I'm Sorry, My Bundle of Sunlight.

Chapter 2, The Ride.

           The smoke of the train blew through the air as the train whistle blew. The train had stopped to pick up the passengers, and while they were boarding, Noelle and Maple were hopping into one of the back box cars as fast as they could. And as silently as possible. If they were caught by anyone, that’d be it for their getaway plan here. Noelle grabbed onto the handle of the car and placed a foot on the floor, pulling herself up as the train whistle blew again, as a warning to passengers that the train would be setting off soon. Maple closed and locked the car behind Noelle, and plopped down onto a pile of hay next to a large bag she had slung into the cart. She sighed gently, slouching on her uncomfortable new seat. Noelle sat beside her and motioned to the large bag next to Maple with her hand.

          “You didn’t say you had brought luggage.”

          Maple smiled and gently elbowed her.

         “It’s rations for the trip. It’ll last us until we get to his barn and can get some actual food and water.”

         “I see. Him, the one at the barn. You never mentioned who he even is.”

         “One of my brothers.” She replied quickly.

         “Another? How many do you have?”

         “Ehh.. There's a few half-siblings here and there. You knew my father. He wasn’t necessarily the most loyal nor stable man.”

         Noelle laughed at that. It’s true. He was an interesting man, that's for sure. Never was a dull day with him around. Whether that's for the better or the worse. The train jolted as it began moving, the car shaking gently. It was pitch black inside the car, which made Noelle shiver. She should have checked around more when she first came in. The box car was small, but it still worried her that she couldn’t see her own two feet.

         She looked over in Maple’s direction after hearing a few clanks of metal, and then the sound of a match scratching against the side of the box. Then there was light. A faint glow from the match illuminated the car eerily as it lit a lantern. That must have been what was causing the metallic clanks.

        “There. Some light.” Maple announced.

        “Thanks. The darkness was creeping me out.”

        “I think it’s just better to have some light. It’ll get really cold at night, just so you know.”

        “Good thing its still daytime, then.”

        Maple smiled at Noelle’s remark, and slouched down to a lying position on her back, looking up at the boxcars ceiling. The events are only now truly hitting her, now that she had some time to think about it for once instead of rushing away. She slunked down, letting out a sigh as she recalled everything that had happened in these quick events. She didn’t even mean to anger Topaz so much. She had only wanted to help some poor angel. They couldn’t have been above the age of 10. Stuck in a trap set by the clan, they were eventually going to die.

         But Topaz didn’t like that. He had said awful things about angels. He always had a grudge against them, especially after the huge war. She shivered. She hadn’t been there or fought in it, but she had heard and saw the aftermath when the soldiers had marched home. One of her closest friends had got their leg chopped off, and was forced to watch his lover get beheaded before his very eyes. It wasn’t pretty. No war was. Topaz’s grudge went deeper than that, though. Much deeper. It was a family thing. Noelle and him had the same father, but different mothers.

        Their families both had bad past experiences, but Topaz had taken it much more serious, casting out and despising every angel. Even the children. He had taken her help to the young angel as a betrayal to him, and the rest of the family. After the war, Topaz had gotten incredibly paranoid. He had built his relationships on trust, and to think that in the war some of his loyal soldiers had gone to the other side, and fought against him. That’s probably why he reacted so.. harshly against her. But did he really have to take it this far? Now not even her dad and her uncles and aunt could help. Not against such a large army who all would do anything Topaz said, when he said it.

         She didn’t even know if she could trust Maple. She was, after all, Topaz’s brother. But so was she. She also was Topaz’s brother. Just with different mothers. Maple might be tricking her. She was scared. She couldn’t ever go back there. Not even to see her family. They might catch her, and have her beheaded like Avicus. She’d have to leave everything behind. Everything that she loves and knows. Everything feels so distant now. She sniffles as she feels tears begin to flood her eyes. She really doesn’t want to cry in front of Maple, but she couldn’t stop it. Everything was happening so fast now, and who knows if she’d ever get to see those she loved again.

        She felt a weighted force on her, soon after her sniffles echoed in the almost empty car. She looked to see what it was. Good thing the lantern had been lit. A large black mass- no, not mass. It was Maple’s coat. She looked over at Maple, who had her eyes closed, until she had sensed Noelle looking at her. Then she opened her eyes and spoke.

        “I won't tell you to not cry. I understand how you feel, and that's a perfectly good reason to cry. But this is for the better.”
Noelle blinked at her and wrapped the coat around her, slipping it on.

        “Are you coming with me, then leaving.. once I get there?” Noelle asked.

        Maple sighed and thought for a moment, swinging an arm around Noelle. It was getting chillier in the car. It must be night soon. They did get there around the daylight before the beginning of dusk, so it was expected.

       “No. I’ll be staying with you and him. This might have also been an excuse to get some company. I was planning on leaving anyway.”

       Noelle’s body loosened, her weight against the taller female.

      “If he catches us, we’ll both be killed. You know that. Why would you leave? You have everything there. And you love Topaz.”

       “I do, that’s true. But I don’t have Topaz. At least, not the real Topaz. I don’t love this Topaz. He’s just a copy. When we get there, I’ll explain better. But I have my reasons.”

       Noelle nodded in understanding. Maple was a reasonable woman, and she always did things for a reason. A good reason, so Noelle believed her when she said she had her reasons. The copy Topaz part she didn’t quite understand. But she really didn’t want to think about him at all. Maple’s scent on the coat was comforting. It was the scent of home. What she called home. It reminded her of wonderful memories she made there. And, it was weighted. Maple always had her clothes weighted. Now that she was wearing a piece of her clothing, she understood why. The weight was comforting somehow. She had traveled a long way to get to the train. Hours on foot. Only now had her adrenaline worn out, and now she felt exhausted. The gentle flicker of the lanterns flame only made her more sleepy, and soon she fell asleep.