He had plenty of reasons but wasn’t going to bite. It was exactly what Benecio wanted and he didn’t want to please him in any way.
“Well, you don’t need to talk to me, just listen,” Benecio continued. “For your crimes against the council, you will be banished. You will suffer your punishment before the sun goes down again.”
Jerome couldn’t stay quiet one moment longer. He stood quickly, turning to face the councilor. “You can’t do that. I only broke lockdown so I could speak to someone on the council. I needed to and there was no other way.”
“Angel Jerome, you don’t understand. You aren’t being punished for breaking the lockdown, you’re being punished for the murder of two council members.” His lips twisted into a smile, staring him down without fear. Benecio had all the power and he knew it. There wasn’t one thing Jerome could do.
“I wasn’t behind all that, I wasn’t even here. I was on Earth when the attack happened,” Jerome tried to defend himself, his mind spinning with the accusation. He could never do anything like that, he didn’t have it in him. There was no violence that he could perform, none at all.
“So you say. But tell me, do you have any witnesses to your whereabouts?”
“No. Do you have any witnesses that said I was in this building? Or even in the village?” He shot right back.
“I don’t need witnesses, whatever I say, goes.” Benecio took a step back from the door, getting ready to close it once again. Jerome panicked, he couldn’t let him have the final say. It couldn’t end that way, not with his punishment so close.
“You can’t do this to me, I deserve a trial.”
“Not in this situation you don’t.”
He slammed the door, definitively putting an end to the conversation. Jerome banged on it with both fists. “Let me out! You can’t do this to me!”
He yelled until his throat hurt and his fists ached. Only then, did he sit back down on the bed. Holding his head between his hands, Jerome couldn’t think of anything that would save him. Nobody would come to rescue him, Leila would forever be wondering what happened to him, and he would spend an eternity in the wastelands. All the stories he had heard about banishment were not pleasant, not that anyone ever returned to tell a tale. What it was exactly like, nobody knew, all they could do was gossip and imagine.
The last thing Jerome wanted to do was admit defeat. But Benecio and the rest of the council had won. He wasn’t exactly able to overthrow them from his cell and definitely not from the wastelands.
But what was going to happen to the village? Would they end up banishing everyone who looked at them the wrong way? Would there be any angels left to protect the humans? After all, they would be the ones to suffer the most. No matter what was happening in the village, their sole focus should still remain the humans on Earth. Yet Jerome doubted it would stay that way.
Looking through the window, Jerome couldn’t see anything except the glow that surrounded the village. Nobody came or went past the window. He despaired, desperately wanting to take action and unable to think of anything to do.
When footsteps stopped outside his door again, Jerome knew his time was up. They had come for him, to take him into the building where his banishment would be formalized. One moment he would be in the village, the next he would be in the wastelands with nothing but eternity to look forward to.
He wished he was able to say goodbye to Leila and Alexander, especially Alexander. They had grown up together from the moment they were born, he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to never see him again. He guessed he would find out. The thought made him want to scream in frustration. It shouldn’t end that way, it wasn’t supposed to be like that. They were angels, they were born to protect humans, it just wasn’t right.
Jerome stood as the door opened, wondering how he was going to react. He had no idea, he doubted whether he was in control of himself anymore. It didn’t feel that way. He questioned whether he would try to fight them, or was he just going to give up and accept it as impossible to change? There was no way of telling, it wasn’t like he had ever been in that situation before.
The door opened slowly, Jerome feeling every beat of his heart as it moved. He felt his legs brace themselves, making him wonder if he would try and run if given the chance. It was a possibility, he guessed.
To his surprise, Ambrosia stood there, his face creased into oblivion. “Ambrosia?” Jerome muttered, unable to contain his shock at seeing the council member. He had expected guards, or Benecio at the very least.
“Angel Jerome, you need to get out of here as quick as you can,” Ambrosia said nervously. His tone of voice told him he was serious, he didn’t doubt it at all. “Follow me with haste.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Jerome followed him closely at his heels, not letting the councilor out of his sight. They wove their way through the corridors, going a different way than the day before. Jerome quickly lost track of where they were, just blindly following instead.
They climbed a set of stairs and Jerome could see daylight for the first time since leaving his cell. They were headed somewhere, freedom was beckoning but it was still so far away.
“Hide,” Ambrosia suddenly whispered. He pushed Jerome into a side room and closed the door. Leaning on the frame, he held his breath.
Jerome watched the sweat on Ambrosia’s brow form before it ran down the side of his head. Angels rarely sweated, they didn’t feel the heat or cold like humans did. To see Ambrosia in such a state made his stomach churn. When those in charge were scared, it was a time to panic.
Jerome went to speak but was quickly silenced by Ambrosia as he placed his finger over his lips, signaling him to stop. They strained to hear as footsteps passed by outside. Jerome prayed the next noise wouldn’t be the doorknob turning. If he was found, it wouldn’t just be him being banished but Ambrosia too. He didn’t want to be responsible for that.
Thankfully, the footsteps continued past. They waited a few more moments before breathing again.
“Come on, we need to keep moving,” Ambrosia warned. He opened the door cautiously, peeking out to make sure their visitor had gone. The hallway appeared empty.
They snuck out and continued on. At the first door that led outside, Ambrosia hurried through, followed closely by the angel. Once out in the daylight, the councilor started running. He crossed the field and rounded a corner, seeking shelter in the remains of the building. It was once the meeting hall, now it was just an ashen shell of a room.
Ambrosia turned to face Jerome, his face grim. “Get to Earth and stay there, you cannot return to the village, do you understand?”
“But they’ll find me there, they’ll find me anywhere,” Jerome protested. “There is nowhere to hide.”
The councilor took something from his pocket and held it up. It was a pendant with a polished stone hanging from it. “Wear this. I’ve enchanted it so it will shield you. While you have this on, no angel will be able to see you. Do you understand?”
“I do,” Jerome said as he took the pendant. “Why are you helping me like this? Isn’t it dangerous?”
“Of course it is, but I need you angel Jerome and you will be no good to me in the wastelands. I can’t talk them out of your punishment, or vouch for your innocence, but I can keep you hidden. Promise me you’ll stay on Earth?”
“I promise. Will you tell Alexander?”
“I’ll try. Now go before someone finds us.” Ambrosia held his hand out for Jerome to shake, he took it with gratitude.
“Thank you,” Jerome replied sincerely. He placed the necklace over his head, instantly disappearing before Ambrosia’s eyes. In the next moment, he flashed out of the village, wondering if there would ever come a time when he would be able to return.
CHAPTER 15
Leila let the door close behind her as she set off on foot. Her destination was the museum, hoping it would offer her some quiet solace. The library was overrun with volunteers and while that should make her happy, it
meant it was too noisy for her to be there anymore. It was no longer her special place.
She had managed to avoid all talk of the opening celebrations for a whole day. She spent the entire time hoping the telephone lines didn’t get restored for a long while.
“Hey, beautiful.” Reece surprised her from behind, gripping her around the waist to pull her in for a kiss. “What happened to you yesterday?”
Leila forced a smile, trying not to let the memory of the previous day freak her out. “I had to get some air. It was a bit much with all the people.”
“And your terrible boyfriend forgot to tell you they were coming.”
She pushed him playfully, forgiving him already. “It’s okay, I’m sure you’ll make it up to me.”
Reece bowed as if she was the Queen. “I will spend the rest of my life making it up you. Could I start with breakfast? Have you eaten?”
“I have, sorry. Perhaps you can just walk me to the museum instead?”
He slipped his hand into hers as they started walking again. “As you wish, my lady.”
Leila tried to act normally, like she would have before she spoke with Jerome yesterday. But something had changed when she realized she had been in love with the angel. She didn’t know whether what she felt for him was just a memory or something that was still true.
She knew when he was near her heart beat faster in her chest and her head got a little giddy. But she also knew he was an angel. Surely they could never be together? They were obviously torn from each other before, so what would have changed to allow them to be together now? Nothing, probably.
And then there was Reece. He was a human, flesh and blood, just like her. He was also there for her all the time and he gave her butterflies in her stomach. She hadn’t changed how she felt about him, but it was so much more complicated now. Jerome’s presence in her life had changed it, whether she wanted him to or not.
She felt guilty keeping such a big secret from Reece. If she hadn’t promised Jerome she wouldn’t tell anyone about the existence of angels, she might consider telling him everything. But unfortunately she had to keep it a secret. And pretend to be normal, when it was everything but.
The walk took longer than normal while Leila just enjoyed the time with Reece. She pushed aside all thoughts of the angel and the problems he was having. For those precious minutes, she was just a normal girl with her normal boyfriend.
But there was only so long she could fool herself. As they stepped inside the museum, something felt different. She didn’t even need to see him to know Jerome was there somewhere. Instantly, she panicked.
“Reece, perhaps you should stay here while I have a look around and see what we need to do,” she suggested, trying to get away from him. Her eyes darted around the room, waiting for the angel to step through any of the doors at any moment.
“I can help,” Reece insisted. “I don’t want you to go anywhere alone until we’re sure we didn’t get any unwanted visitors during the night.” He gripped onto her hand tightly, as if to reiterate he wasn’t going anywhere.
Leila just smiled, running out of ideas. Perhaps she was wrong, maybe the angel wasn’t there after all. Perhaps he would stay invisible if he knew she wasn’t alone. She hoped for the best as they started their walk around the museum.
As soon as they arrived at either the museum or the library they always did a walk through first. Neither could shrug off the memories of the past, it was permanently scarred on their brains. It would be all too easy for someone to break in and lay in waiting for someone to attack in the morning.
They cleared the lower level and moved up to the second storey. Leila started to relax, believing she must have been mistaken when she thought Jerome was there. Clearly, he wasn’t or he would have found her by now.
The cafeteria was clear, nobody had broken in to bother stealing the bottled water they stored there. It was still devoid of food or any other beverages. They wouldn’t even be able to purchase pre-packaged food to sell when they did finally reopen. The cafeteria would probably be the last section to be opened.
They entered the gallery and heard footsteps behind them. Simultaneously, they spun around fast to find the source. At seeing the intruder, Reece stepped in front of Leila, shielding her from the large beast.
“Reece, it’s okay,” Leila sighed.
“Get away from us,” Reece yelled, ready to spring into action to defend her if necessary. He had never seen anything like the angel before.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Jerome replied, staying still so he didn’t provoke any attacks. The last thing he wanted to do was to have to avoid the guy as he lunged at him. It would be embarrassing for them both.
Leila stepped out from behind Reece and placed her hand on his arm. “He’s really not going to hurt us, I know him. His name is Jerome and he’s my guardian angel.”
Reece looked between them, back and forth as he tried to make sense of it all. He couldn’t take it in, he couldn’t accept the man standing before him was a guardian angel. Despite the large grey wings telling him otherwise.
“It’s a trick, he’s trying to fool us.”
She rubbed his arm, trying to get him to pay attention to only her. “It’s not a trick. You have to trust me on this, there’s no need to be afraid of him.”
“She’s right,” Jerome added, mainly just to annoy the guy. He remembered seeing every kiss and every touch. He didn’t want to even be in the same room as the human let alone have a conversation with him. If he wasn’t so desperate to speak with Leila, he wouldn’t even be there exposing himself.
“An angel?” Reece muttered, trying to convince himself he wasn’t stuck in a dream. “I don’t understand.”
“He’s the man I was trying to remember. It’s a long story, but Jerome helped me get through everything that happened,” Leila tried to explain, leaving out all the details she could. “Jerome is a good guy, he’s on our side.”
Reece suddenly took a step away from both of them. “This was the guy? You were trying to remember him?”
“He helped me. I told you I thought he was an angel,” Leila said defensively. She knew why he was reacting as he was and the guilt cut deeply. They both assumed she was thinking about someone special, someone close and intimate. She had thought he was a boyfriend and Reece had too. Now, to see that person, and to know she hadn’t told him about the angel when she had remembered, was a betrayal in its purest form.
“He’s a monster,” Reece spat out the words like they tasted horrible on his tongue. “How could you… And you didn’t tell me… You kept this from me.”
“I didn’t know how to tell you, I didn’t even know where to begin. I still don’t remember everything, just parts here and there. You have to believe me, Reece, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
He looked between the two of them, not wanting to leave Leila alone with the creature but not wanting to feel the pain of having to look at them either.
“Were you… a couple?”
Jerome couldn’t stay quiet any longer, he had no regard for the human but he did care about Leila’s good honor. “We weren’t a couple and it was me who told Leila not to tell anyone about me. If you want to be angry at anyone, it should be at me and not her. She did nothing wrong except help me when I needed it.”
“Don’t talk to me.”
“Reece…” Leila took a step closer to him, wishing she could turn back time and do things differently. Would she tell him about Jerome? Probably not. Would she do better at keeping him unseen? Probably.
Reece took another step backwards, his foot hit the wall behind him. The only way to get further away now was to leave the room. “I can’t deal with this.”
“Reece, we can’t tell anyone-”
“I can do whatever I like.” He left the room, his heavy footsteps stomping on the ground. Leila looked at Jerome in anguish, unable to think how she could fix everything.
“Will he tell people about me?” Jerome asked, worried e
veryone in Aron might find out about his existence.
“I don’t know, he’s upset. I don’t think he would, but I just don’t know.”
“You like this human?” The question caught in his throat as he tried to say it casually. He had to remember why he was there, it wasn’t to strengthen his relationship with Leila, it was to hide out and stay alive. He had to remember his purpose, he couldn’t get side tracked.
Leila nodded, not wanting to say the words out loud. She still felt like she was betraying him with her feelings for Reece. It seemed like she couldn’t get it right no matter what she did. Someone had to get hurt.
“I’ll fix this,” Jerome muttered as he stalked after the human. He left her standing in the large room alone, putting aside his own feelings.
He easily caught up with Reece before he could even leave the building. His stomping feet giving his location away. Jerome closed the gap between them swiftly and without even straining himself.
“You need to wait,” Jerome ordered, standing before him to block his way. Reece tried to get around him but he moved again to make it impossible.
“Get out of my way.” His voice was as hard as steel, his hands at his side clenched in tight fists.
“I can’t let you leave until you listen to me.”
Reece stared at him, glaring into his eyes and willing him to burst into flames. It didn’t work. Without a better plan, he crossed his arms and opened his ears. “You’ve got two minutes.”
“I know you have strong feelings for Leila,” Jerome started. “And I know you care for her deeply.”
“So?”
He tried not to get frustrated with the human and resisted the urge to smack him over the head. He didn’t even know where the feeling came from, angels didn’t have those kind of violent tendencies.
“So, it means we both want what’s best for her.”
“And you think that’s you?” Reece replied with disbelief. “How can you think that? You’re not even human, you’re a freak.”
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