Darkness.

She felt a gush of wind as she rested peacefully on the forest's floor. Her fingers capturing the grass around her. The moon's reflected light shined on her as she closed her eyes, she felt Safe…

"Aria! You're supposed to be looking at the stars. Not closing your eyes." A voice from beside her uttered, breaking the silence the forest held over them.

"Guys this is boring!" Hanna groaned loudly.

"Hanna, you have been complaining the entire time here." Spencer replied.

"Because this is boring!" Hanna argued.

"It's getting cold." Emily whined.

"Are you serious?" Spencer rolled her eyes.

"Hey guys? " Alison spoke. "Where's Courtney?"

Aria opens her eyes again, but something was different.

She was sweating.

Aria wiped her forehead, confused.

"What's wrong, Aria?" Courtney asked, her voice drifting away.

Aria rolled over on her stomach, none of her other friends were there.

Looking beside her she didn't see the person who spoke to her, knitting her eyebrows together she stood to her feet."Courtney?"Aria called out, something inches away broke a tig.

Aria's head snapped toward the sound, just more darkness.

Aria began to walk over to the spot where she heard the sound, the only sound heard was her footsteps and her uneven breathing.

Nothing.

She didn't see anything.

She sighed before turning back, walking over to the clearing she was resting at before."I won't let him hurt you." Courtney's voice came back, it was ringing in her ears as if her friend was right beside her.

Darting her eyes around Aria started to feel scared, she never liked being out here along."C-Courtney?" Aria shivered.

"Come to me." The voice sounded so close, yet Aria couldn't see anything.

Debating on whether to actually obey, Aria sucks in a deep breath. And she followed the voice.

She followed it to a familiar small cabin she and her friends always hung out in."Courtney?" Aria yelled, "come on… Come out already." She demanded.

She waited for a reply, but none came."Courtney seriously?" Aria says, she looked over her shoulders again hoping that just maybe someone would appear.

"You know I hate going there." Aria whimpered.

"Please?" The voice pleaded.

Aria sighed, "I swear you owe me." Aria slowly walked up the steps. Stopping at the old door.

The old thing creaked opened loudly, making Aria nervous."Okay. Courtney, I'm here." Aria held her arms as the wind started to pick up again.

Suddenly she felt something push her inside, she fell to the ground.

Now she was sitting on the old dirty floor of the cabin facing the door, it slowly started to close."No!" Aria screamed, getting up on her feet as fast as she could and managed to pull the door open.

It fought against her strength but she quickly shot herself out the cabin.

Running down the stairs of the cabin Aria fell again.

She lifted herself from her stomach to see she had been lying in something wet.

"What's wrong Aria?" The voice asked, "you don't want to play?"Aria looked down at the wet puddle she fell in, and this was no normal puddle.

Aria looked over to her hands as they were now covered in blood.

Aria quickly rolled over onto her back to see something that reach for her neck.

...

"Ahh!"

Aria jolted up from her bed, her breathes heavy as she felt her own sweat rubbing up against her arms through her shirt.

"Aria!"

Her mother, Ella burst through her door. She immediately checked Aria's head, resting the back of her hand there. "Hey, listen to me." She held her daughter's hand, helping her stand up straight.

"Come on,give me twenty." Ella began to do jumping jacks as Aria slowly followed suit, she stopped a few times to let out a few sobs.

"Come on, ten. Eleven." Ella held onto Aria's hands encouraging her to continue. "Count with me." She added.

"Fourteen… Fifteen… Sixteen." Aria panted.

"Eighteen, nineteen, twenty." They both counted in unison.

Aria's breath finally caught up with her as she holds a hand over her rapidly beating heart.

"You're okay honey." Ella hugged her daughter. Aria weakly grabs onto her mother as she let out a shaky sigh.

Her father stood by the door, not sure of what to do. He watched his daughter with sad eyes. He was afraid for Aria. She was literally falling apart in front of him.

"You just had a nightmare okay?" Ella rested her hand on Aria's shoulder, squeezing slightly.

"I'm so tired." Aria mumbled, her eyes beginning to tear up again.

She had been having these problems for far too long, and both her parents were troubled with what to do with her.

Then, Aria's brother peeks through the door.

"Did she… Have another nightmare?" He asked, almost as if he was trying to be careful with his words.

Bryon nods quietly, "she's okay now. You can go back to bed."

Mike hesitates, but regardless he leaves.

In the past three hours both parents had been trying to coax Aria into sleeping again. She was being stubborn and tried to fight the sleep, but the medication fought harder and eventually she went down.

And now, Ella and Bryon were sitting at the kitchen table in silence.

"Bryon." Ella watched her husband finish another glass of alcohol.

"She's not ready." His eyes avoided hers, "I think we made a mistake."

"It's her first night back." Ella remarked, "she'll adjust."

"How do you know that?" Bryon asked. "Did you see her neck? She's doing it again."

"I saw that." Ella paused, "but she's our daughter." Ella let out a breathe, "it's not fair that she's suffering for this and those girls are fine."

"What if they're not fine?" Byron questioned, "what if they're suffering worse than Aria is?"

"Well they're home Bryon." Ella held a glass half full of alcohol. "If they can be home, then so can she."

"Ella…"

"Don't fight me on this." Ella stopped him, finishing off her drink she sat her glass down. Ella stood up, she left the kitchen but stopped by their staircase.

"She will be okay."

...

An idea i had for a short minute. There will be an "A" here but only for a short time because something else is gonna happen. This story is inspired by a game i played.