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It’s too dark in here, she heard herself saying The words spilled out of her mouth, beyond her control

No, Ali insisted It’s got to be dark That’s hoorks

It doesn’t always have to be the way you want it, you know, Ali? Spencer told her

Close theled to let light into the roolanced back at Ali, she realized that Ali wasn’t just angry She’d frozen in place, her face drawn and ghost-pale, her eyes round It was like she’d seen so awful

Spencer turned back to the , a shadow catching her eye It was a tiny shard of a e now, desperate to remember whether it had really happened And then…she saw It was Ali’s reflection…except she wore a hood and carried a bulky ca, out for murder It was someone Spencer knew very well She tried to say her na

Theforithout her Leave, she heard herself demand to Ali

Fine, Ali answered

"No!" Spencer told her old self "Call Ali back! Keep her in the room! It’s…it’s her sister out there! And she wants to hurt Ali!"

But the rasp Ali was at the door now She turned around, giving Spencer a long look Spencer let out a hoarse gasp Suddenly, Ali didn’t quite look like the girl ith theaze fell to the silver ring on the girl’s finger Ali had said she hadn’t been wearing a ring that night, but there it was Only, except instead of an A in the center, there was a C

Why did Ali have on the wrong ring?

There was a tap on the , and Spencer turned The girl outside s her eerily identical heart-shaped face She held up the fourth finger on her right hand She earing a ring, too--hers with the initial A Spencer’s head felt like it was going to explode Was Ali out there…and Courtney in here? How had that happened?

Mytricks on me, she told herself This didn’t happen It’s just a dream

The Ali at the door turned, her hand on the knob Suddenly, her skin began to fade from pink to pale to white to ashen "Ali?" Spencer called out cautiously "Are you okay?"

Ali’s skin had begun to flake off in thick curls "Does it look like I’m okay?" she snapped She shook her head at Spencer "I’ve been trying to tell you…"

"Trying to tell me?" Spencer echoed "What do you mean?"

"All those dreams you’ve had about me? Don’t you remember?"

Spencer blinked "I…"

Ali rolled her eyes Her skin was peeling off faster now, revealing ropy muscles and bleached bones Her teeth plunked to the floor like acorns Her hair turned froray Then it started to fall out in chunks "You really are stupider than I thought, Spence," she hissed "You deserve this"

"Deserve what?" Spencer screamed

Ali didn’t answer When she turned the knob, her hand flaked off at the elbow, as brittle as a dried flower It landed on the wood floor and promptly dissolved into dust Then the door slah Spencer’s body It sounded close Real Me open The bedroom was oppressively hot; sweat poured down her face Her old friends sat cross-legged on the carpet, their faces docile and relaxed, their eyes sealed shut They looked…dead

"Guys?" Spencer called No answer She wanted to reach out and touch Hanna, but she was afraid

The dreairl in the vision said The one who looked like the Ali she re All those dreams you’ve had about me Don’t you remember?

Spencer did remember plenty of dreams about Ali Sometimes, she even dreamed about two different Alis

"No," Spencer whispered perilously She didn’t understand this She blinked in the darkness, looking for her fourth friend

"Ali?" she squeaked

But Ali didn’t answer Because Ali was gone

29

THE LETTER UNDER THE DOOR

Aria heard a slam and jerked awake Half the candles had blown out A putrid s on the carpet, staring at her

"What’s going on?" she asked "Where’s Ali?"

"We don’t know" Emily looked terrified "She…disappeared"

"Maybe this is part of the reenactily

"I don’t think so, guys" Spencer’s voice tre"

"Of course soone!"