Growing to Separation | Anakin Skywalker

1 | The Arrival

Kendra stacked the last plate onto the counter, wiping the sweat from her face. She looked over the dishwasher's shoulder to see Watto sitting next to a friend of his, and she sighed.

"Have you finished?"
Kendra looked over to see her sister, and she quickly shook her head. "You?"
She smiled. "I finished about an hour ago."

She nudged her arm before taking off her apron. "You're lucky. If Watto has a favorite, it's you."

"Get back to work!" Watto shouted at Kendra. 
The brunette rolled her eyes before shooting her little sister a glare. "I'll see you later."

She gathered more dishes before handing them to the washer. "I'll be outside. Watto's making me fix one of the speeders."

The hot air of Tatooine baked Kendra's skin as she laid on the ground, focused on the broken and torn apart speeder. She hooked several wires together, wondering to herself how this even happened.
But who knows; Watto is a weird creature.

As she stood up, a soft hum filled her ears. Kendra looked up into the sky as a shadow of a ship cast across the ground.

And that it was, a large ship. She stood frozen as it landed, and a ramp extended. A man with mid lengthed hair and facial hair stepped off, a young boy following behind.

"We won't be long." The man told the boy. He nodded, and they walked into Watto's shop next to the Restaurant
Kendra, being curious, dropped the wrench in her hand and walked towards the shop.

Watto stood in shock as he stared blankly at the boy, whose back was to her now. One single braid rested on his shoulder, the rest of his hair short.
"Ani? Little Ani?" Watto asked.
"Where is Shmi?" The boy asked.
"Oh, Shmi. I sold her years ago."
"You sold her?" The boy shouted.
"I'm just doing it for money, little Ani."
"Where is she?" He asked.
"Outside of town, she's owned by Cliegg Lars."
The boy looked at the man.

Shmi Skywalker. I remember her, Kendra thought. She was about ten when she first arrived here as a slave. She would help her with her chores so Watto wouldn't punish her.

Watto suddenly looked at Kendra, and the girl froze. "You, get over here, huh!"
She swallowed and stepped forward, watching as the two looked at her.
"I know you knew her. Take them to Cliegg." Watto demanded.
"Yes, Sir." She muttered.

-

Kendra's nerves flooded her body as the two men followed her outside.

"A speeder will be much faster." She encouraged.
The man grimaced, and the boy laughed. "Come on, Master. We won't be in the air this time."

He grumbled before entering the speeder.
"Does he not like flying?" Kendra asked.
The boy looked at her. "He hates it."
"Should we walk?"
He shook his head. "No-No, this is all right."
The boy examined her, and she stood still as his blue eyes scanned her.

"What's your name?" He asked.
"Kendra Almino."
He smiled. "Anakin Skywalker."
She knitted her brows as they walked towards the speeder. "You're Shmi's son."
He nodded. "You knew her?"

Kendra laughed. "Yeah, I did. Your mother used to help me with chores around here so Watto didn't punish me."

He looked around. "She has a sweet heart."
"Is there a reason you're trying to find her?" She asked.
"I can sense something is wrong. . . She's in pain." He began.

Kendra's eyes widened. "You're a Jedi?"
He looked at hdf in confusion. "Have you not seen a Jedi before?"

"Well, one time, but that was on a Newspaper."
"I'm a Padawan, actually. Master Obi-Wan here is my master." He said, looking at Obi-Wan.

"We don't have all day, Anakin." Obi-Wan said. Anakin sighed quietly before they climbed into the speeder.