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

Chapter Twenty-Three

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

RAYNE

I had to stay in the security tower for the remainder of the day, isolated in my own private room. We wouldn't be going back to our suites until the following day. I didn't particularly care for it. I didn't know how the others managed to stay so long. It was boring. All I could do was stare at the white walls and think about Nova. I tried to forget about her. She had rejected me, so it didn't really matter what happened to her. She made her choice.

Being alone with my thoughts had worn me out. That night, I slept the best I had ever slept. Not one nightmare. Not one negative thought. It was nice and quiet. Being Aya must have been a real headache, having dreams every other minute. Sounded more like a pain than a power. 

I woke up after nine, which was a first. Usually, I woke up at the crack of dawn. I was definitely a morning person, and occasionally, a night person. 

I heard a knock on the door and got up. "Coming."

I stood up on my tip-toes and pressed my face against the glass window in the door. It was Lake. I opened the door to an air of awkwardness. We hadn't talked since before I got back. 

"We're supposed to be downstairs," Lake mentioned, clinging onto her sweater.

I grabbed my hoodie from the back of the door. "Alright, I'm coming. Go ahead."

I let Lake have a head start. If we went together, we would have to talk, and I realized that might just make things even more awkward between us. I quickly brushed my hair and washed my face before heading to the elevator. The fact that Serina was letting us move freely in the security tower was good. I was sick of being escorted around by the guards.

The elevator's door opened, revealing Hayes. He looked straight at me, almost staring. "Hey."

"Um..hey," I replied. I had swapped out the awkwardness with Lake for awkwardness with Hayes. 

"You okay?" he asked, seeming genuinely concerned which was sweet.

I nodded. "I'm a lot better, actually." I smiled slightly, trying not to appear overly happy.

"Good, I was worried." He ran a hand through his hair.

The elevator's doors opened on the lobby floor of the security tower. A guard escorted us to a large meeting room. I was wrong before about being escorted by the guards. I recognized him. He was one of the men who had chased Lake and I. Though, he looked at me and showed no emotion. I was thankful for that.

"Good morning," Serina said, holding her hands behind her back. "I would like you all to meet your mentors." A mismatch of people walked into the room. "Most of you will all get your own individual mentors, however, some of you will share a mentor. Even if you do end up sharing a mentor, you all will receive the same individualized attention as the others."

I noticed a man standing beside Serina. He was observing her every move. It was possible he was her superior. After everything that had gone down, I wasn't surprised if she had gotten in trouble. As I waited, I was a little worried. Hopefully, I would get someone pleasant. I wouldn't have been surprised if I didn't. It was just my luck. I was always stuck with the worst teachers. I glanced around. Most of the mentors were at least thirty, but there was a woman that was younger, maybe in her mid-twenties.

"Lake, you'll be sharing a mentor with Soren. You're assigned to Sos Bender." Serina looked down at a clipboard.

Of course, Soren got to be with Lake, but maybe it was for the best. I knew what the others thought of me, so it would probably be for the best if I didn't have to share a mentor. What kind of name was Sos anyway? Though, the thought of it made me hungry for pasta with some good old fashioned meat sauce.

After Sos's name was mentioned, a tall, middle-aged man with glasses stepped forward. "It's a pleasure to meet you," He told them, almost bowing. I could see Soren getting alone with him, but not Lake. They both seemed like nerds. Lake was smart and stylish, not nerdy at all.

"Brennan, you'll be with Jax Palter," Serina said, glancing back down at her clipboard.

Jax, a muscular man in his thirties, wearing a police jacket, stepped forward. It made sense because Brennan was a cop too.

"Aya, you and Trevor will be assigned to Emmy Drummer," Serina said.

A tall woman, probably thirty, stepped forward. I liked her necklace, it was a small circle with an X made from two crystals on a gold chain around her neck --  basically the Sciusian equivalent to a dream catcher. I was really interested in our former country's history, so I learned all about the people who inhabited before the aliens arrived.

Nonetheless, I was starting to grow agitated. Did they forget me? Maybe I wasn't going to get a mentor after all?

"Rayne, you'll be with Camden Engle," Serina mentioned. "Ace and Issa, you'll be with me. Hayes will be with Parker Skott. Though, he won't be in town till tomorrow."

They were putting me with a guy? They put Lake with a guy too, so I guess I would just have to manage. The youngest mentor, an attractive woman with blonde hair and grey eyes, approached me. What did she want from me?

"It's good to meet you, Rayne. We have a lot of work cut out for us." She smiled.

I stared at her blankly. Did they change out my mentor when I wasn't paying attention? She didn't look half as scary as I had been imagining.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." She stuck her hand out in my direction. "I'm Camden Engle."

EDITED: 01/30/2020