Smolder in the Afterglow | Tales of Luminozenko

Chapter 4| Through The Sea Of Stars

With Morris' help, we moved tied up and moved the old man to the backseat with Mom. Then I took the driver's spot and Morris moved to the front.

I drove back to my house, and put everything back in place, my motorbike and the piano while mentally mourning for the car we left before the fight. Then tucked Mom into bed.

I ripped my note from my sketchbook and used the sling bag as a paperweight. I could already imagine her anger once she woke up.

I grabbed a few snacks to be eaten on the way—wherever we were going and brought them to Morris.

"Why don't you take a quick shower?" She asked with a small smile. "I mean, we might meet people immediately after getting to Luminozenko."

"Oh, I'm glad you said that." I sighed and led her out of the room. "There's another bathroom downstairs, so clean yourself, too. I'll use the one in my room."

"Thank you." She began climbing down the stairs as I rushed to my room and hopped in my bathroom.

Thankfully, somehow, the blood was a bit easier to remove from my wings. But I did my best scrubbing at the dirt, sweat, and blood off my body until my skin was almost turning red, and repeated the process. The same happened with my hair, washing it thoroughly with shampoo.

By the time I was done, I felt like my skin had been ripped off, but at least all the bad smell was gone. I pulled on a backless shirt, pants, and a pair of heeled boots.

I gave my room one last glance, inhaling the familiar scent of books and a bit of citrus and lavender. I hung my quiver on the hook on my wall and grabbed my bag. But I quickly halted in the doorway and turned back into my room.

"Yeah, no." I grabbed whatever books I could get. But not really. I just stared at my shelves, reaching my hand out, pulling it back, and reaching out again. Then, I groaned in frustration. "This is a nightmare. Which ones should I bring?"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get the ones that can keep me sane. Sane. Not the emotionally damaging ones. Not the ones that ruined me. First of all, the series about Poseidon's son." I grabbed my entire collection of the series. "And the series which is the sequel to it." I hauled another bunch of books and all put them to the floor. "There's no way I'm leaving your books behind, Uncle Rick."

"Oh, God. This is a nightmare," I said and scanned my shelves again. "Let's not forget about the crows. Maybe some of the books I haven't read yet and my standalone. I'll also bring some spice."

I hit my forehead with a hardcover book I grabbed. "I'm going insane."

༎ຶ‿༎ຶ

I balanced the books in my arms and I climbed down the stairs as carefully as I could. The moment Morris noticed me while sitting in the living room, her mouth flew open and her eyes went wide. I gave her a small smile. "Uh, do you still have some space in your bracelet?"

"I seriously can't understand you bookworms," she sighed and shook her head. "But yeah, I have a ton of space." She got up from the couch and took some books off me, putting them in her bracelet.

"Great!" I cheered and handed her the ones in my grasp, quickly turning away. "I'll go get the rest." I rushed down the stairs before I could hear her complaint.

When I got back with my books, she could grimace and put them inside her bracelet.

"Okay, no more books?" She asked and finally put the very last one I picked from my collection.

I nodded and clutched my bag. "Yeah, ready to go."

"What do we do with the guy, though?" Morris asked as we walked out of the house.