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

Chapter Seventy-Nine

CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE

RAYNE

I wasn't really all that excited. It was kind of nice to see everyone dressed up, but that's about it. The ballroom was pretty with elegant gold wallpaper and a gigantic chandelier hanging from the muraled ceiling in the center of the room, but it felt a little pretentious.

We were assigned tables. All us hybrids were at one, while the adults were scattered at tables around the room. Aya's assigned seat was directly across from mine. She looked absolutely stunning. I couldn't even describe it. She really did clean up nicely.

I glanced at Lake. She had altered her dress, which I thought was cool. It was shorter than before, and she had cut off the sleeves. I rolled my eyes and she laughed slightly. "It will be fun, just give it a chance," she smiled.

Soren sat down next to Lake. "Yeah, give it a chance."

Nobody asked him. I had a thing or two to say to him, but it was best not to make a scene.

"Hello and thank you for all coming," A man limped onto the stage area. He was tall and thin. I'd never seen him before. "I'm Emperor Thrasher," he announced. I immediately knew he was someone from our family.

We were then served the first course of our meal. I still don't understand why they called this a party. There was nothing party-like about it. Maybe Lake had mistakenly overheard Serina and everything got lost in translation.

After our first course, the Emperor returned to the stage and gave a long speech. I enjoyed listening to the first half as he went on about Sciusian history, but toward the end I started to get tired. By now we had finished our main course and desert was on its way. I was starting to wish I stayed at the hotel.

"We'd like to take some time to honor a brave group of teens who helped secure our future, but first let's take a moment of silence to honor the fallen," the Emperor said.

There was a brief pause and everyone dropped their heads. Once the moment of silence was over, everyone looked up.

"Now for the honorees....Aya Thrasher...Lake Townsend...Brennan Monte-Perez....Soren Srivstava.....Issa and Ace Hadwell....Rayne Marovic....Trevor Brashshard...Wren of the Hinterlands..." He paused. "Also let us not forget Piper Qin and Hayes Shyre."

We went up on the stage. They snapped a few photos and we were sent back to our seats.

Aya was invited to give a speech. This did make me a little mad. I felt like we all had saved the city, not just her.

"We had attempted to save the whole city. Not for the good of the city, but for our own selfish reasons, so that we ourselves may earn the dyeing spots reserved for the Sciusians. Because we came in with an ulterior motive, our path was blurred. We failed to see the truth in front of us. Our friends being coerced and brainwashed by malevolent figures who abused their authority and posed as mentors who were supposed to guide us." She paused to take a breath.

"It wasn't until we stood together and put our differences aside that our eyes were wide open. We saw the truth of the cruel intentions of others. The selfishness that has plagued nations. Our thankfulness to this city had been renewed, forcing us to come to the discernible realization that we needed to take a stand," she continued.

"Yes, we may have been considered special. We were rare prizes with our potential to be weaponized. With the use of our gifts, we knew we could make real change and perhaps even save a civilization. But those who lacked gifts made up in wits and bravery. Although a portion of the city had gone up in flames, we were able to save countless lives and a beautiful culture."

The adults began cheering and clapping for us, while the emperor spoke of what we had done on the battlefield. I turned my head to look at Aya. Once again, her cheeks were a bright pink. I actually wasn't that mad anymore, she had made a beautiful speech.

After dessert, I decided it was time for me to sneak out. They weren't going to miss me much anyway. I decided to walk back to the hotel. It was a nice night and I was dying for some fresh air.

As I was walking, I heard a familiar voice. It was Camden's. "I thought you were in jail," I said.

She laughed. "That's what everyone thinks."

"What do you want?"

"I want to help you get your powers back," she grinned wide and took a few steps closer to me.

I tried to back away, but she was already up in my personal space. She whispered something in my ear. Something, horrible indeed.

"I'm not doing that," I shouted. "It's not worth getting my powers back. I'm no murderer."

I proceeded to walk way. I hated how Camden messed with my mind. I wasn't going to allow it anymore. I was done with her. 

END OF PART XII.