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

Chapter Thirty-Seven

PART VII. - "You're kidding right? Everyone thinks I'm like twelve."

CHAPTER THIRTY- SEVEN

Eastern Maine, New England Freedom Federation 

Two weeks ago

PIPER

It was cool, but not too cold. The sky was dark, but the moon illuminated the aquamarine-colored water. It was quiet by the Norwilliams Street Bridge. Aerosol fumes swirled around in the air from the fresh graffiti drawn onto the walls of the bridge. I went down five feet below ground, into our tunnel. 

I wasn't planning on staying very long. I was only there to retrieve the backpack I had left there the day before. Stepping inside, I was surprised to see the whole gang there. We usually didn't hangout unexpectedly. That specific tunnel was long but slender. It couldn't accommodate more than five or six people at once. 

"To Piper and her amazing designs." Kaz, my older friend, threw confetti at me.

I glanced around, some of the confetti stuck to the concrete walls. "To making the underground more fashionable," I said trying to get the rogue strands of confetti out of my hair. It really was everywhere. 

Chop, a big, well-built man, held up a leather jacket with a painted symbol on it. The symbol included three circles inside each other, a rectangle on top, and an X in the middle of the smallest circle, our gang's emblem.

"How cool is this? Thanks, Piper," Chop said, tapping me on the shoulder.

"You got the time?" Kaz asked.

I looked at my timekeeper. "Nine, almost."

"We don't need to be home till ten," I pointed out.

"I hate this curfew. Hopefully it will get lifted soon," Kaz said.

"It'll probably be this way until the end of the apocalypse," one of our new members spoke out.

We celebrated for a little while, drinking cheap champagne and dancing to whatever music Chop had on his communicator. It was fun, but time flew by. Forty-five minutes felt like two minutes. It was a quarter till ten. Shoot. I needed to get home.

"See you guys later. It's almost curfew," I said.

"Need a life?" Chop asked.

I shook my head. I didn't mind walking home, especially this time of year. My parents had suspended my blitzer privileges for throwing a party while they were out of town. My house was about a mile from where the tunnel was.

I had locked my door and told my parents I was going to sleep early, but that was not the case. I had snuck out through the electronic window. The problem was going to be getting back in. I had chosen to take the front street, it was easier to climb up the side of the house, rather than walk over the roof. The normally quiet street was teeming with police and government blitzer. Officers were on the front porch talking to my parents. Oh no. I was royally screwed. 

Back peddling quickly, I looked around. It was dark and impossible to see anything that was the other way. I turned around and ran back the way I came. A run-down vehicle pulled up behind me.

"Hey. You're in danger. Get in," a man called out from the driver's side.

I knew better than to get in blitzers with strangers. Stranger danger as I liked to call it. "No, I think I'll take my chances," I told them.

"Piper, please get in. They're going to arrest you," this time a woman spoke from the passenger side.

I stopped walking. "How do you know my name?" I questioned.

"We were sent to protect you," the woman spoke.

"Is this because of the tunnels?" I asked.

"Yes and no," the woman explained. "I tell you more on the way. Now please get in."

I weighed my options, either I had to get in the car with these people and potentially be murdered, or take my chances on getting arrested. It was tough to choose.

"You're a thought pusher, aren't you," the man said. "You can push thoughts into people's minds."

"Yeah, how—" She began

"Get in and we'll explain."

Convinced that they were the real deal, I hopped into the van.

"Make yourself comfortable," the woman said.

END OF PART V.

EDITED: 02/09/2020