Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 1✰

I was just 11 years old when my mother sent me and my twin brother to train with Luke Skywalker. All my life, I had only heard vague stories of the Jedi and most of those stories had been made up by me and Ben.

Luke takes us on his spaceship and my mind is blown as soon as we go into Hyperspace. When we arrive on the island, I hold my breath. The trees are greener, the water bluer and the clouds fluffier.

"Do you see that?" I ask my brother almost breathlessly.

He just nods, too amazed to talk.

"The others got here in the last couple days so I'll give you some time to get to know them before we start training tomorrow morning," Luke informs us, landing his spaceship and opening the hatch for us to get out.

With my mouth slightly agape, I exit the ship and instantly feel the warm breeze on my skin. "This place is beautiful," I say to no one in particular.

"Alright, let's go," Luke says, taking me and Ben to a temple on top of a hill. When we enter, I spot a white and blue droid sitting in the corner and a group of kids our age is sitting cross-legged on the floor, each of them wearing a set of beige and brown robes. I suddenly feel very self-conscious in my casual clothing.

"Students, good afternoon," Luke says.

"Good afternoon, Master Skywalker," the group says in unison.

"I want you to meet Raven and Ben. They'll be joining you from now on," Luke says, placing a hand on mine and Ben's shoulders. "Jazcar, can you show Raven the girls' sleeping accommodation? And Sulfar, you can show Ben," he orders and two kids rise up.

A darker-skinned girl comes up to me. "Hi, I'm Jazcar, but you can call me Jaz." She holds out a hand which I hesitatingly shake. "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping." She turns and I follow her like a lost sheep.

We end up on the other side of the island in front of a stone building. We enter through the wooden door. Two rows of beds line the walls, ten in total. "This is my bed," Jaz says, pointing to a very unmade bed. "And that'll be yours." She motions to the bed in the far left corner.

"Thanks," I mutter.

"We go to bed right after dinner every night. We get up early to start with morning meditation, then we train for a few hours until lunch. After lunch, we do some more meditating and training until dinner," she explains and I just nod along. "It sounds like a lot but you'll get used to it."

"How long have you been here?" I ask.

"Four days, I think. Time doesn't really matter here, though. All that matters is The Force if we have to believe Master Skywalker." She lets out a soft chuckle. "You should get dressed. We're having dinner soon," she then informs me. "It's down the path we just walked and then right. It's the building ahead of you."

I nod. "Okay, thank you."

She leaves me alone with my thoughts and for a second, I miss my parents horribly. The thought of not seeing them for what could be years terrifies me, so I stop thinking and trade my clothes for the bundle of fabric lying on the bed. It consists of a set of brown pants, a beige top and long brown robes, resembling the ones the kids in the Temple were wearing. They may not be very fashionable, but they're comfortable.

When I exit the building, the sun has started to set in the far distance. I travel down the path and walk in the direction Jazcar told me. I end up in front of another building and when I push open the door, I find two long tables where the other students are already sitting with plates of food in front of them.

"Raven!" I hear Ben's voice and perk up, finding him waving me over. He is wearing a similar outfit to mine and when I sit down next to me, he starts introducing me to the kids surrounding him. "This is Sulfar, Jerraimi and Elireed. They got here yesterday," he says and I offer the boys a smile before taking some of the food in front of me. It looks nothing like the food I used to eat at home, but when I take a bite, I realise it tastes a whole lot better than it looks.

"So where are you from?" I ask the boys, hating the awkward silence that hangs between us.

"I'm from Jedha," the boy called Jerraimi says.

"I'm from Malastare," Elireed states.

"I grew up in Naboo but my parents brought me and my siblings to Coruscant when I was seven," Sulfar tells us and I instantly notice the cockiness in his voice. "Where are you from?"

"D'Qar," Ben answers.

"Wow, really? You're with the Resistance?" Elireed gapes.

I nod. "Yeah, our mom is a general there," I say.

"That's so cool!" Jerraimi marvels.

I look around the room, counting heads. Seventeen students, including me and Ben. I have no idea on which planet we are or where in the Galaxy we are, but I love the island already. Things feel less heavy than at home.

When we finish dinner, most of us go back to the sleeping accommodations, but I stay outside with Ben for a moment. "I miss Mom and Dad," I say softly, kicking at a clod of grass. "And Poe."

"Me too," Ben replies. "But we'll see them again."

"How do you know?" I ask. "What if there's another attack? Or something else happens? We'll never know because we're out here," I tell him, feeling my eyes burn.

"They'll be okay, Raven. We'll finish our training and go back. We'll be the greatest Jedi the galaxy has ever known," he says. "We should go to bed. I heard Master Skywalker will wake us up before the sun has even come up."

I nod. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow." I give him a short hug before departing toward the girls' sleeping accommodation. All of the other girls are already inside and when I pass Jazcar, she takes my arm and pulls me onto her bed.

"You haven't met the other girls yet," she says as I sit down next to her. "Raven, meet Ninatyr. That's Edika, Myache, Dakhele, Lyli, Annika, Charlotte, and over there is Steffi." I try to remember as many names as possible but after a minute, I've already forgotten most of them.

"Why are there so many girls and so little boys?" I ask.

Jaz shrugs. "I don't know, but I'm sure Master Skywalker had his reasons," she says. "Alright, girls, let's head to bed." She claps her hands and shoos us away. I travel to my bed in the corner and take off my robe. I curl up into bed and listen to the whisperings of the other girls as they prepare for bed.

I can't help the silent tear that travels down my temple as I lie on my back, staring at the ceiling.