✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
| CLARITY |
╰┈➤ act 1
╰┈➤ prologue
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*
2009
ROSEWOOD, PENNSYLVANIA BROUGHT A SENSE OF VACANCY to the people who inhabited the town. The people who used the place as their solitude were the same ones who had been born there, the same ones that would probably never leave because there was something about the quaintness of the classic suburban American town that brought a sense of security to the residents. Something about the way that it appeared as the perfect picturesque town made people want to stay.
Brooke Bentley was a representation of one of the many children birthed and raised in Rosewood. Her family were the classic American dream. Similarly, Allison Dilaurentis was another example of a child born into Rosewood, it was only destined that the two would meet to form the perfect friendship—at least that's how it looks. The pair had been known as the popular girls, then the pretty girls, then the mean girls and then all three. Yet, throughout all of that, some how, another four faces appeared in their close knit group and that formed the infamous six.
And all of that time, plus a very questionable summer, lead to the group of five girls waiting in the barn of Spencer Hastings backyard whilst they waited for their 'so-called leader to arrive. The music was playing loudly and the five girls were giggling like usual teenagers while they sipped on slightly prohibited substances—stolen by no other than Hannah Marin—and gossiped about the mishaps of girls in their year.
"It's bad, huh?" Aria Montgomery grinned as she watched her friend's faces scrunch up into ones of distaste as they passed around the cup of alcohol, each trying as hard as possible to disguise the fowl taste.
Aria Montgomery was known as the creative one of the group. The pink highlights of her hair gave the impression that she was rebellious but she was quite the opposite. The word quirky suited her style. Most people would call it "gothic" but the people who made those comments were the jealous type. Aria was one of the four girls Alison had recruited for herself and Brooke to be friends with, but Brooke couldn't lie that she felt far closer and similar with Aria than the blonde herself.
Her twin brother Mike Montgomery, Despite being in most of their classes never seemed to be on the radar of the group—perhaps it was because they didn't want to upset Aria by the thought of getting with her brother (well some of them) or maybe he had just never caught their eye—but he certainly caught Brooke's eye, their relationship hidden right under the nose of everyone they cared about.
A loud crash of thunder and lightning could be heard from the outside of the barn, echoing against its tin walls. It was the final strike that the power could take before the lights and the music came to a halt and they were plunged into darkness and—apart from the weather and the creaking of the furniture—utter silence.
"What happened?" Hannah Marin grumbled, fidgeting with the flashlight beside her until it flicked on and illuminated a spotlight in the room enough for them to see amidst the darkness.
Hannah was one of the two blondes in the group. She didn't deserve any of the things that people said to her and Brooke was always the first to snap back at anyone who dared to comment—even if it came from Alison. The girl was slightly larger than the rest of them and that had earned her the name 'Hefty Hannah' courtesy of Alison herself. It all routed from her mother and fathers divorce—particularly her father's departure. She began binge eating whenever she was upset and used it as a way of coping without talking to anyone. But never the less, in Brooke's eyes Hannah was just as beautiful as the rest of them.
"It must be the storm." Spencer Hastings assured, placing down the drink which was making her smart head and mind swirl behind her eyes.
Spencer was known as the classic try hard. She was by far the most intelligent out of the group and Brooke seriously doubted that there was a single word that the girl didn't know the definition of. She was an overachiever and had to come out on top in everything, whether it was sports, tests, grades—she needed to succeed. But it all truly stemmed from her legacy. Her parents were the same—both high-end lawyers who pushed her to be a clone of themselves and their eldest daughter Melissa. They believed that the only school worthy enough for Spencer to attend was their alma mater UPEN. It was hard to have standards set so high since in her parents eyes, Melissa was the perfect intellectual.
The girls heard a creaking that erupted from the door of the barn. The darkness mixed with the alcohol and the sound of the storm immediately sent a wave of anxiety and panic through the girls as they stood up from the old sofas and carded furniture to approach the door, one flashlight between the five of them, huddling close together for comfort, gripping onto each others arms and cardigans.
A smashing noise echoed from close outside and the five girls screams echoed against the walls. Brooke's grip on Arias's hand increased the closer they got to the door and Spencer's hold on her arm did the same.
They crept closer to the door and causing another eruption of screams, out jumped Alison herself. She had a proud grin on her face when she saw the terrified faces of the girls when she screamed "Gotcha!" Revelling in her friends misfortune.
"That was so not funny, Alison." Spencer groaned, flipping back down against one of the sofas and wrapping a blanket from off the pile around her.
"I thought it was Hilarious, girls." The blonde giggled, sitting down on the only free seat across from Emily and typing something out on her phone before putting it back in her pocket. She had complete disregard for the other girls.
"Ali, did you download the new Beyoncé?" Hannah asked, returning to her seat besides Brooke who had wrapped her blue cardigan closer around her in the cold. She grabbed the blanket that had been over her shoulders and draped it over the two girls instead, with a smile which Brooke returned.
"Ugh, not yet." Alison sighed and Brooke couldn't help but notice how as soon as she arrived, all the attention seemed to turn onto her like she was a magnet attracting it, she noticed it a long time ago and often took a step back and noticed how invested they all appeared to be.
"I'm loving her new video." Emily Fields smiled, wrapping a fluffy star wars blanket that had a huge face of Darth Vader on the front of it around her.
Emily Fields was the athlete of the group, she aspired to get to college on a swimming scholarship and she definitely had the ability. She was quiet and reserved usually and never tended to stand up for herself against anyone which would be where Brooke would step in. Her parents were overly conservative but her father was away a lot with the military so it was usually only her mother who was around. She had a boyfriend Ben but Brooke couldn't deny that she felt as if something was off between the couple.
"Maybe a little too much, Em." Alison Dilaurents commented and although it seemed like a light-hearted comment to the girls, Brooke noticed how it dampened Emily's smile and she looked down instead of continuing with the conversation. "Your turn, go on." Alison grinned, plucking one of the cups off the table and passing it to Aria who took a large sip, once again fighting off a face in attempt to impress Alison.
Alison, the so-called ring-leader of their group. The blonde bombshell. She was the reason they did most of the stuff they did. She would be the one who convinced them to sneak into a party underage and then supply the fake IDs, she'd be the one to convince them into stealing alcohol, she'd be the one to ridicule someone for something they'd do no matter whether it hurt them or not. She was carefree and that often got her into trouble. But she was still a good friend. She and Brooke practically grew up together but Alison never refrained from sparing hers or anyone else's feelings. She was the number one bully to anyone from day one of high school. Everyone sort her approval and would do anything for it.
"Careful, Aria. Take too much, and you'll tell us all your secrets." Spencer joked and the girls burst into a fit of giggles again.
"Friends share secrets. That's what keeps us close." She told them and they all smiled as if they were having a moment. "Drink up." She insisted Aria who shrugged and took another sip before passing it to Brooke Bentley who did the same.
Brooke was never really one to drink or party, but Alison tended to have that negative influence upon them. If they didn't want to join in with something or do something she did, she would comment on it, point it out. It was very rarely done to Brooke without her commenting back in return. She was known as a bitch amongst her classmates but that was only because she did it to protect herself or her friends. She would go to no ends to protect the people that she loves. To say her older brother Mason Bentley was protective of her was an understatement. Her good looks often got her attention she didn't want nor appreciate and Mason was the first to get involved and throw fists in necessary. She was the most important person in his life. Brooke Bentley was a friend to everyone. Brooke would forever be Masons little sister and no matter who or what what hurting her he was always there to protect her. Alison had once said that he would die for her. She didn't like to think about it but it could have quite possibly been true. It was completely the same for Brooke. Mason was her best friend and no matter what it was, they would forever be a pair. Them against the world.
None of the girls specifically remember when or why they fell asleep—most of them at-least—but overall blamed it on the drinking. When Brooke awoke from her slumber, she noticed she had fallen asleep on Hannah's shoulder after her midnight escapades while Hannah had fallen asleep on the arm of the sofa with Emily perched on the other end. Aria was asleep on a cushion on the floor and the chair and sofa which once held Alison and Spencer were empty. They all woke up at relatively the same time, apart from Hannah who was shaken awake by Brooke.
"Where's Spencer and Ali?" She asked, her head cuddled on Brooke's shoulder now. The door of the barn was open and they were all freezing cold, clad in fluffy blankets, wondering where the other two girls had disappeared off to. They had been there when Brooke got back.
"We don't know." Aria shrugged walking towards the opening of the barn where the moonlight illuminated the outside and the rain had stopped falling. "Ali?" She called once she saw a shadowy figure approaching the barn but couldn't quite distinguish their face in the darkness.
"She's gone," Spencer told them, white smoke leaving her lips as she spoke from the cold air.
"What do you mean, she's gone?" Brooke asked, sitting up a little straighter.
"I've looked everywhere for her. I think I heard her scream." She told them and as if being out in the cold wasn't chilling enough, one of their friends disappearing chilled them to the bone.
Something had changed that summer and they all felt it. Only now we're it's effects truly showing.