Alison began to pour a cup of tea for her sister, Charlotte, who sat glaring at all of the other patients in the sanitarium.
She couldn't help but sigh as she stared at her sick sister's turned back. Ever since she had been revealed as A and stuck in here, she had been more and more distant. Her doctors merely said it was because she was bored and didn't have her source of entertainment any longer.
That source of entertainment not only included torturing Alison's four best friends (one of them being the love of her life), but also tracking and torturing Alison herself.
Alison added a bit of honey to the tea and pushed it towards Charlotte who only looked at it disgustedly.
"Drink it. It's good for you," Alison added.
"It's basically flavored water. It's as bland as this place," Charlotte whined.
Well, you wouldn't be here if you hadn't tried to kill us all, Ali thought to herself quietly.
"What about a board game? Do you want to play a board game?" Alison asked.
"Not really."
"Do you want to go back to your room?"
"I guess," Charlotte mused.
Eddie Lamb, who used to work at Radley before it became a five star hotel walked by them with a meal cart.
"Alison! I almost didn't see you there. How are you?" he asked.
Alison stood up from Charlotte who was finally beginning to take some interest in the string of her tea bag.
"I'm doing okay. Hey, Eddie. I have to ask. How has she been? I know I haven't visited in almost a week. It's been very hard with grading midterms," Alison said.
He lowered his voice to match hers. "She seems like she's all there whenever I come in. It's still the same though. She asks how Radley is. She asks about the town."
"It must be driving her crazy... Being in here," Alison whispered.
"Usually people come here BECAUSE they're crazy. Not the other way around. Though we technically believe it's a bit insensitive to call mentally ill people crazy," Eddie said.
"I just hope she isn't mad with me for not visiting. That's really the one reason why I ask. I'm the only family she's got. Jason doesn't visit her, and of course neither does our dad. She's virtually all alone," Alison said as she watched Charlotte finally take a sip of the steaming tea.
"Nah, don't get too worked up over it. The days in here all blend together. I'm pretty sure she didn't know any differently," Eddie tried to reassure her.
"I hope not."
"Hey, have you heard from Spencer recently? I haven't in a while. Last I saw her, she told me she was going to Georgetown. Nice school. I hope she enjoyed it while it lasted," Eddie said.
"No, I haven't. The girls and I don't speak much anymore. I hear from Aria the most. We talk maybe twice a month. I heard from Hanna about three weeks ago, and Spencer a little over three months ago."
"What about Emily?" Eddie asked.
Alison felt a pang in her chest at the sound of her name. "I haven't heard from Em in five years," she said tightly.
"No kidding?" Eddie asked as he leaned against the wall.
"Yeah."
"I always thought you two seemed the closest. Never imagined you guys would be the ones who grew apart," he said.
"I guess it just happens sometimes. I tried getting in contact with her. It was like she dropped off the face of the planet. It stopped hurting after a while," Alison lied.
If only, she thought.
"And the others girls haven't heard from her either?" he asked.
"I don't know. I haven't really asked them."
"Well. I'm sure Emily is just trying to figure herself out. Sometimes that's what people need to do every now and then. I better be going. I've got my rounds. But I'll see you soon," he said.
Alison thanked Eddie and helped Charlotte walk to her room. They sat on Charlotte's bed and Alison read her a bedtime story. She kissed her forehead.
"Go to sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."
"I heard what you were saying to Eddie. About you and the girls. It's a shame," Charlotte said.
Alison always felt highly uncomfortable discussing the girls with her sister. It was almost an obsessive topic with her.
"Well, that's what happens in the world. You should know that. People grow apart sometimes," Alison said.
"Even people like you and Emily?" Charlotte said.
Alison stopped dead in her tracks.
Charlotte smirked. "And the crowd goes silent."
"We're not discussing this anymore. I'll see you tomorrow," Alison snapped.
"You are still in love with her. Even after all these years of her not even being bothered to contact you?" Charlotte asked again.
Alison was beginning to become annoyed. "I'm not in love with Emily. Emily used to love me. That was a very long time ago."
"Sweetheart, five years wasn't all that long ago. We all remember it like it was just yesterday," Charlotte said sympathetically.
Alison turned off her sister's light and closed the door behind her.