Pretty Little Secrets

“I just wish I could wave a magic wand and make everything go back to how it used to be,” Spencer whimpered.

Melissa glanced at her. “How it used to be when?”

“When we were little. When we were friends. When we used to play Castle and spy on Mom and Dad.”

Melissa scrunched up her face. “Spence, you were, what? Five years old? Six? Life’s a little bit more complicated now. Things have changed.”

Tears filled Spencer’s eyes. Everything Melissa was saying was completely true. There was no going back. Too much had happened. But did that mean they had to sabotage each other at every turn? Was Melissa saying that their prank on Colin was a one-time thing, not an indication that they could form a stronger bond?

Melissa’s face softened, as if she could read all of Spencer’s thoughts. “Look, Spence. I don’t want to fight with you, either. And maybe, someday, we’ll figure out how to make things work between us. But I just don’t think there’s an easy solution, and I don’t think it can happen overnight. I’m sorry.”

She gave Spencer a pat on the shoulder, then shrugged and turned for the house. All sorts of feelings swarmed through Spencer at once. Regret. Sadness. Disappointment. But hope, too. Maybe, in time, things would improve between her and Melissa. They just had to learn how to work together. When they did, they made a remarkable team. After all, they could bring tennis stars to their knees—literally.

A faint giggle sounded, and Spencer peered off into the bushes. She’d heard that laugh so many times now that it was getting almost commonplace. Her skin prickled all the same, and she felt such an ominous sense of foreboding that her stomach clenched. What if someone was watching her? What if this nightmare wasn’t over?

But that was impossible. Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she turned and headed toward the house, too, putting A and the horror of last semester behind her once and for all.

Happy New Year to Me!

Now that I’ve done all my sightseeing, my holiday bliss is complete. And my, my, my have our pretty little liars been busy! Hanna got the boot from boot camp. Emily bribed a cop. Aria got married, to an eco-terrorist, no less. And Spencer—well, let’s just say she really knows how to get a guy’s, er, blood pumping.

Poor Spence. What she wants most in the world is a family who doesn’t hate her. A sister who will help her get a guy without stabbing her in the back. Parents who will listen to her problems and always be there. Little does she know there’s a reason that they treat her like an outsider. Her flawless family isn’t nearly as perfect as it seems. The Hastingses have some huh-yuge secrets. And who better to tell Spencer than moi?

But as exciting as these holiday jaunts have been, my fun is only just beginning. My grand plans will make Mona’s peeping-Tom act look more amateurish than Aria’s DIY knitted bras. Thanks to me, Hanna’s about to fall so far down the food chain she’ll never be able to claw her way up. Aria’s love life is going to get a whole lot messier. Emily will break her mother’s heart into a million pieces. Spencer will destroy her family, once and for all. And soon enough, Ali won’t be the only one in Rosewood to die tragically and too young. Sound harsh? Well, what can I say? These bitches ruined my life. And I believe in an eye for an eye. Or in my case, their lives for mine.

So who am I? You’ll know soon enough. But until then, I’m the shadow in the window, the whisper in the wind, the nagging feeling that someone is watching, waiting. Spencer and her friends can resolve to be good this new year, but I’ll be there to help them stay their sinful selves.

Buckle up, ladies. If I have anything to say about it, this New Year’s will be your last.