"Raven..." a voice whispers in my ear and I open my eyes, sitting up in bed.
"Ben?" I reply in a breathy voice.
"Raven, where are you?" he asks.
I look around. "Why would I tell you?"
"I need your help," he says.
"No, you don't. What you need is a stick in your-"
"My sister, classic as ever." He chuckles darkly.
I clench my eyes shut. "Leave me alone," I whisper, balling my fists. I do exactly what Anakin told me to do. I flush out all of my senses except sounds. I listen to the humming of the fly in my room and the ticking of the drizzle against my window. I can feel Ben trying to talk to me, but I ignore it. He's not here, so I can't possibly hear him.
Slowly but surely, his voice disappears and his presence fades away. I open my eyes again and I can't help but smile to myself. I lie back down and fall asleep after a few minutes.
The sun is shining brightly by the time I wake up again and I realise I slept in for the first time in years. I travel downstairs and find Chewie in the kitchen as he sets down a plate with breakfast. "Ahw, Chewie. Did you make me breakfast?" I chime.
He gruntles a few times. "That's sweet of you," I say, sitting down and grabbing one of the bread rolls. We chat for a bit while I eat my breakfast and I help him do the dishes after. While I'm drying off a plate, a knock sounds on the door. I look up at Chewie, who just shrugs.
I sling the towel over my shoulder as I open the door, revealing Poe and BB-8. "Hey, buddy," I grin, gaining an excited beep from BB-8. "Hey, Poe," I then say to the man before me who greets me with a grin. "What are you guys doing here?"
"We thought we could catch up for a bit. I have a day off from flying and I'm pretty sure you don't have plans yet considering you're doing the dishes with a Wookie," he says.
Chewie roars from the kitchen.
"Which is fine! Geez, it was a joke," Poe chuckles. "So, what do you say?"
"Yeah, I'd like that. Let me finish the dishes and then I'll be ready to go," I say to him with a smile. I rush to finish drying off the plates and cups. Poe actually joins to help me for the last bit while BB-8 watches and comments on Poe's drying skills. BB-8's language is similar to R2-D2's so I can understand quite a bit, but there are still words and phrases I don't know. Poe is happy to help out and translate, though.
After I put away the final cup, I say goodbye to Chewie and head out the door with Poe and BB-8. We take a stroll and end up in the forest where we used to play as kids. "Do you remember this place?" Poe asks.
"Yeah, of course. I will never forget when you showed me that Blarth," I say with a giggle, digging my hands into the pockets of my pants. "How long ago was that?"
"Must be fifteen, sixteen years or something," he says. "Time flies."
I nod. "Yeah, it does." I let out a sigh. "Poe, I need to tell you something."
"What's wrong?" he asks, worry filling his eyes at the sound of my voice. We stop walking and I avoid his eyes as I search for the right words.
"It's about Ben," I start. "When we were away, something happened to him and I'm not sure how to tell you."
"You can tell me anything, Rave," he says softly.
I close my eyes and breathe in deeply. "Ben turned to the Dark Side of the Force," I say and Poe falls completely silent for a good minute.
"How did that happen?" he asks then.
I shake my head. "I don't know," I lie.
"And now? Where did he go?" he asks but his eyes harden. "Did he do that to you?" He motions to the healing scar down my face.
I nod almost invisibly. The next second, Poe pulls me in a tight hug and for a moment, I never want to leave his embrace. But he draws back and holds onto my shoulders. "You're safe now, I promise," he says and I make an attempt at a smile.
"Thank you," I whisper.
"C'mon, I need to show you something," he says, taking my hand in his as he takes me back to the hangars. He walks up to a black and orange X-Wing.
"Hey, isn't that your parents' X-Wing?" I ask, running my hand over its side.
"Yeah, they've worked on it for years," Poe says, nodding.
"Where are they? I haven't seen them yet," I ask but when I see the look in Poe's eyes, my heart drops. "Oh, Poe, I'm so sorry," I whisper.
He shrugs. "They went to fight a simple battle but the First Order showed up, they stood no chance," he says, kicking at a pebble on the ground. "I was eighteen."
"I'm so sorry," I repeat, placing a gentle hand on his arm.
"Anyway, we didn't come here to be all sad and gloomy. Get in," he says, pressing a button to open up the cockpit.
I look at him with wide eyes. "What are we doing?" I ask.
"We're gonna fly around for a bit. You know how to fly, right?" he says.
I shake my head.
"Then how did you get from place to place?" he asks with a frown.
"Ben flew," I lie quickly. "Or Luke."
"Ah," he says. "Well, it's not difficult. Hop in."
I exhale deeply before climbing up the ladder and sitting down behind the controls. Poe climbs in as well and sits down behind me. He keeps a tiny bit of distance between us as he takes my arms and puts my hands on the controls. He presses a couple of buttons and the X-Wing turns on. My stomach twists into knots as Poe pulls at my elbows and the X-Wing rises from the ground.
"Just don't think too much about it. You're doing great," he says softly, noticing my shaking hands. I nod and swallow thickly as I fly the X-Wing around over the settlement.
"Look down," Poe says at one point, taking over the wheel. I glance through the window and gasp. The planet below us looks like a green blur that is occasionally interrupted by mountains or bodies of water.
"That's beautiful," I whisper, making the man behind me laugh softly.
"Welcome home, Rave," he says.