Extra - Fire and Blood

The four boys sitting in the hedge, their knees hooked over the low wooden rail, converse all-stars dangling, had obviously reached that stage of the evening where actually going home was a little out of the question. Alcohol and flame blurred their vision and everyone walking by took no notice. There were an unusual amount of people out in the town for a November evening, but it was Bonfire Night and this was Lewes, the heart and soul of celebrations. The least drunk of the four emo boys explained to his zoned out companions that while these were gunpowder plot celebrations, they were combined with November 11^th respect and pagan harvest rituals. They had watched half a million flames wind their way through the town in a never ending river of burning gold and red. Lewes from above was on fire. Great bonfires were lit on five sites, fire crackers and monumental fireworks had sped to the sky and the entire town had been a riot of noise and flame.

Sera stood on the corner of the pavement, one eye one the laughing emo boys in the hedge, one dark eye out for his lover. Time was once when four pretty wasted boys would have been all he needed for the night, but not anymore. Thomas had vanished hours ago into the excited throng of fire and red and white stripy jumpers. This was his thing. Thomas was a very proud member of the Waterloo Bonfire Society, the second largest in the Town with what were widely regarded as the best headquarters at The Crown Inn. Sera had only seen him twice since the beginning of the evening, and that was from a distance. Sera had watched the proceedings from his flat, a position of much jealousy, and had stayed curious but detached from the whole ritual.

However he had gone down to the Waterloo fire site and watched them set light to the three storey pile of wood. He had watched a demon born from the flames and had stood in awe of the fireworks. But he hadn't found Thomas. Now he waited just off the exit of the fire site, watching the emo boys fall asleep giggling in the hedge.

The lovely Latino had lost none of his charm and his good looks. His silky black hair has grown longer, pulled back tonight into a single plait to save it from accidental fire. He was still slim, his thin hipped figure hidden under his black trench coat. It was cold out, but the flames had guarded the town from too much chill and Sera was uncomfortable.

The noise of bangers started up from the direct of the high street, top and bottom, Cliffe and Waterloo, rivals in their midnight prayers. The noise grew and Sera felt sorry for everyone closer. After a further half hour, he gave up. The noise was greater from his flat, he lay in bed, feeling as though ever member of both societies were in his room letting off every banger and rook-scare in the country. Each society in the town had their prayers, but Waterloo's continued long into the night and it was two in the morning before the last of the noise died off and silence and darkness finally descended to the town, leaving the fire sites and their demons smouldering in the blackness.

Thomas didn't arrive back for another half an hour, letting himself in noisily and smelling strongly of smoke and petrol with a hint of beer. He made a fair amount of noise as he stumbled through the door, not drunk, but half deaf from the noise of bangers and blind after so much flame. Sera wrapped a length of thigh length black silk around his hips and lent against his doorframe in what passed for pyjamas these days and observed his lover. Red and white stripy jumper, bandana, black beanie, white trousers, all stained with soot, his pale face and the ends of his bangs smudged with boot black. He turned on one heel, almost overbalancing and faced Sera.

"Hey!"

Sera sneered, "Go have a shower for God's sake, you smell awful." He turned and slipped back behind the curtain to lie down on his bed and stare thoughtfully at the ceiling.

Thomas stripped, unseen, and got in the shower. Not much had changed in the little flat. Sera's single bed had been changed for a double and there were various clothes and books belonging to Thomas scattered all over the place, but everything else was the same. Sera sat up and flicked through a sheaf of early pencil sketches of Thomas, the one's he'd given him that day in the library. He sighed heavily.