𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐓𝐘- a labyrinth sequel

𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐄: 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐑𝐘?

𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐘 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐅𝐔𝐋. Normally, when moving into college, it's supposed to be the parents that get hysterical and all emotional, but it was Aurelia who'd been running around all day. She'd made her parents take her and Nicolas on countless errands, just because she wasn't ready to admit that she wasn't ready for them to leave yet. She didn't realize how difficult it would be, to let it all go. 

Summer had been amazing, and while this day had been looming over their heads for two months, it felt surreal that it had finally come. Two months she'd spent with Donnelly, doing all the things that other cheesy couples did. The aftermath of The Society still loomed over their heads, and they had to give the occasional statement, or speak to the occasional lawyer about the possibility of appearing in court to testify. Donnelly was expected to be there, not only to discuss the murder of his mother and those other families, but also to give a statement about the years of abuse. According to him, he'd documented every single thing in a journal he'd kept hidden for years, and he was finally ready to tell the world everything. When the two weren't dealing with that, they spent their days driving to beaches, going to the drive in, and doing all the things that Aurelia missed out on for four years. 

For one whole summer, she felt like a normal teenager, and she had Donnelly to thank for that. 

But now the day she'd been waiting for had finally come, and she found herself wishing that it never had to end. "Are you sure you don't need anything else?" Her mother asked Nicolas, bracing her hands on her hips as she raised an eyebrow at him. While Nicolas wasn't one of her own, Celia Clairmont might as well have treated him like it. She bought him clothes and school supplies, even though he was insistent on the fact that she'd done more than enough for him. In her own way, she loved him. Maybe it was because she understood him to some extent- like attracts like and all that. 

"You've done plenty," Nicolas assured her. Her mother's eyes glassed over, and it was this goodbye that would be the hardest. "Thank you. For everything."

"You'll call if you need anything?" She asked, glancing to them both. "Both of you?" They both nodded their heads, and she bit her bottom lip to stop it from wobbling. Her mother's hand went to her neck, where she toyed with the pendant of her necklace, and her father was standing beside her, eerily still as he watched her. She wondered if he'd start crying any minute now. 

"We'll be okay, mom," Aurelia assured her mom, placing a hand on her shoulder. It took everything in her to be the strong one right now, even though she had the strongest urge to get on her knees and beg her mom to get her out of here. She would have scoffed if she could. A college freshman who can't bear to part with her mommy- that would certainly be a good look to the other girls on her floor. 

"I know you will," she choked out, the first fear falling down her cheek. Aurelia clenched her jaw and stood a little straighter. She would not cry until her parents were gone. She'd be strong for them, otherwise they'd all be blubbering messes, and that wasn't a good thing. "Just be safe, alright? Don't party too hard, make sure you watch your drink, and don't take anything from strangers-"

"They know, Cece," her dad interjected, placing a hand on his wives shoulder to stop her from spiralling. Her mother nodded her head slowly and placed a hand on her chest, staring at the carpet on the floor to stop herself from crying. "We did a good job raising her. She'll be alright."

Aurelia threw her arms around her mom's shoulders and squeezed her tight. It didn't matter that she was only a train ride away from home, it still felt like she was thousands of miles away from her family and everyone she loved. 

"Promise you'll call once a week," she whispered in her hair. Aurelia nodded once and held her closer. Her mother, her rock, her anchor. Despite the horrific things she'd endured in her life, her mother filled her life with music and books and all kinds of fun. She gave her daughter the childhood she never got to have. Growing up as a Clairmont had its perks, but they were always isolated from the world, only relying on each other. Aurelia wasn't sure if her mother knew that the person she wanted to be when she grew up was Celia Clairmont. "Look after each other."