(REWRITING) The Skylar Experiment : Coveting

25. Aftermath

Lauren spun around and grinned. "I think I know just the thing."

She quickstepped around the counter and extracted several dishes and pans. Milk, flour and other ingredients levitated on the surface while the boys stared. When she poured milk into a bowl and finished the carton, she realized it was empty. Lauren mumbled something under her breath then whizzed to the fridge's whiteboard.

She wrote with a marker: buy milk.

Emma quieted down and slumped between Raymond and Luc as they finished their breakfast. This felt surreal. With Lauren dancing in cupcake-print jammies through the kitchen and the guys not minding her presence, it was beyond weird--especially after what happened yesterday.

Lauren managed to cook blueberry crepes while sucking on her nutella pop. It wasn't hard when her abilities replaced one busy arm. Objects and ingredients floated over her figure and around the stove like it was common procedure. 

Fifteen minutes later, she came to the table with three big plates. Two had a pair of rolled-up crepes stuffed with blueberries, strawberries and whipped cream while the third simply held more crepes neatly folded for the boys, or so Emma thought.

Raymond tested his luck and reached for one, but Lauren slapped his hand off in a moment's notice. A look of hurt crossed his face and he hid his arm under the table. Emma didn't know if she should laugh or frown. 

Raymond peeked at Lauren, and Emma was certain she would start shooting laser beams from her eyes.

Luc cleared his throat. "He's here for the drive to Columbus, remember?"

"Yeah, I know." Lauren grabbed the maple syrup and drizzled her crepes with it. "I just thought if I didn't mention it, he'd go away."

"I'm right here, you know?"

She relaxed her hands over the cutlery. "Believe me, I am aware of that."

Luc grumbled under his breath and his eyes widened in annoyance for a second. Emma was scared this would escalate.

"Wikie..." Raymond said, desperate.

She didn't answer and began eating her first crepe. She looked over at Emma with an overdrawn smile.

"Is it alright? You can add anything to your crepe, if you want."

Emma nodded, feeling sorry for the guy. "It's super good. Love it. You're going to Columbus, today?"

"Yeah. Every few weekends, Raymond and I head there to meet with a man that helps us manipulate computer codes and learn programming. He owns a tech company and if we meet his expectations, he'll hire us eventually."

Emma knew about Lauren's intelligence that went beyond her years, but she didn't know she was already working for someone.

"That's cool!"

She smiled while Raymond winced. Luc tried to hide a smirk but he noticed it and jabbed him with his elbow. The boys exchanged an overcharged glare. Raymond was not amused while Luc seemed to think otherwise. Finally, Luc rolled his eyes and picked off a couple of crepes. He gave half of them to his partner in crime. Lauren shot him a scowl.

He spoke up this time. "Let the damn guy eat and give him a break. He didn't kill anyone, Lauren."

She seethed on the inside and sent Raymond a subzero-temperature glance. The rest of her meal took place in silence. When she was done eating, she picked her own plate and moved to the sink to wash it. She was visibly doing everything to stay away from him. Luc sighed, pushing his empty plate towards the center of the table. For once, he stared at Emma.