Hope.
....................................
I rushed down the halls remembering where the elevator was, pressing the keys and impatiently waiting for it to arrive. I tapped my foot scanning my surroundings, hoping not to run into Ren after our little scenario.
The machine made a "ding" and the two panels hissed open revealing a couple storm troopers who marched straight out of the elevator paying me no mind. I slid into the space and pressed which level the dining hall was on.
I had so much excitement building up, too much, I'd more than likely be disappointed, but I apparently loved torturing myself for some unknown reason.
The panels slid open once more, a few generals waiting outside. I quickly saluted them and rushed out, causing a head or two to turn. The walls stared to look more and more familiar, and then, there it was.
I saw the doorway and cautiously stepped towards it, fear suddenly hitching at my breath. What if they really forgot about me?? Would they care if I had actually disappeared? Surely they were a little distraught...right?
I sucked in a large breath and stepped through the threshold. scanning the room filled with exhausted and angsty soldiers and pilots. I checked in the direction of where our table was, and surely enough, strawberry blonde hair stuck out of the crowd.
I smiled to myself and hurried towards the group. Sparks's and Rufus's back's we're facing me. Just before I could get into arms length, the fork Romeo was holding fell from his fingers, clashing with his tray. His mouth was gaping open in shock "holy shit."
Bones gave a quick side glare to Romeo before following his gaze towards me, eyes wide and mouth parting open as well.
"W-what?" Sparks cautiously questioned begin her to shift herself to face behind her, Rufus following.
She looked at me like I had just blown up the med bay, she looked horrified. I then noticed the bags under her eyes and puffiness surrounding them. She didn't look like Sparks.
Her eyebrows titled and a look of awe took over her expression as she jumped up and suffocated me with her embrace. I was so overwhelmed with relief, I squeezed her back, holding on to her like the floor would shatter at any moment.
The guys had already stood up and began to make their way to us. Romeo and Bones joined in on our reunion, shaking me to make sure I was real. I looked up at the mountainous bookworm and smiled. He didn't give me a chance to react before he wrapped his huge arms around all of us, squeezing us with his unnatural amount of strength. We all whined and laughed at his rare gesture of emotion.
"Hey kiddo" he said, releasing us and rubbing his hand on my head, purposely messing up my hair. I chuckled and slapped his hand away.
"What the hell happened to you?! And what's this??!" Romeo gasped and pulled away, gawking at the bandage over my eye.
"i- a lot." I looked at him sincerely and noticed Sparks was still clutching on to me. I looked down and she raised her head to look at me, tears poured down her face, she looked so upset.
My lips parted, surprised by her range of emotion. Why did I ever doubt her care, of course she was worried!
"I thought they would just put you on Janitor duty for a few days and take away some of your achievement credits, but day after day went by and no one saw or heard anything of you...I stared to think they just shot you out into space without remorse." she was stuttering the whole time, sniffling her flushed face.
"Sparks..I'm so sorry, I didn't know i'd be gone that long..." I took her back in for another hug. I felt so guilty. I could've prevented all this if I had kept my mouth shut and followed orders. But no, pride had consumed me.
But no, pride had consumed me.
I pulled away from Sparks once more wiping her face with my sleeve. I squeezed her nose, finally showing her smile I missed too much.
"You gotta tell us what's going on, and what went on." Bones pushed, urging me to sit down.
I had summarized the past week, with the cell incident, explaining what happened to my eye. I didn't mention the use of the force to them in the story, for I was still in denial of it. But there was no point in telling them I'm training with Ren without having a reason as to why some pilot is special enough to waste the menace's time.
"Wait wait wait- why are you training with the Commander- are you just messing with us or?.." Bones questioned, obviously confused.
I sighed and observed each of them, taking in a breath. "This doesn't leave the circle, understood?" I looked around at the nodding heads and spilled. "Apparently i'm force sensitive.."
I expected a gasp or two of amazement, but all I got were some contorted noses and squinted eyes. Nevermimd, not as interesting as I thought it was anyways.
"Force sensitive?" Bones questioned.
"That's real??! Surely the jedi and sith were all just stories, right...?" Romeo pushed.
Sparks sat with a puzzled look, as if trying to remember something.
I opened my mouth to say something, but Rufus beat me to it.
"The jedi and Sith are no more myths than we are Ewoks. I've read about them before, the force isn't a power necessarily gifted to only some people, surely only some people are more prone to it, but the ancient beliefs of the jedi and sith state that the force is an energy that flows through life. Dark and light, good and bad, peace and violence. Balance." He finished.
"It can help you throw things with your mind too." he added, causing us to exchange small smiles.
"So Coma is superhero?!" Romeo exclaimed.
"No, no! I'm just more, prone to it." I calmed him down.
Silence settled on the table, everyone taking in the recent information.
"So is your eye ok?" Sparks finally spoke up.
"Yeah, it's fine..I think." a flash of worry was he sober her face and I quickly responded to reassure her.
"I mean yes, but the whole down-low on its ability to function is still not fully in the clear." I explained.
"Are you returning back to the squadron?" Bones questioned.
"I don't think so..." I sadly answered, a gloom falling over the group.
"There she is!" we all turned to the noise.
3 troopers filled the threshold of the dining hall, making they're way to me.
"Commander Ren requests your presence." They informed. I nodded, and hid my farewells to my friends.
We all quickly exchanged pats and hugs, assuring them we'd meet again. Sparks stepped in front of me. "Try not to lose another eye, please." She ordered rather than requested. I nodded in agreement, and gave a brief hug before heading out with the group of troopers.
....................................
As me and the group of troopers walked the halls I thought about what kind of punishment I was more than likely up for.
Once arrived on the top floor, they took me to an unfamiliar wing of the ship, and stopped in front of 2 ginormous doors.
"Where are we?" I asked them.
"Supreme Leader Snoke's throne room." they informed.
My mouth fell open. Why the hell was I meeting with the Supreme Leader?!
The huge double panels hissed open for my arrival, and the troopers gestured for me to enter. I hesitantly walked in, but quickly covering up my worry with a face of bravery and confidence. I examined the space. It wasn't all black. Crimson covered the walls, following with guards blending in with the surface. I noticed a dark stature kneeling in the distance, facing away from me.
So Ren was here, great. I followed the direction of his stance, which faced towards a throne in the center of the room. Sitting on the throne held a pale and wrinkled creature. Blue piercing eyes were accompanied to the scarred and damaged skin. He was donned in a gold robe with slippers.
I made my way, so I was now next to Ren, and faced the throne. I wasn't sure if I should kneel too, but my thoughts were interrupted by the straggly voice of the beast before me.
"Well, well, well..., we finally meet. My apprentice was hesitant of exposing you to my, authority." The creature spoke.
I wasn't sure if I were suppose to respond and an unsettling silence stiffened the air. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"My knight of ren should've explained your new purpose, he was successful in his attempt, yes?" he questioned, I sensed Kylo tense up next to me.
"Yes sir." I nodded. A pause rested in the atmosphere.
"Will that be a problem?" Snoke gestured towards my eye.
"N-no sir,...it should be completely healed within the next week or so." I informed him, hands clutching to each other behind my back.
Another pause of silence. "Let me see." he ordered subtly.
I met gazes with him briefly, then slowly removed the bandage from my eye. In my peripheral, I saw Kylo flinch. I bowed my head avoiding the Supreme Leader's sturdy eye contact.
"Closer." and without giving a second for me to move, he summoned me through the force, dragging my feet across the floor to him. My whole body was stiff.
He stopped me a few inches away from his face. He examined my every detail. "Interesting." He said to himself, I refused to look directly at him. He finally released me and I stumbled to the ground. Then once again I was being dragged swiftly, returning to my place across from Kylo.
"I sense, power. A very uncommon-..." he trailed off. "How we never sensed it before is quite peculiar, embarrassing even, knowing you were here all this time.." he was deep in thought.
"Did you always know you held this power, or has it only awaken out of foreign struggle?" He questioned.
"I... I've-" I wanted to say more, but I couldn't find the words. "It just awoken." I kept my eyes glued to the obsidian floor.
"That cant be-" He urged. I slowly looked up, confusion in my eyes.
"I can't seem to breach your mind, neither can my apprentice. One cannot block their thoughts from others without being aware of doing it." He accused me.
"Jedi and Sith take years to uphold that ability, and master it. It is not simply just acquired through coincidence!" his voice began to rise.
"Sir I swear, I really have no other experience.." I defended.
"How can we be positive you're not a jedi, working for the resistance?!" he yelled.
"This is ridiculous! CHECK MY FILES, I've been in this system for years, my WHOLE life! How would you expect me to secretly converse with the resistance and train as a jedi?! It's absolutely obs-" my words were cute short when airway closed and I had risen, hovering a few feet above the floor. I clawed at my restricted throat, coughing for air.
Kylo abruptly stood from his kneeling position. "Quite the spirit this one holds." Snoke chuckled.
"Too bad this isn't a place of spirit, it is of order." He let go of his force grip on my neck and I fell to the ground, and gasped for air.
"You will learn quickly here not to interfere with the authorities of higher persons and go against the rightful way of rule." He stated.
I looked at him through my eyelashes, still begging for air.
"Dismissed." and with that, a pair of hands jolted me up to my feet and dragged me out of the throne room.
My breathing still wasn't fully stable when the doors closed behind us. I looked up at the Commander who's arms were still helping me walk.
"Thank you." I uttered at the best of my ability.
"You're foolish." he didn't even look down at me as he spoke through the mask.
Gee, a 'you're welcome' woulda been nice too. I rolled my eyes.
"I'm just tired of being thrown around and accused, silenced, these past days."
He dropped his grip on me and we silently walked. the halls began to looks familiar once more and The view of the door to my quarters cane into view.
What a day.
I rubbed my eyes as we came close with my door. I suppose that heavenly rest from last night made absolutely no difference. I was still exhausted.
I didn't waste time and began to open the door when Kylo spoke up. "What were you holding back?" the robotic voice asked.
"I don't know.." my eyes roamed.
"Same time tomorrow?" I asked hoping to end this awkward conversation.
He curtly nodded and strode away.
"Goodnight then.." I spoke under my breath and entered my quarters.
I stripped of my training outfit, and slipped into a night gown. I made sure to set an alarm tonight so I wouldn't be on Ren's bad side again. I dimmed the lights and slipped into bed, praying for sleep to take me away.
To no surprise, it never came.