"Only in the darkness can you see stars."
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It has been six years since Ben Solo succumbed to his fate and betrayed the Jedi Order after being seduced by the Dark Side. With the aid of his immense power, the First Order has cast a shadow over the g...
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Although there are no windows in my small room, I know it's very early when Ren wakes me the next morning.
"Leave me alone." I groan, throwing one of my excess pillows in his general direction. Something resembling an annoyed grumble emits from his modifier.
"Be ready in 20 minutes." He answers as if nothing had happened. I lift my head from my pillows slightly, squinting my tired eyes at him to see if he's serious, even though I could have no way of actually deciphering that, as he's in his fully masked glory. I drop my head back into my soft pillows with a slight harrumph.
"What if I say no?"
"You'll be leaving this room in 20 minutes if you're ready or not." He clarifies. I mutter the word fine, still not moving a millimeter. When he doesn't move either, I finally lift my head.
"You need to get out of here, at least." I say slowly, and he turns and exits the room on cue. I roll out of bed with a defeated groan, my knees still wobbly from sleep as I attempt to stand.
I approach the closet full of clothes that aren't really mine and obtain a black jumpsuit and a pair of charcoal laced work boots. After I put it on I frown at the mirror as I realize it's much more form-fitting than I had originally thought, but it's not like I have time to pick something else out.
I run my fingers through my puffy, over-dyed blonde hair and decide there's not much I can do to tame it. I gaze at myself in the reflection for a few seconds, contemplating the exact situation I'm caught in right now and how it parallels with who I was only 6 years ago.
I'm getting ready to go to our meeting place.
I pull my hair up and avoid the mirror entirely, trying to be a little less conceited. I don't have to look nice for Ben. He's only my best friend.
6 years isn't so long, if you really think about it. But I am a completely different person than I was then, and so is Ren.
Ren especially.
I shake my head and pull my hair back to the base of my neck, twisting it into a simple knot. At the last second, I splash some water on my cheeks to help wake myself up just a little bit more.
"Let's go," I hear, and I choose to obediently walk to the door.
"Will this be quick?" I'm watching the floor intently, waiting to follow him to wherever we're supposed to be going.
"You'll see." He replies curtly, then we go together in silence. I'm momentarily surprised he didn't bind my wrists before we left, but I choose not to say anything about it.
He stops abruptly in front of a closed door just as he had the day before, and I bump into his broad shoulder. He turns to glance at me and, sure enough, my face is reddening involuntarily and I wish I could just disappear.
He pulls off a glove and presses his bare, callused palm to an identification scanner beside the door, and it lights up red. I try not to stare at it, the only hint I'd been given in days that he's still only human.
As the door opens he puts it back on, entering without checking to see that I am following. For a second I consider making a run for it, knowing that all those years ago one of the only things I had an upper hand at when compared to him was my speed. I am obviously much smaller and more nimble, so I'm quicker.
The moment is gone and I decide against running, since I'm not sure where I would even go if I were successful.
I step into the room, which is bright- but unlike the rest of the base, it is not lit artificially.
"Oh, wow," I say as I come up to the window that stands in the place of a wall. The entire room is walled with glass, and outside, a breathtaking white picture of the mountains and forests covered in snow that make up the desolate winter planet this base occupies.
"You've never seen so much snow." I jump at the mechanical voice, which comes from much closer than I had expected him to be.
"No, I haven't." I agree, trying to hide the excitement I feel at such a splendid sight. Yes, I had seen snow from far away, the kind that caps mountains, but never this much.
"Are you cold?" I spin around at the voice I hear next, the one that ignites a fire in my chest that can't be extinguished, no matter how much I want it to.
His mask rests near the edge of the massive meeting table at the center of the room, his brooding eyes once again peering into mine, and I feel as if he's looking deep into my very soul.
It's unnerving.
"I guess I am." I blurt, knowing all too well that the shiver running down my spine has nothing to do with the temperature.
"Here." His voice is low, quiet, and he reveals something he'd been holding behind his back.
It's the lilac sweater I had always worn around the temple, or in the gardens during the time of year when there was a chill in the air.
"You... kept that?" I furrow my eyebrows as I stare at the piece of clothing, stunned. It's definitely mine, as the sleeves are frayed in all of the right places.
"I loved the color on you." He admits, finally tearing his gaze from mine to study the sweater in his large hands. I contemplate my next move, unsure if I should accept it or not.
Do I accept anything from him, after all he had done?
"You know I can't take that." I decide, crossing my arms to maintain warmth instead. His black curls are thrown out of his face as he looks up quickly, a flash of hurt existing in his eyes for less than a second before he covers it with his new signature look of indifference.
"It's creepy, anyway." I add, half-lying. I revel in the anger this statement brings, as he clenches his teeth, his jaw tense.
He lets the sweater drop to the floor in a heap and hastily grabs his mask, marching to the door.
"Someone will take you back to your room. You aren't to leave for the rest of the day." He gets out, before sliding the mask back on.
"Fine." I spit.
"Fine." He answers. Then he storms out, once again leaving me completely alone.
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