Steady On.

Chapter 12.

The next few days dragged on for Rey as she eagerly waited for the bond to connect again, cursing herself that she didn't inquire about the kyber crystal. Her hand ached for it, her ears missing the sound of the violent buzz it made when activated.

She was almost desperate for it now, even though there was no need for it at the Resistance base.

'I just feel better with it.' She thought.

For now, her staff did the job, accompanying Rey as she made her way down from the trail she created along a mountain a few miles away from the base. She walked the path a few times a week, not wanting her bones to tire. Back on Jakku, she hiked everywhere in the dreadful heat, sometimes being consumed by it all day.

Today, however, she was not alone. Early in the morning, she woke Kai, Flora, and Sano to join her. Kai was eager, Flora was quiet, and Sano was still sulking from their battle. This was the general attitude from the three the past few days.

Rey had grown to like Kai and Flora, the twins shared the same desire to learn something new everyday, a feeling Rey had as she waited for Ben.

Pausing at a large mound of rocks, Rey lifted her canteen to her lips, taking a large gulp as the twins caught up to her.

"I can't believe you do this every day. It seems tedious." Kai said, huffing.

Flora nodded in agreement, looking on to admire the sunrise, catching her breath.

Rey shrugged, and watched as Sano grunted his way past them and down the trail, eager to get away from Rey.

Since their battle, Sano has made sure to keep his distance, and not wanting to provoke him further, Rey did the same. Part of her nearly regretted challenging him, her other half grateful that she did. Without doing so, she would not have seen the intent to hurt her, she constantly told herself. She was on high alert around him, unsure of how to move past it.

Once Sano was out of earshot, Rey turned to the girls.

"Has he mentioned anything to you both since the... challenge ...the other day?" Rey asked. She watched as they glanced to one another and back to Rey.

"You can call it a fight. It is what it is. And you won!" Kai exclaimed, grinning now.

Rey inhaled sharply, not liking the word.

'A teacher shouldn't have to fight their student!' she thought to herself.

"Kai, please. I am not very proud of how it turned out. It got out of hand. But I need to know how he's been acting since then." Rey said. Kai nodded understandingly, and Flora nodded.

The shy and quiet Flora always caught Rey off guard. The young girl seemed very wise for her years, and she was definitely an observer rather than a talker, the exact opposite of her twin sister.

"Flora? What about you, have you noticed anything...off with Sano?" Rey asked, catching the girls eyes.

Flora hesitated, glancing to her sister, who nudged her on. "Well... Sano's always seemed... erratic. Sometimes he can be perfectly calm, and the next second, a wild fire." She quietly explained.

"You mean a wildflower?" Kai asked, wanting to smile.

Flora looked to her, shaking her head slowly. "No, a wild fire. He can be dangerous, maybe not as dangerous as Mello, but...dangerous. He always has a hidden agenda, always looking out for only himself, always making it a point to be unpredictable. That's how he was able to convince General Organa to come here. He acts innocent and kind when it's convenient for him, as if he was just a victim to Mello."

Rey listened intently, never taking her eyes off the girl. As Flora was speaking, Rey was peering into her mind, barely a caress, making sure to leave no trace that she was there. She could feel Flora was being honest, and that she did fear Sano's crazy ways.

"Who is Mello?" Rey softly asked.

Flora looked away, and when her sister said nothing, Kai took the lead.

"He's the bastard that gave me this." She said, pointing to her badly scarred face. "He was also our old boss." She said, grimacing.

Rey badly wanted to ask what had happened, but she didn't want to be rude. Sensing this, Kai continued. "Mello picked us up when we were little. I guess some would call it kidnapping? Whatever it is, he took us. Made us his little slaves, slinging deals so that he would never be the one to get caught. He would schedule the drop, we would deliver, and Mello would get paid. We were masters at it, at the deceit. Dealing arms to the First Order and running away like it was nothing.

"Years passed, Mello's prices grew, bad guys didn't like it, and demanded a meeting with Mello himself. We all attended, Sano too. Mello refused to drop the price though, and some chick in chrome gear opened fire on us, and that damn blob used me as a human shield!" Kai exclaimed, slamming her own fist into her other hand. Flora winced.

Rey stared at her in disbelief, not being able to imagine leading a life like this, surrounded by danger from every side, at all times. Silently, she was thankful for her life on Jakku momentarily.

"We were able to escape though, two fools stole a TIE fighter and crashed the place, rumor has it that one of them was a Stormtrooper. It was the perfect distraction. We followed suit and stole a couple escape pods, and what do you know, almost a year later, and the pilot of the stolen TIE fighter is putting Mello in cuffs for trying to deal the rest of the First Orders weapons to him. It's that Poe Dameron, do you know him well?" Kai asked, finishing her story.

All Rey could do was stare at her, processing the tale Kai told. Rey was fascinated to find out the link between them all, centering around the charming pilot that danced with her just a few moons ago. Rey sighed, answering the girl. "Yes, I know him well. He's a very good friend." Rey forced herself to not let the blush creep up her face.

It didn't work, she realized, when Kai smirked and Flora cast her gaze elsewhere.

Trying to distract the pair, Rey asked "So what of Sano? I heard he didn't like your boss that much."

Kai sighed at Flora, seemingly tired of talking for once, so Flora spoke. "Mello was Sano's step father. We didn't meet him until about two years ago when Sano showed up begging for work. Even then , he wanted to take over everything. Sano was the one who scored the meeting with the chrome guard. We still don't know how." Flora said, shaking her head.

Rey nodded, not exactly happy with the answer, but had enough information for now. She glanced to the surrounding ocean in the distance, thinking about another detail of the story.

"And what of your parents? If you were taken... and you're free now... why not look for them?"

Kai and Flora shared another glance, this time, both seemed to be hit by a wave of sadness and acceptance. "Well, Lady Rey, it had been so long. We were only holding on to the idea that they were waiting for us. In order to move on, we had to let go." Flora quietly said, her hand finding her way to Kai's.

Little did they know how hard these words hit home.

...

Author's Notes:

I am on a rolllll! Two chapters tonight, and I'm satisfied with them both, I truly hope you all are too! Thank you for reading and encouraging/inspiring me to add to this story. :D