Iris and the twin

She sort of came out of left field, really, and interesting tidbits of information were brought up by her and about her.
1: She mentioned a girl who was supposed to come in for only two weeks being forgotten by her parents. She claimed this person was now locked up in the basement. Was this supposed to be something to threaten Hanna, since she was a two week stay? Is there any truth in what she was saying at all?
2: Charlotte, her former roommate. Who was she? Is there any way she could have been Ali or Ali's twin?
3: Why does she look so much like Ali, except for sharper features and with green eyes?
4: Why did she draw the picture of Alison? When did she draw it? I know that she had magazines that might have covered Alison's death in her stash, so she could've learned about it through one of those. Was she just enamored with the case?
5: Isn't it weird that she was out of the Preserve from the time of Ali's disappearance to about November of that year? Could this be how she heard about Ali's case for the first time?
6: How did she learn Ali's mantra? Did she hear Hanna say it?
7: Is she really just certifiably insane like all the other girls say?
8. She drew a picture of a well. Everything is about Wells! When the girls were hypnotized they pictured falling down a well. Ali drew a well on her flag piece. Is there any relevance to it that nobody has ever noticed?

I think that maybe she stayed at the Radley as well as where Hanna was staying, maybe because she wasn't getting the treatment she needed. It would explain ties to Iris.OH! Another thought. Ian said that he saw two blondes in the woods. Maybe Iris killed Ali, and that's why she's still at the mental institution? Maybe she was the girl that was forgotten there, or it was her twin. Maybe ALi2 was forgotten at the institution and got out with the help of Iris and was mad at Ali because she was left alone in a crazy place while Ali was allowed to live her life and killed her. If Mr. Hastings is her father, the green eyes would really make sense. When he said that, it really made me wonder who he was talking about. Twin Ali, or Jason? I have been wondering though if Ali having a twin was too largely hinted at in Heartless. Maybe it's just a red herring? I go back and forth on my theories a lot. maybe iris is Ali's twin, maybe Ali's twin was just at the radley and then killed her, or maybe she killed Ali with the help of Iris. Maybe Ali2 was forgotten in the basement and when Iris was off of the grounds, she killed Ali as revenge for Ali2. It would never be suspected, and there are many predictions including Iris. Tell me your thoughts please:)

Hey! Also remember at the very begginning of Heartless where it goes back and Emily (I think..) see's a medication bottle perscribed for Ali but can't tell what it is...? Maybe Ali was depressed and that was her medication and she really DID kill herself!

Your theory on the well also makes sense... this makes me wonder....

I never really got the impression that Ali had a twin when reading the book. How did everyone think that? I don't see how that is possible. But then again Spencer's dad did say that he didn't know about "the kids" until later on. So maybe Mrs. DiLaurentis gave birth to twin girls. Maybe he didn't mean Jason, or only Jason when he said the "kids".

The Iris girl did come out of no where, like you said. So there has to be something important about the girl. Maybe she is Ali's twin since Hanna thought she looked like her.

The whole well thing is really creepy, I'm definitely thinking that is important too. There have just been too many references too it that it has to mean something.

But sometimes the things that are only mentioned once or twice is the major secret. That's why nobody really ever figures this stuff out... the medication though still has my confused...

I sort of picked up on the twin thing, I just read books 5,6, & 7. It's been a while since I've read the first 4 , so I can't relate that to this BUT I do tend to think that there is a twin now.

- Ali forgetting how to feed the cat that she'd supposedly been feeding since she was in 3rd grade. I mean, that is one of those routine things that you may not know, but you still do it right even if you couldn't explain it to someone else. Kind of like driving a car / riding a bike / etc.

- She also incorrectly described what she had put on her flag. & There is constant talk of another "blonde girl" who was with her in the woods. And when they overheard Ali fighting and Jason saying ' enough ! ' It could've been her twin she was fighting with. And the sibling problems may not have been with Jason, necessarily, since he seemed particularly protective over Ali.

- Now I'm starting to wonder about the ' I didn't know about the kids '. What are the odds that HE even knows about the other kid???? BUT then again, he did send Ali's mom quite a bit of money is I recall correctly. Maybe it was to help with some of those mental institution fees ? So maybe he did know after all.

- & who was the girl who came from the flames and where did she go after? She didn't recognize any of the girls. But then this makes me wonder which twin is crazy. She was saying 'they're trying to kill me' like she was a victim, but if the crazy ali killed normal ali, then who is this girl?
This would also explain about Jason not wanting Aria to go in the main part of the house. He was freaking about if she had. Also many other people have explained about the light turning back on in Ali's room after she had apparently left. As well as her quick outfit change after the girls came upstairs to her bedroom and were sent downstairs, and her apparent shock that they were over a few short minutes after.

My personal opinion is Iris may possibly be the twin, because of the similarities but my other issue is that IF that day with the diary and the girls going downstairs, wouldn't they have noticed because Iris doesn't look exactly like Ali.. If the girls DID see both of the twins that gay, how could they have not noticed their friend's blue eyes were green all of the sudden?? So I am more apt to think she is NOT the twin after all, but DID know the twin, obviously.

Oh, and I want to quickly add, I am doubtful that Ali killed herself, at least as of now. Maybe I'm wrong, but I would find is really annoying after reading 8 books thinking it was a MURDER MYSTERY, to discover everyone was wrong and everyone is innocent and Ali did this to herself. Especially since people are trying so hard to keep this all covered up (EX: Ian & Jenna being killed because of it) ... If it were a suicide, why someone would feel the need to kill off two people for "knowing too much" is beyond me.

Oh, and little details like how Ian was saying Ali always played games and would flirt with him,but she never seemed interested in anything more than that but then all of a sudden it was as if a light switch turned on and she was. She had behavior conflicts like that, which make me think she had some kind of personality disorder /schizophrenic or something, but if that were the case I think the girls would have noticed a little more & if Ali was the one in Radley, wouldn't they wonder why she was gone ?

& When Hanna wanted to go upstairs and look at Ali's diary, Ali's mother was VERY defensive and got stern and said "Hanna.. I said no." Clearly there was something she was hiding.