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"Iris?" Emily cried out "So she’sokay?"

"She will be," Fuji said "But it was a close call"

"Wait" There was a gap in Aria’s brain "What aboutAli? Did you find her?"

Byron and Ella glanced at each other Fuji set her mouth in a line "Ali wasn’t there, Aria"

Aria struggled to prop herself up on the pillows Her head throbbed "Yes, she was We all saw her You said there were people watching us at the house They ently "You’re just confused"

"No, it’s true," Spencer croaked "She tried to kill us alongside Nick They did this together"

"She shot me," Emily said Aria watched as she touched her head There was no wound "At least I thought she did," Ehed "Girls, Nick drugged you with a dangerous mixture of toxins You saw Alison because that ho you feared you’d see--and because her picture was all over those walls Nick built a shrine to her He was obsessed over her death, and he was trying to get revenge"

"Nick and Alison were boyfriend and girlfriend," Melissa Hastings, as sitting by Spencer’s side, piped up "He cairlfriend was killed He knew Tabitha Clark--they were friends froot her to iirls And that’s where it all started"

"But Iris said she hadn’t seen Tripp--Nick--in years," Eoose chase to find his house"

"People lie," Fuji said "And Iris isn’t exactly a healthy girl"

Aria stared at her, blinking hard "So what about that video from Jaht "A second video ca your innocence It’s ht Tabitha was irl to death--Nick Our forensic and digital experts are certain it’s the real one The other is a fake"

A shock ent through Aria "Who sent that video?"

Fuji shook her head "I don’t know"

Aria looked at the others, and they seemed just as stunned "What if Ali sent it?" Emily cried "Don’t you see? She had it in her back pocket all along She sent it to fraht!"

"And what about your theory of two people tying Noel up?" Aria asked "If it wasn’t Ali helping Nick, as it?"

"It could have been anyone," Fuji said "Nick had other friends It’s possible he lied and said Noel pissed hi this as a prank"

Aria shut her eyes and thought of the night she, Noel, and the others had tried to trap Ali at the library A blond girl had served as a decoy, clearly Nick’s helper What if whoever was aiding in his crazy rae wasn’t Ali at all?

But no They’d seen her Talked to her Aria was sure of it

Fuji stuck her hands in her pockets "Let it go, girls I know you wanted closure, but you really didn’t see Alison in there Our experts are co sure, but I’m positive we’ll find no trace of her She’s dead--and has been for a long, long time Honestly It’s better to just accept it and et so to have to answer a lot of questions froh"

And then she walked out of the roolanced at her best friends Everyone stared at her blankly But it wasn’t like they could talk about any of this now--not with all their family around Of course everyone would think they’d hallucinated Ali, too Maybe they should let it go, Aria wondered Maybe this really was the end

The door swung open again, and Aria turned her head, worried itto ask questions But Noel stepped through instead As soon as he saw Aria, his face crumpled He ran to her bedside Byron and Ella et close

"H-hey," he said, tre

"Hey," Aria said All at once, the drea Noel nowhere Never getting to touch hiain She reached out and squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back And then he leaned forward so that his face was close to hers At first, Aria thought he was going to kiss her--and she wanted him to

He moved toward her ear instead "You saw her, didn’t you?" he whispered

Aria’s eyes widened She nodded, then glanced toward the door, where Fuji had disappeared "But no one believes us"

"I believe you I’ll always believe you"

He drew back, and Aria stared at hirateful