The Monster Behind the Mask

Chapter Six - Unmasking

Nova

As I come too, I notice that I am not alone in this lounge.

Kylo Ren sits across from me on the other couch.

I lurch awake and jolt up. I push myself up against the back of the couch. Kylo sits with his elbows on his knees, and his back hunched over. When he notices my movement, he looks up at me.

"Why are you here?" I ask, still trying to catch my breath.

"We need to talk." Kylo merely says. I raise an eyebrow. He wants to actually talk?

"About what? About the fact that you captured me? Or that you tortured me? Or about the possibility that you are now taking me to somewhere in the middle of space to dump me?" I spit at him. I am disgusted. He doesnt deserve my respect.

Kylo shifts in his seat. He crosses a leg over the other and stretches his arms out over the back of the couch. His body takes up most of the sofa.

"I was actually thinking you could ask me a few questions." He shrugs his shoulders.

I am about to hiss back at him, but I stop in surprise when I hear his response.

"Are you serious?" I ask, shocked. He nods slowly. I am at loss for words. I never thought that I would be given the opportunity to ask him questions. I didnt think I would even live this long.

I ponder over all the things I could ask him. I decide to start simple before I drill him.

"How many days have I been with the First Order?" The times that I have been conscious, and unconscious have all blurred together into a mess of memories. I cannot pinpoint anything that would tell me a timeframe.

"Four days." Kylo responds dryly.

This doesnt shock me. Its much shorter than I thought.

"How long was I unconscious after that first day?" I try to organize the days in my mind.

"Two days." He responds again. He is not one for elaboration. I purse my lips; he is being very dry. I need to ask him a question that requires more explanation.

"Why do you wear that mask?" At my question, Kylo squeezes his hands into fists. Did I hit a nerve? I silently wish I did.

"Next question." He refuses to answer.

I refuse to accept that. My curiosity gets the best of me,

"No, I want to know. Are you deformed or something?" I push. Kylo stands from the couch. He makes his way over to my side of the metal table. He looms over me, sending my pulse skyrocketing. What is he going to do?

Kylo squats down and sits on the metal table. He is extremely close to me. I lean back into the couch as much as I can. His proximity is too intimate. If he were to come at me, I would have no room to escape.

"I wear it so people like you dont get the wrong idea about my character." Kylos voice is calm and even. There is not a trace of anger.

"The wrong idea?" I question. How could you get the wrong idea from seeing someones face?

"Humans tend to think that they can figure people out once they see their faces." Kylo generalizes. I scoff at him. I already know who he is. Hes an evil monster and a murderer. Seeing his face is not going to change my mind about him.

"Try me." I challenge, "Your face cant change the fact that youre a monster."

Kylo tilts his head to the side. He reaches up and I flinch away, expecting him to hit me. But the contact never comes.

When I open my eyes, Kylos hands are reaching up to his helmet. Something clicks in it and he pulls the black and silver metal mask off his shoulders.

My breath catches in my throat. Kylo tosses his helmet to the side. He runs his gloved hand through his charcoal black curls. His green eyes gaze down at me. They shift between my eyes, searching, for what – I do not know.

Kylos jaw is sharp up near his ears, and it extends toward his mouth, where both sides come together into a strong chin. His lips are large and tender, and they naturally form a pout. His nose is strong and symmetrical.

I notice that Kylo has a scar that runs across his right cheek and up to his forehead. The end of the scar disappears into the neck of his uniform. I wonder where he got that from.

Gaping at his features, I forget to breathe. For a second, I lean toward him, but then I remember who he is. He is the person who kept me here as a prisoner. He is the man who hurt me. He is evil.

"See," My voice cracks and I clear my throat. A furious blush spreads across my cheeks.

Kylo smirks. Somehow, he takes my breath away even more with this tiny movement.

"I feel no different." I am not lying. I still dislike him greatly for what he has done. But my resolve has weakened slightly. I shouldnt have asked him to take off his mask.

"Good, because I dont want your pity." Kylo responds, narrowing his eyes at me.

What does he mean by pity? How could someone feel sorry for him?

"Why should I pity you?" I ask. Kylo looks around the lounge, avoiding my eyes.

I admire his profile. His hair looks soft and wispy at the base of his neck. His neck How is it possible to have visible muscles in ones neck? I am not complaining though. I admire how they ripple under his skin when he moves his head.

"Ignore that I said that." Kylo back-peddles. He shifts his feet so that his legs are set wider. His knees reach all the way to the cushion of the sofa from the metal table. I am shocked at his height.

"Where are we going?" I ask, changing the subject.

"That's enough questions for tonight." Kylo forbids. He stands, towering over my body.

I feel a pull toward him. Its an invisible, inevitable pull. Despite how the energy right now feels, I refuse to act on the urge. He is the future commander of the First Order. He is a Knight of Ren. He has turned to the dark side. Kylo Ren is lost. There should be no attraction there.

But if I should hate him, then why do I feel drawn to him?

It is a question I cannot answer. I doubt even he could answer it. Kylo Ren scoops up his mask and disappears around the corner of the wall. I am left alone.

My body relaxes, and I slouch down. The air returns to my lungs. That was most unexpected.

This whole time that I have been a prisoner, not once has Kylo Ren acted even close to civil. He has been stiff, and cold – much like a ghost in a mans body. But the man that sat before me mere seconds ago, was different. He had depth. Kylo Ren almost looked human. Without his helmet I could see that some emotions flickered through the darkness.

When I woke up, he was hunched over. His hands were clasped so tightly together. He looked broken for a moment, and then he wasnt. How can someone hide their emotions so quickly, and so well?

This is what Kylo was talking about. I am trying to figure him out.

Somehow, placing a face to his body and his actions has made him more human. It gave him a soul. And even though, he may have evil in his heart, what I saw, was the face of a man who is lost, and who is begging to be found.