Chloe DiLaurentis stepped outside onto the three-season porch of her family's Poconos vacation home. It was exactly as she'd remembered it—overpowering smell of potting soil and wetness, the stone garden gnomes in the corner, and the quirky, chipped tile-top tables Jessica had found at an estate sale. The room was empty, but Chloe wasn't alone in the house. An hour ago, she and a few other girls had arrived to this house after coming from the Valentine's Day dance at Rosewood Day, the private school they all attended.
Chloe glanced at the hot tub as her toes hit the frigid floor. A heat lamp had been set up near the door, and the big green plastic cover had been pulled off the hot tub. The motor groaned loudly. Bluish bubbles rose to the surface of the tub. But Chloe didn't bother to stick her toe in the water. She could tell by looking at it that it was ice cold and that the hot tub probably hadn't been used in years.
Hanna, Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Courtney emerged onto the porch, wearing matching string bikinis, just like the one Chloe had on. Courtney was Chloe's older sister, and the other girls were Courtney's best friends. As they waited for Alison, Chloe's other older sister and Courtney's identical twin, to change, Hanna dragged in the iPod speakers from the living room and put on Britney Spears, who they'd loved dancing to in seventh grade while Chloe was in third grade. They all sang along to the music, just like old times.
Emily stretched her towel out, sliding it seductively down the length of her bikini-clad body. Hanna strutted up and down the porch like she was on the catwalk, pausing at the end of the room to pose. Spencer did high Rockette-style kicks. Aria tried to imitate her and almost took out a dead fern. And Courtney showed them how to properly do high Rockette-style kicks. The girls doubled over laughing, wrapping their arms around one another. They leaned against the side of the hot tub, gasping for breath.
Chloe, on the other hand, was plotting on how to get back inside the house without the others realizing it. For a long time, she felt like something was off with Ali. Ali had been the one to invite all of them to the Poconos house after the dance, but Chloe had a strong feeling it had nothing to do with reconnecting and bonding over being best friends. Maybe, just maybe, Ali had a more sinister plan in mind. And Chloe was going to find out what it was.
"I can't believe we didn't talk to each other for so many years," Spencer blurted. "What was wrong with us?"
Aria waved her hand with an uninhibited flourish. "We were stupid. We should've stayed friends."
Emily's face flushed. "Seriously," she whispered.
Hanna brushed a couple of dead leaves off one of the outdoor chairs and plopped down. "I missed you guys."
"I missed you guys, too," Courtney added.
They remained that way until the song petered out into silence. The hot tub groaned. A loud thump sounded from inside the house. Spencer looked up, her brow furrowing. "Ali sure is taking a long time to change."
This was her cue.
"I'll see what's taking her so long," Chloe said, she wrapped her towel around her shoulder and went inside. She moved through the kitchen and into the living room. Then she poked her head into the bathroom. It was tiny and had a Pennsylvania Dutch–theme to it. Water dripped from the faucet. The heat from the vent made the tail of the toilet paper roll float in the air.
Chloe peeked into the formal sitting room. Sheets had been draped over the chairs, making them look like lumpish ghosts. Chloe stood stock-still, listening and watching.
She made her way back to the kitchen and pulled her sweater over her head and her jeans over her waist. Then she realized that her other sister, Melissa Hastings, was still missing—she'd been missing since that morning. Everyone thought she'd probably checked herself into the Preserve at Addison-Stevens, a psychiatric hospital located on the Pennsylvania-Delaware peninsula. But Chloe had a feeling of what actually happened to her.
The old, rusty side door creaked as it opened. The sky was bright with stars. The only other light was a single golden beam from the garage. The black BMW was parked in the driveway. Chloe's eyes flickered back and forth, searching for a shifting shadow. She pulled out her phone, wondering if she should call someone. Her screen said No Service Available. She was out of range.
Chloe turned and walked back into the house, closing the door behind her. She slipped through the living room and made her way up the pink-carpeted stairs to the second level. A huge, pale moon shone through the circular window on the landing. The yard was empty, the pine trees forming a thick barrier between the house and the road. There was a man-made pond off to the left, though it had been drained for the winter. Now it was merely a dry, deep ditch.
Chloe went straight toward the back bedroom. The door was already ajar, as if someone had been in here recently. She remembered the cross-stitch sampler on the wall, the Queen Anne's lace curtains, and the twin brass beds. Her nose twitched. She'd expected the room to be redolent with lilac-scented air freshener and maybe mildew, but there was a rotting, curdling odor instead.
What's that smell? Chloe thought. She'd smelled it when they'd arrived here, but the scent was even stronger now.
Creak.
Chloe sensed a presence behind her, but she didn't even have to look to know who it was. Sure enough, she turned around, and Ali stood in the doorway, dressed in jeans and a cashmere hoodie. There was a worried look on her face, as though she'd been caught doing something horrible.
Ali put her hands out in front of her. "I can explain."
"I've been looking everywhere for you," Chloe said, trying to change the subject. She turned to leave the room, but Ali caught her arm.
"You're not going anywhere," Ali said, digging her nails into Chloe's arm.
"Let go of me," Chloe said, trying to yank her arm away. But Ali's grip was firm. She tried to back away, but Ali just pulled her back.
Then something in her shifted. With all her strength, Chloe used her other hand to scratch Ali's face. Ali screamed and let go of Chloe's arm. But before Chloe could run for the door, Ali placed her hands firmly on Chloe's shoulders. "Listen to me, Chloe. Those bitches ruined my life, and I'm going to make them pay for what they did."
"How did they ruin your life?" Chloe asked.
Ali chuckled. "First Courtney stole my life and took you away from me. Then she chose stupid bitches as her friends. And you chose her over me." She took Chloe's arm. "And now it's time for you to go where you were supposed to go earlier. We can go there together!"
Ali clamped down hard on Chloe's shoulders and tried to steer her toward the door, but Chloe folded her body in half and twisted away. Ali grabbed her by the waist and yanked her across the room, but Chloe shifted her weight downward, pulling Ali down with her.
"Get up, bitch!" Ali yelled.
"Fuck you, bitch! I'm not going anywhere with you!" Chloe pulled hard on Ali's hair and began banging her head on the floor. After a few bangs, Chloe stood and tried to run out of the room.
A hand snaked around her ankle, and she fell inches from the door. She felt Ali's body press on top of her. The ends of her long blond hair tickled the back of Chloe's neck.
"I guess it's plan B, then," Ali whispered. She moved off Chloe and, before Chloe could go anywhere, grabbed Chloe's ankles and dragged her toward the opposite side of the room.
Ali stopped dragging her when they got to the halfway point of the room.
"Fuck plan B." Chloe kicked Ali, knocking her to the floor. She tried to get up, but Ali pushed her down and crawled on top of her, pinning her arms by her head.
"Listen to me," Ali growled, her eyes blazing. "I won't let you choose those bitches over me."
"Fuck you!" Chloe spat.
Ali tightened her grip on Chloe's arms. "I'll make you love me," Ali said in a detached, almost automated voice. "Whether you like it or not."
"I never loved you," Chloe shot back. "I hate you. And I will never choose you over Courtney. She's not a fucking monster like you."
"You will choose me," Ali hissed.
"Is that all you've got?" Chloe taunted. "Go ahead and kill me, you stupid bitch. But I will never love you. Ever. Ever. Ever."
Ali's grip let up just a little bit, and she moved off Chloe. She rolled onto her knees and put her hands on the floor.
Chloe sat up and looked at Ali. Ali was breathing hard and staring at her hands with wonderment, as if she'd never seen them before.
Then she looked up at Chloe. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" Chloe asked.
Ali's jaw trembled. "I'm not going to kill you. I just want you to listen to me. But you wouldn't listen. So I knew that if you wouldn't listen on your own, I was going to make you listen."
"We may be sisters, Ali. But you can't force people to do things they don't want to do," Chloe said.
Ali glanced at her cagily. Once more, she peered at her hands. She shifted toward Chloe, her eyes flashing again.
"What's this all about?" Chloe asked.
Ali crawled toward Chloe and gave her a pleading look. "Chloe, I..."
"I won't tell anyone, Ali," Chloe said, already knowing what Ali was going to say.
Ali blinked. "You won't?"
Chloe nodded. "My lips are sealed."
Ali's head remained down for a few more beats. Then she breathed out a long, slow sigh. She reached out and grabbed Chloe's hands. "Chloe, I am going to make those bitches pay for what they did. Just not in the way you think."
"How?" Chloe asked, not understanding what Ali was saying.
Ali smiled. "I just want to scare them. I'm not going to kill them."
"Courtney and the four girls?" Chloe asked.
Ali nodded. "Uh-huh."
"What are you going to do?" Chloe asked, though she already knew the answer to that question.
Ali's smile widened. "You'll see."
She pulled Chloe closer to her, their faces inches apart from each other. "I'm taking you with me, you know. Once I scare them, I'm going to let them go, and then we can be together again."
"What are you talking about?" Chloe asked.
Ali chuckled again and kissed Chloe's hands. "For as long as I can remember, I've always loved you. I cried when you were born and when I held you for the first time. I was so happy when Mom and Dad brought you home. I slept by your crib when you were a baby. Then, when you were old enough to sleep in a bed, I slept with you every night. But then you became closer to Courtney, and that was because I was starting to become crazy.
"After that, everything happened the way it did. And I got sent away to the Radley. I was in and out of that place for three years, then I got sent to the Preserve at Addison-Stevens. After a year and a half of being in that place, I was so angry at Courtney for stealing my life and taking you away from me. I wanted to make her pay. But you stepped in and got me sent away again. That's when I realized that those four bitches needed to pay also."
Ali's eyes became wide and pleading again. "They always had your attention, and I was always jealous of them because of it. You loved them and Courtney more than me. That's why I do what I do, Chloe. Everything I did was for you. I just want you to love me again."
Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but Ali spoke again. "Don't say you never loved me because that's not true. You did love me. You loved me when no one else did. You loved me even after I went crazy."
Ali's eyes filled with tears. Chloe looked to see if they were fake, but they weren't. They were completely real.
"You don't understand," Ali said, tears running down her cheeks. "You stop me from doing terrible things. You remind that I can be a better person. That's why I want you to come with me."
"Where?" Chloe asked.
Ali sniffed. "Anywhere that's not Rosewood. There's nothing for me here. No one cares about me, and I hate everyone on that stupid street we used to live on."
Chloe didn't speak. She didn't know what to think. And she wasn't expecting this to happen.
Ali smiled through her tears. "Run away with me, Chloe. I know I've done terrible things, but I want to make up for that. And I meant what I said to you the other night. I want to be good, but you're the only person who can make my bad thoughts go away."
Ali looked at Chloe's wrists and gently touched them. Then she moved her fingers to Chloe's ankles. "I'm so sorry, Chloe. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just wanted you to listen to me."
There was a pause. The foul odor made its way to Chloe's nostrils again. Where is that smell coming from? Chloe thought.
"So?" Ali said. "Will you come with me, and we can go wherever we want?" She looked at Chloe hopefully.
Chloe nodded. "Let's do this."
Ali smiled again. "Really?"
"Yeah. You're my big sister, and I love you," Chloe said. And she did. Ali was clearly being sincere and honest with everything she said. She wasn't trying to be manipulative like in the past. Ali loved Chloe, and Chloe loved Ali.
And now they were friends again.
Ali reached out and pulled Chloe close to her. Chloe could smell the vanilla soap on Ali's skin. "I would never hurt you, Chloe. I love you, and I always will."
Ali burst into tears. She held Chloe tight, not wanting to let her go. She stroked Chloe's hair, which Chloe didn't mind. They stayed that way for a half minute. When they pulled away from each other, Chloe wiped Ali's tears away, and Ali kissed Chloe on the forehead. Chloe looked at Ali in a way that made Ali giggle.
"To the stars and back?" Ali said.
"To the stars and back," Chloe said.
"Chloe?" called a voice. It was Hanna. "Ali?"
Ali and Chloe looked at each other knowingly. And with that, the decision was made. They were going to leave Rosewood, never to be seen again. They just had to get through the night first. But this wasn't anything they couldn't pull off. After all, they were sisters. And with them, anything was possible.