Read Online The Energy Room (The Elementum Trilogy) by Styna Lane - Free Book Online Page B

barely recognized. It seemed that growing up with the boy had prevented me from noticing when he became a man.
    “ I, um… I’m going to… food?” My words regurgitated from my mouth in lagging pieces, as I inched backward toward my bedroom.
    “ Yeah,” Eric said tensely, showing a hint of the awkward boy I knew so well.
    “ I’m… clothes… hang on,” I slurred, reaching my doorway at last.
    After nervously slamming my door shut, I began pacing the bedroom as if my life depended on wearing a path into the carpet. I frantically pulled at my hair and gritted my teeth, trying to bring any sort of reason to what had just happened. Finally, I paused in front of the mirror to see the messy-haired monster staring back at me. Its eyes were watery, and its lips were pursed tight with bitter judgment. I slumped onto my disheveled bed, head falling into my hands. My thoughts battled from Lakin to Eric, and back. There was no way to get out of the situation without at least one person I cared for hating me.
    “Are you okay in there, Angie?” Eric called from the living room.
    I wondered how long I had been quietly drowning in self-loathing.
    “Yeah! Be out in a sec!” I answered hurriedly.
    Attempting to pull myself back together, I threw on a shirt that smelled relatively clean, and a pair of jeans. I shoveled my hair back into its usual, messy bun, and cleared away all signs of watery detest that had leaked from my eyeballs. Oxygen fell all the way to the bottom of my lungs, as I struggled to release my feelings of discomfort through a long, swooshing exhale.
    Opening my bedroom door to Eric’s friendly face immediately melted away my anxiety. I didn’t know how I would deal with the situation, but I felt no need to continue dwelling on it at that point in time. I would do what I often did; nothing. At least until I absolutely had to do something.
    Eric offered me his elbow, and I graciously accepted. We walked through the hall toward the elevator, arms intertwined and grinning like gleeful children going to the playground. We didn’t speak, but the silence wasn’t uncomfortable like I had expected it to be. The atmosphere didn’t feel too terribly different from any other time we had gotten lunch together.
    The feeling of familiarity and comfort was immediately robbed from us, as the elevator doors opened to reveal Al’s chiseled face.
    “ Oh, hi! Am I interrupting something?” Al asked casually.
    “ Actually—” Eric began.
    “ We’re just going to get some lunch,” I butted in.
    The jerk Eric had apologized for being the day before returned with a sideways glance and half-hearted scowl. Al caught on to Eric’s sudden shift in attitude, and took it upon himself to relieve the tension.
    “I won’t keep you, then. Angie, would you mind showing me around the rest of the building later? Whenever you’re available, that is?” Al asked politely, ushering us past him into the lift.
    “ Sure, uh… do you want to ride back down to your floor with us?” I asked.
    “ No, no, no. That’s alright. I’ll take the next one,” Al said with a slick grin as the doors closed between us.
    The feeling of comfort had all but disappeared, while Eric stood rigidly beside me. I shook my head at myself, running over in my mind the cobweb of drama I had unintentionally weaved. Lakin was upset about Eric. Eric was upset about Al. Al, well… Al wasn’t upset about anything, but I was upset about everything.
    Neither of us uttered a word as we made our way through the food queue in Caf 1. I glanced around at the various scientists who were enjoying a midday snack or cup of coffee. Some sat alone, surrounded by piles of paperwork, while others chatted merrily in groups about who-knows-what.
    “ Good morning, Angie!” Paula called from behind a mound of sausage links, her hairnet gradually migrating down to her eyebrows.
    “ It’s about noon, isn’t it, Paula?” I asked, letting a few pancakes fall onto my plate