Ali and Chloe Forever (Book 1)

Chapter 1: An Offer She Can't Refuse

Chloe DiLaurentis stepped outside onto the three-season porch of her family's Poconos vacation home. It was exactly as she'd remembered it—overpowering smell of potting soil and wetness, the stone garden gnomes in the corner, and the quirky, chipped tile-top tables Jessica had found at an estate sale. The room was empty, but Chloe wasn't alone in the house. An hour ago, she and a few other girls had arrived to this house after coming from the Valentine's Day dance at Rosewood Day, the private school they all attended.

Chloe glanced at the hot tub as her toes hit the frigid floor. A heat lamp had been set up near the door, and the big green plastic cover had been pulled off the hot tub. The motor groaned loudly. Bluish bubbles rose to the surface of the tub. But Chloe didn't bother to stick her toe in the water. She could tell by looking at it that it was ice cold and that the hot tub probably hadn't been used in years.

Hanna, Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Courtney emerged onto the porch, wearing matching string bikinis, just like the one Chloe had on. Courtney was Chloe's older sister, and the other girls were Courtney's best friends. As they waited for Alison, Chloe's other older sister and Courtney's identical twin, to change, Hanna dragged in the iPod speakers from the living room and put on Britney Spears, who they'd loved dancing to in seventh grade while Chloe was in third grade. They all sang along to the music, just like old times.

Emily stretched her towel out, sliding it seductively down the length of her bikini-clad body. Hanna strutted up and down the porch like she was on the catwalk, pausing at the end of the room to pose. Spencer did high Rockette-style kicks. Aria tried to imitate her and almost took out a dead fern. And Courtney showed them how to properly do high Rockette-style kicks. The girls doubled over laughing, wrapping their arms around one another. They leaned against the side of the hot tub, gasping for breath.

Chloe, on the other hand, was plotting on how to get back inside the house without the others realizing it. For a long time, she felt like something was off with Ali. Ali had been the one to invite all of them to the Poconos house after the dance, but Chloe had a strong feeling it had nothing to do with reconnecting and bonding over being best friends. Maybe, just maybe, Ali had a more sinister plan in mind. And Chloe was going to find out what it was.

"I can't believe we didn't talk to each other for so many years," Spencer blurted. "What was wrong with us?"

Aria waved her hand with an uninhibited flourish. "We were stupid. We should've stayed friends."

Emily's face flushed. "Seriously," she whispered.

Hanna brushed a couple of dead leaves off one of the outdoor chairs and plopped down. "I missed you guys."

"I missed you guys, too," Courtney added.

They remained that way until the song petered out into silence. The hot tub groaned. A loud thump sounded from inside the house. Spencer looked up, her brow furrowing. "Ali sure is taking a long time to change."

This was her cue.

"I'll see what's taking her so long," Chloe said, she wrapped her towel around her shoulder and went inside. She moved through the kitchen and into the living room. Then she poked her head into the bathroom. It was tiny and had a Pennsylvania Dutch–theme to it. Water dripped from the faucet. The heat from the vent made the tail of the toilet paper roll float in the air.

Chloe peeked into the formal sitting room. Sheets had been draped over the chairs, making them look like lumpish ghosts. Chloe stood stock-still, listening and watching.

She made her way back to the kitchen and pulled her sweater over her head and her jeans over her waist. Then she realized that her other sister, Melissa Hastings, was still missing—she'd been missing since that morning. Everyone thought she'd probably checked herself into the Preserve at Addison-Stevens, a psychiatric hospital located on the Pennsylvania-Delaware peninsula. But Chloe had a feeling of what actually happened to her.