Pretty Little Liars

Chapter 12: Popular in Life and Death

The search for Alison DiLaurentis was over. Her body was found buried in her own backyard where the gazebo was in the process of being built the summer she disappeared. It was the Vanderhouse's family dog who dug her up, a heap of dirt sitting next to t a grave that was made two years ago.

Dakota is squished in the front pew of the Rosewood church with her old friends, none of them saying a word to each other. Alison's parents, Jessica and Keith, have returned for the funeral-- which the entire town is pretty much at. Dakota keeps looking around. Ali's older brother, Jason, is standing quietly as guests pour in through the double doors of the church. Phi Templeton is here with Quinn Johnston, the two of them linking arms on the way inside. Mason Myers and Kirsten Cullen share a spot next to each other with their parents. Dakota's mom is in the back, chatting it up with a few of the other Rosewood moms.

Dakota is simply trying to look at anything else other than the shiny black casket in front of them, where a large collection of flowers is neatly placed on top. The large framed photo of Ali's eighth grade portrait hauntingly stares back at her: her heart shaped face, an a thousand wat smile pasted to her lips, golden locks of hair spilling over her shoulders. She never looked so pretty.

"She would've loved this," Neah breaks the silence between them all, her eyes trained on Ali's portrait, too.

Dakota feels out of place from the others. While Bree is wearing a very short and revealing black dress with tights, Sabrina has on a classy long-sleeved dress the same color. Neah wears an A-line dress that stops at her knees, a black blazer pulled over it. Dakota, on the other hand, is wearing a velvet purple dress, the strap of her knitted bra sliding down her shoulder. She had once made her and the girls knitted bras back in the sixth grade. The yarn was itchy enough to leave rashes and Ali made fun of her for it, but Dakota dug this thing out from the back of her drawer to wear it for today's occasion. In some cultures, everyone wears colors to funerals instead of black. It's a way to celebrate the dead instead of morbid black.

"All of these people are here, just for her," Bree comments sadly.

Neah crosses a leg over the other. "She'd complain about people not being able to see her, though. And I bet you she'd be in full Hollywood glam for this."

Sabrina keeps quiet while Bree and Dakota both make noise in agreement.

"This bra is itchy as hell, "Dakota whispers to them, stretching her chest out uncomfortably.

"I can't believe you wore that," Sabrina whispers back, shaking her head.

"I thought it would be nice to wear for Alison but now I'm regretting it." Dakota shifts, a quiet grin on her face. "She hated the one I made for her."

She listens to her phone bleep from the inside of her skunk fur bag. All three of her friends snap their heads to look down at it and then back at her. Dakota feels a ball form in her throat, even though she doesn't feel like she's about to cry. Her eyes flicker to Sabrina. Maybe they were right. Maybe they aren't alone in receiving messages about things only Ali knew.

Neah looks at Dakota. "You gonna get that?"

"It's just my mom," Dakota announces when she sees her mom's name flash up onto her screen. She looks at the girls seriously. "I'm guessing Sabrina and I aren't the only ones who got weird messages?"

"Sadly, you're not," Bree answers for the rest of them. She looks back at Ali's casket, sighing. "Although, I don't think we'll be getting any more of them, given the circumstances."

"We can only hope," Dakota murmurs, her eyes sliding back to the portrait of Alison. It almost looks as though she's laughing at them, teasing them with that irresistible face she was blessed with.

"Guys..." Sabrina's tone is thick with worry.

Dakota and the others follow her gaze over their shoulders, where Remy Thorne is walking down the aisle, his burns covered by his black suit. His hair is longer than it was in middle school, shaggy and thin. Unwanted memories flood Dakota's brain from that summer, an accident she has tried so hard to forget.

"Remy Thorne is here," Mrs. DiLaurentis says, slipping onto the bench next to Dakota. "I didn't realize he was back in town."

The girls don't say anything, but they all look like they're about to hurl. Dakota sinks into the pew as the minister takes his place at the front of the church to begin the ceremony.

~~~( Hands of Time by Rachel Diggs)~~~

Once Alison's long and exhausting funeral comes to an end, Dakota follows her old friends out the double doors of the church, residents flooding out behind them to create a sea of blacks and grays in the parking lot.

"Bree," a voice calls out to the four of them. "Dakota, Sabrina, and Neah."

Carter Bass approaches them. He's one of Cameron's old buddies that graduated a few years ahead of him but still hung out with the younger crowd here in Rosewood-- Jason DiLaurentis being among that crowd. He was captain of the lacrosse team, had multiple girlfriends at the same time, and sold weed to underclassmen. Now, he's wearing a police badge in a navy blue uniform under a black trench coat.

"I was hoping I'd catch you all." He looks at them, a knowing smirk plastered to his mouth. "Carter Bass, with Rosewood PD."

"Why were you hoping to catch us?" Neah speaks for them all, her arms folded over her chest.

"I wanted to let you know that I'll be in touch," he promises, his eyes sliding from one girl to the next. "I plan on speaking to you all about Alison."

"We already talked to the police," Bree says back, that bitchy tone bouncing off them all. "When Ali first went missing."

"And your statements will be taken into consideration," he assures, running a hand through his sandy blond hair. "But those questions were asked when it was a missing person investigation. Now, it's a murder case. And from the looks of it, you girls have a lot to remember about that summer." He leans in closer. "And I can promise you that I am going to figure out everything that happened leading up to that little sleepover of yours. I'll see you soon."

He strolls away through huddles of people gathered outside of the church. Remy comes out the double doors, his head ducked, hands stuffed into the pockets of his coats. Dakota looks away.

"He's still as arrogant as ever," Sabrina comments, watching him leave.

"Yeah, only now he's armed with a badge," Neah mumbles, hugging herself.

"Hell is other people," Dakota comments dryly.

"You don't think he knows about the Remy Thing?" Bree whispers.

"Of course not," Sabrina barks.

"No way," Dakota agrees.

A melody of bleeps and pings go off all at once, echoing through the air. The girls exchange confused looks and worried expressions because they all know damn well that was no coincidence. All together, they pull their phones out of their purses and pockets. Dakota blinks at the line of numbers strung together across her screen, her inbox telling her she has one new message.

"Oh my God," Dakota whimpers.

"I got one, too," Sabrina says. And together, they read it aloud:

I'm still here, bitches. And I know everything. -A