Ethan's Pov

The girls and I were in the Brew and we were currently looking through a box of Ali's things that Emily managed to get from her house.

We were hoping that we could find something that could help us with everything we're dealing with.

"Ok, my mom is not connected to a cockatoo" Hanna said.

"Parrot" Emily corrected her.

"Whatever" Hanna scoffed.

"Well, that bird is connected to Ali, Ali's connected to Wilden, and Wilden's connected to your mom and us and stuff we don't even know anything about" Aria explained.

"My mom may have hit him a little with her car, but she did not kill Wilden" Hanna told us.

"Of course not" I said and Spencer nodded.

Hanna sighed and went back to going through the things.

"Hey, how's your shoulder?" Aria asked, looking up at Emily.

"I'm seeing the doctor again tomorrow" Emily smiled.

I smiled at her and nodded before flipping through one of Ali's old notebooks.

"Why would you take all this stuff?" Hanna asked.

"I took the bird stuff and the rest of the junk to get past Mrs. Dilaurentis with Ali's notebooks" Emily explained.

"We learned so much from what Ali wrote down in Em's bio book. Who knows what could be written in these?" Spencer said.

I nodded at that as we continued going through Ali's old things.

We had to find something that could be useful to us. Something, anything, that could help.

"Aww. Eat, bake, love" Hanna smiled.

I raised an eyebrow and turned around to see what she was looking at.

A smile made its way onto my face when I saw Ms. Montgomery sitting on the couch with her new boyfriend, Zack.

"They look cozy" Spencer smiled.

"Yeah, they do" Aria nodded, a faint smile plastered on her face.

I smiled and gently rubbed her shoulder, causing her to smile at me.

"How's Jake?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"He's nice" Aria nodded.

Me and the girls looked at her unimpressed, causing her to sigh at us.

"No. Seriously, he's nice. We're seeing each other tonight" Aria told us.

"Great" Spencer nodded.

"Well, you don't have to say it like that" Aria frowned.

"I didn't say it like anything" Spencer defended.

Aria rolled her eyes, causing me to chuckle, before she turned back around to look at her mom and Zack.

"Is it weird to be jealous of your mom love life?" Aria asked.

I chuckled at that and shook my head in slight amusement.

We went back to going through the box since we still had to find something that would be useful.

Aria, Spencer and Emily were sitting while Hanna and I were standing.

Actually, I had been sitting for a while but I wanted to stand for a bit so I let Emily take my seat since I could tell her feet were getting tired.

"Hey, Em, could you ditch this stuff someplace? I don't want Mona to see it and start asking us questions" Spencer said.

"Yeah. I'll take it home" Emily nodded.

"Where is Mona?" I asked.

"I don't know. She wasn't at school" Spencer said.

"Not knowing where she is makes me just as nervous as when she's all over us" Emily sighed.

I bit the inside of my cheek and just decided to ignore their conversation about Mona.

"You guys. What's this?" Hanna suddenly asked.

I turned around, only to narrow my eyes when I saw Hanna holding a mask in her hand.

A creepy mask for that matter.

"That ain't no cuttle-bone" Spencer said, looking a bit creeped out.

"This was in Ali's room?" Aria asked, taking the mask from Hanna.

"It was either here or at her grandmother's" Emily said.

"No. It doesn't really seem her speed" I said as Aria handed me the mask so I could get a better look at it.

I sighed and handed the mask to Spencer, watching as she took it and began examining it.

"Spence. Ethan" Emily spoke.

We looked at her before she gestured towards something behind us.

We turned around and our eyes widened when we saw Melissa walking into the brew, heading over to the register.

"When did she get back?" Aria asked.

"Why did she come back?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, I thought she was gone for good when they found Wilden" Hanna said.

Spencer and I turned to her and gave her 'seriously' looks.

"Mona said that your sister was with Wilden on the train, and then she just leaves the night he's killed" Hanna said.

"Mona said she was on the train" Spencer argued, standing up from her seat.

"Just because Mona said it doesn't mean it's not true" Hanna shrugged.

Spencer rolled her eyes and ignored her before setting the mask down and standing up and began walking towards our sister.

I sighed and got up myself, ready to join Spencer when something caught my eye.

My breath hitched when my phone chimed. I took it out and saw a message from Alyssa.

Babe, can you please meet me at the park? We need to talk

I bit the inside of my cheek, having a debate in my head.

Finally, I decided to go over and see my girlfriend.

I stuffed my phone back into my pocket, quickly said goodbye to the girls before leaving the brew.

At The Park

When Alyssa and I met at the park we both sat down on the bench.

We were silent for a good few minutes. Alyssa had been staring up at the sky while I was staring at the kids that were running around.

I always love watching the kids playing around. It reminds me of Spencer and I when our parents took us to the park.

The silence was soon broken, and I was snapped out of my thoughts, when Alyssa tapped my arm.

I turned to my girlfriend and saw her raising an eyebrow at me with her arms crossed.

"What happened last night?" Alyssa asked.

My face turned slightly pale at that.

I should've seen this question coming but apart of me had hoped that it would've never came.

"What do you mean?" I managed to ask without sounding like an idiot.

"What happened to you last night? When you arrived for our date you barely said anything and if you did say something you were stuttering the entire time" she asked in concern.

I tensed and looked down at my lap, trying to keep my emotions in check.

After my run in with...him...at the supermarket I took off running after paying for everything and immediately drove off.

When I met Alyssa at our date spot I tried to act like everything was fine, that nothing was wrong, but I wasn't fooling her nor myself.

I was gloomy and upset almost the entire time.

And I was so damn nervous that I could barely speak without sounding like an idiot.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I felt Alyssa's hand on my arm. I looked up and saw her looking at me in concern.

"Ethan, babe, what's wrong?" Alyssa softly asked.

I let out a sigh as I looked at her hand.

"Nothing's wrong, I just have something on my mind" I told her.

I took her hand off my arm and held onto it before looking up to meet her eyes.

"Did something happen before you came to the beach?" she asked.

Yes.

I ran into the face of someone that I never wanted to see after what happened between us in the past.

But, I can't tell her that. Not yet at least.

"It was nothing" I tried to reassure her.

"It certainly wasn't nothing given how you acted the entire time" Alyssa frowned.

I bit the inside of my cheek and tried not to snap at her, considering she was just worried about me and wanted to make sure I was alright.

I appreciate it. I really do.

But the last thing I want is to tell her something I never thought I would have to tell her.

"Look, Alyssa, it's something personal and I'm just not comfortable telling you everything. So, can you please just give me time? I promise that when I'm ready, I'll tell you everything" I softly said.

I hope she gives me the time I need.

I really am not ready to tell her everything right now.

Alyssa stared at me for a few seconds, clearly trying to debate on what to do, before letting out a soft sigh.

"Alright, that's fine. I'm not going to push you to tell me something you're not ready for" she said.

She grabbed both of my hands and rubbed the top of them with her thumbs.

"Take as much time as you need. I'll wait for as long as you need me to" Alyssa softly smiled.

I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding and smiled back at my girl.

I'm so happy that she understood and didn't push me for answers. Instead, she was patient and told me to take my time and that she'll wait until I'm ready.

And I'm so happy to have someone as understanding as her in my life.

I leaned in to press my forehead onto hers, causing her to giggle as she leaned into my touch.

"Thank you" I whispered.

"Of course" Alyssa whispered.

We were silent for a few seconds before she spoke again.

"Just so we're clear, we're going on another date to make up for what happened yesterday" Alyssa told me.

"Yes mam" I chuckled.

After all, it's what she deserves since last night was ruined thanks to my behavior.

The Next Day

Emily, Aria and I were by my sisters locker as she gathered the books she needed.

Aria was currently telling us that her mom told her that Zack invited her to go to Vienna with him.

"Vienna's a long way to go for some strudel" Spencer said, closing her locker.

"Depends who the baker is" Aria shrugged.

The four of us began walking as we continued talking.

"Would she go?" Emily asked in curiosity.

"Well, she says no, but I think she's actually thinking about it" Aria said.

"Well, what do you think about it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I mean, I miss her not being in the house, I can't even imagine what it'd be like if she was on a different continent" Aria told us.

I frowned and placed my hand on her shoulder, rubbing it to give her some comfort.

Ever since her mom and dad divorced and her mom moved out it's just been hard for her and Mike.

I feel bad for them since I can't imagine my mom moving out. I don't want to imagine that ever happening.

The four of us walked outside the building as we switched the subject.

"Any luck with big bird's phone number?" Aria asked.

"No. I plugged it into every reverse directory and search engine I could. But it's a real number, it's going to a real line. But I can't even find a name or even a town" Spencer explained.

We stopped walking as we huddled slightly around each other to talk.

"Dead end?" Aria asked.

"No, not yet. I'm not giving up" Spencer said.

"I started going through Ali's notebooks. There's a lot of them. I could use some help" Emily told us.

"I can come over tonight" Aria nodded.

"Um, I can't tonight. I promised Toby that I would help him with something" Spencer said.

I sighed and shook my head, running my hand through my hair.

"I can't either. I'm taking Alyssa on a date since last night wasn't the best for us" I told them.

If I want to make it up to my girl I have to take her on a date tonight.

"Ok. I'm sure the two of us can handle it" Emily smiled, looking at Aria who smiled and nodded.

I opened my mouth to say something when we heard someone call out to Emily.

"Emily!"

Emily turned around while the three of us looked up to see Mrs. Fields walking over to us.

And, something about her posture had me on edge. She looked upset or something.

"Hey, mom" Emily greeted her, looking and sounding confused.

"I thought I'd give you a ride" Mrs. Fields smiled tightly.

"Ok, sure" Emily nodded.

She turned around to say goodbye to us when her mom spoke up again.

"Now, Emily" Mrs. Fields sternly said.

Emily frowned at that and she waved goodbye to us before walking over to her mom.

I sighed, not really wanting to stick around any longer, and bid goodbye to my sister and friend before walking away.

At The Brew

"Are you sure you don't want to go somewhere else? Like the movies or go back to the beach" I asked.

Alyssa's idea of a date was going to the brew, eating whatever we wanted, and catch up on everything that has happened so far.

Which isn't a bad idea, but I'm confused as to why she chose this and not something else.

"You said I could chose where we go for our date and I chose this" Alyssa shrugged.

"Are you sure you don't want to go somewhere fancy? I don't mind taking you to a five star restaurant or maybe even the spa" I asked.

I should be taking her somewhere nice and fancy after what happened on our last date.

It wasn't terrible but it wasn't good either. Considering my mind had been on...him...after running into him.

Alyssa giggled and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Babe, you know I don't like fancy dates or anything like that. I'm not that type of girl. And as long as we're together that's all that really matters to me" Alyssa told me.

I sighed and looked down at her, placing my hands onto her hips.

"I know, I just feel bad that our last date wasn't the best and I wanted to make it up to you" I told her.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault. I mean, everyone has bad days and just feels gloomy and upset. So, I understand" she softly said.

If only she knew why I was gloomy and upset in the first place.

I let out a sigh and leaned in, pressing my forehead onto hers.

"You're positive you don't want to go somewhere else?" I asked.

"100%" Alyssa nodded, giggling as she did so.

"Well, that's good enough for me" I smiled.

She beamed before bringing me into a kiss, causing me to laugh softly before kissing her back.

We stayed that way for a few seconds before pulling away. We stood side by side and held hands, walking over to the counter to order what we wanted.

I was so caught up in our moment that I was unaware of a pair of eyes watching us from outside the brew.

Back At Home

When I got home I was met with the sight of Hanna and Spencer getting ready to head upstairs.

When Hanna saw me she told me to join them because she had something she wanted to show both of us.

I agreed and the three of us made our way upstairs and into Spencer's room.

"Where were you guys? Why weren't either of you answering your phones?" Hanna asked.

Spencer sighed and closed her door as the two of us walked over to her bed.

"I was with Toby. We just wanted some privacy, ok" Spencer told her.

"And I was with Alyssa, we were on a date" I told her.

Hanna sighed before nodding her head, setting her bag down.

"Well, look in here and see what you guys missed" Hanna said.

Spencer and I glanced at each other before turning to her bag.

I sighed and opened the bag, grabbing something that felt strong and heavy and took it out.

My eyes widened at what I was seeing and holding. I looked at Spencer and she was in the same boat as me.

We both looked at the mask that I was holding. It was a mask that looked like...

"Melissa?" Spencer asked, turning over to Hanna.

Yeah, our sister.

The mask looked like our sister.

"Yeah. That's what we said when we saw it" Hanna nodded.

"This was from the studio that Ali went to?" Spencer asked.

"Melissa must have been there. He copied your sister's face just like he did Alison's" Hanna told us.

I frowned and let Spencer take the mask to get a better look at it.

"So did Melissa follow Ali there, or did Ali follow Melissa?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows together in confusion.

"Maybe they went together" Hanna said.

I have a hard time believing that because Alison and Melissa hated each other.

There's no way they would've gone together to a place to get their face done into masks.

Hanna left the mask with us and bid us goodbye before leaving.

Spencer and I were sitting on her red couch while looking at the mask. Many thoughts were running through our heads.

We only snapped out of it when we heard a knock at the door.

Spencer and I quickly hid the mask behind the couch, making sure it was well hidden, before telling whoever it was to come inside.

The door opened and Melissa walked in.

"I saw Hanna at the police station today. Did she mention that?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah, she did" Spencer nodded.

"I was wondering what she was doing there" Melissa added.

"She was wondering the same thing about you" I told her.

"The new investigator asked me to come in. He wanted to talk about Darren Wilden. I think they're talking to everybody who had anything to do with him" Melissa explained.

"Were you of any help?" Spencer asked.

"I don't think so. I hardly knew him" Melissa shrugged.

"You guys went to high school together" I added.

"Seems like such a long time ago" Melissa sighed.

She walked further into the room and leaned back against Spencer's bed.

Spencer and I scooted closer to the couch, wanting to make sure our sister doesn't see the mask.

"So much has happened since then. Do either of you ever think about how much has changed? All the people that are gone?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah, I do" Spencer nodded.

"Same" I nodded.

"What does it all mean?" Melissa asked.

Is there any reason why she's asking us that?

"Uh...I think that's an awful big question for this time of night" Spencer shrugged.

I chuckled softly and shrugged my shoulders.

"Do you suppose other sisters have as much trouble getting along as we do?" Melissa asked, looking at Spencer.

"There might be a few" Spencer chuckled.

Sisters can be friends but they can also have a hard time getting along. They have differences.

"Maybe we're just too much alike, and that's the problem" Melissa said.

"Maybe. I don't know" Spencer sighed.

Melissa hummed before walking closer to us.

I was quick to grab a blanket in order to cover up the mask, pretending that I was covering Spencer's lap.

"You asked me a question once. If it came down to protecting you or protecting somebody else, somebody I loved, who would I pick? Do you remember?" Melissa asked.

Spencer swallowed thickly as she clasped her hands together.

"Yeah, I do" she nodded.

"What would your answer be if I asked you guys the same question?" Melissa asked.

Spencer and I frowned but before we could answer she kept on talking.

"If either of you had to choose, what would you do?" Melissa asked, staring at us intently.

I swallowed thickly and looked down at my lap, while Spencer kept her eyes on our sister.

I don't know why, but there seemed to be something in her tone as she spoke and it sent some shivers down my spine.