Who is “A”? “Pretty Little Liars” fans have been asking that question since the ABC Family show first premiered in 2010. The series is now in its fifth season and creator Marlene King is teasing that the answer is closer than ever.

“I know a lot of people were afraid that they would have to wait until the end of season seven to find out who Big A is, and we made it clear that they don’t,” King dished to E! Online. “You will find out before season seven and the story of Big A.”

For those that need a little refresher, the original “A” was Mona Vanderwaal (Janel Parrish). In Season 3 Mona had “the game stolen” from her, and a new “Big A” took over to terrorize Hanna (Ashley Benson), Spencer (Troian Bellisario), Aria (Lucy Hale) and Emily (Shay Mitchell). The girls have been trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together in order to stop their tormentor and got pretty close to an answer in the Season 5 summer finale. Unfortunately “A” wasn’t ready for the secret to get out, and murdered Mona before she could tell anyone what she discovered.

Fans have had their theories on “A” – especially since a lot of names have been thrown around by the Liars. Over the past few seasons “A” suspects have included Jenna (Tammin Sursok), Ezra (Ian Harding), Mrs. DiLaurentis (Andrea Parker), Noel (Brant Daugherty), Melissa (Torrey DeVitto), CeCe (Vanessa Ray), Shana (Aeriél Miranda) and Alison (Sasha Pieterse). Some of the characters have had their names cleared, while others have not. It’s uncertain if any of them are involved with “A,” but King can’t wait for fans to find out when the big secret is revealed.

“I can’t wait to share the story,” she added to E! “The identity of Big A is really cool, but to me, what I always loved most about Big A is the story of Big A, the motivation, what’s behind it all. I haven’t been that excited to share something with the fans since Mona’s reveal.”

The last time that Marlene King teased fans about the identity of “A” was in September. A Twitter user asked King if viewers would have to wait that much longer to find out the answer. The creator simply responded, “closer than [you] think.”

“Pretty Little Liars” is currently in its fifth season with a sixth set to premiere this summer. New episodes air on ABC Family on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. EST.

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