Love, Secrets and War~

Prologue: It all Started That Night

I watch the wind batter the trees outside the window, resting my palm on the cold glass. I don't know why but I am always fascinated by the destructive beauty of storms. The eerie white-blue light created by a strike of lightning, the slow predictable rumble of the thunder and the howling wind never fail to capture my attention. And then it takes a while for someone to tear me away.

"Lissa are you going to sit and stare out of the window all night or are you going to grace us with your presence?" my twin, Aria, teases.

I peel my gaze from the window and roll my eyes. "Just because you don't know when to enjoy nature doesn't mean I don't," I respond, sticking my tongue out for good measure. But I make my way over to the group anyway, flopping ungracefully to the ground as I sit.

"Continue," Hanna urges my sister. Her pale blue eyes looking at her expectantly to finish the story.

"Well... midway through the song, Alyssa pukes on Lucas' head," Aria grins.

I groan. "And thus ended my stage career at aged 6," I say, giving her pink highlights a playful tug. She knows that she is going to pay for telling that story later.

"I know that look. I'm going to pay for that later aren't I?"

I smile mysteriously.

"Ugh you are going to put something in my bed again aren't you. Last time it was a live frog. I swear I screamed so loud the whole neighbourhood heard."

"I'm not going to be that obvious."

The other three giggle at our exchange. They know us well enough by now that it's playful fun. Even though I did put a frog in Aria's bed one time, she deserved it, and she did scream the neighbourhood awake. That isn't a lie.

The five of us are having a last big blow out before summer ends before we get dragged back to the halls of Rosewood High. Currently, we are waiting for the sixth member of our posse to show her face. The Ringleader. Alison Dilaurentis.

Alison Dilaurentis is the girl everybody wants to be friends with and every guy wants to be with. She has it all. The golden looks, the money, the seemingly effortless charm and boys. A lot of boys. But underneath her fair looks hides a razor-sharp tongue and if she so chooses she can ruin anyone's reputation with a few carefully chosen words.

I consider myself lucky to be her friend. We all are. If she hadn't selected us to be part of her group last year we would have been a group of misfits. Outcasts. Trying in earnest to fit into the horrors of high school.

But don't get me wrong, even though I feel lucky to be her friend, there are times that I resent my position as one of her friends. Especially when she manipulates us, holding our secrets against us to her own amusement.

Aria passes Spencer the red cup. The contents sloshing as it moves. I don't know what is in there, only that Hanna mixed every alcoholic beverage that she could get her hands on and it's now in the cup. I wrinkle my nose as I catch a whiff of the drink, the others are well on their way to getting drunk.

Spencer takes a big gulp causing the others to giggle some more before she holds it out to me.

"Are we sure that we can't tempt you, Alyssa?"

"God no. I don't do well under the influence of alcohol." I see Aria open her mouth getting ready to tell another embarrassing story but I continue to speak. "If you tell another story, Ari..."