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

Chapter Twenty-Two

 CHAPTER TWENTY- TWO

AYA

"Wakey-wakey." I heard a guard banging on the door.

I sat up in my bed and rubbed my eyes. It was nearly six a.m., and Piper was still asleep. I kicked off the sheets and stretched out my arms. Serina had summoned us at midnight, so I didn't understand why she needed to see us again. The only explanation was that it had something to do with Rayne, they had either found her, or she was dead. 

I opened the door to face the guard. "What's going on?" I asked with a yawn, noticing Piper's eyes were starting to flutter open. 

"Get dressed," he replied in a stern no-nonsense tone.

Piper sat up in her bed, unaware of what was happening. "Huh, what's up?"

The guard turned to Piper. "Serina wants to see both of you. Get dressed."

We were taken back to the mansion. Serina was standing in between the foyer and living room. Her eyes housed tiny, dark bags under her eyes, and her sclera were bloodshot. It was probably due to a lack of sleep. I knew what Serina was going to do, scold us, and probably tell us that we've screwed up our chances of ever getting a dyeing spot. While we were sleeping, she had time to think, and she probably realized it would be a good idea to punish all of us. 

"As you all know, the last couple of days have been filled with a serious of unforeseen circumstances." Serina sighed. Her movement formed an invisible circle around the marbled flooring. "I understand, that most of you were not in control of these events, and because of such, we would like to give you all a chance to start over. To have a chance at doing this right. None of your actions will be counted toward your dyeing position," Serina reassured us. "I can also assure that this won't be reported back to the dyeing centers."

Craning my neck, I saw Rayne in the back of the group. She seemed embarrassed. I felt a relief of calmness flow throughout my body. I didn't know why. She looked better. Maybe running away made her feel free. She had seemed so dead inside, but now she looked more alive than ever. Even though she had risked us all losing out dyeing spots, I was kind of proud of her.

Though, now, Serina was offering us a second chance. A chance to start over and I was happy to take it. We needed to be united as a team to make sure there were no more mistakes. If something like this were to happen again, there was no way Serina would give us a third chance. We needed to control Rayne because she was definitely the hot-head in our group. 

"With that being said, we're going to change things up a little," Serina stated. "Obviously, what we've been doing isn't working."

What was Serina talking about? I was a little apprehensive. Maybe this second chance wasn't as much of a blessing as I initially thought it was. It was probably too good to be true. 

"We'd actually had this in mind for a while. Though, we were foolish to leave you alone. You all need adult supervision and protection," Serina said. "This is why I will be giving you all properly trained chaperones. In addition, your classes will be starting soon. Each of you will be assigned, mentors. They will help guide you on your performances and teach you all they know. Think of them as your guardian angels."

Maybe this wasn't so bad? Maybe a mentor would be like a cool parent who could teach us a trick or two? That was me being optimistic. It was just easier. There were a thousand negative thoughts circling around in my mind, but I tuned them out. I was wary of everyone in the Sanctum because of what had happened with Tayler, but I didn't want to waste my time worrying. Tayler was in prison and this was a new start. The past wasn't going to repeat itself, at least that's what I hoped.

"We will align you based on your interests and talents," Serina said. "But for now go back to the tower and get some rest. It's been a long couple of days for all of us." 

"What about the suites?" Piper asked.

"You will be returning to your suites very soon," Serina replied.

With that, my mind relaxed. We were finally going to get out of there, and I couldn't have been more excited. 

EDITED: 01/30/2020