No Escape

Unexpected Ally

Detective Tanner visited her at the most convenient time for herself, and least for Alison. It was when no one else was there to visit her, to give the two of them time to be alone. The detective needed Alison to be honest with her, but Ali was in no position to be honest. Not now, not after she was able to keep the secret for more than three years now. She was doing a good job of keeping everything to herself, she thought. The episode at theater was just a glitch. It wasn't going to happen again.

She watched the detective leave after a promise that she was going to talk to her when she was finally released from the hospital. Alison was still being kept there for recovery, and today, unknown to her friends, she was set to take a psych eval. She gripped her hands just thinking about it. She'd taken a few of those when she was younger, when her mother thought she was exhibiting symptoms of a psychological disorder. Her mother didn't know anything, Alison thought. She'd been able to fake the results before, but she wasn't so sure now.

Alison sighed, leaning back against her bed, thankfully stretching her neck out. The neck brace was finally removed that day and at least she could look at people properly now. She looked sidewards towards the window and instead of focusing on the beautiful day outside, her eyes focused on the translucent image of herself, neck brace gone, but with the dark bruises on her neck more visible now. She lifted a hand up to touch her neck, but the she dropped her hand. They would heal, she told herself certainly. She would heal, she added, but now a little uncertain.

She thought about the lie she'd fed the detective the first time she came back, and shook hed head. It wasn't a good lie. She was better than that. But Spencer had been insistent on her telling the police something. Once there, she knew they wouldn't say anything to contradict whatever she had to say. And at the moment, it was the best she could do. She ran ideas through her head to keep up the act, unsure of the things she was going to be telling people. The police knew about -A now. That had been a risky move for him or her. But Alison knew it was planned. Just like everything else was planned.

Footsteps from the hallways reached her ears, and she closed her eyes, hoping to pass off as if she was sleeping. She was tired. That one encounter with Tanner had her drained, and she didn't want to deal with anyone so early in the morning. She didn't want to start pretending, yet. She sighed to herself. If she hadn't let Emily convince her to come back, she wouldn't have to be thinking about pretending at all.

She frowned, squeezing her eyes at the memory of that day. Emily had looked at her beseechingly, begging her to come back. Alison had almost forgotten how much effect Emily had on her, an effect Emily was completely ignorant to. If it had been anyone else, Alison would have been able to walk away again. But Emily had reached out to her, and she'd felt the warmth of her hand through the jacket she'd worn that night, and it was a sharp contrast to the cold she'd felt living alone for two years. So she had to come, if only to feel that warmth again.

"Ali?"

Her eyes snapped open and she saw Aria. She tilted her head in question. "Aria." She made a face, hearing her own voice.

Aria's lips twitched into a smile. "It'll get better," she responded to her look. "Give a week at most."

"Have you been hanged before, too, so you know how long this lasts?" The comment came out of nowhere, the kind she'd been trying to suppress now that she was back. She saw the smile drop from Aria's face, Alison's shoulder sagged. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

Aria was more than a little surprised that Alison actually apologized for her comment, so she approached the blonde, sitting on the chair beside Alison's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." Alison quickly realized that saying fine all the time didn't stop the questions, but telling them she was tired did. Everyone became a lot more careful and worried, so they'd refrain from asking any more. And this was Aria. She and Alison were the ones least close with each other out of the five friends. She wouldn't feel the need to question further.