The Heart of Beacon Heights

Hidden Messages

Chapter 4:

Hidden Messages

The first thing Alison did when she got control of herself was pull up the website for the airport to figure out when she could get the first flight out to Rosewood. It took Mona gently reminding her of Emily's warning and reaffirming why it was a bad idea before Alison came back to her senses.

"She told you not to look for her." Mona softly put her palm against Alison's arm. "Besides, do you really think she's actually still in Rosewood? She's smarter than that."

"She wouldn't just disappear. She...she doesn't run."

"What, you thought that was strictly your thing?" Mona lifted her brow in intrigue.

Alison shot her a look so sharp that could have sliced through glass.

"Sorry. I just meant..." Mona stopped. She wasn't sure what she meant. "We don't know what was running through her mind."

"She looked terrified." Or heartbroken. Or maybe both. "This is all wrong." Alison shook her head. "This wasn't supposed to happen. This was supposed to be our fresh start." She clenched her jaw, her bright blue eyes glistening with tears. "What if she's hurt?"

"Look, if it's one thing I know about Emily Fields it's that she's resilient." Mona tried to comfort her. "All those years of torture weren't for naught. She knows how to take care of herself. She's a shark."

"People kill sharks all the time."

"You are not making it easy to paint this in anything but darkness." Mona muttered. "You heard what she said. She told us what we needed to do. We're on the right track here with the murder. The sooner we can figure that out the sooner we can figure out what's going on with her."

"We should call the cops." Alison nervously handled her phone.

Mona stopped her.

"And tell them what? We have nothing to give them. Besides, do you really trust the cops?"

"Start a new chess game with her." Alison insisted. "You can...she reached you that way. You can reverse that process..."

"Even if I wanted to, which I can't, because it was automated...it's too dangerous now. She's been exposed to Beacon Guard. They'll be looking for me to do that. And if they think that Emily knows anything we could put her in more jeopardy. Your girls, too. I'm sure Emily took every precaution to make sure they're okay, but that doesn't mean whoever is doing this won't go sniffing around to find them."

"Right." Alison nodded. She knew she had to keep it together. If not for herself, for her family. She glanced at the screen, feeling a cold sweat building up on the back of her neck.

"She'll be fine, Alison," Mona said. "Look, she survived me. She survived your sister. She survived Alex and Mary..."

Mona flinched, and Alison caught it.

"What?"

"Nothing." Mona brushed it off. "Just...flashbacks."

But there seemed to be more to it. Alison opened her mouth to reply, but then caught a glimpse of the time.

"Crap, is that the right time?"

"Of course. What, do you think I have it set to European time or..."

"I'm supposed to be meeting Dylan in twenty minutes about his paper."

"Dylan." Mona nodded, thinking quietly to herself.