Steel Ethereal

Ch. 25 On Enochs

Luciana

We have arrived to Promenade and much of Apex is there to greet us. Riley is the first to meet us. He looks to Rob and rubs his back. He nods with a content smile. He continues on to Jenna.

"Luce!" Liam says suddenly to my side. Rob is nodding in and out of sleep. The poor thing is still exhausted from the past few days. No matter how strong his body had gotten, nothing could have mentally prepared him for all we had been through.

"I'm fine Liam, nothing happened to me. Look at Janeiro, he's got the worst injury out of all of us." I say.

"To hell with him, let me look at you."

He doesn't regard Rob on my back. He snatches my face and scans my eyes. He's checking for a concussion His arms squeeze at my limbs. Had I not had Rob on my back I would have shoved him back hard.

"Ya' done?"

"Luciana, you could have died..."

"I didn't. You can stop worrying."

"Luciana, I do worry." He snaps in a cold tone.

I narrow my eyes, "Go to Janeiro, I have to get this boy home."

Even with Rob's weight on me, I manage to turn a heel swiftly and head in the direction of Rob's apartment.

"Oh, my god!" I hear behind me as well. I can't help but roll my eyes.

The redhead, Charlie is at my side. She looks to Rob and hovers her hands, as if unsure what to do.

"Is... Is he alright?" She asks almost frantically.

"He's resting. I need to get him home."

"Please can I come with you?" She asks.

"It's a free city. Come along If you want."

She nods her head quickly. She is on my tail, looking to Rob every step of the way.

"Hey there..." I hear Rob mutter on my back. He must have woken. I'm silently grateful he's woken up back home. I was sure with every waking of his sleep that he felt down he couldn't see Promenade's buildings tower above us.

"Rob! Oh, thank god," reaches and runs her hand through his hair. This girl has it bad, I can see.

I hear an impact as she slaps the back of his head. I turn with a look on my face to get her to back off. She's pretty balsy and doesn't so much as look fearful.

She walks to my side again to talk to Rob, "You had me worried sick!"

"Charlie," I hear a bit of a laugh in Rob's voice, "I'm fine."

"I know but..." She stops and hisses breath, "I really missed you and I was really worried."

Yeah, she definitely has it bad.

"Thanks, but I'm good. I'll be fine."

She has a pouty look for the remainder of our walk. He's been through much and I know for a fact he is not fine.

Rob

My curtains are drawn and my blinds are half closed. Sunlight found its way in the early morning. I contemplated closing the blinds, but I knew it to be useless. Sleep wouldn't come to me even in the blackest of darks.

I shut my eyes, trying to force myself to sleep a little longer. I had nowhere to be, no one to meet. Yet, the sun still creeped and its rays hovered over my face. I snapped up from bed, accepting sleep wouldn't come to me. I walked to my kitchen to prepare a pot of coffee, dragging a book with me as well.