"Did you miss me?" -Alison DiLaurentis
Isabel arrived back at Ravenswood only to learn that they were crashing a graveyard party. She adorned a red and black dress with black lace and layers. She slid on some black silk gloves, fastened a choker to her neck, and finally put on some elegant red heels with black lace covering them.
"What kind of town throws a party in a graveyard?" Aria scoffed as they stood in front of the gate.
"Must be to honor their dead," Spencer shrugged.
"Yeah, they can't do that without walking all over them?" Isabel asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Guys, what if we see 'A' before we find Alison?" Emily gulped, and Spencer turned to her.
"There's five of us there's only one of him," she reminded her.
"Um, yeah, but that him might be carrying a weapon," Aria pointed out. "All we've got are these 20-pound hats."
"I don't even have one," Isabel grumbled.
"I told you, that red one was the closest to match your dress," Spencer shrugged.
"Well, I can't run from the enemy," Hanna complained, glaring at Aria. "This girdle is cutting off my air supply."
"It's a corset," Spencer corrected her.
"It's torture," Hanna snapped. "People actually wore this crap? I'm never complaining again about a sports bra."
The four of them walked through the entrance, but Emily stayed put.
"Wait," she called, and they turned around to face her. "I can't do this."
"Emily? We have to get to Alison before 'A' does," Spencer insisted. "We can't back off."
"It's not 'A' that I'm scared of," Emily gulped, and Isabel knew what she meant.
The thought of seeing Ali again... it was almost silly, like a child hoping to meet Santa Claus. And yet, there it was, the perfect chance, just waiting there. Almost seemed... suspicious.
"I don't know if I'm ready to see Alison," Emily went on nervously.
"Em, we already have," Aria reminded her.
Isabel walked up to Emily and held out her hand, beckoning. "Come on."
They strolled through the graveyard, looking for signs of Alison. There were a lot of graves, and some fog.
"Man, people have been croaking in this town a long time," Hanna remarked as they walked.
"It happens," Spencer muttered.
"What are those? Are those fingers?" Aria asked suddenly, pointing to some mushrooms growing at the base of a grave.
"They're mushrooms. Aria, get a grip," Isabel scoffed.
Hanna just randomly stopped out of nowhere, making them turn to her.
"Hanna?" Spencer called. "Hey, stay with us."
She rejoined them just as Aria's phone rang.
"Wait, hold on," she said, pulling out her phone. "Wait, it's Ezra. He might be worried about me."
"Just don't tell him too much," Spencer warned.
"Hey, there," Aria greeted as she walked off to talk to him. The four others waited patiently as Aria finished her call. "Come on." She motioned for them to keep walking, and they did.
-
They arrived at the party, which was quite normal for one in a graveyard. Soft beige tents littered the area, and people hung about, carrying drinks.
"Why would Ali come to this party like this?" Aria asked from their little spot in the corner.
"Makes you wonder," Isabel agreed, scanning the crowd for a blonde.
"Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with Mrs. Grunwald," Spencer replied. Suddenly, she spotted something. "You guys, look," she hissed, pointing to some guy in strange clothing. "Right over there. Do you see him?"
"See who?" Emily frowned.
"The dude standing by himself," Spencer whispered. "He's wearing that vintage uniform." He did look creepy, but not like someone Ali would hook up with. "Hanna, don't stare!"
"Do you want me to look or not?" Hanna snapped.
"Oh, my God. Is that Board Shorts?" Aria blinked.
"No, Ali wouldn't ever be with... him," Isabel said, shaking her head.
"You never know," Emily shrugged. Then she turned to Spencer. "What do we do now?"
"We go up there and ask the scumbag if he's 'A,'" Hanna huffed.
"Hanna!" they all whisper-shouted.
"What? It's crazy," Hanna scoffed. "We've never even seen him before. Why would a total stranger be after us?"
"Who knows if he's a stranger to Alison?" Spencer shrugged.
"Or Mona? Or Jenna? Or Melissa?" Aria added as they stared.
Some girl walked up to him, and Emily muttered, "He's not alone anymore."
"You guys stay here. I wanna hear what they're saying. Keep looking for Ali," Spencer said before walking over to them.
"Okay," Isabel nodded, then started off.
-
Isabel walked around, searching for Ali. She had almost given up when she saw Red Coat. Her eyes widened, and she sprinted after her. Maybe it was Ali!
She followed her into a secluded little graveyard. For the rich, maybe. Statues dotted the area, and she had made it just in time to see Red Coat go through a passageway. She darted into the winding passage and kept on, only to realize that Red Coat had tricked her.
She tried to navigate the long halls, but wound up lost very fast. The same Greek or Roman statues lined the walls, and wind whipped her in one direction or another. Leaves were scattered across the ground, making her slip more than once.
Suddenly, she heard familiar voices.
"No. I have minus three bars," Hanna scoffed.
"Hanna!" Isabel yelled, hope suddenly sparking in her. "Hanna, can you hear me?!"
"Isabel?"
Isabel followed her voice, bumping into walls, but just grateful to get out of there.
"Isabel!"
She turned a corner and crashed into Aria, making her stumble backward.
"Oh my god, Isabel, where were you?" Emily gasped as Isabel regained her balance.
"I followed Red Coat. I- I thought that-" Isabel stammered.
"It was Ali?" Spencer asked bitterly. "Do you know where the exit is?"
"I did," Isabel shrugged. "But these passageways are so confusing, I..."
"Come on," Spencer sighed, and they started walking again.
"How old is this place?" Hanna gulped. Suddenly, the lights flickered, and that damned wind started up again.
"Where's that wind coming from?" Aria frowned.
"There must be an open door somewhere. Keep walking," Spencer replied. Isabel noticed for the first time that the Greek statues were covered in cobwebs. The wind whizzed past them harder this time, hitting them like concrete.
"What's going on?" Hanna asked as they struggled against the growing currents.
"Hold on! Get against the wall!" Spencer shouted, and they flattened themselves against the wall.
"Ow!" Hanna yelled.
"Hold on, hold on to me," Aria called, and they all linked hands.
"What is that?" Emily asked
Hanna's hat smacked Isabel in the face. "God, ow!"
The lights shut off, and they stood there, praying, begging for the wind to stop.
And then it did. Just as quickly as it started up, it died down, leaving them panting. Isabel held Hanna's hand tightly, but it was as cold as stone.
"Hanna, are you... ah!" Isabel exclaimed, seeing a statue in place of Hanna.
"Where's Hanna?" Spencer blinked.
"She was right behind you, wasn't she?" Emily asked Aria. "Weren't you holding her hand?" she added to Isabel, who was staring at the statue with wide eyes.
"Hanna?" Spencer called, retracing their steps. "Hanna?"
"Where did she go?" Aria asked.
"Hanna?" Emily yelled.
They searched near and far for her with no luck.
"Hanna! Can you hear me?" Spencer shouted.
"Why did you let go of her?" Emily scoffed at Isabel and Aria.
"I didn't," Aria huffed.
"I held on to her the whole time," Isabel agreed as they hurried through the halls. Her heels were killing her.
"Until you grabbed a statue," Spencer shot back.
"Guys, I didn't let go of her!" Isabel yelled.
"Even if she let go, why would she just leave like that?" Emily asked.
"She wouldn't," Spencer muttered as they came to a stop in front of a message written on the wall.
'Help me.'
"What is that?" Isabel gulped.
"'A' has the both of them, doesn't he?" Aria realized as Spencer picked up Hanna's battered hat.
"Come on," Spencer said through gritted teeth, getting up.
-
They soon found a door that led to a fancy room. A piano was in the middle of the room, and chandeliers hung from the ceiling. It was as if they'd walked into an eighteenth century living room.
"Hanna?" Spencer called cautiously.
"A door in a crypt that leads to a tunnel that comes up inside a mansion," Aria frowned as they surveyed the area. "What kind of zoning laws does this town have?"
"It could be from the prohibition," Isabel shrugged. "Maybe even the Underground Railroad."
Spencer had reached out to touch the music sheets when a red liquid dripped onto her hand. They looked up to see that the liquid was seeping through the ceiling.
"That's just rusty water, right?" Emily gulped.
A shrill scream filled the halls, echoing almost ghostly, and they looked around for the source of agony.
"They'll find out," came Ali's voice. Isabel froze as she heard her. Ali? "My friends know I'm here."
"Ali?" Emily gasped as they all dashed in the direction of her voice.
And supposedly, that direction wasn't the same for all of them, since Isabel found herself lost. Again.
-
"Ali!" she called, strolling down the halls. Every few minutes, she'd hear a shriek, or even Ali shouting, and she'd run down some passageway. But time and time again, she had gone the wrong way, and was even more lost.
Eventually, Isabel fell through some secret passageway (her love for mysteries had gotten the better of her) and into a room with Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Mrs. Grunwald. At least, that's who she recognized from the pictures Spencer'd shown her.
"There you are!" Spencer exclaimed while Isabel walked over. She hugged her as the Grunwald began talking again.
"The house is my home, it will never belong to me," she explained. "I'm merely its caretaker."
"And this room, it's your... office?" Emily asked.
"A space with no distractions opens the lines of communication," the Grunwald nodded.
"So, that was one of your sessions," Spencer stated, and turned to Isabel. "When we heard Ali... that wasn't really her."
"Six months ago, this tape was stolen," the Grunwald added. Suddenly, her eyes darted between them, and her eyebrows furrowed with worry.
"What is it?" Emily asked, but she didn't respond.
"What did you see?" Isabel agreed, her voice rising in pitch with worry.
"It's not what I see..." the Grunwald replied mystically. "It's what I feel. One of you has been touched by the one Alison fears the most."
The girls looked between each other nervously. Who was touched?
And more importantly, who did Ali fear most?
-
When they finally got back to their car, one of the tires were slashed, and Isabel groaned and fell against the side. Why couldn't she just go home?
"Could this night get any worse?" Isabel complained.
"I'll get the spare," Spencer sighed as she walked to the trunk. "One of us knows how to change a tire, right?"
"And you're looking at me 'cause I'm gay?" Emily scoffed, getting up.
"No. You just happen to be the sporty one," Aria shrugged.
"Isabel plays basketball and volleyball," Emily pointed out.
"Yeah, but you're stronger," Isabel agreed, and Spencer laughed.
-
Isabel walked up to Caleb, as Hanna had told her that he was staying in Ravenswood to help this girl he met, Miranda. (Suspicious, but okay.)
"You'll be safe, you hear?" she gulped as she hugged him. The thought of him leaving again, even if for only a night...
"Of course I will," Caleb smiled.
"I'll see you soon, little bro," Isabel whispered, pulling away.
"See you, big sis."
-
Isabel arrived back to the others just in time to catch a ride with Ezra (?).
As they got out at Spencer's, they heard a twig snap. When they turned around, Ali's shadow loomed in the bushes.
"Alison?" Aria called. They ran after her, Isabel tripping way too many times to count. Branches hitting her face, the tight corset... She had even considered ripping off her shoes.
But they finally cornered her. Just as she was about to turn around, Isabel shouted, "Alison?"
She took off her hood... then turned around.
Isabel's eyes widened. There was no way she was actually seeing this. Alison? Alive? Yet there she was, real as ever, standing in front of them. After all those years...
"Did you miss me?" Ali smiled sadly.
"It was you, wasn't it? In Ravenswood," Aria asked. She was the only one that found her voice, and Isabel was dimly aware of her gaping mouth.
"Look, I don't have much time," Ali gulped, looking past them. "It's still not safe for me to be here."
"Ali, don't leave again," Isabel pleaded when she regained access to her vocal cords.
"Look, I wanna come home, but you have to help me," Ali replied.
"Why? Who are you afraid of?" Spencer frowned.
Ali just turned to Hanna. "Remember what I told you in the hospital, Hanna?"
"That was really you?" Hanna blinked.
Suddenly, a car door shut, making them turn their heads in that direction. When they turned back around, Ali shushed them, looking terrified.
"Aria?" Ezra called, making them turn to him. She walked up to him. "You forgot your cell phone." He gave it to her, staring at something behind them.
And when Isabel whirled around yet again, Ali was gone.