Just another Hawthorne🦢💸🧩 (she/her pronouns) (reader x The Inheritance Games)

Chapter 8

"The first scone is what I like to call the practice scone," Xan stuffed an entire scone in his mouth, handed one to Avery, then swallowed and continued with his lecture. "It's not until the third maybe, fourth scone that you develop any kind of scone eating expertise."

I stood from my chair, and walked over to the island to grab my platter of lemon raspberry cookies, and comfortably sat back onto my chair.

"Scone eating expertise," Avery repeated.

"Scone eating expertise," I repeated, nodding my head, well biting my cookie. "I personally don't like scones to much."

"Your nature is skeptics," Xan noted. "That will serve you well in these halls, but if there is one universal truth in the human experience, it is that a finely honed scone eating palate does not just develop overnight."

"You want a cookie, Avery?" I asked, "lemon raspberry," I waved the cookie near her face.

"I'll pass, but thanks," Avery said with an odd smile.

"It's fine if you don't trust me," I shrugged . "We'll no one  really does trust me when they first meet me."

"Aren't you both supposed to hate me?" She asked.

"I do hate you," Xan replied, happily devouring his third scone.

"If you notice, I have kept the blueberry confections for myself and gave you," he shuddered, "the lemon flavoured scones. Such is the depth of my loathing for you personally and on principle."

"This isn't a joke." Avery said.

"Why would I hate you, Avery?" Xander asked."You aren't the one who did this."

"The old man did," I said. "Your blameless." I shrugged. "Maybe you're the evil genius Gray seems to think you are, but at the end of the day, even if you thought that you'd manipulated our grandfather into this, I guarantee that he'd be the one manipulating you." I said picking up another cookie.

"Your grandfather was a piece of work," she told us.

Xan picked up a fourth scone. "I agree. In his honour, I eat this scone." He did just that. "What us to show you to you rooms now?"

"Just point me in the right direction," she told us.

"About that..." Xan made a face. "There's a chance that Hawthorne House is just a tiny bit hard to navigate. Imagine, if you will, that a labyrinth had a baby with Where's Waldo?, Only Waldo is your rooms."

"Hawthorne House has an unconventional layout." Avery said her face a little puzzled.

I devoured one last cookie. "Has anyone ever told you that you have a way with words."

~🦢💸~

"Hawthorne house is the largest privately owned residential home in the state of Texas." Xan led Avery up the stairs.
"I could give you a number for square footage, but it would only be an estimate. The thing that truly separates Hawthorne house from other obscenely large castle like structures isn't so much it's size as it's nature. Our grandfather added at least one new room or wing every year. Imagine is you will, that an M.C  Escher drawing conceived a child with Leonardo da Vinci's most masterful design..."

"Stop," she ordered. "New rule: You're no longer allowed to use any terminology for baby making when describing this house or its occupants including yourself."

I laughed. "What with the sudden outburst."

"Hash." Xan brought his hand to his chest, which made me laugh more.

"My house, my rules." She said rather sudden.

"Too soon?" She asked.

"Where Hawthornes, it's never to soon to start trash talking." I said starring at her, with a slight grin.

"Now, as I was saying, the East Wing is actually the Northeast Wing, located on the second floor. If you get lost, just look for the old man." Xan noted toward a portrait on the wall.
"This was his wing, these last few months."

Avery examined the picture. "I never even met him." She tore her eyes from the portrait. "I'd remember if I had."

"Are you sure?" Xan asked her.

Author notes

Chapter 8!!!
Sorry I haven't updated school has been busy. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

(701 words)