Though it might feel like Pretty Little Liars‘ five-year time jump is turning the entire show upside down, there’s still one constant fans can count on in 2016: the menacing presence of a certain alphabetical assailant.

“I love that ‘A’ has been revamped, still contacting the girls through text messages and signs, but definitely a lot deadlier,” Lucy Hale tells TVLine. “It’s not like, ‘I’m going to tell on you,’ but more like, ‘I’m going to kill you if you don’t give me what I want.’ So ‘A’ is a lot edgier and smarter — and there might even be some use of emojis.”

As for Aria’s relationship with Ezra, whose book she’s gazing upon longingly in the photo above, Hale promises it will be just complicated as ever — if not more so.

“It’s never really said how she feels about Ezra; it’s kind of up to the audience to interpret,” she explains. “If I were watching it, I’d think, ‘Oh, she’s still madly in love with him.’ But they’re both in different relationships now. They’re still there for each other, and they build a strong friendship when they start working together. There’s still that little spark, where you’re like, ‘It’s going down.'”

Hale also says we can expect an “interesting” twist with Aria’s family — the only people, aside from the girls, with whom she’s remained in contact — upon her return to Rosewood, a trip that certainly takes some convincing.

“Out of all the girls, Aria is the most hesitant to return,” Hale says. “The only reason she’s going back is because she loves Alison, and she’ll do anything for her, but she’s definitely being pulled by her hair. A lot of things happen that keep the girls in Rosewood, but for Aria, she has this whole life in Boston that she absolutely loves, which is hard.”

PLL fans, are you holding your breath for an “Ezria” reunion? And what’s your take on this “revamped” version of “A”? Drop your thoughts in a comment below.