Ezra watched as Tom weaved through the crowds of people to get to the bakery stall. He watched him intensely, hoping nobody made any snarky comments about him along the way. With his nerves, Ezra felt a little temperamental, almost as if he could snap and punch someone for even looking at Tom in a disgusted way.
When he got to the stall, and the woman treated Tom like some sort of criminal, Ezra had to remove himself. He felt the rage coursing through him in a way he couldn't control. And he didn't like to lose control.
The anger that came with being a demon was one that controlled them. It came in short hot bursts of fury. Once it was there, he was likely to lose his composure. He didn't want to end up snapping at Tom, nor did he want to end up fighting on his behalf.
So, he wandered away from the crowds and paced back and forth until his impulsions had settled. He could cope with people staring at him, but he couldn't cope with them judging Tom. He was such a sweet and kind soul, who deserved nothing but respect and love.
Ezra hated seeing the way people treated him. He hated that he was partly responsible for Tom's suffering. But being with him was like a drug. Tom accepted him, he really accepted every part of Ezra. Even before he knew that Ezra had once been angel, Tom had fallen in love with him.
He exhaled slowly, feeling lighter with each long breath. He stopped crouching and ran a hand through his hair, almost ready to return to Tom, and to keep a look out for any trouble.
Until he heard screaming.
Loud petrified screaming oozed from the street behind the library. Ezra spun on his heels, and ran across the cobbles, skidding to a halt when he saw two women on the ground in front of the stage for the angel's choir.
One held a bloody wound on her shoulder, the other backed away as a booming voice echoed from the fair, announcing that the angel's choir would begin very soon.
Ezra's hands trembled.
This time, the attacker was still there. What looked like an angel in a long white robe with a large hood had crouched to pick up a long bloody knife.
"Hey!" Ezra roared, and the figure spun around, but he couldn't see their face because of the hood. They dropped the knife and sprinted away. Instead of running to the injured woman, Ezra ran after the attacker.
With his big strides, it didn't take long for him to catch up and tackle them to the floor, scuffing knees and elbows. The person grunted as the angels appeared on the stage, and crowds of locals and tourists turned the corner, ready for the choir.
"Let go!" a familiar voice yelled under the hood. Ezra realised that no angel had committed the crime.
He stuck his knee into the persons back and ripped the hood down, as angels swarmed the two women on the ground before the public could overwhelm them.
Someone gasped behind him. Tom had pushed through the crowd and hurried over. He crouched by Ezra, confused and troubled. "Gerry?" Tom whispered, the name trembling on his lips.
Othrowan crouched in front of them, looking between Ezra and Gerry pinned to the ground. "Explain out loud," he demanded loudly.
Ezra stumbled on his words as he desperately tried to tell him what he had seen, and to make a point of telling him that it wasn't him. He didn't do it, and he would not be accused of it again. "I saw him! He had the knife in his hand. A-And look, he's pretending to be an angel. He has stollen one of your robes."
Othrowan quickly pulled the hood back over Gerry's face before the public could see who Ezra had captured. "Go inside the library, both of you. Wait for me there-"
"Ez saved the women!" Tom yelled. "Ez, the soul stripper, saved their lives!"
Ezra looked around at the many stunned faces tripped over each other to see what was going on. The angels had swarmed the women and were taking them towards the library. The crowd parted for them, asking what was happening, and the uninjured woman pointed towards Ezra.
The crowd of locals were too shocked to react. But they were nosey and were soon asking the angels what was going on.
"Who is that?" one local asked, pointing at Gerry with his face covered. "Who attacked the women? Looks like an angel!"
"This is no angel," Othrowan boomed, pulling Gerry's hood down further. "Come, Ezra and Tom. We will talk about this in private."
Othrowan stormed towards the crowd and the angels parted a path for them. Ezra followed quickly, making sure to keep Tom close enough where he could feel him. His hands still trembled when they made it back onto the street with the stalls, and up the steps towards the library.
His heart thrashed in his chest. His mind was present, but his thoughts were plucking up the memories of his past.
The women were standing by the reception when they entered. Ezra went straight up to the injured one to see the damage. "Are you alright?" he asked, pausing when he noticed her clothes were intact. A large blood stain covered the right shoulder of her white t-shirt. Her hand was stained with blood too, but there was no wound.
He locked gazes with her, and she pursed her lips and glanced away. "I'm not hurt," she said quietly.
Ezra frowned and watched Othrowan take the robe away from Gerry, who leaned against the counter as though he was bored. "What is going on?" he asked bluntly.
Othrowan smiled gently. "History has repeated itself."
Ezra looked over at Tom, who had started to notice that something wasn't quite right. "What have you done?" he asked.
"Come, everyone. Somewhere more private." Othrowan led them through the library and into the room where they practiced their choir. "Take a seat."
Rows of plastic chairs had been lined up to face an old teaching blackboard, with old outlines of past words. Ezra's hairs stood on end when Kie and his demon group were already sitting down in the room. "Explain to me, right now," he said through gritted teeth.
But Kie shrugged. "The angels knew we were watching the fair. When you guys left your post, they round us up, saying they had a plan. We are yet to know what that plan is."
Othrowan stood before everyone, taking his time to study each face. "History has repeated itself, with our help, of course."
"What do you mean?" Tom asked.
"Those women weren't attacked. Gerry wasn't their attacker. This was a play set up to make Ezrakhell look like the hero. He has been given the redemption he deserves."
Ezra felt all eyes on him. "Why?"
"Because I am righting my wrongs," Othrowan admitted.
Ezra started to frown, and his hands curled to fists. "You did this because the humans are losing faith in you again, didn't you? Only this time, you chose not to betray me."
"It is true that the locals in Wileshire village have lost a little faith in the purity of angels, however, this is the beginning of a plan to make life easier for demons."
"So, all of that was a set up?" Tom asked.
"It was. And it succeeded." Othrowan said, pompously linking his wrinkled fingers together.
"You call this success?" Ezra asked, standing up so quickly, his chair almost toppled over. "I'm still a demon, I've still been punished for a crime I didn't commit. Did you do all this, thinking it would make me feel better? Because it's fucked up Othrowan!"
The old angel's smug expression didn't falter. "Come, Ezrakhell. It's time." He left the room without a second glance.
Ezra was so frustrated, he stormed after him, yelling about how he had used him yet again to save his own reputation. "It's ridiculous!" he roared, following him through the library front door. "You deceived-"
The cheer from the crowd drowned out his voice. Ezra looked up, stunned to his core. Hundreds of people were cheering for him, smiling at him, thanking him. No, it was all fake. Ezra gulped down his words as Othrowan raised his arms and the crowd fell silent.
"History repeated itself today!" Othrowan boomed. "Ezra, the Soul Stripper demon, is hereby stripped of all punishments!"
As the crowd cheered again, Ezra's ears rang loud. Stripped of my punishments? He grabbed Othrowan's shoulder. "What do you mean?"
"I mean-" Othrowan made sure to wait for the crowd to settle again. "Ezra shall return to his true form as an angel!"
The crowd cheered again, and Ezra felt a little wobbly, until an arm coiled around his waist. Tom had appeared next to him, looking just as surprised, and a little concerned. Ezra couldn't form his words into sentences. His mouth opened and closed. His voice made no sound.
The crowd cheered enough for him. Many demanded the change to happen now, loads applauded his bravery, and the locals from the pub cheered the loudest. Tom's parents were among those cheering, and Ezra could barely think.
Everything was happening so fast, he could barely process what had happened, and what was going to happen.
Othrowan raised his arms again, and the crowd once again went quiet. "Ezrakhell will be rewarded! I shall send messages to the angels. We will convoke a ceremony! He will have redemption."