Free The Energy Room (The Elementum Trilogy) by Styna Lane

with a muffled thud.
    “ Morning for you, though.” she winked. “I’ve been meaning to ask you, what kind of cake do you want for your birthday?”
    I was stunned that I had managed to forget my own birthday was coming up. I would be turning eighteen in just a couple of weeks, not that it made any sort of difference inside The Facility. Cake was the only real reason to look forward to birthdays. Paula was a Molecular Gastronomist, but was rarely able to share her amazing talents. Birthdays were among the few rare occasions when she could really shine. For my seventeenth birthday, she had made a chocolate and winter-mint cake; each bite emitted a puff of fog from your mouth—it was freakin’ magical.
    “Surprise me!” I exclaimed, knowing whatever she’d decide to make would be absolutely amazing.
    “ You bet I will,” Paula said happily.
    After an enjoyable exchange with the chef, I had almost forgotten that Eric was acting like a jerkwad. I followed him silently to a table at the back of the room. As we sat across from each other, I was able to see a stressed look on his face. He looked like a child who had just been mugged of his scooter by the neighborhood bully.
    “Are you just going to fume for the rest of the day?” I asked blatantly, taking a bite of pancakes, which had been massacred with syrup.
    “ No.” Eric was quick to respond.
    “ Good,” I said through a mouthful of deliciousness.
    “ Why was Al going to your apartment?” Eric asked accusingly.
    “ Gee, I don’t know . He did ask if I would show him around later. Perhaps he was hoping I would be free to do it now. He’s also my therapist, so maybe he just wanted to poke at my brain with a stick,” I said. I was a bit ashamed of my minor air of snobbery, but didn’t care enough to apologize.
    “ None of your other therapists made house calls,” Eric murmured in a low tone.
    “ They most certainly did! It just didn’t bother you, because they were all old and furry. What, exactly, is your problem with Al?” I questioned, dropping my fork with a clink.
    “ I already told you. It’s obvious that the only reason they brought him here is for you to fall for him. You sure seemed quick to trust him.” Eric grimaced, arms crossed.
    “ Just because I’m being nice to him doesn’t mean I trust him. Honestly, Eric, listen to yourself. You’re acting like a… like a jealous little… like a jealous little hamster!” I said, rolling my eyes at myself for desperately latching onto the first words I could think of.
    “ A jealous little hamster? What does that even mean?” Eric asked, one eyebrow raised.
    “ I... I don’t kn—The point is that you’re jealous, and of my shrink none-the-less. It’s completely ridiculous,” I concluded, returning to my pancakes.
    Eric stared blankly at me for a moment, before rising to his feet. He said nothing as he picked up his plate of uneaten food, and made his way toward the door.
    “I guess I’ll see you later, then,” I called, but received no response.
    I finished my food in lonely silence, reconsidering the abnormal feelings of attraction toward Eric that I had experienced earlier. I deduced that receiving my first conscious kiss had sent my hormones into a frenzy, and had confused me into believing the boy who had been standing in front of me was some sort of gorgeous, mature god. I convinced myself that I would not be making that mistake again, as I walked the remainder of my plate to the compost bin.
    “Everything alright, Angie?” Paula asked before I could make my way out the door.
    “ Everything is always alright, Paula,” I replied with a weak smile.
    “ That’s my girl. You want to know a secret?” she asked, leaning over a tray of biscuits, so as not to let anyone else hear.
    “ What?” I asked curiously.
    “ Boys are dumb,” she said, nudging me gently on the chin with her balled fist.
    “ You know… I had my suspicions.” I smiled, actually feeling a bit