The Elevator Effect

Chapter 4

When Jane Archer was a child, there were two things she dreaded most - even more than she dreaded broccoli - and dinners at grandma's, where she was obliged to eat broccoli.

Jane dreaded adults; talking to adults, having to greet them and make conversation. They would stare her up and down and make comments to her mother about how her tights were ripped or how her hair was messy.

She also dreaded making new friends. 'Friends' might not be the right word, because as she experienced, lots of new people she met couldn't exactly be called friends. So let's just say Jane dreaded meeting new people.

But the worst thing of all was when she had to do the two things together; meet new adults -and talk to them.

She thought back to this as she sat alone in the empty bookstore, in an antique armchair, at 6 AM on Monday morning. The armchair creaked under her whenever she dared to take a breath. But its creaking seemed to have worked out a rhythm and didn't bother her anymore.

The strange insecure feeling of meeting new adults drew back whenever she was around Mr Kingston. Well he wasn't exactly an 'adult' as such. He was 27 and only eight years older than herself.

A book was laying open in her laps but she wasn't reading it. It worked more as a rest for her mug of hot coffee which warmed up her cold hands.

Suddenly a sound snapped her out of the dome of childhood memories.

Someone was coming down the stairs.

He halted his sleepy descent into the bookstore when he noticed her. "Jane!" He exclaimed. "Jesus, you almost gave me a heart attack. What are you doing down here so early? And why in the dark?"

"I couldn't find the light switch. There's enough light from outside anyway." She said at length.

Morgan felt the pale, bare arm which stuck out of the short sleeves of her sleeping gown. "God damn it! You're freezing."

"It doesn't bother me." She shrugged and took one last sip from her mug and laid it on a distant pile of books to prove her statement.

They spoke in hushed voices, silhouette-like and secretive. Even though Betty was the only person asleep and she couldn't hear them anyway in the apartment above the store.

"Why are you up at this time?" Morgan whispered.

"Why are you up at this time?"

"I come down here to read when I can't sleep." Morgan shrugged sitting behind the counter and picking a random book from the wall. "Now you tell me."

"Today's my first day at work so you know..." She shrugged, her voice awkwardly faded away as she was suddenly felt overcome with anxiety about it all. She took a deep breath and went on. "Kingston says I should fix my sleeping pattern."

"Kingston?" Morgan furrowed his dark brows. "That's the guy from OKG something or other, right?"

Jane nodded.

"I don't know Jane, I don't know much about him but I'd tell you to be careful." Morgan shrugged.

"He's only my boss." She said turning her back to him and drowning him in her freezing cold silence.

The two things her mother always warned her not to accept from strangers, were candy and advice. She'd only known Morgan for a day so far, so supposedly he still counted as a stranger.