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It is a weakness full of possibilities I could make Emily break laws for s, all in the name of Alison And when I make my move, it will be so easy to lure Emily into my trap All it will take is a few simple wordsand one simple kiss I can only hope that the others will be as easy to manipulate

Next up: Aria She, Byron, and Mike are geared up for so suspicion that the surprise waiting for the wool Aria wanted for Christ to unravel in Aria’s life this holiday season

Mwah!

Aria’s Pretty Little Secret

Chapter 1

The More the Merrier at Solstice Tieridoo omery steered with his knees as he shoved a CD into the slot in the Subaru’s stereo console Australian pipe an to play, and he bopped his head back and forth "It’s sospiritual The perfect soundtrack for the Winter Solstice"

"Uh-huh," Aria Montgoray wool scarf she was knitting The car went over a bu needle

"I think didgeridoos are lame" Aria’s brother, Mike, kicked the back of her seat "They sound like a co"

Byron frowned and ran his hand through his scraggly hair "You kids need to get into the spirit I’d better not be the only one chanting during the Solstice celebration"

Aria resisted the urge to roll her eyes It was Decee in the Pocono Mountains, where Byron would ski, Mike would snowboard, and Aria would knit and journal Every other car on the Northeast Extension was packed full of prettily wrapped gifts, cases of wine, and oaof hoe, splintery Yule log Aria’s family celebrated the Winter Solstice instead of Christh both her parents had been raised Episcopalian, they’d never done Santa or church or caroling While everyone else received gifts soot, year after year, was a head wreath made out of ivy

Aria had never reallyago that her family was kind ofdifferent--but this year, after her old friend Ali’s death, the evil text- out that Ali’s ed for the co Christ around a decorated tree Exchanging gifts Staying indoors and watching cheesy holidaytheir chests like apes, and being one with nature

As she gazed out theat the passing cars, she felt envious of the excited kids’ faces peering out fron for a Christ Byron if they could chop one down She knew exactly what he’d say, though: That tree has a soul! It would hate for us to defile it in such a tacky way!

"I wonder what Ella’s doing right now," Aria said as the Subaru barreled past a VW Jetta with tinted s

Byron poked his finger through a hole near the cuff of his sweater, an aard look rolling across his face "I’m sure your mom’s somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean as we speak"

Aria turned and stared out theat a billboard for the newly opened Devon Crest Mall WE HAVE THE TRISTATE AREA’S BIGGEST SANTA LAND! it said at the bottoht now for so Aria had hoped Ella would take her with her--the Montgomerys had lived in Reykjavík, Iceland, for three years, and Aria had cried the whole plane ride back to Rosewood this fall Getting away to Europe would have been the perfect way to decompress after all the drama of first semester, but Ella had told her she needed to et away Her e to Byron had cru an affair with Meredith Stevens, his old student A--aka Mona Vanderwaal--had been the one to reveal the tryst, also adding that Aria had known Byron’s secret Ella had been so angry at Aria that she’d banished her fro with Meredith in a du the holidays with her parents in Connecticut Not so long ago, Meredith had dropped the bo on keeping the baby She had also announced that she and Byron were going to get h

Byron reached over the seat divider and placed a hand on Aria’s knee "I know it’s sad that your ether I proood ti her dad’s hand Asthe faoofy father she loved It would be nice to spend soether, especially since Meredith wouldn’t be there While Aria had stayed with Byron and Meredith when she and Ella weren’t speaking, she hadn’t war ended, and a second one--which sounded exactly like the first--began Aria picked up her knitting needles and looked at the scarf It was alive it to Ezra Fitz, the guy she’d e bar the day she’d returned home from Iceland and--as she’d only discovered after they’d kissed--her English teacher at Rosewood Day Just after they’d professed their affection for one another, A had exposed their relationship Ezra had resigned fro position immediately and taken off to Rhode Island

Since he’d been gone, Aria felt like she had PTED--Post-Trau about him She’d written him tons of emails, but Ezra hadn’t responded Had he s he’d said about how a she was and how he’d never ot over hiain? She’d had other boyfriends before--her first was a guy named Hallbjorn Gunterson in Iceland and she even dated Sean Ackard, a Typical Rosewood Boy, last semester But she’d never felt about anyone the way she felt about Ezra

After a quick pit stop where Byron picked up some snacks and n that said BEAR CLAW Byron gunned the engine up the long driveway, and the lodge cae at all, but a behe, pristine snow A gondola carried skiers to the top of theto a spa, indoor tennis courts, a gy tours

Aria’ssnowboarding this afternoon," he said