Soul Splitters

Reunion

"Because," Sallices voice grated against his throat and was bitterly cold. "Why should they get on the train and not me?"

The icy expression on Sallices face pierce fear like a knife deep into Lucifer, he felt like he was swimming out of his depth in open waters.

"It's just the way it is Sallice. We were fighters, you know that." Lucifer cooed softly, attempting to calm Sallice down he place a firm hand on his back. Having known Sallice for the entire time he had been in Plateau Lucifer had come to care for him, if only a little bit. It was one of the curses of being in Plateau; your enemies were your friends. Sallice tensed indicating his words hadn't helped at all, if anything they had made him worse. Lucifer tried a new approach, "There is hope Sallice, you could be reunited with Kyla one day. They made it, there is a way." His voice faded to a sqweak when he realised his little speech was carelessly fueling the unexplainable behaviour. Sallice growled a long, throaty growl. Reaching into his cloak he pulled out the picture frame and Lucifer saw it was a picture of Kyla.

It was framed by a thin silver border with no decoration. The silver was dulled with age and the picture browned. Kyla posed gracefully in front of the station, the steam from the train billowing up into the sky. She was beautiful, her coffee skin and coal hair made sepia by the photograph. Her hair was curled in this photograph, although Sallice had always known her with straight hair. Her dress was rose, pink and white decorated florally with ruffles around her arms and chest. The skirt of the dress billowed out so she looked like a princess. A dark pink band around her middle pulled her in making her an hourglass. She sported a matching fan, parasol and hat with real flowers. Kyla looked lovingly at the camera with a knowing smile and Lucifer knew Davian was the photographer.

"I don't understand what you're trying to tell me." Lucifers voice displayed its concern clearly, no longer playing games. He reached out to take the silver framed photograph of Kyla but Sallice pulled it away from his grasp. Lucifer noticed Sallices breathing increasing rapidly and becoming gruffer., he slowly edged backwards away from Sallice whose face was tightening and becoming a twitching mess of ticks.

Sallice lifted the picture frame high above his head and ran forward maniacally. He propelled it down hard onto the platform. With a satisfying slam the small rectangle hit the black granite floor leaving a dent. In slow motion the glass in the frame shattered like an invisible foot had stamped in a glass puddle causing little crystal droplets to cascade into the air. People looked over at the source of the noise. Shards scattering outwards like ripples. The crowds halted. He screamed like a wounded animal. Lucifer gasped, frozen in shock. Sallice fell to his knees and picked up the frame and a large shard of glass. The streams on people headed for the train had stopped and where watching. Sallice stood upright, his teeth bared.

The shard of glass glinted like a knife.

*

Autumn took in a gulp of the fresh air, it tasted salty as it carried the scent of the sea. The air inflated her empty bag of a chest and her lungs wheezed. She sat on a metal bench perforated with small circular holes like swiss cheese. The rattle of trains on tracks filled the air, she was at a train station. Not the one in Plateau but an Earth station, busy with people with luggage and shopping bags. A tinny voice called over the station, "The train is now approaching Platform 1." She let out the deep breath, her head misty with unanswered questions. She searched her new found memories for the name Dylan. Her boyfriend.

An old woman, around 60 years old Autumn guessed, wearing brown sunglasses on her head and a blue coat walked a dog across the platform. She sat on the bench causing Autumn to shuffle out of her way.

The dog, a greyhound, was slender with grey and white fur. Its big brown eyes investigated Autumn. She looked away to the platform opposite.

Two mothers chatted animatedly about babies. The little ones, one named Linda and the other Jessica-May apparently, stared at where Autumn was sitting. It made her uncomfortable.