Within the Force (Star Wars fan fic) Book One

Chapter One

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...."

"Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic. The taxation of trade routes to outlying star systems is in dispute. Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships, the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo. While the congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events, the Supreme Chancellor has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights, the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy, to settle the conflict..."

"Lena! Seriously, stop."

"Okay, fine." Lena sighed in defeat. "But can you at least read the book if you're not gonna watch anything other than stupid documentaries?"

Ashlyn rolled her grayish, hazelnut eyes. "Documentaries aren't stupid. We learn from them, unlike your little fictional stories."

"Sci-Fi," Lena corrected her best friend, tucking a strand of her light brown hair behind her ear as they walked out of the library that had just closed that Thursday night.

"Science-fictional stories," Ashlyn said with a shrug. "It's all in the fiction section. Besides, why do you want me to read that? I mean seriously, how will Star Wars be of use to me in life? What will I learn from it? It's just a made up story."

"You will learn how to find the Force within you," Lena replied dramatically, making Ashlyn laugh. Lena grinned. "See, I knew you still had that gorgeous laugh within you. Now all you have to do when Cody talks to you is―"

"I will not flirt around with other guys. I already have a boyfriend, now shut up," Ashlyn replied, running a hand through her long, waist-length raven black hair.

Lena pouted. "Oh, come on, Lyn. Don't do this to me. Just, for once, let yourself go and stop shutting people out. Stop shutting me out. Live a little. Have fun."

"I have fun," Ashlyn defended herself as they neared her house.

"Sure you― Look out!"

It was too late. Ashlyn was hit, hard, but not from a direction or thing she was expecting. Her head cracked against a tree trunk. Everything happened so fast and the next thing she knew, she was lying down on the cemented ground though a few fifteen feet away from where she had stood.

"Ash―"

BANG!

"Lyn..."

Ashlyn groaned in pain and sat up, her vision blurring by the second. Her eyes widened in shock as she watched her best friend bring a hand to her chest then collapsed onto the ground. Ignoring the pain shooting from her head down her spine, she stumbled onto her feet and gasped before painfully yet quickly making her way toward Lena, slightly dragging herself as she couldn't really run. She stared at Lena's face with wide eyes.

Lena's crystal blue eyes were open, staring at nothing.

"No, no, NO! You can't do this to me! Lena?! Lena!" Ashlyn shouted, collapsing onto the ground beside her best friend. She shook her many times but got no response.

Nothing.

Ashlyn couldn't see anymore. Her eyes were wet and blurry. But she was hyper-aware of the sounds around her. Police sirens heading towards her side of the town, her brother rushing around the house for some reason unknown to her, then, a sudden fluttering beat that was too fast... ticking too fast. She couldn't place it, but she didn't care about it. All she cared about― all she wanted was her best friend to be alive; she had already lost too many people.

"Ashlyn!" Charlie― Ashlyn's older brother and only one left alive― shouted, running out of the house toward her. "Come on; you can't stay here. We gotta go."