spencer’s voice trembled. “I think something’s really wrong.”
“Of course something’s wrong!” Emily cried. “Ali’s gone!”
“No,” Spencer said. “I think…I think something’s wrong with Ali.”
Aria gaped at her. “Ali?” Emily sputtered.
“What do you mean?” Hanna demanded.
“I think the girl at the window of the barn was Ali’s sister,” Spencer whispered, her voice thick with sobs. “I think that’s who killed her.”
Hanna wrinkled her brow. “I thought you said it was Melissa.”
“And no one killed Ali,” Emily added, narrowing her eyes. “She’s here.”
But Aria stared at Spencer, a tiny kernel of an idea forming in her head. She thought of those Polaroids again. It could have been a DiLaurentis face reflected in the window.
“Oh my God,” Aria whispered, remembering what that creepy medium had said to her a few weeks ago, as she stood over the hole where Ali’s body had been found: Ali killed Ali.
A bang thundered from downstairs. Everyone jumped and scuttled back into the corner, hugging one another tight. “What was that?” Hanna whispered.
There were a few more creaks and slams, then silence. Aria dared to look around the rest of the room. Someone must have opened the curtains, because moonlight spilled through the window onto the floor. That was when she noticed something she hadn’t seen before. Just inches from the door was a white envelope. It looked as though someone had recently slipped it through the crack.
“Um, guys?” she squeaked, pointing a shaky finger at it.
Everyone stared, too petrified to move. Finally, Spencer snatched it off the ground. Her fingers shook. She held the front of the envelope out for the rest of them to see.
To: Four Bitches. From: A.
Emily sank to her knees. “Oh my God. It’s Billy. He’s here.”
“It’s not Billy,” Spencer snapped.
“Then it’s Melissa,” Emily guessed frantically.
Spencer tore open the note. Lines and lines of type covered the page. As she read, her mouth twisted. “Oh my God.”
Hanna squinted. “This can’t be real.”
A cold, hard knot of certainty congealed in the pit of Aria’s stomach. There was something wrong. Taking a deep breath, she leaned in and read, too.
Once upon a time, there were two beautiful girls named Ali and Courtney—but one of them was crazy. And as you know, with a few magical twists of fate, Ali became Courtney for a while. But what you don’t know is that Courtney became Ali, too.
You heard me right, Pretty Little Losers…and it’s all because of you. Remember when you stalked me in my backyard for the Time Capsule flag? And remember that girl who trotted out to the lawn and talked to you? That wasn’t me. As you so astutely figured out, Courtney was home switching from the Radley to the Preserve that weekend. And oh, how poor widdle Courtney didn’t want to go. She had her neat, crazy little life at the Radley…and she didn’t want to start over in a new hospital.
If she had to start over somewhere, it was going to be in Rosewood. And start over she did. She was supposed to go to the Preserve the very morning she saw you skulking around my yard—and man, did she jump on the chance fast. One minute, she and I were arguing—I was so happy she was on her way out—and the next she was in the yard, pretending to be me, talking to you guys like you were BFFs. Talking about my flag as if she hadn’t been the one who’d stolen it first and ruined my masterpiece with that stupid wishing well. How was I supposed to know that everyone—my mom, my dad, even my brother—would think it was me out there and Courtney inside? How was I supposed to know my mom would grab me in the hall and say it’s time to go, Courtney? I pleaded with her that I was Ali, but my mom didn’t believe me, all because Courtney took my A-is-for-Ali ring when I wasn’t looking. My mom yelled outside to the girl who wasn’t Ali that we were leaving, and the girl who wasn’t Ali turned, smiled, and said, Bye!
Off we went. Courtney got my perfect life, and I got her wrecked one. Just like that.
She ruined everything. She put her lips all over Ian Thomas. She nearly got arrested for blinding prissy Jenna Cavanaugh. She ditched Naomi and Riley, the coolest girls at school. But the very worst thing she did in my name was choose four new best friends in their place. Girls she knew I wouldn’t look twice at, girls who weren’t special in any way. Girls who she knew would fall all over her, desperate for the opportunity to be in her exclusive club. The girls who’d help her get everything she wanted.
Any of this sound familiar, ladies?
But don’t worry. This little fairy tale can still have a happy ending for me. I saw to it that my sister paid for what she did. And now, so will you.
I tried to burn you. I tried to make you crazy. I tried to have you arrested. I’ve even messed with you this week—surprise! I flung myself at Aria’s boyfriend. I sent poor Hanna fake tickets to a certain fashion show. I let Em believe there was a happily-ever-after for us after all. Smooch! And Spencer…I have a surprise for you. Look closely! It’s right under your nose.
I suppose I should thank Courtney for her meticulous diary keeping. It helped me—and Mona—so much. It’s all led up to this big moment. The curtain’s about to go up, bitches, and the show is about to begin. Get ready to meet your maker. It won
’t be long now.
Kisses!
A (the real one)
No one said anything for a long moment. Aria read the note several times before it sank in. She staggered backward, awkwardly bumping into the bureau. “Ali wrote this? Our Ali?”
“It isn’t our Ali,” Spencer said in a comatose voice. “It’s…the real Ali. Our Ali was…Courtney. The girl we knew is dead.”
“No.” Emily’s voice was choked. “It’s not possible. I don’t believe it.”
Suddenly, there was a snicker outside the door. Everyone shot up. Aria’s skin prickled.
“Ali?” Spencer cried out.
No answer.
Aria felt for her cell phone in her pocket, but the screen still said No Service Available. There was no landline in this room, either. Even if they hefted the window open and yelled, this property was so remote that no one would hear.
Aria’s eyes watered from the noxious odor that had permeated the room. All of a sudden, a new scent emerged. Aria’s head shot up, her nostrils twitching. Emily, Hanna, and Spencer widened their eyes. They all realized what it was at the same time. That was when Aria saw white smoke billowing through the vents.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, pointing. “Something’s on fire.”
Aria rushed to the door and pulled on the knob. She turned around fast, her face stricken. There was no need to say anything to the others—they already knew. The door was locked. They were trapped.
30
LIFE ENDS WITH A BANG, NOT A WHIMPER
The room began to fill with black, curling smoke. The temperature was slowly but steadily rising. Emily yanked at the window sash, but it didn’t budge. She thought about breaking the glass, but the bedroom was in the back of the house, which was set on a steep downward slope. The jump would break their legs, if not worse.
On the other side of the room, Spencer, Aria, and Hanna were ramming their shoulders against the door, trying to break it down. When it didn’t give, they collapsed in a heap on the bed, panting.
“We’re going to die,” Hanna whispered. “Ali’s trying to kill us.”
“No she’s—” Emily trailed off. She was about to say that Ali wasn’t—Ali couldn’t. Billy had written that note, posing as Ali. And if he hadn’t, then Melissa had. Melissa had snickered at them moments ago, laughing at everything they’d deduced. Melissa had killed Ali’s sister. Melissa had set this fire. Or if not Melissa—or Billy—then someone else.
Just not Ali. Never Ali.
The air was getting so thick with smoke it was becoming hard to see. Hanna leaned over and started to cough, and Aria let out a woozy moan. Spencer ripped the top sheet from the bed and shoved it under the crack in the door to prevent more smoke from getting in, like they’d been taught in seventh-grade fire safety class. “We probably only have a few more minutes in here until the fire reaches the door,” she told the others. “We have to figure out something fast.”
Emily ran to the corner of the room, bumping against the closet door. Suddenly, she heard a small, thin cry. She froze. Everyone turned, hearing it, too. Ali? Emily thought.
But the cries were coming from somewhere very close. Then there were pounding sounds. Another cry. A muffled scream. Emily faced the closet. “Someone’s in there!”
Spencer shot forward and turned the knob. The smell wafted out in putrid, powerful waves. Emily gagged, covering her mouth with the bottom of her shirt.
“Oh my God,” Spencer shouted. Then Emily looked down and screamed louder than she’d ever screamed before. A rotted corpse was splayed out in the bottom of the almost-empty closet. The legs were bent halfway up the wall at a disfiguring angle, and the head lolled off to the left, resting on top of an Adidas shoe box. The skin was a sallow yellow, and there was a horrible waxy substance on what was left of the cheeks. The skin and muscles around the mouth had rotted away into a hollow pit. The beautiful golden hair looked like a wig, and the forehead swarmed with maggots.
It was Ian Thomas.
Emily kept screaming and shut her eyes, but the image seemed branded on the back of her eyelids. Then, something shot forward and touched her foot. She shot back and tried to slam the door. “Stop!” Spencer screamed. “Emily, wait!”
Emily froze, whimpering. Spencer pushed around her and pulled another body from the closet, someone who’d almost been crushed by Ian’s body. Emily gasped. It was a girl, her mouth gagged. Melissa. Her blue eyes stared at them imploringly.
Everyone helped to untie the thick ropes around her wrists and ankles and pull the duct tape from her mouth. Melissa immediately doubled over and began to cough. Tears streamed down her face. She collapsed into Spencer, her sobs tortured and terrified. “Are you okay?” Spencer cried.
“She kidnapped me and threw me in the trunk of the car,” Melissa coughed. “I woke up a couple times, but she kept drugging me to knock me out. And when I woke up again, I was in…” She trailed off, her eyes sliding to the half-opened closet. Her face contorted with pain.
Then, Melissa sniffed the air. The smoke was pouring into the room so fast, a fine gray haze had begun to swirl. Melissa began to shake. “We’re all going to die.”
Everyone rushed to the center of the room and held one another. Emily shivered uncontrollably. She could feel someone’s heart beating against hers. “It’ll be okay,” Spencer repeated over and over in Melissa’s ear. “We need to find a way out of here.”
“There is no way!” Melissa’s eyes were full of tears. “Don’t you see?”
“Wait a minute.” Aria leaped to her feet. She looked around the room quizzically, her forehead furrowed. “I think this is the room with the passage that leads to the kitchen.”
“What are you talking about?” Hanna asked.
“Don’t you remember?” Aria cried. “We hid in here to scare Jason.”
Aria marched to the dresser and shoved it out of the way. To Emily’s astonishment, there was the small door, about the height of a golden retriever. Aria pulled the latch and kicked it open, revealing a dark tunnel. Melissa gasped.
“Come on,” Spencer urged, sinking to her hands and knees and squeezing through the tiny door. She dragged her sister through after her. Aria went next, then Hanna. Emily’s stomach jumped. The tunnel smelled like Ian’s rotting body.
“Emily!” Spencer’s echoing voice sounded very far away. “Hurry!”
Emily took a deep breath, folded her shoulders, and crawled inside. The tunnel was about ten feet long and let out in a small, closet-size room that looked as though it had been closed up for years. There were piles of dust and tons of dead bugs in the corners and a big water stain on the ceiling. Aria tried the knob to the far door that led to the rickety wooden staircase, but it didn’t budge. “It’s jammed,” she whispered.
“It can’t be,” Spencer insisted. She threw her shoulder against it in desperation. Emily, Aria, and Hanna joined in. Finally, the wood splintered, then gave way. Emily let out a relieved sound that was a mix between a sigh and a wail.
They scampered down the stairs and opened a third door. The heat rushed at them, stinging their eyes and skin. The room was filled with even thicker plumes of smoke. Emily fumbled around the kitchen island, trying to get her bearings. She staggered in the direction of the front door. A shadow moved to her left, in and out of the noxious fog. Someone was hammering the windows shut so there was no chance of getting out.
Emily froze when she saw the blond hair, the heart-shaped face, the kissable lips. Ali.
Ali wheeled around and stared at Emily as if she’d seen a ghost. The hammer fell clumsily to the floor. Her eyes were slate gray and cold, her mouth misshaped into a half smirk. A sob rose in Emily’s chest. All of a sudden, she knew that this girl had written that note…and that everything in it was true. Her heart broke into a million pieces.
Ali turned and raced for the door just as Emily shot forward, grabbing Ali by the arm and spinning her around. Ali’s mouth made a startled O. Emily held her roughly by the should
ers, her grip strong.
“How could you do this?” Emily demanded.
Ali tried to wrench free. Her eyes seethed with loathing. “I already told you,” she rasped. “You bitches ruined my life.” It didn’t even sound like her voice.
“But…I loved you,” Emily squeaked, her eyes filling with tears.
Ali let out a perverse giggle. “You are such a loser, Emily.”
It felt like she’d driven a long skewer straight through Emily’s heart. She squeezed Ali’s shoulders hard, wanting her to know how much it hurt. How can you say that? she was about to scream. How can you hate us so much?
But then a giant boom filled the air, momentarily blinding her. There was a bright white light and a rush of heat. Emily covered her head and eyes as the force of the explosion lifted her off the ground. She felt a snap, then a crash. She landed hard on her shoulder, her teeth clanging together.
The world was white for a moment. Calm. Empty. When Emily opened her eyes again, the sound and heat and pain rushed back in. She was lying near the front door, a pool of blood by her mouth. Desperate, she fumbled for the doorknob. It burned to the touch, but it turned. She crawled to the porch and then to the lawn, sprawling on the cold, wet grass.
When Emily opened her eyes again, someone was coughing next to her. Spencer and her sister were collapsed on the grass nearby. Aria was by the big chestnut tree, crumpled on her side. Hanna was near the driveway, slowly pushing herself to a sitting position.
Sara Shepard Page 16
