Star Wars: The Rise of Ren ✓

Epilogue

Follow the adventures of Rey on Jakku in I Am a Slave by S. A. McCaffrey.

Excerpt from I Am a Slave.

PROLOGUE

I was a slave.

Without hope.

Without a memory of who I really am. 

All I knew was that one day my family would come back for me.

CHAPTER ONE

The slave girl huddled in a corner of the thick-walled dwelling of Unkar Plutt on Jakku. She was hiding in a pantry, behind a sack of tubers . . . hiding from the bad man. Not Unkar Plutt. He was bad enough, but the new man—the one Grekka called a pirate—he was truly bad.

Rey whimpered silently as blood streamed down her back where the bad man had struck her with his belt when she would not go to him. When he chased her, she kicked him hard between his legs and bit his hand when he grabbed her.

She had run as quickly as possible to the safety of the cellar while Grekka intercepted the bad man. Rey had no idea what Grekka had done, but the bad man had stopped chasing her. But Unkar Plutt was not done with her, and she knew punishment was lurking around the corner once he found her.

Rey huddled in the corner, not daring to make a sound, but hurting so much inside. She cried deep down inside, using all the energy she could find, "Help me, Mommy! Come back! Please don't leave me here! I'll be a good girl. I'll eat whatever you give me. Come back, Mommy!"

But, no matter how many times she had cried that over the last week, her mommy never came. Rey was beginning to forget what her mommy looked like, and that scared her even more. She feared that if she ever really forgot what her mommy looked like, her mommy would never return.

She forced herself to focus on her memories, remembering the shape of her face, her big brown eyes, her long chestnut hair braided intricately, her beautiful smile, her tender love for her little girl. Rey could almost feel her mommy holding onto her.

And then she felt it. Something was stirring in the dark pantry. The energy around her flowed and surged around it. A blue glow illuminated the pantry.

Rey huddled back further into the corner, trying to hide, but the light kept coming. "Stay back! I'm not going with you." She pressed herself against the rough stone of the cellar. "I'll bite you again."

A soft baritone voice emanated from the light. "I won't hurt you, Child."

As the figure approached Rey, she could make out the shape of a human man—not the one who had hurt her. A blue energy surrounded him, causing the brightness. The man was tall, very tall, with light brown, curly hair, piercing blue eyes, and a dimple on his strong chin.

"Who are you?" Rey asked with wariness.

"You can call me 'Ani.'" The figure nodded to the ground beside her. "May I sit down?"

Rey nodded.

Ani hunched down next to her.

"Why are you here?"

"You called me here," the man answered. "I heard you call for help through the Force."

"The Force?" Something sounded familiar about that, something her mommy had taught her.

"Yes." Ani lifted his arms, extending them around the area. "The energy field that surrounds us and penetrates us."

"Like the blue around you?"

"Yes, I am part of the Force." He smiled with pleasure. "When you called, I could not help but answer. But, who are you?"

"I am a slave," Rey replied as she had been instructed. According to Unkar Plutt, slaves never were to give their names. Normally, she was just called "girl."

"I was a slave, too," Ani said, "but I still had a name. Don't you have a name?"

"Yes, but I'm not allowed to speak it."

"I won't tell anyone." Ani winked at her.

The girl whispered, "Rey."

"Rey," Ani said with a smile. "Such a pretty name, for such a pretty girl. You must be very strong to have survived this long, Rey."

"I'm scared, Ani." Her voice cracked with that admission.

"I was, too, Rey. But you're going to make it."

Rey reached out to grab him, but her hand passed right through him. "Are you a hologram?"

"No."

"Why can't I feel you then?"

"I'm a ghost, Rey, but a very real ghost." He sighed. "Don't be afraid. I'm here to protect you."

"If I can't touch you, how can you protect me?"

Ani moved his hand, and some of the crates in the pantry moved into a position to surround Rey. "Would you like to learn this, too?"

"Yes, but . . ."

"But what?"

"I really want a hug, Ani." Tears dripped down her cheeks. "I want my mommy to hug me and tell me everything's going to be all right, Ani."

"I'm not your mommy, and I can't touch you, but can you pretend?"

"Pretend what?"

"That I can touch you?"

"I can try."

"Do or do not. There is no try, Rey."

"I will."

"Then climb in my lap, and I'll hold you. And you can pretend I'm your mommy, or your granddad, if you prefer."

Rey scooted over on the bare floor, and she could have sworn she felt two strong arms wrap around her, the blue glow lighting her up as well.