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

Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

AYA

Five days later...

I was growing tired of staring at the white walls. That's basically all there was to do inside the security tower, besides eating. Then I remembered I had kept some nano-arachnids in the pocket of my communicator case. I closed my fist, and tiny little legs tickled different areas of my palm, forcing me to release my hand. I moved my palm closer to my eyes and stared at the nano-arachnids. Minuscule nanofibers coiled around each other to form the legs – eight to be exact. The body was just one big nanochip. From far away, they actually looked like real spiders.

Lowering my hand to the floor, I released them. They would return to me at some point. I considered allowing them to roam under the door, so they could spy on what was going on outside, but I was afraid I would get caught. We didn't really get punished here, but I feared Serina would isolate us even more than we already were. If I wanted to find that key, I needed to keep my patience.

The only good thing about being stuck in here was the food. Serina was really good about making sure we were well fed. We were served the best seafood I had ever had. My favorite dish was roasted Ruffed Grouse. It was like a small chicken, but with a sweeter taste.

It had only been five days, but it had felt like it had been five months. Piper, Brennan, and Soren were growing restless too. Piper had been doodling on one of the walls with a blue marker. That was actually a good idea. It seemed like something that would help pass the time, but I didn't want to get in trouble. We couldn't really see the boys, but we could hear them through the vents if we wanted to.

Brennan had tried to come over and say hi, but even that proved to be difficult task. The security they were keeping around us was tight. It almost felt like we were in prison. Serina had come to visit the day before to let us know that we would be released shortly. Shortly is a broad and relative term, though. It could be five minutes or five years, depending on whose definition she was referring to. I was hoping it would be closer to the first option.

After finishing my bowl of maple ice cream, Piper looked up at me. "You know he's into you right?" Piper said.

"Who?" I asked, adjusting my position on the bed.

"Brennan."

My cheeks flashed bright red and I turned back toward one of the walls in an attempt to hide my embarrassment. What did Piper know? She didn't even ride up to the Sanctum with us.

"You don't like him though?" Piper pried.

I wished she would stop prying. It was my business, not Piper's. Brennan was a sweet guy, but I just wasn't sure of anything yet. Plus, I didn't like the fact that she was so interested in my non-existent love life.

"I get it. You're into Trevor," Piper said.

"Is it really that obvious?" I responded with a bit of irritation in my voice.

"I see the way you look at him. Smart choice. He's gorgeous."

I chuckled and took another bite of ice cream. I wasn't that irritated with Piper anymore. I was kind of interested in what she thought about the others. "You're good at this," I said.

"I've got it all figured out." Piper smiled and twirled the blue marker in her hand. "Brennan likes you. You like Trevor. I like Trevor too," she admitted.

I didn't say anything at first. I wasn't even mad. How could someone not like Trevor? "And who does Trevor like?" I asked.

Piper shook her head. "I haven't quite figured that out yet." She sighed. "I know the rest though if you want to hear."

I nodded. I was genuinely entertained by Piper's opinion. It was her opinion after all. She wasn't psychic or anything. I wasn't one to gossip, but else was there to do?

Piper sat up on the edge of her bed and got her gossip face on. "Hayes likes Rayne, but Rayne likes--" Piper paused.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You know what, I think I've said enough..." Piper crossed her arms and retreated back to her bed.

I thought it was strange. After all, she had volunteered to give me her opinion. Even so, I didn't want to press. It wasn't definite about long we would have to share a room together, so I didn't want to make any waves. Maybe she didn't want to gossip anymore.

"So, how long do you think we'll be in here for?" Piper asked, realizing that she had made things awkward.

"I really don't know what to think anymore," I replied. I watched as two of my arachnids crawled from the bed in my direction. "I guess it's worth it, if we can get our dyeing spots."

"Your home, is it really that bad?" She asked.

I nodded. Her eyes met mine. I knew she could tell I came from a broken home. "What about you?" I asked.

Piper shrugged. "It wasn't phenomenal, but I kind of miss it."

"I get that."

She was the opposite of me. I didn't miss it at all. Except for the whole 'Tayler' situation. This place was like a fairy tale. Though, I could understand missing family.

"Hey, do you think I could borrow that," I asked pointing to the blue marker.

She tossed it to me, but I missed it completely, landing on the floor. The arachnids picked it up and crawled up my leg. I retrieved the marker. The arachnids really were useful.

At home, I had kept a journal. I figured I could do the same thing here. I could write on the napkins we were given to pass time.