Labyrinth by Taylor Swift

You know how much I hate that everybody just expects me to bounce back.

Avery and Max have got it in their heads that travelling to Colorado would be a good idea. Something about 'true north' and another clue they want to follow. 

I sit on Avery's bed cross legged as Avery and Max ask Alisa about the will.

"When the will says that I have to live in Hawthorne House for a year, what does that mean exactly? What constitutes living at Hawthorne House?" Avery asks.

"Why do you ask?" Alisa replies simply.

"Max and I were looking at the binder you gave me. At all of those vacations homes."

"Absolutely not." Oren butts in. "It's too risky."

"I agree," Alisa says. "But since I have a professional obligation to answer your question: The will's appendix makes it clear that you may spend no more than three nights per month away from Hawthorne House."

"So we could go to Colorado." Max smiles excitedly.

"Out of the question," Oren kills her mood.

"Given what's at stake here, I concur. What if circumstances prevented you from returning on time?"

"Today's Saturday. I'd only be gone for one night."

"What if Max and I go?" I suggest. Avery eyes me, considering it. "Could she?" Avery asks Alisa. 

"Well yes. But given the recent threats received do you think it would be a good idea to send your sister on a joyride where none of us can protect her?" Alisa asks.

"I would have security with me and if you don't trust your own security to protect me then that's on you." I argue teasingly.

"She's got a point. If you don't think I'd be safe why should i be punished for your lack of security measures?" Avery shrugs innocently. 

Max and I both 'Oooooh' jokingly. 

"What if there's a storm?" Alisa suggests. "What if you're injured? One thing goes wrong, and you lose everything."

"So do you." A voice from the doorway says.

I turn around to the door. A girl with a blouse and khakis stands wearing a braid in her brown hair. I almost don't recognise her to be my own sister.

"Libby?" Avery asks, equally as confused as me. 

"Is that a French braid?" I ask, terror running through my body. "What happened?"

"You make it sound like I was kidnapped and forcibly braided." Libby laughs.

"Were you?" Avery asks, only half joking.

"You were just telling my sister that you can't allow her to do something?"

"Go to Colorado," Max clarifies. "Avery owns a house there, but her keepers here think traveling is too big a risk."

"It's not really their decision, is it? Until Avery's emancipated, I am her guardian."

"And I control her assets," Alisa replies. "Including the planes."

"I guess they could fly commercial." I smile.

"No," Alisa and Oren both respond in perfect unison.

"Did it ever occur to you that Avery needs a break?" Libby says "From..." Her voice catches in her throat. "All of this?"

Avery is fine, this hasn't affected her. Libby and I gave up everything for this. Our friends, our jobs, our lives. And what have we got? A rich sister sure but also a lot of guilt comes from asking her for money.

"Libby-" Avery frowns.

"You were right about Ricky, Ave. And Skye. You were right, and I was just too stupid to see it."

I'm not entirely sure what she was right about but it doesn't take a genius to know what had been said.

"You aren't stupid," Avery says strongly.

"Skye Hawthorne asked me who I thought a judge would think is more respectable: the new and improved Ricky or me."

"You didn't have to do this," Avery starts. "You don't—"

"Yes, I do. You're my sister. Taking care of you is my job." Libby turns to Alisa, her eyes blazing. "And if my sister needs a break, you and that billion-dollar law firm can damn well find a way to give her one."

And it was done. Avery and Max were going to Colorado.

Everyone exits the room, leaving only Max, Avery and I. They both pack all their clothes into two small duffel bags.

"Pear Bear, I wish you were coming" Max frowns. "I would if Lady Tremaine over here would unground me." I say begrudgingly.

Avery's face scrunches up with a laugh, "Who's Lady Tremaine?" She laughs.

"You. Evil stepmother. Refusing to let Cinderella go to Colorado." I say as if it's obvious.

She laughs at me. "Just you wait. Prince Charming will come along and chop your feet off in no time." I disregard.

"You don't even make sense anymore." Avery shakes her head with a smile. She goes into her closet and pulls out a third duffel bag.

"Fine. You're ungrounded but the second you get back you're grounded again. You have ten minutes, if you're not packed you're not coming." She says throwing the bag at me. 

"Why do you have so many duffel bags? Rob any banks recently?" I joke. "Go!" She yells holding back a laugh. "That wasn't a no." I point out before running out of her room and into mine.

I throw in some clothes I won't need and other useless things. I zip the bag up and run down the staircase. 

Avery and Max meet me at the doorway ready to leave.

I send a text to Jameson and Grayson filling them in on what's going on. Still no response however I receive a text from Xander. 

Meet you at the plane.

"Okay," I mutter. "He definitely has some kind of surveillance on Jameson's phone." I laugh

"Or yours." Max raises an eyebrow.

"I do solemnly swear that I'm not surveilling anyone who doesn't share at least twenty-five percent of my DNA." Xander greets.

"Nice to see you too." I respond.

"And in other excellent news, Rebecca and Thea will both be joining us on this lovely jaunt to Colorado."

"Are we happy 'Rebecca' and 'Thea' are coming?" Max uses air quotes, like she suspects they are aliases, even though I'm positive Avery would've mentioned both of them to her.

"We're resigned," Avery tells Max, glancing at Xander.

"Maxine." Xander offers his most charming Xander Hawthorne smile. "There's nothing I admire more than a woman who makes liberal use of air quotes. May I ask: What are your feelings on robots that sometimes explode?"

The private jet has seating for around 20 and looked like more of a fancy business lounge than a vehicle. 

Security sit in the front, around 6 of them total. Oren, Eli, Kennedy, Christian (Libby's security guard), Ricco (Xander's guy) and Warner (Nash's guy). Those who's first names I am unsure of. Behind security is Alisa and Libby, across the table is Nash who decided to tag along too and is currentlspread across two chairs. The tension between the three should distract them for the duration of the journey.

At the back of the plane the rest of us sit. Two long suede sofas with a table between us. Avery, Max and I on one sofa facing Xander, Thea and Rebecca. On the table lays a basket of pastries.

"We don't know what we're looking for." Xander keeps his voice low enough that the adults at the front of the plane can't hear us. "But we know the old man left it for Skye. It will be in or very near to the cabin, and it will probably have Skye's name on it."

"Do we have anything else to go on?" Rebecca asks. "Any particular wording in the prior clue?"

"Very good, young Padawan." Xander smirks.

"No Star Wars references," Thea shoots back. "Listening to you talk geeky gives me a migraine."

"You knew I was quoting from Star Wars. I win!" Xander celebrates.

"Sorry," Rebecca tells the three of us. "They're just like this."

Rebecca's phone buzzes. She looks down, her red hair falling forward and creating a barrier, leaving just enough space for me to catch her sink into her shoulders.

"Everything okay?" Avery asks.

"It's fine," Rebecca says from behind her wall of hair. I catch Thea's face right before she pounces and grabs the phone.

"Rebecca's phone," Thea answers, pressing it to her ear. "Thea speaking."

"Thea!" Rebecca sits up.

"Everything's fine, Mr. Laughlin." Thea puts her hand out, blocking Rebecca's attempts to grab the phone from her. "Bex just nodded off. You know how she gets on planes... Sure, I'll tell her. Take care... Bye."

Thea turns to Rebecca, passing the phone back. "Your grandfather says to have a good trip. He'll take care of your mom. Now... I believe Rebecca asked about the wording of the clue."

Max nudges Avery and I overhear what she whispers excitedly "When you fly private, you can talk on the phone!"

"A compass. The clue that pointed us toward True North was in the part of Tobias Hawthorne's will where he left Skye his compass." Avery asks, sensing Xander's silence.

"Oh," Thea says innocently. "Like the antique compass Xander's hiding in his pocket?"

Xander scowls at her. Max reaches for the pastry platter and hits Xander with a croissant. "Holding out on us?" she interrogates.

"I see our budding friendship has reached its croissant phase," Xander tells her. "I am pleased."

Just as I had told Xander a couple nights ago, they would be perfect for each other. Sure he flirts with everyone but there is so much tension between them.

"You're also hiding things," Avery accuses. "You have the compass the old man left Skye?"

Xander shrugs. "A Hawthorne always comes prepared." 

"Can I see it?" Avery asks. Xander reluctantly places the compass on the table, sliding it along to Avery carefully. Avery picks it up and opens it.

A phone buzzes. However its not Rebecca's this time. Mine. Looking down, I realise that Jameson had finally texted back.

See you there.

I smile. Why did I smile? This is the last thing i need right now. More people. Two people i should not be spending time with. 

I start counting heads. Avery, Max, Libby, Xander, Thea, Rebecca, 6 security guards, two more security guards from Jameson and Grayson, Nash, Alisa, Jameson, Grayson. That's already 18 people. How big is this vacation home?

"Who is it?" Xander asks. "Your brothers. They're gonna meet us there." I explain. 

Thea rolls her eyes. I scrunch my face up at her. "A word?" She requests. I look around, a strange expression on my face. "Ok?" I almost ask a little confused. 

She walks away to the bathroom of the jet. I follow but before I turn the small corner I glance back at Avery, both of us equally confused.

"Yes?" I ask her, standing towards the sink. This bathroom is unusually large for a plane but I'm not going reveal that to Thea, who stands by the door.

"Paris. You're too smart of a girl to be getting caught up in the Hawthorne's." She says sympathetically. 

"Is this some sort of intervention?" I laugh. 

"It should be. I saw the video of you online. Drunk and embarrassing them on tv. Which was a great power move, drunk is a great look for you. And despite me liking it the public clearly did not." Thea starts.

I don't even want to know what the media are saying about me anymore, I'm still banned from going online.

"However, need I remind you why you were drunk? Jameson Hawthorne broke your heart. It's what they do. It's what they'll keep doing if you keep letting them pull you in with their stupid smirks. You think people will hire you for a job after that scene you made? It only gets worse from there on. In the nicest way possible, get your shit together." She tells me.

"So what do you suggest? I jump in a time machine and stop myself from getting drunk?" I scoff. "No. I think when you go to school you should change. Create a new identity for yourself. It's what I'm doing. I know it's what you want.." she hesitates before saying the next part, "Xander told me." She admits, her voice sounding quieter.

"Told you what exactly?" I ask, already bored of this lecture. "He told me you're a Laughlin. And that you don't want anything to do with it because you preferred your old life, knowing your parents. I don't blame you. Your life was great before. But now you're just someone's sister. I honestly want the best for you Paris because I watched the same thing happen to Rebecca. She became 'Emily's sister' it started to ruin her life. She became quiet because no one else cared about who she was. I don't want to see that happen to you."

I take a deep breathe. I'm now standing straight, jaw clenched. "I'm my own person." I tell her.

"Which is exactly why I think you should break away from this shitty life you're setting yourself up for." She says.

"I'm on your side here, Paris." She finishes before walking out of the bathroom. Leaving me alone in my thoughts.

I stay there for a minute. Thinking. I want to believe she's on my side but how could she actually be right? 

I feel my eyes well up, and a couple tears fall down my face. Nash opens the bathroom door, he is surprised to see me.

"Sorry" he nods, backing out the door. He stops when he sees my tears. "You okay kid?" He asks stepping closer.

"Yeah." I nod unconvincingly, blinking hard. "I'm all good" my voice breaking slightly at the end. 

"What's up?" He asks, "just sick of being Avery's sister." I bite the inside of my cheek trying to prevent more tears. 

"She do something?" He asks. "No.. No. I just want to be Paris and not 'Avery Grambs slutty little sister'" I say, looking down. 

"I get it. Does it matter what other people think though? To me and everyone else here you're Paris." He comforts.

"But I want a life outside this place." I say. He nods compassionately. 

"I should go. They'll be wondering where I am." I say, wiping away the tears on my cheeks.

I slide out the door passed him and sit back down. I look up at Thea who frowns at me. 

"Were you in the bathroom with Nash?" Xander asks with a raised eye brow. 

"Gross. Don't say it like that. We were talking." I scrunch my face together in disgust.

"About what?" Avery asks. "The meaning of life." I say deadpan. A moment later Nash walks back out and before he can pass us Avery stops him. 

"Hey Nash. What were you and Paris talking 'bout back there?" She asks with a smirk. He glances at me for a second then quickly back "Different species of trees" he nods as if its a typical conversation topic.

"Sounds fun. But not as fun as this conspiracy theory I read last night.." Xander smiles, his way of calmly and politely making Avery stop pushing because I don't want to talk about it. Nash walks back to his table and Avery drops it. I turn to Xander silently thanking him, he winks back at me and starts telling us this dumb theory we're all birds in disguise or something. 

(A/n. Pretty important chapters coming up next with plot lines I think you'll all love. Also, i wanted to take a moment to promote my new upcoming book 'Blood Money' it's an inheritance games fic about the Hawthorne sister, Spencer. I've posted the first chapter on my oneshots collection so go ahead and read that. <3)