𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐘- a labyrinth sequel

𝐒𝐈𝐗

𝐃𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐊𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐍, 𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓. She wasn't a chef by any means, but she could get by. Besides, with her dad finally coming home from the hospital, she was ecstatic, and she wanted everything to be perfect for him. Xander was here, and so was her Aunt Margot and Uncle Nathan. They weren't doing much, since they only came just to check on her dad after his extended hospital stay. Lia had been away from her dad for extended periods of time before, but one week felt like five months, especially knowing that he was rotting away in a hospital bed for the entirety of his time away. 

"They're here!" She chirped, hearing the key turn in the lock. Aurelia bolted for the door, intercepting her dad she second he crossed the threshold. "Dad!" He grunted softly when she threw her arms around his middle, trying to be careful with him, but she couldn't help being excited. She'd missed him. 

"Careful, Lia," Her mother warned. Her dad shook his head before he wrapped his arms tightly around her, "It's okay, Cece. She's not hurting me."

"I missed you," she grumbled. She felt her dad ruffle her hair, a gesture she'd usually be annoyed by, but she was grateful for it for once. "Don't get shot again," she told him, feeling the vibrations of his laugh against her cheek. "I'll try, Lee."

"I feel like I'm interrupting something," her mom teased, setting hers and her dads bags on the floor by her feet. Lia pulled away from her dad for a moment, only to pull her mom into a hug. "I didn't forget about you. I missed you, too, mom." They might have had an argument when she'd initially left to go visit her father, but after Lia apologized, she realized that her mother only ever had good intentions. She wasn't purposefully trying to ruin her life. 

"So, you're alive," someone chimed in, leaning against the doorway. Nathan had his arms crossed over his chest, looking her dad up and down with a nod of his head. 

"Yes, that appears to be true," her dad retorted dryly. 

"That's cool," he replied, nodding his head. 

"Your nonchalance still manages to baffle me, Nathanial," Celia sighed with a shake of her head. Nathan's mouth dropped in shock, looking offended, and when Margot snickered, his head shot in her direction, eyes narrowing into slits, which caused her expression to quickly falter. 

"I made food," Lia said proudly. "I figured you guys would be hungry after the flight."

"If it's even edible," Xander called out from the kitchen. "No promises."

"Don't listen to him," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's Rossi's recipe. He sent very detailed instructions. There was little room for error. Besides, cooking is like chemistry... and I'm really good at chemistry."

"Yes, Sunny, we all get it. You're smart," Xander teased, poking his head out from behind the wall, a smear of pasta sauce on his mouth. "Stop trying to make the rest of us feel dumb."

"I don't need to try," she pointed out. Xander's jaw dropped, and he raised a middle finger in her direction, and Aurelia smiled triumphantly. "And you've got a little something..." Lia pointed to the corner of her mouth, and smirked when Xander hastily wiped his mouth with his hand, trying to hide the evidence. 

"Whatever! Your sauce tastes like shit," he shouted. 

"Is that why you're eating it?" She quipped. 

"These two," Nathan sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "This is what I've listened to for the past week."

"So?" Celia shrugged, glancing between Nathan and Margot. "Story of my life. What do you think I had to listen to for years before you two realized you were in love with each other?"