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

Chapter Nineteen

PART IV. - "We're going to change things up a bit."

CHAPTER NINETEEN

BRENNAN

The security tower was white and drab. Not at all like the mainland. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the dyeing center. It was just another prison. A place to hold us, while the adults figured out what to do. Since I was a kid, I had always wanted to visit the Sanctum. Though, I was starting to become disappointed. It wasn't at all what I was expecting. Plus, I was having trouble sleeping.

If Serina was truly worried about our safety, she would have put us all together. Not let the others stay at the hotel. I would have told the mayor off if Aya hadn't stopped me. This was their land, their city, and I had no intention of pissing off the Sciusians. I had nowhere left to go. If I set one foot out of the Sanctum, I would forfeit my dyeing spot.

The good thing to come out of being trapped here was being stuck with Aya. That was nice because Trevor wasn't in here for her to ogle over. 

Gently, I kicked off some of the bedsheets. A desire burned inside me to get out so I could workout. My job required that I be in tip-top shape, but it was more than that for me. Working out helped to calm my anxiety. I tended to worry about tomorrow's problems, even with Earth ending. The adrenaline from working out acted as a calming agent, forcing my mind to think about physical pain rather than emotional issues. 

I almost wanted to do push-ups and sit-ups on the floor, but I didn't want Hayes to think I was a weirdo. After all, it was his room too. Closing my eyes, I tried to think about other things, but my thoughts were all jumbled. I sat up in bed and decided to get up. Hayes was already awake. 

Our room had two sinks and a toilet hidden behind a curtain. I picked the sink closest to the toilet. Hayes took the sink beside me. He picked up his toothbrush. I turned on the faucet to wash my face. We shared a room, while Soren got his own room. I had learned that Ace and Issa didn't go to the party. They were sick, so they stayed in their suites. That was lucky.

I splashed some water on my face and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Beads of stubble from the prior days had transformed into messy patches of hair that invaded the lower portion of my face. If I didn't shave soon, I would have a full beard. I glanced at Hayes from my peripheral. He was unkempt too.  Light-colored stubble was all over his face, and his sideburns were slightly overgrown. 

"You dig Aya," Hayes pointed out, putting some toothpaste on to his toothbrush.

I was left searching for words. Was it really that obvious? "I guess, she's alright."

"You should tell her how you really feel when you get the chance before she latches on to Trevor," Hayes advised.

I ran my hands under some cool water. "I don't know."

I really didn't. As much as I wanted to admit my crush to Aya, I just wasn't sure how she would take it. We were all under an insatiable amount of pressure, and I saw firsthand what pressure could do to a person. Plus, I didn't want to face my biggest fear, rejection. I had been rejected so many times in the past. My dad rejected me -- Initially, the police force rejected me -- and my high school crush rejected me.

"What about Rayne?" I asked, trying to turn the tables on him.

Hayes spat out a mouthful of toothpaste into the sink. "What about her?" He tried to play it cool. Even though he was a celebrity, he was pretty transparent. 

"Seriously?" I rolled my eyes and grabbed a hand towel off the shelf.

Hayes shrugged. "I guess she's alright."

I decided to let him be. We were going to be stuck together for god know how much longer, so I didn't want to end up on anyone's bad side.

"This is like being in juvie," Hayes said.

"Have you ever been in juvie before?' I shot back, putting the hand towel in the dirty towel bin.

Hayes shook his head. There was no way someone like that, the golden boy, could have committed any kind of crime.

"I didn't think so," I responded. "Trust me, this is like a resort compared to juvie. I've seen it first hand. I went undercover once. It was a terrible experience."

"Sorry man, I didn't mean to offend you," he said in a slightly mocking tone.

"It's fine," I said.

I rested my toothbrush against the ledge and walked away. The more I talked to Hayes, the more chance I had to get into a fight with him. It was clear we had opposing viewpoints.

Then a blast of sirens rang out from the speakers. Something must have been wrong. I just hoped Aya was okay.

EDITED: 01/29/2020