"Ezra! How many times have I told you not to leave the bakery without one of us!" His mom called from the bottom of the steps. A low grunt escaped his fathers lips as his feet marched up the stairs. "Ezra! At least answer when I --" she was cut off when she bumped into the back of his father at the top of the step. "Oh Abe, move out of the...way" her words came out breathy when she saw her son laying on top of the girl. Her mother instincts kicked into high gear and she pushed by her husband to her child. "Ezra! What happened?! Did someone hurt him?" she asked the girl frantically, but not waiting for any response.

"Mom..." Ezra whispered reaching a hand out, which she grabbed roughly. "Mom...it's not safe. I'm not safe," he continued as he turned his head and buried into the girls lap. You could hear a small sob coming from him as his shoulders shook.

His dad let out another grunt, "Poor girl's scared because of him. Look at em. Soaking wet. She needs a change of clothes Edith. Go take this girl to bathe. I'll take care of him," he said sternly as he ran a hand over his beard.

Ezra looked more like his mother. They had the same curly brown hair and blue eyes. Hers were a little rounder, but that was the only difference. His features just as soft as hers, but when he was angry his face was that of his fathers. The two of them had the same jaw line and their mouths mimicked each other. He was a perfect split of each of them, getting the best features from both.

He could feel strong arms pulling him up and the girl was no longer in his grasp as his mother hurried her to the bathroom. He couldn't even call for her since her name wasn't in her vocabulary. He could hear his father speaking but the words didn't make sense in his head. A gentle pat on the face and a slight bit of shaking and he finally came into focus to the world around him.

"There you are, son. You had your poor mother scared," Abe said with a small smile. 

Ezra looked around and nodded, "I...I left the bakery. She...the girl...she was alone. I had to take her home. She was alone," he said wiping his face of the tears that had dried. He could hear his mother fussing with the girl in the bathroom trying to convince her to undress and get in the bath before she caught a cold. 

"Who's the girl, son? Is she a friend?" Abe asked knowing all too well that the strangers clothes were too high class to be anyone from here. Maybe his son had met her at school on his way there or back. Maybe she had been a customer. He wasn't sure. He just prayed that she would keep his sons distress a secret from those who would do him harm.

"I dont know her name," Ezra said after a moment. His father nodded and led him to the bedroom to undress. He needed to shower in something warm as well. His father grabbed a large basket from the closet, big enough to fit a person and went to boil water, while Ezra undressed. Their bathtub would only have enough hot water for two showers so his father and him would bathe in this. When his dad came back Ezra was sitting with his legs pulled up to his chest. His dad poured the water over top of him and began to bathe his son gently.