(Author's Note: This chapter is in Nira's point of view.)
I got done with work for the day and returned back to my -- well, technically Kylo Ren's -- cell. Immediately upon entering the cell I noticed a piece of paper lying on the nightstand that I undoubtedly took to be one of his notes. I rushed over to the nightstand and ripped it open.
'Dear Nira,
I am going, with a few other employees, on a recruiting mission to a place far off in the universe. I will be back in a few days.
You are still technically my apprentice; therefore, we will need to recommence our private training upon my return. We will advance our training with the new apprentice that I am going to gather.
I am looking forward to the continuation of working with you.
-Kylo Ren
Postal Script: Sometime, I would enjoy to hold a chat with you about past events occurring between us.'
I stared at the note blankly for several minutes, trying to determine if there was a secret meaning behind any of the words that I had to decipher. My suspicions came up short.
I couldn't keep my mind off of who he was bringing back, and why. How did he find them? Why did he need to recruit them? How powerful were they? What if they brought harm to The First Order? Would he come back safely?
I also didn't know if I wanted to keep training with him. I knew that his training would obviously be more beneficial than my own devised system, but I couldn't stand the thought of being in the same room as him. Of course I didn't hate him or anything of the sort -- I merely dreaded seeing of him because of how bad he had emotionally hurt me.
The day of our fight, Kylo Ren had hurt me on several different occasions, and in so many different ways. First, he announced to me that if we were to continue our relationship we would have to keep it exclusive and private because continuing our relationship was life threatening. I had done the only rational thing -- I had ended our relationship because of how dangerous it was for the both of us. That was the most sensible thing to do.
Kylo Ren then had gotten furious with me. He used The Force to take control of me and attempted to seduce me. That had only hurt my feelings because I had been sure that I meant too much for him to even consider using The Force on me. Apparently, I had been wrong.
He then had left the room.
Later that day, I tried to mend things with him before they worsened by seeking him out and talking things through. He confessed his love for me; based off of that crucial information I had reversed my earlier decision to end our relationship. I took a chance and I kissed him.
Kylo Ren kissed me back, too. My heart had begun to excitedly pound and my chest felt elated as he clasped his hands to my side and moved his lips passionately against mine. Thoughts of the prospect of sharing love and a stable relationship with him began to race through my mind and I could barely contain my ecstatic emotions.
Then he pushed me away. All of my optimistic, delighted thoughts were immediately washed away and all that was left was an empty, crumbling feeling in my gut.
He had realized his mistake too late. By the time he had caught up to me in the hallway, the empty feeling had been replaced by a blinding, white-hot rage. I smacked him.
I hadn't seen him since.
I set the note slowly down and perched myself gently on the bed, letting my feet dangle off. I had to take a moment to try and consume what he had proposed in the note.
After several long moments of thought, I determined that I would continue my training with him willingly. I figured that there would be no frustrated sexual tension between Kylo Ren and myself if there was another apprentice that trained with us.
Or will there be erotic unease no matter the circumstances? Will there always be a mutual, inevitable attraction between Kylo Ren and myself?, I worriedly thought as I sat on the bed. I frowned and considered the option more, but then thought, Kylo Ren won't give me an option anyways. He will make me train with him no matter what my opinions on the subject are.
The matter was settled. I would train with Kylo Ren and his new apprentice.
***
It had been five days since I received his note when I was notified of Kylo Ren's arrival back to the base.
I had gotten the notification late at night. A random, insignificant employee had buzzed to get into my room. I had allowed the employee to enter. She handed me a note.
I slowly opened the note and immediately was able to recognize his timeless, orchestrated scrawl.
'Nira,
We will commence our multi-apprentice training tomorrow morning at the usual time that our training would start.
I am looking forward to it. I hope you are as well.
-Kylo Ren
Postal Script: I would also wish for you to seriously consider my offer for you and I to hold a chat about the extent of our relations.'
The employee left the room.
I was horrifically anticipating the 'chat' that was sure to occur between Kylo Ren and myself. I knew that we would eventually have to talk about our fight and what we were to become, but I wanted to stall that conversation as long as possible.
It took me a very long time to fall asleep that night. Thoughts centered around Kylo Ren swirled through my head and kept me up until the darkest hours.
*****
I nervously walked to the training arena the following morning. I was fully geared up, with all of my tight black clothing, combat boots, belt, and everything else on. I was anxious to meet my fellow apprentice and I was especially uneasy about the thought of encountering Kylo Ren again.
I walked into the room and was very surprised at the sight I saw.
There was a boy -- or is he a man? -- lifting extremely excessive weight in the weight training area. I stared at him in amazement as he powered away, lifting five times the amount that I usually lifted. I didn't get a good look at what this man looked like since he was actively working out and facing the other way. Then I looked to the other side of the room.
I experienced a deep pang of agony in my chest as my vision focused on Kylo Ren. He was standing with his perfect posture, as usual. He was calm and collected -- I didn't think he even sensed my arrival. I thought it would be best for me to avert my eyes away from him, so I did so.
Then I noticed the final being in the room.
She was tall -- intimidatingly tall. Her brown hair was not too dark, nor too bright, and it flowed beautifully down her thin torso. She had stupendous curves. I couldn't see her face because she was turned away from me. I watched in awe as she maneuvered several heavy, shapeless rocks through the air. The girl became a lot more threatening when I realized that she was using The Force to move these objects through the air.
"Nira." A dark, metallic, resonant voice called out to me. I jumped and turned in the direction of the sound.
My name had been emitted by Kylo Ren. He must have noticed me while I had been studying the girl. I didn't reply to him, but instead stared. There was a small clunk -- I glanced over to see that she had detected my presence as well and had set the rock onto the ground. I finally got a good look at her face.
She was flawless. A thin nose, sharp cheekbones, enticing lips, and bright brown eyes were all part of the gorgeous puzzle that made up this girl's face. For some reason, just looking at her sent a wave of angry heat through me. I didn't recognize the emotion that I felt when I first saw her face, and I didn't like it.
There was a loud clang. All of our vision was directed towards the man, who had tossed his weights aside. He stood up to his incredibly impressive height and looked towards me. His thick, muscular body was dripped in sweat. His jawline and cheekbones were crisp and he gazed at me with astonishing intensity. He had blonde hair that stuck up at odd angles and bright, blue, terrifying eyes that made me feel like he was sifting through all of my thoughts.
I was too scared to hold eye contact with him any longer. I quickly look away from the blonde boy and look back towards Kylo Ren. He glanced between all of us before speaking.
"Time for introductions, I suppose."
"This is Kubos. He originates from Flore and retains a great amount of midichlorians in him, which obviously signifies an excess of The Force. He will be training with us and has the potential to become a leader of The First Order." Kylo Ren brandished towards the blonde boy, Kubos, who breathed heavily due to the fact that he had just finished working out. I politely nodded and fearfully swallowed.
"This is Kespia, sister of Kubos. She also originates from the planet of Flore. We did not originally register the impressive levels of The Force that she holds, but instead mistook her powers as Kubos' powers as well. Upon arriving to Flore, we realized that both of them contain great amounts of The Force. Kespia will most likely become a significant leader of The First Order as well." Kylo Ren introduced me to the visually impeccable woman to my right. I tried to smile, but failed due to how daunted I felt.
"This is Nira Leven," Kylo Ren said, looking between the two new apprentices, "and she originates from Tunstead. Nira was not recruited, but rather, I recognized her degree of power accidentally while on a mission. She is currently an employee in The First Order's government and will surely obtain several promotions throughout her life to reach a very high rank."
The girl, Kespia, squinted at me. "Can you use The Force?" She asked -- of course. Her voice is smooth and attractive, just like everything else about her.
I wasn't sure why I felt so bitter towards Kespia without truly getting to know who she was, but I did. I had to focus on not being outright with my immediate hostility.
"No." I blandly replied. My eyes flickered between all three of them -- Kylo Ren, Kubos, and Kespia -- because I was completely unsure of who I was more terrified of in that moment. Of course, I was terrified of each of them for varying reasons, but still -- terrified.
"Why are you powerful, then?" Kubos boomed. Surprisingly, his voice wasn't extremely deep; however, his buff stature and prominent muscles still petrified me.
I began to stutter, but Kylo Ren interrupted me. "Yes, Nira. Why are you powerful? Demonstrate your powers on . . . This dummy."
Kylo Ren used The Force to bring a dummy onto the floor ten feet in front of me. I took a deep breath and extended my palms. I felt a tingling sensation from deep within me, and the tingling rapidly accelerated towards my fingers. I felt the electricity leave my fingertips and, in a nanosecond, the dummy was a small pile of ash on the floor in front of me.
I stared at the pile of ashes, and Kylo Ren resumed talking. "Nira's electricity is what powers our unbreakable force field. She has defeated The Resistance, the Knights of Ren, and several other impressive groups with her powers alone."
The room was silent. I looked up to see that both Kubos and Kespia were glaring at me. There was a thick, aggressive tension that filled the room to the brim. All I wanted was to be far away from the training arena.
"Let's begin training, shall we?" Kylo Ren suggested.
_____
Author's Note
How are we doing today on our day off? I am great . . . Correction, I am AMAZING! I HAVE ALMOST 100K READS HOLY CRAP!
I am so excited! Thank you all so much, I never thought my story would get this far!
Also, we are getting very near the chapter limit. Our sequel is coming up, friends!
Okay, see you great people later! :)