Aria had to hold her breath as she walked the halls of Rosewood high, forcing her heart to calm down without the air to supply it. She thought she'd healed enough to face this - thought she could see their old lunch bench, walk past her old locker, and stand in his old classroom.

Evidently not.

Perhaps it was something she would never heal from.

She could feel Spencer's arm looped through hers, hear the heel of Hanna's shoe tapping on the tiles - but the sounds felt muffled, like she was listening from underwater.

Each passing footstep felt like another year stepped into the past. Back to survival mode. Back to secrets. Back to lies.

Lies.

In the end it all came back to the lies they had told. And although not one of them could pinpoint the exact falsity that had started this mess, they could tell you for certain who told it.

Alison.

Alison and her lies.

Alison and her lies were the reason Aria struggled to sleep at night. The reason Emily had bailed on her relationships when they began to ask questions about her past. Why Hanna refused to bring Jordan to Rosewood. Why Spencer declined a promotion, because her office would be down the road from Radley.

The reason Aria heard her own screams when she closed her eyes.

Why Emily still frequented whatever gun range closest to her when the fear became too much.

Why Hanna always took the stairs after a vicious panic attack in the confined space of an elevator.

Why Spencer refused to wear metal bracelets because the feeling was too similar to metal cuffs trapping her at a table.

Alison and the lies she didn't know how to stop telling. The lies she would ask them to tell for her. Again.

It didn't pass Aria's notice that Alison barely kept in touch and that every message had some mention of Charlotte. It felt like a premonition that the first letter with true emotion - where she really tried to get through to them - was to do with Charlotte's hearing.

As they turned the final corner and the classroom door came into sight, Aria's steps slowed. Spencer slowed with her - perhaps she too had the feeling they were in a funeral procession.

Hanna and Emily continued on, marching forward and disappearing into the classroom.

"She's gonna ask us to lie again, Spence."

She sensed the stutter in Spencer's breathing, heard how her footsteps faltered, until they came to a complete stop. It had finally been spoken into existence - they all knew what Alison would ask of them, it was the only reason she had bothered with her letter. But this was the first time they acknowledged it out loud, perhaps the longer they left it, the more likely it was that Alison would change her mind.

She wouldn't.

"So? One more lie can't hurt us right?"

Aria wanted to laugh, she wanted to cry. She wanted to run back through the halls, ignored the taunting voices of the past and scream until she was free of this town and the torment it brought her.

"Is that a risk we can afford to take?" She asked.

Spencer paled but didn't respond. With a tug, she began walking into the classroom, and so their fate was sealed.

No, it wasn't a risk they could take.

But Alison would ask it of them anyway.

Aria tried not to listen as Alison recounted the last five years of Charlotte's treatment. Tried not to hear the hopeful tone in her voice, the love she held for her sister.

Aria would admire her dedication, if it wasn't Charlotte that was being spoken about.

Every word spoken, every unasked question, made her feel sick. She could feel the panic rising - and the rage.

Ali continued regardless. Of course she did, Aria had perfected the art of hiding her emotions from Alison long ago.

Her nails dug into her palms as Alison recounted last christmas.

They let Charlotte out... For four long days, A was free in the world and she was completely unaware. Anything could have happened, and she wouldn't have known until it was too late.

"So Charlotte's all better now, what does that have to do with us?" If Aria didn't know Spencer the way she did, she would've missed the shake in her voice. She knew, they all knew exactly what was about to happen.

Aria didn't want to listen. The longer zoned out, the longer she could put off the inevitable.

"And they want to hear from everyone... involved."

Involved - such a simple word, used so casually. It was the wrong word. Involved , as if it wasn't a big deal. A prank gone wrong, a squabble on the playground.

Even when speaking about The Jenna Thing, the word involved wasn't enough - and that event seemed almost tame in comparison.

"Victim statements?"

"Statements of support," there it was. And she didn't even ask them, just assumed that they would, "Statements that she isn't a threat to anybody. That you guys are not afraid of her anymore."

Except she was a threat, and they were still afraid.

Aria could feel her blood boiling. How dare she? How dare Alison Dilaurentis sit on that desk and assume that they would be willing to lie for her again. . She hadn't been with them in that dollhouse, had not seen what they endured. Nor had she been with them in the last five years - she didn't know the kind of long lasting effect that torture had had on them.

Alison was met with silence. Faces pale and blank. Aria could see the uncertainty creep in, no one was moving. No one was asking 'how high?' after she told them to jump.

She looked around, trying to meet their eyes. Aria looked at the ground.

"There's no reason to be afraid. You know her. You heard her story, we all went through this together."

Aria scoffed.

All eyes turned to her, but the silence continued.

Well, if no one else will.

"Did we through? Go through this together?"

There was shock in Alison's eyes. "Of course we did."

"You're right. We did." She replied, vaguely gesturing to herself, Spencer, Hannah and Emily, "You weren't down there. You didn't suffer like we did."

The fog that had surrounded her thus far had lifted, leaving behind blinding rage. Hannah shifted at her side. Emily straightened up from where she sat on the desk. Spencer didn't move a muscle.

"Do you realise what you're asking us to do? We'd be giving a get out of jail free card to someone who tried to kill us!"

"She's in hospital Aria, not in jail."

"Well she should be! Do you not realise the hell on earth that she put us through! The scars - both mentally and physically - that we have to live with."

"That's why your statements would mean so much!"

She wasn't listening. Of course she wasn't - when did she ever.

"Who else is speaking?" Spencer asked, her voice calm and even.

"Mona demanded to be heard."

Aria already knew that. Mona's unflinching demands to be heard gave Aria comfort - no matter what, someone will do everything possible to keep Charlotte exactly where she was.

"Why isn't Jason here?"

Alison's face dropped. She knew, as they all did, that Spencer and Jason shared a far closer bond than he and Alison ever did. Spencer knew why he wasn't there - she knew whose side he was on.

As did Aria. In fact, she knew that he was two blocks away, waiting for this impromptu meeting to be over, at which point she would flee to his car and they would disappear for the rest of the day.

Something in Spencer's eyes said that she knew Jason's whereabouts as well.

"He doesn't agree with Doctor Rollins in me."

"So, where is he?" Spencer asked, hiding well the smug feeling that their brother would not support Alison.

Aria could see it all the same.

"Probably off with that random girl of his." Alison, however, was not as good at hiding her emotions - her voice layered with contempt.

Emily and Hanna stayed quiet, most likely out of confusion. But Aria stayed quiet for another reason, curiosity. She was not under the illusion that Alison, and Spencer for that matter, had completely missed the existence of someone else in Jason's life. However, she was surprised that it was only getting brought up as a dig at him - rather than genuine care for his life or even curiosity at who he was spending it with.

"I wouldn't call the woman he's been living with for the last year 'random'."

There was a defensiveness in Spencer's tone that Aria didn't expect, as far as she was aware, this was a stranger - someone she had never met, yet through this woman's connection to her brother, she was defending her from the mighty Alison Dilaurentis.

Or maybe she did know - the way Spencer's eyes darted to Aria said so much more than her words.

"Why else would he not tell us about her?"

"Because he doesn't trust us."

Hanna and Emily both wished they weren't in the room, while simultaneously being glad they were. No one stood up to Alison, the very idea of it made them uncomfortable - which was the very reason they were grateful to hear it.

They'd not seen Alison so stunned for words in years.

"Everyone he's ever been with, you've driven off. And that's the ones that have stayed after the crazy drama that this town has put them through. Are you really surprised, that after he finally got out, finally found someone that would stay, that he didn't want her anywhere knew the freak show that is Rosewood?"

"Spencer, that's not fair."

"Yes, Alison. It is."

Aria had not felt silence that tense in years. Ironically enough, the last time she felt so desperate to flee a room, it was because Alison was in it.

"Fine. Whatever. Can we just please circle back to the original issue." Alison's patience was wearing thin. Her desperation was creeping through and Aria could tell, it would only take a small push for her to snap.

Was it cruel of her? To have such a strong desire to see Alison Dilaurentis fall apart, to realise that she was alone and no one was following her orders.

Perhaps it was.

But Alison would, so Aria will as well.

"No Alison, let's not."

"What?" She scoffed.

"You don't like what Spencer has to say? Tough shit. You don't get to shut us down like that when you don't like what we're saying, not anymore."

"So you think you know Spencer better than me? Know Jason better than me?"

"Yeah, I do."

Aria had almost hoped that Alison would understand on her own, just so that Aria could watch the realisation dawn on her. She didn't. Aria would have to explain.

Jokes were always much less fun when needing explaining.

"He's my brother Aria. Be as high and mighty as you want, I will always know my siblings better than you."

"Even though you don't know the name of, what was it?" she turned to Spencer, "the girl he's been living with the past year. Could you say what she looked like? Would you realise when you're standing in front of her?"

"Holy shit." Emily and Hanna muttered in unison.

"It was you?"

"Duh."

A small part of Aria felt bad. She was rubbing it in the face of someone who used to be her best friend, that she truly didn't know her brother as well as she thought she did. However, a larger part was taking such glee in the turmoil she was causing. She had entered the classroom, shaking and nervous - knowing that Alison was going to ask them the impossible, and they would do it anyway.

Yet here she was. Smug and grateful that she had chosen to show up today.

"Can we please focus!" Alison was nearly shouting.

"No, we can't. That's my answer. I'm not speaking for Charlotte, I'll be telling the judge exactly what she did to us - the hell she put us through and the hell we're still suffering because of it. Believe me when I say this Alison, Charlotte will be locked up for as long as she lives."

The room was stunned into silence.

"And with that, I have someone waiting for me." Aria spun on her heel and walked out the room with as much composure as she could, trying her very best to not run until she was completely out of earshot.

She burst through the doors and began speed walking down the street. She'd only passed two buildings when she heard someone rushing to keep up with her - it was only Spencer calling out that stopped her from panicking.

She stopped but didn't turn. The day had drained her and she couldn't wait to get back to Jason and leave for the peace of his apartment.

"I'm sorry."

Aria's train of thoughts stopped. "What?"

"I'm sorry. I should've brought it up, or just asked about it. I mean I suspected it was you but I thought if I just left it long enough, one of you would tell me. Which I know now is completely unfair, I knew why neither of you would want to bring it up. I guess I just-"

"Spencer! Breathe!"

Spencer's deep breath was almost exaggerated. Then there was silence.

"What are you going to say at the hearing?" Aria asked, almost afraid of the answer. Out of all of their friends, Spencer was the one that clashed with Alison the most. Would this be another battle of differing opinions? Or would Spencer concede just to keep the peace.

"She won't get out, Aria."

"That's not what I asked."

For days Aria had been battling with what her friends may say. She was steadfast in her opinion, nothing would change what she would say. But the others, she wasn't so sure about. Perhaps they would do what Spencer seemed to be doing, dismissing their worries and lie for Alison - because it wouldn't matter, Charlotte wouldn't get out.

Unless she did.

"I'm not lying for her. I've done enough for that to last a lifetime."

Aria visibly relaxed.

"I'll tell them how Alison was willing to forgive and forget the literal crimes she has committed, from the moment she was locked up. How we've been harassed into helping our tormenter. You were right Aria. She's not getting out for as long as she lives."

Aria smiled. Her, Spencer, Mona. Three out of six, it could be worse.

The only person that would definitely defend Charlotte was Alison, and she was biased - the court had to see that.

They'd make the court see that.

"Come on, Jason's waiting."

Off they went, nerves settled and anger released - confident that no matter what happened at the hearing, they would not be hearing from Alison anytime soon, which was more than fine with them.

They'd said all they needed to say.