The carriage ride back to Oakhaven was silent, save for the rattle of wheels on cobblestones and Taylor's frantic breathing.
She sat squeezed between Luna and Violet, clutching the silk handkerchief Alison had given her. The embroidered "A" seemed to glow in the dim light of the carriage lantern.
"She touched me," Taylor whispered, staring at the fabric. "She fixed my hair. She fixed my dress. She... groomed me."
"Who?" Violet hissed. She snatched the handkerchief from Taylor's hand. She brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply, her eyes narrowing into slits.
"Vanilla," Violet spat. "And expensive gin. And... confidence."
Violet looked at Taylor with a terrifying expression. It was the look of a cat who just realized another cat had pissed in its territory.
"She touched your neck?" Violet asked, her voice dropping an octave. "Did she touch your... dumplings?"
"She fixed my corset!" Taylor defended, blushing furiously. "It wasn't sexual! It was... domineering! It was a power move!"
"I don't like her," Violet growled. She crumpled the handkerchief in her fist. "She smells like a predator. A very clean, very rich predator."
"My Lady," Luna interjected, looking at Taylor's heaving chest (the corset was still doing its job). "You are hyperventilating. The bodice is too tight for panic attacks. Shall I loosen the strings? I can reach under..."
"No!" Taylor slapped Luna's hand away. "Focus! That woman... Alison. She's 'A'. I'm 99% sure. She gave me this right before the lights came back on. It's a calling card."
Taylor's mind raced. *It makes sense. She has the money. She has the influence. She treats me like a child because she thinks I'm a toy to be played with.*
Suddenly, the carriage lurched violently.
*SCREECH.*
The horses screamed. The carriage slammed to a halt, throwing Taylor forward. She landed face-first in Luna's lap, which would have been embarrassing if they weren't about to die.
"Ambush!" the driver shouted from outside.
Then, a thud. The driver went silent.
"Stay down!" Taylor hissed.
She scrambled up, fighting the layers of her skirt. The corset dug into her ribs like iron bands.
"Violet, get down! Luna, cover your ears!"
"My Lady, what are you doing?" Luna shrieked.
Taylor ignored her. She grabbed the hem of her gown and hiked it up—all the way up.
In the dim lantern light, her pale thigh was exposed, the black leather garter stark against her skin. The three bamboo grenades were nestled there like deadly cigars.
Violet stared at the exposed leg, her mouth slightly open. Even in a life-or-death situation, her eyes were glued to the spot where the leather squeezed Taylor's soft flesh.
"So... cool," Violet whispered.
Taylor grabbed one of the bamboo tubes. She pulled a small striker from her pocket.
"Fire in the hole," she muttered.
She kicked the carriage door open.
***
[The Ambush]
Outside, the forest road was blocked by a fallen tree. Three men in dark cloaks were approaching the carriage, swords drawn. They wore masks.
"Get the girl," one of them growled. "Make it look like a robbery."
Taylor didn't wait for them to monologue.
She struck the fuse.
*Hiss.*
The spark caught the nitrate-soaked twine. It sputtered, glowing angry orange in the night.
"Hey!" Taylor shouted.
The assassins looked up. They saw a noblewoman in a ballgown, standing in the carriage doorway, holding a sparking stick.
"Catch!"
Taylor threw the bamboo tube. It arched through the air, spinning end over end.
It landed right at the feet of the lead assassin.
"What is—"
**BOOM.**
It wasn't a nuclear explosion. It was a black powder concussive blast.
The bamboo shattered. The shockwave hit the men like a sledgehammer. The lead assassin was thrown backward into the mud. The other two were blinded by the flash and the cloud of white, sulfurous smoke.
"MY EYES!" one screamed.
"Go! Driver! Go!" Taylor shouted, realizing the driver was actually just hiding under his seat.
The horses, terrified by the noise, bolted. They scrambled over the ditch, bypassing the fallen tree. The carriage rocked violently, nearly tipping over.
Inside, Taylor was thrown back onto the seat.
"We're alive!" Luna cheered, hugging Taylor. "You blew them up! With your leg-magic!"
"It's not leg-magic, it's chemistry!" Taylor gasped, adrenaline coursing through her veins.
She looked at her thigh. The garter had slipped further down during the chaos.
Violet crawled over. She didn't hug Taylor. She placed her hand on Taylor's knee, right below the remaining grenades.
"You saved us," Violet whispered. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated. She looked at the remaining bombs. "Can I hold one?"
"No!" Taylor snapped, pulling her dress down.
She leaned back against the seat, her heart pounding.
"It was her," Taylor whispered. "Alison."
"How do you know?" Violet asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Because," Taylor said, clutching the crumpled handkerchief Violet had dropped. "She marked me. She kept me talking until the ambush was set. She gave me this handkerchief so they would know which one to kill."
She looked at the "A" embroidery.
It wasn't a gift. It was a target marker.
"She tried to kill me," Taylor said, her voice turning cold. "She acted like my mother, fixed my dress, called me 'sweetie'... and then sent a hit squad."
Tears pricked her eyes—not from fear, but from the sheer betrayal of that warm, motherly smile.
"She's 'A'. And she's going to pay."
Violet looked at Taylor's angry tears. She reached out and wiped one away.
"Don't worry, Big Sister," Violet said, her voice dark and possessive. "If the blonde woman comes near you again... I'll bite her throat out."
[Ding!]
[Quest Updated: The War of Roses]
[Nemesis Confirmed: Alison DiLaurentis]
[Suspicion Level: 100% (Fixed until proven innocent)]
Taylor gripped the remaining grenades. The ball was over. The flirtation was over.
Now, it was just engineering versus assassination. And Taylor had the gunpowder.