chapter ten
keep your friends close
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The girls stood with Hanna at her locker as she looked into her mirror. "Okay, I need to ask you guys something and I need you to be totally honest with me," she said as she turned to her friends and the girls agreed to. "Of course." "Yeah." "Alright." The girls said in sync. "Is this side of my face fatter than this side?" She asked moving her head side to side. "No." All of them replied but Hanna didn't feel reassured and patted the sides of her face as Aria looked out into the hall. "Is that Ian?" she asked, causing all of them to look over to see him standing in the hallway talking to a teacher. "Yeah, I hear he's the new field hockey coach." Emily answered as Adalind glared at him.

"Does Melissa know he's back?" Emily asked Spencer. "I don't know why she ever broke up with him." Hanna said. "She didn't. He broke up with her." Spencer clarified. "Well good for her, either way, he's a creep," Adalind said as Mona came over to them. "Hey! The first one is for my bestie." she said as she handed Hanna an envelope before turning to the other girls. "And one for each of you, my bestie's other friends." She gave them envelopes as well.

"Oh, uh, what's this?" Aria asked. "Oh, nothing. Only an invitation to the most awesome birthday party ever. Camp Mona." She said excitedly with a smile, and Adalind smiled at the excited girl. "Camp Mona?" Adalind questioned. "Don't let the camping part scare you. It's glamping, not camping. M is for Mona and massages, not mosquitoes." She clarified. "Oh, Naomi, Riley. Hey wait up." she yelled out before she walked away. "Why is Mona inviting us to her birthday party?" Spencer asked, an amused smile painted her lips.

"Well, she knows that we're friends again and she's just trying to reach out to you. She's trying to be nice." Hanna explained. "So are you gonna go?" Hanna asked, but her friends were quiet. "I know she's your friend, but..." Spencer trailed off. "Yeah, but I-I'm gonna have to pass. I've got this –." Aria started. "I got a lot of stuff to do this weekend." Spencer added. "Me too." Emily added. Hanna looked to Adalind who was silent. "I'll go, I've nothing else to do." Adalind said with a shrug, making Hanna smile when their phones rang.

"Camp Mona's a scavenger hunt and I'm the prize," Spencer started. "Come and find me, bitches." Hanna continued. "A." they all said, making Adalind sigh in frustration as the girls looked around, knowing it was someone that had to have been there, watching them to be able to send that message. 'A' had to ruin everything. she thought she looked at the text message.

BLOCKED ID
Camp Mona's a scavenger hunt and I'm the prize.
Come and find me, bitches.
⎯ A

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"What could they have found?" Hanna asked as her, Adalind, Spencer and Emily stood around in the hallway. "I don't know." Adalind answered. "Maybe they just wanna talk to us." Emily suggested as Aria joined them. "Hey, what's going on?" She asked. "The cops are here." Hanna answered. "I heard they found something of Alison's." Spencer added. "Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, Adalind Barlowe, Emily Fields and Hanna Marin please come to the office." someone said over the school speaker.

Soon enough the girls were seated on the couch in the school's office again. Hanna was on her phone to who  Adalind assumed was Mona when Someone entered the room. "Sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Agent Cooper." she introduced herself before she handed her card to Spencer. "FBI?" she asked, shocked. "This is my partner. Agent Randall." She introduced him. "And we're here because the bureau was asked by the local authorities to assist in the investigation of Alison DiLaurentis' murder." she added.

"I wanna show you something was sent to the Rosewood Police Department by an anonymous source." she said as she turned the tv in the room on and the girls shared looks of panic. "The family's given me permission to show it to the five of you." she said as the video started, showing a video of Alison and Adalind and the girls realized she's wearing the same clothes she had the night she went missing.

She opened the jacket she was wearing but then covered herself again, leaning towards whoever was recording. "Wanna see more? I know you want to." Alison on the video said as Adalind picked at the skin around her finger out of nervousness. "If the girls knew I was seeing you, oh, my god, they would not stop talking about it, I wish they were mature but..." she trailed off. "We don't have a lot of time, I have to get back before they wake up," she continued. "I know you wanna kiss me." she finished with a head tilt and a smirk, so alison.

"Is there, uh, anything you can tell me about what you see?" Agent Cooper asked as she rewinded the video. "They're at the kissing rock. I-It's in the woods behind the lake." Emily answered. "This was the night Alison disappeared, she's wearing the yellow top." Adalind told Agent Cooper. "That's not her sweater." Hanna remarked. "Are you sure?" Agent Cooper asked her and Hanna nodded. "Ask me what's in each one of your closets and I'll give you an Itemized list, I know clothes." Hanna answered.

"I think she's talking to the older boy." Spencer answered. "So-called, uh, mystery boyfriend?" Agent Cooper asked as she played the video again. "Alison didn't want us to know who he was." Spencer added. "Was he an older high school boy?" Agent Cooper asked. "She only told me enough to make it a secret." Spencer answered. "Huh." Agent Cooper said. "Alison liked secrets?" she asked. "She thought sharing secrets kept us close." Emily answered, and the words got caught in Adalind's head, the same words she said the night she disappeared. "They do, but secrets are made to be found out with time." Agent Cooper responded.

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"You broke up with me, remember?" Adalind heard Melissa say as she and the girls entered Spencer's house. "I just wanna take you out for coffee." Ian argued as he looked at Melissa. Melissa sighed before she turned around, spotting her sister and her friends with camping stuff. "You guys are going camping? Cute." she remarked before walking away, going upstairs. "Wait. hey." Spencer called out to her sister as Adalind put the box she was holding onto the kitchen island as she and the girls watched Spencer approach Melissa.

"Hey, wait," Spencer called out again as Melissa ignored her until she eventually turned around to look at Spencer. "What?" Melissa asked. "Maybe you should give him a chance." she told her. "And you're suddenly looking out for me because..." Melissa trailed off, suspicious of Spencer's interests as Ian paced. "I don't know when this war between us got started, Melissa but can't it just be over?" she asked, tired of fighting with her.

"I'm only sixteen and I'm tired." she admitted. "Is this you trying to fix what you broke with Wren?" Melissa asked. "No, just trying to do the right thing." Spencer answered, causing Melissa to glance and Ian who was waiting. She sighed. "Coffee. That's it." Melissa told him as she walked down the stairs. "Okay." he answered as he and Melissa left, before he did, he gave Spencer a nod and she gave him a tight lipped smile before she sighed and went to join her friends again.

"Since when are you mending Melissa's relationships?" Aria asked. "I kind of owe it to her." Spencer responded as she approached them at the kitchen island. "What's she ever done for you?" Emily asked. "It's more about what did I do to her." Spencer answered and the girls looked at her, wanting to know more. "I'm the reason she and Wren broke up, we had a moment and... Melissa saw us." she admitted.

"A moment?" Emily asked. "Yeah, it gets worse?" Spencer said. "it gets worse?" Adalind asked.  "Yeah, Melissa doesn't know this part," she paused. "I also had a moment with Ian." Spencer confessed, making Adalind cringe. "Shit up." Hanna remarked. "It was early in the summer before Alison went missing, it was just one kiss, but after they broke up we started seeing each other." Spencer continued. "I feel like the poster child for poor judgement," she muttered.

"You could've told us, Spencer." Emily told her. "Really? Cause Ali knew about the first kiss and she thought I was awful." Spencer told them. "Were not Ali, Spence." Adalind told her. "I should not tell Melissa, right?" Spencer asked. "Right." The girls all answered at the same time and Spencer nodded.

"Wait. Spence, turn the tv up." Hanna demanded, making everyone look towards it and Spencer turned it up. "Authorities searched the family home earlier today and initial resorts have confirmed that bloodstain on the sweater is a match to the victims, you just tuned in, police have issued a warrant for the arrest of missing Rosewood teen, Toby Cavanaugh. He's wanted for the murder of Alison DiLaurentis." the news person said, shocking the girls.

"The sweater is Toby's." Hanna said in shock. "No, Alison was not dating Toby, there's no way that that's the guy she's talking to in the video." Aria denied with a shake of her head. "Aria, you saw the news. They have proof." Hanna remarked. "If it's Toby's sweater, then he has to be the boy at the kissing rock." Spencer told them. "Is it finally over?" Emily asked. "No," Spencer answered. "Toby's been missing for weeks," Adalind pointed out. "It won't be over until he's behind bars." Spencer added.

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Aria, Spencer and Adalind have driven to the camp together in Adalind's car. "My god." Adalind muttered as she looked around at Mona's party. "Welcome to Camp Mona." Mona greeted them. "Happy Birthday." the girls said at the same time as they handed her their gifts they got her. "Oh, whatever it is, I'm sure I'll love it," she assured. "And If not, i'll return it." she said before handing them off to a guy who put them with the rest as the girls shared a look as Mona grabbed bags off a table behind her and handed them to the three of them.

"Swag." she said with a wide smile. "Thanks Mona." Adalind thanked her. "Oh, it's, um... subtle." Spencer said she pulled out a jacket with 'CAMP MONA' on it in pink. Mona smiled. "Okay, tour time." she said. "So over here, we have the massage tent." she pointed over to where girls were getting massages.

"The mani-pedi area, the blow-me bar and the mini bar." she continued to point out to them before she spotted something and she sighed. "Excuse me." she said to the girls. "Um, did I just see you eat a cookie?" she asked an employee. The girls shared an amused look, as Adalind laughed softly. "That girls something else." she said and they nodded in agreement.

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A while later, Emily arrived and had something to tell the girls, apparently Toby had come to see her. "He came  back to tell me that he's innocent and that he didn't hurt Ali." Emily told them. "He's lying." Spencer responded. "We have to tell the police." Aria told her as Adalind bounced her leg up and down when suddenly Adalind's phone rang, making her jump and look down at her phone in her lap. "It's Hanna." she told them before she answered. "Hey." She greeted her. "Hey, how's my friend Mona?" Hanna asked and Adalind leaned forward to see her looking at the gifts.

"She's Mona," Adalind answered. "Well, I'm leaving in ten and if 'A' is watching you, I'll be watching her." Hanna told her. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Adalind asked. "Addie, I went to a fat camp for five summers. I can handle some woods." Hanna responded. "Hanna, listen. Emily saw toby." Adalind told her but it hung up on her, making her sigh. "God, service out here sucks." she grumbled just her phone went off, a text message.

"It's from 'A'." Adalind told them as they leaned towards her to see it. "You found my bracelet. Now come find me, good luck bitches." Adalind read out the message she got. "I think we're supposed to go where we found Ali's bracelet." Spencer said. "That was in the middle of nowhere." Aria pointed. "Uh, actually, it was 15 steps east from the half-point tree which is 136 steps from the main road." Spencer responded and the girls stared at her.

"You're a freak and I love you." Adalind told her, making her laugh before they all got up and went to walk out of the tent but Mona stopped them. "Emily, Aria, your turn to get blown." Mona told them, making the girls sigh as she left. "Well, it has to look like we're here to party." Spencer told them. "So go Glamp while me and Spencer will be back before it gets dark." Adalind said before she and Spencer walked out of the tent.

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Adalind and Spencer were walking around the woods, looking around near where they found the fake Alison bracelet. "So have you called Jason?" Spencer asked and Adalind sighed. "No, but I will, I've just been so focused on catching 'A' I haven't had time." she responded and Spencer nodded. "Do you think you guys would ever, you know, get back together?" she asked and Adalind shrugged. "I don't know." she answered. "When we started dating, I hated myself for thinking this but, I never thought we'd be together forever." she admitted.

"Why?" Spencer asked as they looked around the woods. "He was older, I thought we'd have a fun few months, maybe a couple years but I'd assume we'd break up, he'd get sober, meet someone his age and I'd find someone my age." Adalind admitted and Spencer nodded in understanding just as Adalind caught sight of something on the ground. "Spence." she said, making her turn to see what Adalind was pointing out.

It was a small bag, one like the friendship bracelets were in. Spencer picked it up and opened it, making Adalind furrow her brows. "Does that say..." Adalind trailed off and Spencer nodded. "It does." she said with a nod. "Wait, there's something else." Adalind said as she pulled a piece of paper from the little bag. "We need to get back now." Adalind said and Spencer nodded before they rushed back towards Camp Mona.

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Adalind laughed once she and Spencer saw Emily and Aria. "Wow." Spencer breathed out with a smile. "Shut up." Aria told her and Spencer. "What happens if you touch it?" Adalind wondered as she went to touch Aria's hair but Aria swatted her hand away and Spencer touched Emily's poofy hair.

"Did you find anything?" Emily asked which made Spencer and Adalinds smile slip off their faces as Spencer looked around, making sure no one was watching them before she turned back around and they both nodded.

"Come here." they said as they led Aria and Emily somewhere else, away from everyone else. "Guys check it out." Spencer said as she pulled the bag out of her pocket and then pulled the bracelet that said 'JENNA' on it and handed it to Emily. "Is Jenna telling us that she's 'A'?" Emily asked.

"I don't think so. There's something else." Adalind responded as Spencer pulled the note from the little bag and showed them. "You're as in the dark as Jenna, looking for me in all the wrong places." Spencer read out to them. "Well, if this is the wrong place then what's the right place?" Aria asked but no one answered, but no one knew.

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Adalind sighed as she sat in a tent by herself and before she could stop herself she hit the ring on Jason's contact and put the phone to her ear and it didn't take long before Jason answered. "Addie?" Jason asked, hoping she was actually calling him, not by accident. "Jason. Hi." Adalind breathed out with a sigh. "Never thought you'd call." Jason told her. "I know, I've been... busy." Adalind said hesitantly. "So, how have you been?" he asked.

Adalind sighed. "I've been okay, I'm currently glamping." she told him, making him laugh, which made her blush slightly, his laugh was always one of her favourite things about him. "Glamping?" he asked. "Yeah, me and the girls got invited to Mona's party." she answered. "Mona?" he asked. "One of Hanna's friends." she answered. "Oh, okay." he said.

"I miss you Addie." Jason whispered as if it was a secret. "I miss you too." Adalind told him. "I'm thinking about moving back to Rosewood." he told her, making her heart beat quicker. "R-really?" she stuttered as she asked. "Yeah, and I was wondering if we could give it–us another try?" he asked. "Jason I–" Adalind started as Spencer came barreling into the tent. "We need to go." she said, making Adalind sigh. "I've got to go, call me later." she said before hanging up, not waiting for Jason to respond.

Adalind looked at Spencer. "Sorry, bad time?" Spencer asked, now noticing she had been on the phone. "Just Jason," Adalind waved her off. "Finally." Spencer said before getting into why she came into the tent. "I know where we need to go." she said before she and Adalind walked out of the tent and found Emily. "Hey, where's Aria?" Adalind asked her. "I don't know." Emily answered.

"We have to go to the Wright place, W-R-I-G-H-T." Spencer said and it clicked for Adalind making her gasp and look at spencer. "Wrights playground." Adalind and Emily answered at the same time. "Yeah," Spencer said before the three of them rushed into the woods towards Wrights playground.

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The three of them were now deep into the woods, looking for Wrights playground. "I think you're actually enjoying this." Emily spoke up as they found a crosswords map which had 'Wrights playground' on it. Emily and Adalind followed after Spencer as they reached Wrights playground. "This is creepy at night." Adalind let out before they heard a noise behind them, making them turn around to see a swing moving.

They continued, moving away from the playground, looking for something that they didn't know what it looked like, basically a blind scavenger hunt. "Emily, Addie." Spencer said, getting their attention as they looked to see what Spencer was looking at. They followed Spencer as she walked up to a tree that had 'Alison +' carved into it. Emily picked up a stick to get rid of the stuff in the way of the name under Alison's. But part of Adalind wished she hadn't, it said 'Alison + Ian' carved inside a heart on the tree. "Alison loves Ian?" Adalind asked in shock as they all shared a look. Was Ian the older boyfriend? She thought when suddenly they got a message from Hanna.

Hanna Marin
S.O.S
I know who A is.
Heading to the Parking lot

It said, making the girls share a look before they rushed off, leaving the tree behind.

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They had met with Aria on their way. "Hanna, we're over here." Aria called out as they walked into the camp parking lot and soon enough they spotted Hanna running over to them, having heard their call but suddenly the girls stopped, they spotted a car behind Hanna. "Hanna! Watch out!" Adalind called out, hoping to alert her and she'd move but she just turned around, and looked to see a car speeding towards her. "Hanna look!" Emily screamed but it was too late, the car had hit Hanna, Hanna going over the top and dropping to the floor.

"Hanna!" Adalind screamed. "Hanna get up!" Spencer yelled out as the car sped off. "Oh my god." Emily exclaimed in shock as they rushed over to Hanna. "Call 911." Spencer demanded. "There's been an accident, we're at the Camp Rosewood parking lot, please hurry." Emily said to whoever had answered her call. "She's not breathing." Adalind shakily exclaimed, still in shock. "Hanna." Aria said, trying to wake her up just as their phones went off.

"Please, no." Emily pleaded. "She knew too much, A." Aria read out, making Adalind cry. "Somebody!" she screamed as loud as she could. "Hanna, Hanna!" Aria exclaimed, hoping to wake Hanna up. "Help!" Spencer yelled out as Adalind cried as they all called out Hanna's name, but she wasn't waking up or responding.

⎯ AUTHORS NOTE
new chapter!! <3