Pretty Little Liars: The Beginning {Episodes 1-10} (REVISED)

The Beginning 💄

The picturesque town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania cowered under the heavy black clouds hovering in the late August air. The weather forecast had predicted a storm of this measure earlier that day, but the citizens of Rosewood still found themselves unprepared for the intensity of the lightning that illuminated the dark sky and the volume of the thunder that shook their windows. There was an air of mystery in the wind that rustled the leaves on the trees, but that wasn't going to stop five pretty girls from celebrating the end of one of the best summers ever.

Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields, Hanna Marin, and Spencer Hastings had set up camp in Spencer's family barn, a two-story building set off the Hastings property. It had been built as a stable to keep horses, but it had since been redesigned into a separate townhouse. This was the perfect place for annual sleepovers, secret meetings between the girls, and just a generally comfy spot to kick up your feet and relax with a good book (at least, that's the way Spencer saw it). Music blasted through the speakers of the boombox set along one side of the wall, almost loud enough to hear over the explosions of thunder overhead. The girls were laughing and joking about Aria's pink hair that she had dyed impulsively, Emily's inability to go any further than innocent kissing with her boyfriend, Hanna's obsession with Sean Ackard, and Spencer's ridiculous amount of extracurricular activities for a sophomore high school student to have. Hanna had stolen a bottle of something from her mom's liquor cabinet, and they passed around a red cup full of the strong smelling liquid as they talked and waited for the final member of their party to arrive.

A crash of thunder shook the barn as Spencer took a small sip out of the glass, and the lights extinguished themselves, taking the music with them.

"Whoa, what happened?" Emily said, a slight tremor in her voice.

"It must be the storm," Spencer replied.

A disembodied creak echoed throughout the barn. An eerie silence fell over the group of girls. They looked towards the front door of the barn, their hearts pounding against their chests and their breathing becoming steadily more rapid. Wasn't this how every gory horror film started? "Guys, something's out there," Aria whispered, holding up a flashlight she had found behind one of the couches.

The front door began to open by itself, the creaking noise filling the barn with a strong sense of foreboding. This was it, this was how the lives of four high school girls came to an end. Hanna's fists balled up, and she bit her lip. "Guys," she whispered.

They all stood up and huddled together, Aria taking the lead with the flashlight. They sneaked forward slowly, waiting anxiously for whatever axe murderer was hiding behind the door to jump out at them. Something slammed against the door, and they heard the sound of glass breaking, making them all gasp loudly. Now they were almost certain they were going to be murdered in some gruesome way. The wind howled as they peered around the barn door. There was a sudden stillness until—

"Gotcha!"

The girls screamed as Alison DiLaurentis walked in, long blonde hair falling in loose waves over her yellow tank top. Alison was the most beautiful girl any of Rosewood's citizens had ever laid eyes on. Guys wanted to be with her, and girls wanted to be her. The select few Alison chose to be friends with were regarded as the same royalty that she held in her hand at Rosewood High. Her friends adored her, and she knew they would do anything for her. She giggled as she watched her friends clutch their chests and attempt to slow their breathing. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief.

"That's so not funny, Alison!" Spencer yelled, half-joking.

"I thought it was hilarious, girls," Alison replied through her laughter. She checked her phone and shut it off, throwing it onto the couch before settling herself down on the cushions.