𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐘- a labyrinth sequel

𝐎𝐍𝐄

𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐘𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆. Aurelia Clairmont-Reid sat at the top of the stairs, listening to the intense conversation between her entire family that was going on in the kitchen. She heard footsteps behind her, and held a hand up to her lips as she met the eyes of Xander Clairmont. "They're still talking?" He questioned, sitting down on the step directly beside her, listening intently. She could hear the sound of Nathanial, her uncle yelling loudly at the top of his lungs. After all, if anyone would be upset about this revelation, it would be him. And her mother, and her Uncle Sebastian.

"Do you think it'll really happen?" Aurelia questioned, trying to wrap her mind about it. She knew enough about the situation without her parents having to tell her. And when her mother had gotten the phone call, it was easy enough to guess what it had been about based on her reaction. "I don't know, Lia," Xander replied quietly. "But if it does, it'll be bad. I'm telling you."

"She shouldn't even be up for parole," Aurelia stated. Isabelle Clairmont deserved to spend the rest of her life in a prison cell after what she'd put the people in her family through. According to the conversation she'd eavesdropped in, her mothers aunt felt remorseful about her actions, and was now up for an early release. She'd claimed she'd been coerced and manipulated by her husband, that she hadn't killed anyone like he had- that she'd just been an accessory, as if that was somehow better. Isabelle Clairmont was the one who started the fire that could have killed her mother, and now there was a chance that she'd be walking free shortly. It was bullshit.

"Dad freaked out when he heard," Xander whispered. "Mom had to calm him down. He hasn't seen or talked to the woman in years, and just when he thought he was done with her, this happens."

"Do you think there's a chance that they're right?" Lia asked. "That maybe she really is a better person now?" Aurelia was always one to give someone the benefit of the doubt, and perhaps the optimistic part of her wanted to believe that Isabelle Clairmont had seen the errrors of her ways, but she knew that wasn't true.

"You can't just become a better person after doing something like that, Sunny," he shook his head. Aurelia sighed, setting her head on her cousins shoulder. From the sounds of it, there was still yelling downstairs, and they were too focused on what was going on to even wonder where the two of them were. "Whatever she's up to, I don't trust it." Xander hadn't met his grandmother, but after the things they'd heard about her, he had no interest in getting to know the woman. From what Xan told her, sometimes she would call, but his father would always decline the charges and hang up. She still sent letters even after all these years, but Nathan never opened them. Aurelia came across a letter addressed to her mother one day, and it was sitting at the bottom of her nightstand somewhere, but she didn't know anything about the contents of it.

They both jumped when they heard someone coming up the stairs, and were caught red-handed by her father as they tried to flee the scene. Aurelia smiled sweetly at her dad, trying to seem unphased by the look he was giving them both. He crossed his arms over his chest, "Lee, what have I told you about eavesdropping?" He raised an eyebrow at her, and Xander used the distraction as a chance to slip away unscathed. Coward. He may have been older, but he acted like a child.

"Not to do it?" She suggested sweetly, watching as her dad nodded. He came up the steps and sat beside her, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Is mom okay?" She asked, changing the subject. She'd never seen her mother so stressed before, and Aurelia was worried about her. Celia Clairmont would argue that it wasn't her job to take care of her mother, but Aurelia had always felt a strong sense of protectiveness over her family. She didn't like seeing her mother upset about anything.