( chapter two; blocked messAges )
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MELISSA MOVED towards Wren as she heard Madison say his name. She furrowed her brows, "Do you two... know each other?"
Words would not form in Madison's head, she had no clue what to say. But Wren's sharp thinking helped them both, "Oh, yeah, Madison did a small college taster in the med program at UPenn. We bumped into each other when I was looking at classes."
Madison nodded, "Mhm-hm. I've been thinking about it as a career after school is finished. Wren answered a few questions I had."
"Wow." Melissa replied, believing every word, "Atleast you have your future planned, a lot of people your age don't." She held a hand to Wren's chest, "Maybe Wren could teach you a few things."
Madison's eyes flickered up to meet Wren's. She had to contain herself from smirking, so she simply nodded, "Yeah, maybe." Madison took in a breath, looking towards where she had entered, "I should go."
"It was nice seeing you again, Madison." Melissa smiled at her.
Madison nodded, "You too." She took one last glance at Wren, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her, before making her way back to her car. As she got inside it, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She shut the door, pulling out her phone. There was a text. She opened it;
I wonder what Melissa would do if she knew
that Wren has already taught you a few things.
- A
~ Flashback
June 2009
Madison was at a frat party, one Alison had taken her too. They both had gotten in with fake IDs, they both looked far older than they were. Alison had already took off with some guys, so Madison had gone to mingle aswell. As she danced to the loud music, someone knocked into her but he had instantly caught her before she fell over.
"I am so sorry." He apologised. Madison recognised that he was British from his accent. She stared at him, instantly attracted to his soft eyes and cheesey smile.
She shook her head, "It's fine. I'm Madison by the way."
"Wren." He yelled over the music. The next ten minutes they started getting to know each other, finding an empty bedroom to talk in. After a few minutes, they were interupted by a drunk couple walking in.
Madison laughed, taking Wren's hand and dragging him towards the door, "Lets find somewhere else."
"Aw, I kind of liked it in there." Wren whined.
Madison chuckled at him and went into an empty bathroom. Wren shut the door behind them. As she went to turn, her heel caught on the floor, causing her to stumble, accidentally pulling Wren towards her. Wren's strength pulled her back towards him, making their bodies collide together.
She glanced up, staring straight into his doeful eyes. Her eyes flickered to his rose pink lips that she wanted to taste more than anything. Wren was hesitant, "I have a girlfriend."
Madison's eyes locked back on his, her voice almost at a whisper, "Then why haven't you pulled away?"
"Because, I - uh - " He didn't have an answer for her. The right side of her mouth tugged a little into a smirk.
She began to move closer before stopping at the thought of him having a girlfriend, even though she wanted to so bad, "Maybe we shouldn't."
His breathing became heavier the closer she came, a small knot feeling in his stomach, "We probably shouldn't."
Madison couldn't resist his cuteness. She leant upwards and attached her lips to his. She could feel her heartbeat quicken slightly but she didn't know if that was the alcohol, lust or that she actually liked him. And he felt exactly the same.
Madison pulled back from him to catch her breath. She stared back into his eyes, teasingly biting her bottom lip, "Oops."
Wren couldn't resist her any longer and placed his hand on the back of her neck, crashing his lips onto hers. They began to move in perfect sync. Wren's hands found her waist and he hoisted her up, sitting her on the sink surface. Their lips broke apart and Wren quickly moved his to her neck, kissing, sucking and nipping at it. Madison threw her head back, letting out slight moans at the feeling.
The next ten minutes were spent in a way Madison never thought would happen at the age of fifteen. She lost her virginity to a boy she met at a frat party. But she didn't regret it because Wren was different from the boys in her school. Not only was he more mature, but he had made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time. Happy.
Madison came back to her senses after remembering that night. She stared at the number to see if she recognised it but it said Blocked. The end of the message signed with a single letter, 'A'. She furrowed her brows, knowing the only person who knew about that night, "Ali?"
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The next day rolled around fast, the school day quickly over aswell. Madison was still anxious about the text she recieved because Alison was gone, but then again, the police never found her body so maybe she wasn't dead? Maybe this was another game of hers, to ruin her life.
Aria had stayed behind in school to talk to Ezra Fitz, the English teacher. But she felt far more than him being her teacher. Aria glanced down at him sat at his desk, "I know it's not just me. You - you feel like this is right for us too."
Ezra shook his head, "It's not right. We just can't." He got up from his seat and left the classroom, leaving Aria alone, her heart beginning to ache.
Emily was in the school locker room after swim practice, her towel wrapped around her body as she was fiddling with the lock. Spencer made her way towards her gym locker, which was a few down from Emily's. She wore her field hockey uniform, "Hey, have you been hanging out with Aria?"
Emily shook her head, opening the locker door, "Not really."
As she glanced into her locker, she saw a folded piece of paper inside, as though it had been posted through the slots in her locker door. She opened the paper, reading the handwritten message inside;
Hey Em! I've been replaced. You've found another friend to kiss.
- A
Emily stared at it, not sure what to think. She felt a mix of confusion and fear. The only person she could think A was, is Alison. And she knew exactly what the letter was referring to. A new girl called Maya St. Germain had moved into Alison's old house, where her family no longer lived. She had began to grow close to her, but nobody knew of it but her.
Spencer noticed Emily had tensed and moved closer, "Emily? Is everything all right?"
Emily quickly folded the paper back up so Spencer couldn't read it. She flashed a fake smile towards her, "Why wouldn't it be?"
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Madison opened the front door of her house carrying a coffee in one hand and a takeout bag in the other. She called out through the house, "Joe, I brought food."
Joe was Madison's younger brother by two years, people often mistook them for twins. He came out of the living room and headed down the hallway towards her. She shook the brown bag a little with a smile, "It's Chinese."
"Cool. Thanks." He said, taking the bag off of her.
They made their way towards the kitchen. Madison listened for anymore noise around the house but there was none, "Where's mom?"
Joe began to take the food out, placing it on the kitchen surface, "She called, she's working late."
"Again?" Madison questioned. Her mom was constantly working, barely spending time with either of her kids. Their father left the three of them just over a year ago. Madison and Joe never found out why, they didn't even dare to question their mom about it because she just shot it down.
Joe nodded, not thinking much of it. His focus was more on the food that he'd began to stuff in his face using his hands. Madison scrunched up her nose, hitting his hand away from the box of noodles, "Oi, caveman, use chopsticks... or atleast a fork."
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Wren headed into the Hasting's kitchen in his swim shorts, where Spencer was stood in her bikini, drinking water. He grinned, "Perfect time for a jacuzzi."
"I thought you guys weren't moving in till next week." Spencer said, putting her water bottle down.
"Melissa wanted to get settled before classes start." Wren replied. He glanced at her shoulders where a towel was hung over, "You wouldn't happen to have a towel, would you?"
Spencer grinned, throwing the towel off her shoulder, to him. He caught it in his hands. Spencer's shoulder began to ache and she pressed her hand to it, massaging the muscle. Wren noticed her expression showing pain, "Tough day at school?"
"Tough field hockey practice." Spencer corrected, trying to rid the pain.
Wren moved closer to her, "I rowed for Oxford."
"That looks good on a med school app." Spencer replied, flashing a small grin.
"I did it 'cause I loved it." Wren replied, "You probably have a fluid buildup in your bursa sac."
He moved behind Spencer. She smiled a little in humor, "I bet you say that to all the girls."
"I can help." Wren told her.
"Okay... Dr. Wren." Spencer said. Wren pressed his hands to her shoulders, beginning to massage the muscles of them. Spencer threw her head to the side slightly as his hands released the tension, "That's awesome."
"Wren?" Melissa's voice shouted from another room. Wren quickly took his hands off of Spencer and in a flash, she'd gone out into the garden. Melissa arrived in the kitchen, "Who were you talking to?"
Wren shook his head, "No one."
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Madison was laid on her stomach on her bed, flicking through a Latin textbook and shoving a chip into her mouth. Her phone suddenly buzzed beside her. She focused on it, hesitant to pick it up but eventually she did. She took in a sharp breath at who it was from.
Looks like your bestfriend likes her sisters beau too.
I guess friends share more than just secrets.
- A
~ Flashback continued
The pair of them scrambled to get dressed as someone kept knocking on the bathroom door. They had completely forgotten where they were, getting lost in their own world. Madison adjusted her dress in the mirror before opening the door. She was about to walk out before stopping, seeing someone on the other side.
Wren bumped into the back of her, unaware she had stopped. Madison's eyes widened, seeing Alison infront of her. She glanced behind her at Wren before back to Alison, "Ali... hi."
"Hey, Madi." She replied, a devilish grin appearing on her face, "Your names Wren, right?"
He stared at her, confused at how she knew his name, "Uh, yes."
"There's a girl looking for you. In the kitchen." Alison told him. Wren's mind went into overload, wondering if she meant his girlfriend. He quickly scrambled past the two and through the partiers. Alison quickly crossed her arms, shooting a look at Madison, her hair messy, "He has a girlfriend, Madi."
"That's his fault, not mine." She replied, knowing he had every input in what just happened as much as she did.
"Do you know who his girlfriend is?" Alison asked her, cocking an eyebrow.
Madison furrowed her brows, "Does it matter?"
"Melissa Hastings." Alison said, dying for her response because now she knew she had a power over the girl that was a competition.
Madison's expression dropped and so did her heart, "You're lying, Alison."
"Am I?" She questioned, knowing she had just spotted Melissa in the kitchen asking someone if they had seen a boy called Wren, "Because Melissa goes to this college, right? And it's not like I haven't just seen her in the kitchen asking for Wren, who you just came out of the bathroom with."
Madison's eyes widened, a lump forming in her throat, "Alison, you can't tell anyone about this."
Alison wanted to grin, knowing she now had a control over Madison but refrained from it, "Doing it with your bestfriends sisters boyfriend, now that is scandalous."
"Alison." Madison warned, "This isn't a game, you can't tell anyone. Especially not Melissa or Spencer. Please."
"Fine. It'll be our little secret." Alison replied. She turned to head back down the hallway, a smirk on her face. She stopped after taking a step, glancing over her shoulder to Madison, "For now."
Madison watched Alison walk away. She felt the weight of this secret already heavy in her chest. She didn't regret having sex with him. She only regretted that she did it knowing he had a girlfriend. And now she knew it was Melissa, her bestfriends sister, made it a thousand times worse.
Madison frowned at the text, only getting from it that Spencer had a thing for Wren, or that they even kissed? But that couldn't be it. Would Spencer really kiss her own sisters fiance? And how did this A know anyway? She locked her phone, throwing it onto the bed further away from her.
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Spencer sat in her room reading, she could hear voices outside and closed her book. She stood up and headed towards the window. She glanced out, seeing Melissa and Wren infront of the barn door, kissing. A ping noise sounded, causing Spencer to glance towards her desk where her open laptop sat.
She walked towards it, seeing there was an email. She hesitantly opened it;
Poor Spencer. Always wants Melissa's boyfriends. But remember, if you kiss, I tell.
- A
Her eyes shot up from the screen, looking towards the window. A memory of her kissing Melissa's ex-boyfriend, Ian, last summer, rushed through her mind. And the only one who knew about it, Alison. She moved back over to the window, looking out. This time she caught a glimpse of someone in the upstairs of the old DiLaurentis house, a girl.
Her mouth fell ajar, "Alison?"
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Emily walked down the street, the sound of an ambulance siren in the distance. She turned her head seeing it making its way to the old DiLaurentis house. Emily picked up pace, running towards the house where a crowd was forming. She scanned around, spotting her newest friend, a sigh of relief washing over her, "Maya! I thought something might have happened to you."
"I tried to call you." Maya said over the sirens.
"What's going on?" Emily asked, glancing to the house.
"They found your friend." Maya told her.
Emily let out a long breath, "I knew she was back. Is she inside?"
"Emily!" Maya said, holding her back from going to the house, "I'm sorry. They found Alison's body."
They both looked towards the house, seeing two emergancy service agents pushing a body in a bag on a stretcher towards the ambulances. Aria was driving down the same street, coming to a stop as she saw the comotion. Madison took out one of her earphones as she noticed the crowd and flashing lights coming from the house. She glanced around, noticing Spencer on the pavement ahead of her.
"What's going on?" Madison asked, standing beside Spencer.
"They..." Spencer took in a breath, "They brought out a body."
Aria quickly made her way to the pair from her car, "Hey, I heard the cops took Hanna to the police station today."
Spencer glanced at her, "You don't think she'd ever talk about..."
"The Jenna thing?" Hanna finished her sentence, standing beside the girls. She shook her head, "We made promise."
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"The discovery of her body rocked this community, and today, hundreds of mourners gather to say goodbye to Alison DiLaurentis." A male newscaster spoke outside of the church that was holding the funeral for Alison.
Madison walked down the aisle, her mother and brother behind her. She made her way towards Alison's mom, Jessica DiLaurentis. She flashed a sympathetic smile to her, "Mrs. Dilaurentis."
"Madison! I'm so glad you came." She said, her eyes wandered towards the front of the church, "I asked the other girls to sit together up front. It's what Alison would have wanted."
Madison nodded, "Of course." She turned towards her mom and brother, "I'm gonna go sit at the front with my friends."
Her mom, Katherine, nodded, "Okay, sweetie. We'll be a few rows back."
Madison wanted to thank her mom for actually be there for her, but decided against it. She took in a deep breath and turned around, heading towards the front. She noticed the incredibly large, expensive looking, black coffin with a bunch of flowers resting on the top. There were flowers in pots, either side of it and to the left was a large framed picture of Alison.
A hand grabbed Madison's, causing her to glance to the left. It was Hanna. She was sat with the four other girls. Madison flashed her a weak smile as they shuffled along and she took a seat beside Hanna.
"Poor Ali." Emily said, staring at the coffin.
"Can you believe what a scene this is?" Hanna said, looking at the array of flowers and people.
Madison let out a deep breath, "Alison would have loved it."
"Popular in life and death." Spencer said. Hanna glanced towards her, noticing Emily was looking paler and sadder than the others. She pulled a flask from her bag and held it towards her.
Emily glared at it before quickly shaking her head, "No thanks. I don't - "
Hanna cut her off, " - today, I think you do." Aria's phone began to buzz, causing all four girls to look towards it in fear. Aria pulled it out to read the text.
"Anyone we know?" Madison asked her.
"It's just my mom sending me a text." Aria said. She glanced between Madison, Hanna and Spencer, who all had the same frightened expressions and remembered the conversation she had with Emily the night before, "Emily and I aren't the only ones who got messages from A, are we?"
Spencer glanced towards the entrance of the church, not responding to Aria. She spotted a girl with blacked out glasses on, holding onto a brunette haired boy. Spencer's eye widened, "Oh my god. It's Jenna."
The four girls turned to look towards where Spencer was looking, seeing the girl sitting down. Mrs. Dilaurentis sat in the space beside Madison on the front row causing the five to snap their heads back, "Did you see that Jenna Marshall was here? I didn't realise she and Ali were friends."
"They weren't." Spencer told her.
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The ceremony had finished. The five girls made their way out of the church as did everyone else that had attended. A police officer, dressed in a suit, headed towards them, "Emily, Spencer, Madison, Aria and Hanna."
The five girls turned to look at the man, not knowing who he was, "Do we know you?"
"I'm Detective Wilden." He told them, "I understand you were all good friends with the victim."
Madison nodded, "Yeah, we were."
"I'm gonna need to talk to each one of you." Detective Wilden said.
"We talked to the police when Alison went missing." Spencer told him.
Wilden narrowed his eyes at the five, "And I intend to go over every one of your statements. This is no longer a missing persons investigation. It's a murder. Rest assured, I will find out what happened that summer."
He turned and walked away, leaving the girls feeling frightened. Their eyes wandered to Jenna Marshall, who was getting into a car at the front of the church, "Do you think he knows about - "
Hanna cut Aria off, " - No. How could he?"
Suddenly, Madison's phone began to buzz in her pocket. Followed by the other four, seconds after each others. They all pulled them out, their fear increasing, having an idea of who it was from.
"Oh, my god!" Aria said, staring at the message on her screen.
Madison read over the text, "It's from - "
Emily cut her off, " - I got one too."
Spencer began to read it out, ""I'm still here, bitches - "
The four others, all unaware they were all about to say it aloud, said in unison, "And I know everything - A'.""
They all scanned around in horror, trying to see if anyone was on their phone, texting them. Or staring. Or anything. Because they didn't know what was going to happen next. But they knew that someone, somewhere knew their secrets. And each of them had more than one.