Prism Book 1 (Complete)

Chapter Six: Activation

I wake to a high-pitched beeping sound coming from my Tech Pro. On the home screen, a glowing notification blinks, alerting that there is a new message waiting for me.

SIA Headquarters

Day 2 Schedule

8AM-9AM

Breakfast

10AM-11AM

Transmission Room

11AM-12PM

Activation

11AM-2PM

Lunch and Free Hours

2-5PM

Private Meetings

5-7PM

Dinner

8-9PM

Testing Floor:

History of SIA

11PM

Curfew/lights out

Okay, so I don't have to be anywhere until ten o'clock. Awesome. Despite being well rested, I remain in bed and turn on the TV for a while. After watching a dumb yet entertaining game show that includes people getting pie to the face, I take a shower and get dressed. Without the pressure of having Lacie in my living space, I find myself humming a light tune as I get ready.

I rummage my drawer for my favorite shirt and, after some digging, magane to find it. A band tee shirt of Ascending Down. I'm surprised Aunt Becca even packed this shirt for me, but then again, she knows it's my favorite shirt. It's all black with a picture of a glitchy astronaut helmet in the dead center. The glass window on the front of the helmet reflects the various colors of the nebulas, shooting stars, and meteors around him.

I put on some light colored jeans with fashionable rips down the knee, and by nine, I head down to the mess hall. When I enter, AJ and Josh are already eating together at one of the tables, seeming to be in a friendly debate. Sophie, Audra and Amar sit at the table beside them.

I get the items of my breakfast slowly, hoping Crystal and Chelsea come down before I choose a seat. As I sit at an empty table with my scrambled eggs and sausage, Gladden enters the mess hall with a bright smile. He wears a plain white short sleeved shirt that shows off his muscles. His hair is perfectly styled as usual.

We meet eyes as he enters, and Jesse walks in right behind him. He is the opposite of Gladden, wearing a black jacket and beanie, his dark hair peeking out from the bottom. Instead of a smiling, he looks rather tired, like he's used to sleeping in later. Together, they get some food having a quiet discussion all the while.

When they're finished, Gladden sets his plate down beside me. "Good morning, Iris," he says.

"Morning," I smile.

"Good morning," Jesse echoes, sitting across from me.

"So," I start, looking at Gladden, "did you have fun last night with your new best friends Lacie and Jenny?" Again, I try not to sound jealous but any variation of the sentence would've sounded that way, so I didn't stand a chance.

"Iris," Gladden starts softly. "I did it for you."

I can feel my face wrinkle in confusion. "Please explain," I say plainly. Jesse finds my request funny, apparently. He laughs as he digs into his food.

Gladden glances at him, then back at me. "They asked if they could show me something," he shrugs. "I wouldn't have bothered but I thought, hey, they know I hang out with you a lot. If I became friends with them, maybe they wouldn't go after you like they did yesterday."