Pretty Little Liars

Chapter 11: The Happening

Sabrina holds her breath as she pedals on her bike toward Dakota's house, a house she hasn't been to in two years. Dakota tracked her down at school earlier asking if she could come over at some point. Sabrina was too eager to get outside to Zoe to actually respond but now that she received that text, she's been wanting to cry ever since.

Sabrina is convinced that whatever Dakota wants to talk to her about has to do with the message she got after kissing Zoe. That's the only explanation for all this and she can only cross her fingers that Dakota has some information. Maybe she knows who sent it.

"Thanks for coming," Dakota says when they settle on the swing on her front porch, breaking the silence between them. "I didn't really know how to go about this."

"I don't either, but it's okay," Sabrina says, crossing her fingers in the pocket of her denim jacket, hoping Dakota can share some information with her. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Something happened yesterday," Dakota begins nervously, blowing air into her mouth and then releasing. "Someone sent me... a note. It was very personal and it was about something Ali knew. Only Ali."

Sabrina feels like the wind has been knocked out of her. Her shoulders slouch as she leans closer, smelling Dakota's cedarwood scent. "Was it signed A?"

Dakota blinks at her. "Yeah, actually, it was..."

"I got a text from them, too," Sabrina informs. "Today. And like you said, it was about something only Ali could've known."

"Do you think it could've been Ali?" Dakota asks, hope seeping through her tone.

Sabrina finds herself glad she's not the only one who was hopeful that Ali would come creeping out from the bushes or something, announcing her big return.

"It has to be," Sabrina says. "But I don't know why she would do something like this."

"It's classic Ali, playing games." Dakota sighs heavily, watching a jogger run down the sidewalk. "Maybe we should talk to the others about it, Neah and Bree. See if they know something?"

The thought of the four of them together makes Sabrina uneasy. She almost feels guilty that the thought of them being together without Alison is excluding her in some way. Like they're ganging up against her and leaving her out of their inner circle that was always reserved for five girls, not four.

"If we've both gotten messages, then they had to have, too," Sabrina finally says. "Maybe we should text them."

"I have Neah's number--"

Sirens wail past Dakota's house, cop cars whizzing down the street with their lights bathing the houses around them in reds and blues. It takes a turn toward Mockingbird Lane. Sabrina and Dakota both rise from the swing, the chains squeaking now that it's free from their weight. A pit grows in Sabrina's stomach and before they can say anything, they're on the same page. It's the route to Ali's house that those cars are taking.

The girls leap off the porch and take off across Dakota's lawn, taking the shortcut through Mason Byers' backyard like they used to back in middle school. They follow the chaos of the noise like bugs to light, wandering across the streets and sidewalks until they reach Alison's street. Sabrina's eyes adjust to what she is seeing, Dakota saying something from next to her but Sabrina has zoned her out.

A large crowd of people are huddled together outside of Ali's old house. Zoe's family stands with police offers, Zoe covering her mouth with a hand and her parents shaking their heads at the scene. Officers are heading toward the backyard, yellow caution tape being pinned up from one point to another. Sabrina jumps at the sight of Neah and Bree appearing next to the two of them, the girls in a line, far from the scene. Sabrina stares widely at the two of them, none of them saying a word as the police lights dance across their faces.

"Oh my God," Dakota whispers as a gurney is wheeled out of the backyard, a body bag zipped and secured on top. "Do you think that's--"

"Don't," Neah cuts her off quietly, hugging herself for warmth. "Nothing good can come from speculating over this."

"Oh honey, thank God you're all right," Neah's mother appears from among the crowd, pulling her daughter into a tight embrace. A look of pity washes over her face as she looks at the other girls.

"What's going on?" Bree demands, her tone not the confident girl that she has become, but the seventh grade version that Sabrina once knew.

"I don't know how to tell you all this..." Mrs. Dameron-Martin swallows, clutching her pearls.

"Mom?" Neah pushes. "Please don't make this real..."

"I'm sorry." She looks down at her, created from a silhouette of the police lights. "They found Alison's body."