ReawAkening (Pretty Little Liars) [Discontinued For The Foreseeable Future]

Part 10 - The Guilt

Chapter Ten - The Guilt

Aria's Point of View

Once I wake up, I check my phone, expecting a text from A, before I remember what happened, and feel relieved. No more A. It's still barely even sunken in. I look to my left, and look at Ezra, who had changed into normal pajamas, and was watching the TV in the corner on mute. He wasn't wearing a breathing mask anymore, but had instead a breathing tube. He was still hooked up to an IV, and a few other things. When he saw that I was awake, he grabbed the remote that was on the table next to him and turned off the TV.

"Morning," I said to him. He nodded, then looked at me. He still looked a bit pale, but the color had returned to his face.

"Morning, Aria," he said back. I tried to think of something to say.

"How are you feeling?" I ask him. He opens his mouth to answer, but I stop him. "Wait - Before you answer that, why didn't you tell me about you having pains in your sides, Ezra?" I ask, a newfound anger that I had kept in surfacing. "You told me you were feeling fine! And why didn't you call me when you were coughing up blood? I thought you were going to tell me when you felt bad!"

"Aria."

"-And you also said that you wouldn't lie to me-"

"Aria."

"-But I can't even count the times that-"

"Aria!" I snap my head over to him, and he looks at me annoyed. "You were rambling." He tells me. I clench my jaw.

"Well, maybe if you would tell me things, then I wouldn't have to - Mmph!" I get cut off when Ezra slams his lips on mine. His silent warning. Shut up. After I had forgotten about my anger for a moment, he pulled away, wincing as he lye back in bed. "..Sorry," I apologise.

"It's fine." I sigh, and look around the room, just thinking. It seems like since Shauna's been, well, dead, there's been more drama then there needs to be. I don't know.

Suddenly, my phone vibrates, signaling a text. From Ali.

Hey. Can you come over? I got another one.

-Ali

Another one? Another.. Text? But.. A's dead? Oh, the A team.. Mona.. Oh my God.

"Ezra?"

"Mm?"

"Will you be okay, alone for a while?" I ask, wincing. I really didn't like the idea of leaving him, but this was important.

"Mmhm. Why?"

"Alison got another text." His eyes shoot open.

"What? From who?"

"I don't know. She just texted me. Will you be okay if I leave you for a few hours?" I ask, and he nods. I stand up, then kiss him on the cheek, walking out of the room, speeding off to Ali's house.

When I get there, Mrs. DiLaurentis opens the door. "Here to see Ali?" She asks. I nod, and she opens the door to let me in. "She's in her room." I run up to her room, to see Ali sitting on her bed, petting a .. dog? I close the door behind me, and walk over to her.

"What's with the dog?" I ask, then see that just about everyone's here. Spence, Emily, Hanna, and sitting next to Spencer, Toby. I don't judge, though, I would want my boyfriend with me if I was pregnant. And by with me, I mean everywhere.

"Apparently, my mom adopted him for me. I'm calling him Pepito," Ali tells me, actually smiling. I haven't seen her smile, in, well, forever. I nod.

"So, what's the deal with this text?" Emily asks.

"Well, I got another one. It said, 'You're going to wish you stayed dead.' I don't know who sent it, it's not signed. It's freaking me out. Maybe Mona or something." Ali tells us.

"Mona? Why do you think that?" Spencer asks.

"Well, remember when I told you guys that she helped me a while back, to help me hide and all that? Well, she said, 'You can help me by staying gone, and staying safe. Try and stay dead,'" she says. I see Toby bite his lip.

"Toby?" Spencer looks at him. He looks at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You're biting your lip. You know something. What is it?" Spencer asks him, staring him down.

"Well, remember when I was 'on' the A team?" Ali tenses up. I guess she didn't know about that. "Mona, was like, the second in charge. She would get orders, and she would make us do them. From Shauna, or whatever, and she would have certain people do them. Mona, was in charge of sending the text messages, written out specifically from Shauna." He tells us.

"So, you're saying that Mona wrote that text message out, pretending to be A?" I ask. Toby nods.

"Wait, wait, wait. Do you mean that when I found your Radley lanyard that day, that you were assigned to do that? And Shauna.. Mona.. knew that I would find out?" Spencer asks.

"Well, yeah. And I almost beat her up for it."

"Hold on, hold on. He was working for A, yet you let him get you pregnant? What the hell! How much have I missed?!" Alison exclaims.

"I was only doing it to try and find out who was running it," Toby explains. "Besides, it was a while ago."

"Hmm.. Okay. I still don't get it. Why is Mona still after us?" I shrug my shoulders.

"You know, you still have to tell the police you're back," Hanna says, speaking for the first time.

"Meh, they can find out on their own." Ali says, rubbing Pepito's head.

"Okay. So, what do we do now? Ignore Mona? Push her off a ledge?" Hanna suggests. I tense up, and Hanna sees. "I was only kidding.." I nod, still tense. The thought has only just sunk in: I killed someone.

I killed Shauna, and now, she won't ever be able to grow up. Or have kids, or graduate high school. All. Because. Of. Me.

I don't know how I'll be able to deal with the guilt of this.

"Well.. I don't know. I guess just deal with her, face her and tell her to stop or something. I don't know; didn't really think about that," Toby says.

Great. We're screwed.