Isle of Sanctum | The Aya Thrasher Chronicles | Book 1 |[Editing]

Chapter Twelve

CHAPTER TWELVE

RAYNE

"We have a 890k on our hands. I repeat we have an active kidnapping," Corey shouted into his watch. He turned to us, trying to reassure us that everything would be okay. "It's okay. Your friends won't get far."

I nodded my head slightly, even though I didn't believe a word he said. I was too distracted. I didn't know why, but something tempted me to try to use my powers again. I knew it was a waste of time. It hadn't worked here in the past, so why would it work now? I couldn't even help the others. Part of my mind wondered if this was all a set-up. Maybe it had been part of the performance? Even if it was, there were cameras all over Sciusia watching us. The cameras would document us failing. I tried to distinguish that thought from my mind. 

The pain in my knee started to cease, and I kneeled. My eyes focused on the chair to my right. My mind erased any thoughts I had other than the chair. I blinked twice and closed my eyes. This time, I felt something. I re-opened my eyes. The chair was now about an inch off the ground, but that only lasted a brief second. That was it. Maybe the chair hadn't even moved at all, and I had imagined it?

Before I could try again, an ear-shattering alarm rang out through the speakers from the corners of the ceiling. My ears were on fire as the sound bounced off the walls. I folded up pieces of a napkin and placed them in my ears, using them as earplugs. The alarm slowly decreased in intensity. Lake had decided to go stand in a corner next to Trevor, where there were no speakers.

"Please remain calm, citizens," a woman's voice spoke over the speakers.

I took the pieces of napkin out of my ears, immediately recognizing the woman's voice. It belonged to Serina. 

"We currently have a 890k kidnapping situation on our hands. If you witness any suspicious activity, report it immediately," Serina resumed speaking. "For now, we will be issuing a complete lockdown. No one is allowed to visit the outer-ring or leave the mainland."

We were taken back to the Mayor's house on a small ferry. I thought it was weird we were going to the outer-ring, especially since Serina issued a lockdown. I had asked Corey, and he said we were the exceptions.

I sat on the very back of the ferry. Turning my head, I gazed out into the still water. Slivers of moonlight danced across the water's surface. It was really beautiful, though, my hands started to ache. It was an arthritis flare-up. I had been having them for the past few years. A human doctor and several doctor bots said there was nothing they could do to improve my condition permanently. If I wanted to relieve the pressure, I would have to take drops and use physical therapy bots. I fidgeted with my hands, kneading my thumbs deep into my palms.

"You okay there?" Lake asked. 

I looked up. She was sitting across from me. The bottom of her dress had been torn, so the hem was just above her knees. I noticed she had a tattoo of a skull on her right ankle. It was in pink and blue ink and shone under the moonlight. 

"It's just arthritis," I said and went back to kneading my hands. "It flares up in stressful situations."

"They'll find everyone," Lake said calmly. "Serina seems to know what she's doing."

"I can't believe they took them like that," I let out a sigh. 

"We tried. That was all we could do," Lake said

I leaned in as much as I could toward Lake. "What if this is all part of the performance? If we had one the fight, maybe we would have gotten the key," I whispered, making sure no one overheard. "We failed. Does this mean we aren't going to get our dyeing spots?"

Lake smiled wide. I wasn't joking. I didn't know why she found this funny.

"If it was, they wouldn't have gone this far with the lockdown and such." Lake took a deep breath, her smile fading. "Serina, or someone, would have come in and told us we failed." She turned her head and glanced out at the night sky. "Though, I kind of would be relieved because at least everyone would be okay."

I thought about it for a second. She was right. It wouldn't make sense for Serina to go this far and concern all the other citizens. 

"I think we slowed them down," Trevor interjected, randomly. He stood up and leaned against a pole. If there was a bought of rough water, he would definitely fall. I knew he was trying to impress us by doing so. 

"I'm just worried about Aya," Lake said.

I understood her concern. If Aya had been my friend, I would have worried too. I worried about Nova like that -- sometimes to the point where it made me feel sick. 

"She's tough, she'll be fine," Trevor replied.

I wanted to slap him for saying that. He had no clue if she was even still alive or not. Even so, I didn't stayed out of it.

Moments later, we were docking at the pier belonging to Serina's mansion. The moment I stepped off the boat, I could feel the pressure in my hands starting to release. It was weird how the pain came and went so suddenly. In this case, Lake had calmed me down, and some of my stress had gone away.

Serina met us halfway down the dock. Even though it was dark, I could still see that the color in her face had been drained. She seemed like she was even more worried than we were.

"It's so good to see you three are safe," her voice trembled. "Let's get you inside."        

END OF PART II. 

EDITED: 01/28/2020