Read Online The Energy Crusades by Valerie Noble - Free Book Online
Authors: Valerie Noble
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I felt her attempt to clear my head of the memories.
"It ' s almost midnight, Mother," Ajax ' s tired voice called out. "Are you going to keep her in here all night?"
Midnight? How many hours had we been sitting in the lab? My professor stood up and I jumped from my seat as well, the formality falling back into place between us.
"We must have lost track of time. You did well today, Kaia. It ' s obvious you excelled in your studies at the Tennis Academy and I ' m confident you have a firm grasp of food science." Our eyes met and I heard her words, but there was more to them. She continued to try and clear my head of what we ' d shared but I closed my mind against the intrusion. I smiled at her, and shook my head, ever so slightly. I wouldn ' t let go. I would remember.
"Thank you, Professor," I bowed to her. She touched me on the shoulder.
"Go to sleep now. Go with Ajax. Remember your promise." I looked up at her. She knew I had promised to obey Ajax. If I wasn ' t going to let her take the images from my head, she was going to hold me to them. "I won ' t see you tomorrow; you ' ll train with Ajax on the common lawns." She looked at her son. "Goodnight, Ajax. You can take her. I will clean up."
"Goodnight, Mother." He waited at the door but I hesitated a moment. I didn ' t want to leave her.
"Professor?" I wanted the answer to my question. How did he feel? She graced me with a smile and pulled me close.
"Go to sleep," she whispered in my ear before releasing me. She did not give me the answer I wanted. I bowed to her and followed Ajax out of the lab. Night had fallen over the campus and there were no Students hustling from place to place.
"What was that all about?" Ajax asked as we walked toward the dorms.
"What do you mean?" I answered, being evasive. When he wanted some information from me, he was willing to talk, but I wasn ' t about to tell him what I ' d promised his mother. I could see the curiosity on his face. He wanted to ask more, to talk about it, but he ' d already put a wedge between us by denying our former friendship and he knew better than to ask the question again. We continued our walk in silence.
Outside my bedroom door, he leaned against the frame and looked down at me. Dark circles framed his eyes and I thought he must be exhausted.
"What did you promise her?" he asked, running a hand through his unkempt hair. In the darkened hallway, his eyes were gray. They were the same eyes I remembered from my childhood and the color could change depending on his mood. When he was happy, when we were running all over this University and around our grid, they would be a stunning blue. When his mood was darker, they would turn gray. He used to tell me my eyes would do the same; turn from lavender, to deep purple, depending on my mood. It was another peculiarity we had in common, along with the ability to speak without words. What happened to those little children? Why couldn ' t he remember ever being my friend? There was the strangest sensation in my stomach.
"Goodnight, Ajax." I wasn ' t going to answer his question. He pushed himself away from the doorframe and stood up straight, reaching a hand for the door right next to mine.
"I ' ll see you in the morning okay? We ' ll go to the lawns after breakfast. No tennis."
"Okay. Goodnight." I waited for him to enter his room but he hesitated. It looked like he wanted to say something else, but all he said was, "Goodnight, Kaia."
I opened my own door quietly, puzzling over my experience with Professor Baal. During my time with her in the lab she ' d demonstrated capabilities more common in Descenders. What did it mean? It was something I wanted to sit and ponder over, but I was weary and found my concentration elusive. Tory slept peacefully and I tiptoed around the room in the dark, hoping I too would collapse into bed and fall into a restful sleep.
I peeled off my energy suit and noticed my mother had brought my belongings from home, as Professor Baal
"It ' s almost midnight, Mother," Ajax ' s tired voice called out. "Are you going to keep her in here all night?"
Midnight? How many hours had we been sitting in the lab? My professor stood up and I jumped from my seat as well, the formality falling back into place between us.
"We must have lost track of time. You did well today, Kaia. It ' s obvious you excelled in your studies at the Tennis Academy and I ' m confident you have a firm grasp of food science." Our eyes met and I heard her words, but there was more to them. She continued to try and clear my head of what we ' d shared but I closed my mind against the intrusion. I smiled at her, and shook my head, ever so slightly. I wouldn ' t let go. I would remember.
"Thank you, Professor," I bowed to her. She touched me on the shoulder.
"Go to sleep now. Go with Ajax. Remember your promise." I looked up at her. She knew I had promised to obey Ajax. If I wasn ' t going to let her take the images from my head, she was going to hold me to them. "I won ' t see you tomorrow; you ' ll train with Ajax on the common lawns." She looked at her son. "Goodnight, Ajax. You can take her. I will clean up."
"Goodnight, Mother." He waited at the door but I hesitated a moment. I didn ' t want to leave her.
"Professor?" I wanted the answer to my question. How did he feel? She graced me with a smile and pulled me close.
"Go to sleep," she whispered in my ear before releasing me. She did not give me the answer I wanted. I bowed to her and followed Ajax out of the lab. Night had fallen over the campus and there were no Students hustling from place to place.
"What was that all about?" Ajax asked as we walked toward the dorms.
"What do you mean?" I answered, being evasive. When he wanted some information from me, he was willing to talk, but I wasn ' t about to tell him what I ' d promised his mother. I could see the curiosity on his face. He wanted to ask more, to talk about it, but he ' d already put a wedge between us by denying our former friendship and he knew better than to ask the question again. We continued our walk in silence.
Outside my bedroom door, he leaned against the frame and looked down at me. Dark circles framed his eyes and I thought he must be exhausted.
"What did you promise her?" he asked, running a hand through his unkempt hair. In the darkened hallway, his eyes were gray. They were the same eyes I remembered from my childhood and the color could change depending on his mood. When he was happy, when we were running all over this University and around our grid, they would be a stunning blue. When his mood was darker, they would turn gray. He used to tell me my eyes would do the same; turn from lavender, to deep purple, depending on my mood. It was another peculiarity we had in common, along with the ability to speak without words. What happened to those little children? Why couldn ' t he remember ever being my friend? There was the strangest sensation in my stomach.
"Goodnight, Ajax." I wasn ' t going to answer his question. He pushed himself away from the doorframe and stood up straight, reaching a hand for the door right next to mine.
"I ' ll see you in the morning okay? We ' ll go to the lawns after breakfast. No tennis."
"Okay. Goodnight." I waited for him to enter his room but he hesitated. It looked like he wanted to say something else, but all he said was, "Goodnight, Kaia."
I opened my own door quietly, puzzling over my experience with Professor Baal. During my time with her in the lab she ' d demonstrated capabilities more common in Descenders. What did it mean? It was something I wanted to sit and ponder over, but I was weary and found my concentration elusive. Tory slept peacefully and I tiptoed around the room in the dark, hoping I too would collapse into bed and fall into a restful sleep.
I peeled off my energy suit and noticed my mother had brought my belongings from home, as Professor Baal
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