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

Chapter Twenty-Nine

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Rayne

It was going to be a relaxing day because we didn't have any sessions scheduled. I was going to kick back, relax, and not have to worry about Camden pushing me. It was kind of nice, almost like an actual vacation. To start my day off, I ordered a nitro smoothie from the bar in the lobby. I was feeling better now that my powers were working again. It's not like I would need to use them on a daily basis, but it reassured me I could, if I ever needed to.

"Hey." Hayes walked up to me with his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Uh, hey," I replied. 

I glanced at the smoothie bar. A cup filled with a light purple substance was pushed to the front of the counter. I picked up my smoothie, and stabbed a straw into the center of the lid before taking a sip. The splash of ripened raspberries, pomegranate, and casper berries were a sour explosion on my tongue.

"Any good?" He asked, still staring at me.

I washed the flavor around in my mouth. "Not bad."

Hayes was a bit awkward for a famous singer. I thought he would have acted more like Trevor, but deep down, he seemed like an ordinary teenage boy. In the real world, I would have been thrilled to be talking to Hayes, but those days were behind me.

"Cool, cool," Hayes replied, looking down at the floor.

More of the others were lining up, so I stepped out of the line to make room for them. In the very back, I watched as a blonde girl made her way to the back of the line. After a second, I realized it was Lake. She looked different. The blue in her hair had faded.

I turned away, taking another sip of my drink. I didn't want it to look like I was staring at her, just in case she decided to look in my direction.

"You going to order anything?" The barista asked Hayes.

"I'll have what she has." Hayes pointed at me.

"One pomegranate smoothie, coming right up," the barista replied.

Camden entered into the lobby. I saw her and tried not to make eye contact.

"Hey," Camden said.

"Why is everyone saying 'hey' today?" I asked.

"Is it not something people say on earth?" Camden responded confused. "I thought we spoke the same type of English—"

"It's not that," I glanced back at Lake. "I don't really have any friends here. Not after that incident," I told her. "I'm like an outcast, now."

Camden turned her head toward Hayes. "I'm not so sure about that. He seems to like you."

"Yeah I know," I said looking down. "I'm not really looking for a boyfriend, though. Not right now. There's too much on my mind."

"Ah, I see." There was an awkward pause. "Can you come with me? There's something I need to show you."

I nodded. "All right."

She took me back to her office. I was a little intimidated being alone with her again. I thought it was my day off.

"Okay, take a seat," she said.

I sat down, unsure about what she was about to show me. I hoped it was something worth my time. I took a final sip of my smoothie and tossed it in the waste bin.

Camden pulled up a hologram machine. "Okay, don't get freaked out okay. Just watch."

An image appeared. It looked like a television. On the television-like structure was a video of the Sanctum. Camden clicked a button and the screen changed to a picture of a city on fire. Flames reflected off my retinas. It was horrifying, watching this city burn. I didn't understand why she was showing me this. Maybe she was trying to make me mad again?

"What is this?" I asked. "Where is this?"

Camden seemed puzzled. "You don't recognize it?"

I shook my head. It was hard to recognize anything amongst the fire and destruction. It honestly could have been anywhere. 

"It's here, the Sanctum" she responded. "This is what it will look like in two weeks, if we can't stop it."

"What do you mean?" I stared at the screen

"This is your mission, Rayne," she said. "We need to stop Serina before its too late."

"And how do we do that?" I asked. "She's the mayor. Why would she want to destroy this city?" I glared at Camden.

"You don't believe me? That's fair. I'll just have to show you."

The screen changed to a video of Serina. She was talking to someone, but I couldn't see their face.

"Is it done?" A man asked.

Serina nodded. "The barrier is down, and I have loaded the explosives onto the dock. The Wyres should have access."

I couldn't believe my eyes. Camden was telling the truth. Serina was up to something shady, something that would ultimately destroy this city. Then, I thought about it. We might not be staying for another week. Why would it matter if the Sanctum got destroyed?

"I might be leaving next week anyway—" I told her. "If I don't get my dyeing spot anyway, why should I care?"

Camden seemed disappointed. "That's not a good attitude. Also, saving the Sanctum could earn you one of our own dyeing spots," she explained. "I'll be introducing you to some others who can help—"

I crinkled my brow. "You mean, like Tayler?"

She shook her head. "No, Tayler was never part of our group. She's against human and Sciusian relationships. That's why she wanted to get rid of the hybrids. Serina is a traitor. She's working for the Wyres."

It did make sense. Maybe that's why Serina didn't listen to Aya about Tayler being a traitor. Camden seemed honest. I could see it in her eyes. She was probably one of the few who I actually trusted. 

EDITED: 02/04/2020