Ethan's Pov

Spencer finally got discharged from Radley and she was back home.

Mom prepared lots of treats and drinks for her and us since we're obviously happy she's free from that place.

And while that may be true, our mind is still on Toby being...gone...

The girls and I sat together, my eyes were on the treats in front of us.

"Bubs, she knows we're down here, right?" Hanna asked.

"She does. Maybe she's just as nervous about seeing us as we are about seeing her" I shrugged.

"Guys, she's the exact same Spencer that we saw last week" Aria said.

"No, the Spencer we saw in Radley was not the Spencer I know" Hanna shook her head.

"That was before..." Emily trailed off.

My eyes watered but I did my best to hold them in, not wanting to break down in front of the girls.

It was bad enough when I fainted at Aria's place after Emily told us the news.

"Em, we're not just here for her, we're for you and Ethan, too" Hanna softly said.

She placed her hand on my shoulder, rubbing it gently, trying to give me some comfort.

"Do we talk about him? Do we bring it up?" Aria asked.

"I don't want to say anything that could put her back there" Emily sighed.

"I know they said they found Toby, but they sent that second body to the state coroner for a reason. I mean, maybe there's hope" Hanna explained.

At this point, hope doesn't help us, at all.

"You know how I feel about hope" a voice spoke from behind us.

We turned around and saw Spencer all dressed up, looking a bit better, but the look in her eyes said otherwise.

Well, it's better to see her in a real dress rather than clothes from Radley.

"Breeds eternal misery. We lost Toby a long time ago. We just didn't know it" Spencer said.

I mean, she is right about that...

"Oh, you've got to love the Hastings. I just get released from a mental hospital, and they welcome my friends, especially my brother, with tea and crumpets" Spencer sarcastically smiled.

I snorted in amusement and shook my head.

"What's the difference between a crumpet and an English muffin?" Hanna suddenly asked.

"Hanna, does it matter?" Aria asked in annoyance.

"I'm just making conversation" Hanna defended.

"An English muffin is a baked bread. It's made of dough. And a crumpet is a griddle cake. It's made of batter" Spencer explained.

"How are you, Spence?" I softly asked.

"I'm alright" Spencer softly replied.

"You know, you don't have to pretend to be ok for us" Aria said.

"Yeah, if this was the act you had to pull off to get out of there, then..." Hanna trailed off.

If Spencer isn't alright, she can talk to us.

We don't want her to hide her real feelings from us.

"Do you remember when you were in the light house, Emily? And you had to make that choice? It was either him or you? I wasn't as strong as you were. When I saw Toby in the woods, like that, I just gave up" Spencer explained.

"So what changed? You seem like you're back to yourself" Emily asked, confused.

"I decided I didn't want to be a victim anymore. That's not who I am" Spencer shrugged.

She turned around and grabbed a few invitations and handed them to the girls.

"Here" Spencer smiled.

"What's this?" Aria asked, confused.

Spencer looked at me, her face showing that she didn't want to explain.

I sighed but nodded in understanding as I turned to the girls.

"Our parents told all of their friends that Spencer went to Radley for exhaustion, so they want to throw a soiree to make sure that everybody knows that she's all better now" I explained.

The girls all looked at me before turning to Spencer.

"Could really use some support. Can you guys please come?" Spencer begged.

"Of course" Hanna chuckled.

"Sure" Emily nodded.

"Yeah, you know we'd do anything for you" Aria smiled.

"I'm counting on that" Spencer softly said.

I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, honestly I just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep forever.

The Next Day

The girls and I were at school and we were in the courtyard together. We were looking at a flyer that Ezra had put up. 

Since Aria felt a little overwhelmed with the whole Malcolm situation.

I don't blame her, I'd be shaken up as well.

Especially when she blames herself for letting A get anywhere near Malcolm.

"Did Malcolm tell you what she looked like?" Spencer asked.

"No, he just said she was a friend of mine, and her name was Alison. That's all I know" Aria shrugged.

"Well, look you have to talk to him, find out more" Hanna insisted.

"Yeah, like did she have dark hair, horns, and a tail?" Emily sarcastically asked.

I actually snorted at that. I love when Emily makes sarcastic comments.

"Guys, no, we are not using Malcolm to get to Mona. You know, the last time I saw Ezra I could hardly face him" Aria sternly said.

"All we have to do is show Mona's picture to the kid. He'll confirm that Mona took him and the cops will take our Lulu head back to the nut farm" Hanna shrugged.

Spencer tensed up, shifting where she stood.

Our eyes widened as we glared at Hanna for what she said.

"Hanna" Emily hissed.

I gently hit Hanna's arm, giving her a pointed look.

Hanna's eyes widened in realization and she blushed in embarrassment.

"Sorry, Spence. My bad" Hanna quickly apologized.

"I don't know, it seems like a really bold move for Mona. The risk being seen like that" Spencer said.

"What are you saying, Spence?" I asked, confused.

"It feels desperate. Like maybe she's trying to get caught" Spencer shrugged.

"Ok, well, Malcolm is off limits, ok" Aria sternly said.

We all sighed and nodded, causing her to sigh in relief.

"Gotta get to class" Aria said.

She waved at us before turning around and walking away.

When she was gone Hanna took the flyer off the window and began walking as we followed her.

"I can use some extra money" Hanna shrugged.

"Buttercup, did you not just hear Aria?" I asked in disbelief.

"Bubs, kids love me. I'll make a game out of it" Hanna smiled.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

However, we heard someone calling out to Emily and before we know it, Shana was standing in front of us.

Uh...what the hell is she doing here?

"Hey. What-uh-what are you doing here?" Emily asked, confused.

"Our coach arranged for us to practice here this morning. But I say if it's water, it's wet, right? A pool's a pool" Shana grinned.

Emily smiled and laughed slightly.

Shana's eyes wandered over to my sister and her eyebrows furrowed together.

"I don't think we've met" Shana said, looking my sister up and down.

Spencer tensed up, looking at the rest of us for some help.

"Oh, uh, Shana, this is Spencer. My twin sister" I smiled.

Shana hummed while Spencer gave her a tight smile, looking uncomfortable.

"Uh, you swim for Oakwood?" Spencer asked.

"Amongst other things. Will you be at the meet?" Shana asked.

"Yeah. Wouldn't miss it" Spencer nodded, smiling.

"I'll look for you. Good luck, Emily" Shana smiled.

"You, too" Emily nodded.

Shana walked past us as we continued walking.

"I hate her" Hanna scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Why?" Spencer asked, confused.

"Because she flirts with everyone but me" Hanna complained.

Spencer and I looked at her weirdly before we started laughing, clearly amused by why she hates her.

Emily let out a little laugh before shaking her head.

"Shana's bad news. Wherever she goes, trouble follows" Emily said.

We'll make sure to keep an eye on her.

At Hanna's House

It was late at night when Hanna called the girls, not including Spencer, and I over to her house.

Apparently, Malcolm was able to identify the girl that had taken him to the carnival. 

He was able to identify A.

And let me tell you that I was so damn close to passing out again when Hanna showed us the picture.

It was Spencer.

It was fucking Spencer.

Spencer was the one that kidnapped Malcolm and took him to the carnival.

Spencer, my sister, my own twin sister has joined the A team...

My knees were weak and if it weren't for Aria holding me, I would've crashed to the ground.

"That's Allison. I mean he said she was the girl in the blue shirt" Hanna said.

"This is crazy" Aria spoke.

Indeed it is.

I shook my head and turned towards Emily.

"And you're saying, that Shana knows Jenna. And that the both of them are meeting up with Melissa?" I asked.

Emily frowned and nodded her head.

"This is crazier than crazy. I mean, Radley's looking better every day. I'm actually ready to check in" I gritted my teeth.

"Ok, we're going to figure it out" Emily tried to reassure me.

"I've already got it figured out. Spencer's part of the A-team. Game over" Aria scowled.

God...someone really needs to get me water, otherwise I will drop.

"Today it's me and Ezra. Tomorrow it'll be you and Caleb. The next day it could be Ethan and Alyssa" Aria angrily ranted on.

The thought of A taking Alyssa away from me makes me sick to my stomach.

Alyssa means the world to me and I don't want to lose her.

"And then it's going to be your turn Emily, so get ready to say goodbye to Paige, because I promise you, A's going to take her from you" Aria finished.

A takes everyone away from us.

A is the reason I want to find that bitch and pound them to the ground.

"Why would Spencer do this to us?" Aria asked.

"Guys, I don't believe for one second that Spencer's on the A-team" Emily shook her head.

"Agreed, even if my sister is working with Mona then there has to be more to the story" I added.

"We don't know what happened in Radley. But Spencer went in there at rock bottom. And she came out like a shiny new penny" Aria explained.

Hanna furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion.

"Are you thinking shock treatment?" Hanna asked.

We all looked at her and gave her deadpan looks.

"No. No, I'm saying that Mona spent a lot of time in Radley. And maybe she made some friends" Aria said.

"And maybe Spencer talked to some of those friends" I added.

"Mona asked Spencer to join the A-team on the night of the masquerade ball. Did Spencer finally take her up on it?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, but why now?" Hanna asked, confused.

"There's a way to prove that Spencer's still with us, and if Mona's watching, it won't put Spencer at risk" I said.

Hanna frowned, looking at something behind us, before walking to her radio.

The three of us watched in confusion when Hanna put on some music, turning the volume up.

"Really, Hanna? You're in the mood for a dance party?" Aria sarcastically asked.

"Look, A was everywhere before Spencer joined the A-team. Do you really think we're meeting in secret?" Hanna asked.

She has a point.

A is everywhere and I doubt this conversation is anything but private.

The Next Day

The girls and I put the plan into motion to see if Spencer is still on our side.

Hanna would pretend to be redcoat and lure Spencer into the girls bathroom while Emily, Aria and I hid in the stalls.

If Spencer doesn't follow her, then maybe she is gone.

If Spencer does follow her, then she's still with us and that's why she joined the A team.

The three of us waited for a good few minutes before we heard the bathroom door open.

I pressed my lips together when I heard footsteps.

I nearly jumped when I heard Spencer gasp loudly, but I kept it together.

"What is this?" we heard Spencer asked.

"You followed me here, that means you don't know who she is, either" Hanna softly spoke.

On cue, the three of us exited the bathroom stalls.

Spencer jumped back as her eyes widened in shock.

"And if you don't know who she is, that means you're still one of us" Emily softly said.

Spencer frowned as she turned to me, clear worry shown in her eyes.

"Look, Spencer, whatever it is, no matter how deep you're into this, you know that you can tell us the truth, right?" I softly asked.

"We want to help you" Hanna softly added.

Spencer looked at me and I softly nodded, encouraging her to speak.

"Mona came to see me at Radley. And when I found Toby in the woods, she'd planned the whole thing. She wanted to break me so that she could put me back together. Like her own humpty dumpty" Spencer explained.

"So, Mona made you an offer you couldn't refuse?" Aria asked.

Spencer glanced at all of us before her eyes landed on mine and Emily's.

"She told me that Toby was still alive" Spencer revealed.

Mine and Emily's eyes widened as we both gasped in shock.

"Toby's alive?" Emily softly asked.

"And it's true. It's true, he's been working with Mona because he found out about red coat and Mona's the only person who knows who she is" Spencer explained.

"And you've seen him?" Emily softly asked. 

"Yeah. Last night. He's on our side. You guys, he always was" Spencer nodded, smiling.

Aria and Hanna sighed before smiling slightly.

Emily gasped, her eyes watered as a huge and relieved smile appeared on her face.

Me, on the other hand, I pressed my lips together as my facial expression remained neutral.

"But this party tomorrow, it's a set-up. Redcoat just wants us all to be together" Spencer revealed.

I knew it.

I knew mom and dad didn't set up this party.

I even asked them and they denied it. I knew something was wrong but I kept it to myself.

"Why? What's she gonna do to us?" Aria asked, worried.

"I don't know. But we're not going to let it happen. Ok, whatever it is, we're one step ahead of her, finally, and there are two of us on the inside" Spencer explained.

"And when were you going to clue us in on your double agent status, nikita?" Hanna sarcastically asked.

"I'm the one who sent you the picture of me and Ali. And you did exactly what I needed you to do. Because Mona watches my every move. You've found a way to get to me without her knowing about it" Spencer explained.

"So, instead of red coat waiting for us tomorrow, we'll be waiting for her" Emily nodded.

"And if we're lucky, this will all be over with" I gritted my teeth.

"Luck won't have anything to do with it" Spencer shook her head.

The Next Day

Tonight is the night.

Tonight is the night where we can see redcoat and if we're lucky, this nightmare will finally end.

Spencer is doing her part while the girls and I are doing ours.

Aria and Emily were dressed nicely in their gorgeous dresses while I was dressed up nicely in my red tuxedo.

"It's perfect timing, actually. I need a pick-me-up" Aria chuckled softly.

"That place is really nice" Emily nodded.

Aria had looked up the lodge online and I had to admit that the place was nice.

We heard footsteps and we turned around and saw Hanna walking in.

"It's the Hastings. Were you expecting donuts and dogs?" Hanna sarcastically asked.

"Buttercup, how can you afford new miu mius?" I asked, looking down at her high heels.

"Oh! I borrowed them. The store gives full refunds for returns" Hanna smiled.

"That's if you don't wear them" Emily corrected her.

"Doesn't say that on the receipt" Hanna shrugged, smirking.

We all glanced at each other before chuckling and shrugging before we followed behind her.

At The Lodge

When we arrived at the lodge we didn't get changed head inside right away.

We stayed in the car in order to change out of our fancy clothes and into our regular clothes.

I let the girls get change inside the car while I changed outside of the car.

I changed into a white shirt, black jeans, black boots and a black sweater. I put on my gray beanie before tossing my suit inside the car.

The girls all got out once they were done changing and we all walked towards the lodge.

"You guys, I'm serious about not taking back those shoes" Hanna said.

"Hanna, quiet. We've got to get inside before red coat shows up" Emily sternly said.

"If she knows we're onto her, we'll never find out who she is" Aria said.

I frowned as I stuffed my hands inside my pockets.

"Are we sure we trust Toby?" I asked.

"Spencer does" Emily said.

"Do we have a choice?" Hanna asked.

No. No we don't.

We all managed to get up onto the roof before quietly opening the window.

I got inside first before helping the girls get in. Once we were all in I quietly closed the window.

We all walked closer and we could hear Toby and Spencer talking, doing their part.

It was quite difficult to hear what they were saying but I nearly jumped when I heard Toby raising his voice.

"I said get up!" Toby yelled.

We all watched as Toby grabbed Spencer by the arm and began dragging her away despite her protests.

I gritted my teeth. For the first time in my life, I wanted to punch Toby.

We watched as Mona got herself ready, pulling her hoodie over her head.

She turned around to leave and that's when we all made our appearances.

"Going somewhere?" Hanna asked.

Mona jumped, clearly startled, as she stared at Hanna with wide eyes.

Emily came into view and Aria and I walked downstairs, glaring at Mona.

"You're making a terrible mistake" Mona gritted her teeth.

"That's not how we see it" Emily shrugged.

"Because you don't see. You have no idea what's going on here!" Mona yelled.

"We know enough" I rolled my eyes.

Mona opened her mouth to say something, only for her eyes to wander behind us.

"What have you done?!" Mona suddenly yelled.

The four of us turned around and our eyes widened in shock at what we were seeing.

Fire was filling the windows and began spreading all over the lodge, trapping all of us inside the lodge.

Holy shit...

The girls and I glanced at each other, clear fear shown in our eyes, before we started running around the lodge.

The girls tried finding a way out while Emily and I tried using our phones to call for help.

"Mona, try your phone" Emily begged.

Mona took her phone out before a sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head.

"How can you not have a signal? We saw you make a call" Aria asked, confused.

"It's her. Don't you get it? She can do anything. She's everywhere and she's nowhere" Mona explained.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" I yelled.

We all ran to the hallway, we were desperately trying to find another way out.

We ran towards the exit door as Hanna and I started pounding on the door, but it wouldn't budge.

"It's locked!" Hanna yelled.

I turned the other way and ran towards the other doors and quickly opened it.

I screamed when fire erupted, causing me to stumble backwards before falling to the ground.

The girls all screamed themselves as Emily and Aria rushed to shut the door before the fire could spread more.

Hanna ran towards me and helped me off the ground.

"Bubs, are you ok?" Hanna asked.

"I'm fine" I nodded.

"We're gonna die. We're all going to burn" Mona cried fearfully.

"Shut up, Mona!" Hanna yelled, clearly frustrated and scared.

"I'm never going to know who she was!" Mona yelled.

All four of us stopped dead in their tracks as we whipped their heads around to look at her.

"What did you just say?" I slowly asked.

Mona looked at me before sighing, a small tear sliding down her cheek.

"Red coat. I don't know who she is either" Mona admitted.

All of our eyes widened and our jaws dropped in disbelief.

"Are you kidding?" Aria asked in disbelief.

She doesn't know who redcoat is, are you fucking kidding me right now?

So, we literally came all this way for nothing...

"You guys, we have to get out of here!" Hanna yelled.

We all began running around the lodge, desperately trying to find another way out of here, but nothing.

All the doors and windows were locked no matter how hard we tried.

We're stuck. We're fucking stuck in here.

The fire was getting worse and I felt more smoke entering my lungs, making it harder for me to breathe.

I coughed and coughed, desperately trying not to inhale anymore smoke.

I heard loud thuds and turned around, only for my eyes to widen when I saw the girls all dropping to the ground.

"NO!" I screamed.

I ran towards them, covering my mouth and nose with my hand, and tried shaking them awake.

But it was no use, they were already knocked out, the fire had weakened them too much.

I gritted my teeth before locking my eyes on one of the exit doors.

I shot up from the ground and ran towards the door, kicking it as hard as I could.

I gritted my teeth when the door wouldn't budge, but I didn't give it, I continued kicking at it until it would finally open it.

Finally, the door burst open and I let out a huge gasp of relief.

I quickly ran towards the girls, coughing once more, and grabbed Aria and threw her over my shoulder.

I grabbed a hold of Emily's arm and threw her over my other shoulder before running out the lodge.

When I was far away from the fire I dropped Emily and Aria as gently as I could to the ground.

I checked their pulses and sighed in relief when I still felt one, on both of them.

I got up and tried running back inside to get Hanna and Mona, only for my knees to buckle.

I dropped to the ground and groaned in pain. I tried moving but it was impossible given how weak my body felt.

Come on! Come on! Get up you idiot!

I have to get back inside and save Mona and Hanna, but I could barely stay awake let alone get up from the ground.

All of a sudden I felt two thuds nearby, almost as if someone was dropped next to me.

My vision was blurry but I was still awake, so I turned my head around and to my absolute shock, I saw Hanna lying next to me.

"Buttercup" I muttered.

On instinct, Hanna's eyes fluttered open and she slowly started regaining consciousness.

I turned my head back around and groaned, blinking a few times in order to regain my vision.

However, the second I got my vision back, my eyes widened in surprise and my jaw dropped.

"Ali?" I whispered.

It was Alison...at least I think it was...

Alison was staring down at Hanna and I, clearly worried but she was also relieved that we were alright.

I turned my head around and saw Hanna staring up at her in shock and confusion.

The two of us blinked a few times but on the last blink, she was gone.

What in the...

I sat up from the ground and grabbed Hanna's hand, gently pulling her up.

"Did you..." Hanna trailed off.

"Yeah" I nodded.

We heard coughing and we turned around to see Aria and Emily waking up, gasping for air.

We heard footsteps approaching and we turned around and saw Mona running towards us.

When she was close she dropped to her knees.

"Did anyone see her?" Mona asked.

"See who?" Emily asked, confused.

"Alison. She pulled me out of there. She pulled us all out" Mona explained.

So Hanna and I weren't the only ones that I saw her, huh?

"No, you're hallucinating" Aria shook her head.

"She was here. I swear it" Mona pressed her lips together.

"Ali's dead" Emily frowned.

"I saw her, too" Hanna spoke.

"Me too" I nodded.

Aria and Emily looked at us in confusion while Mona nodded.

We heard footsteps and I sighed in relief when I saw Spencer running towards us.

"So did I" Spencer nodded.

I pressed my lips together as I looked at Aria and Emily, who couldn't believe what we were saying.

"Ali is red coat" I revealed.

Has Alison been alive this entire time...?

A Few Hours Later

The girls and I left the lodge and headed to Emily's car so we could get the hell out of here.

Emily drove while I sat in the passenger seat, the rest of the girls were in the back.

But Aria had to sit on Spencer's lap because there wasn't enough room for the four of them.

"So all of this started when you were at Radley?" Spencer asked, turning to Mona.

"I made a deal with the devil.And she gave me a way in and out of that place. At first it was fun, having a partner. But then the game changed. She stole you from me" Mona explained.

We were never hers to begin with.

"So what happened that night?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Were you there at the cemetery? Did you drug me? Did you take Ali's body?" Emily asked.

"I don't know who drugged you. But I was at the cemetery and so was red coat" Mona said.

"How could you not see who it was?" Hanna asked in annoyance.

"She was wearing a mask. She looked just like Ali" Mona said.

"That's probably what happened tonight. It wasn't Ali. It was a mask" Aria said.

I don't believe that.

I may have been a little out of it tonight but there's no way that was a mask of Alison.

"Guys" Emily muttered, staring at something in front of us.

We all looked forward and we saw a dirty car parked nearby.

Wait, hold on, isn't that...

"Wait, is that?" Hanna asked, her eyes widened in shock.

"Somebody pulled it out of the lake" I gasped in realization.

My money is definitely on A.

Emily parked the car and we all got off and made our way towards Wilden's car.

We looked inside the car and we saw that the video of Detective Wilden and Ms. Marin from that night was still playing.

How the hell is that thing still going?

"We've have to get this out of here" Hanna sighed.

Indeed. We can't let this get to the cops somehow.

"Wait. There's more" Aria gasped.

We watched as the video continued playing and our eyes widened when we saw two figures running towards Detective Wilden.

"It's Jenna" Mona said.

"And Shana?" Emily frowned, her eyebrows furrowed together.

We watched as they grabbed his arms and helped him off the ground before guiding him away.

Why didn't they just leave him there to rot?

I mean, that's what I would've done.

"They know Wilden?" I asked, confused and shocked.

We all walked towards the back of the trunk and saw something weird.

"Guys, look at the trunk" Spencer spoke.

Do we even want to know what the hell is inside the trunk?

Suddenly our phones rang, causing us to tense up and glance at each other before taking our phones out.

"You're mine now" Emily spoke first.

"Kisses" I spoke.

"A" Mona finished.

We all glanced at each other before our eyes wandered back to the trunk.

I swallowed thickly before reaching my hand out for the trunk.

I took a deep breath, trying my best not to throw up or pass out, before opening the trunk.

However, as soon as the trunk was opened, we all gasped and backed away from it, clearly horrified by what we were seeing.