Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 2✰

A loud banging on the door of our sleeping accommodation wakes me up from my deep slumber. I sit up straight in bed and look around, finding the other girls as tired as myself.

We all get up and put on our robes before I follow the others to the same building where we had dinner last night. We have a quick breakfast consisting of a roll of portion bread, a piece of fruit and a glass of green milk. It tasted a lot better than it looked.

As soon as all of us have finished our breakfast, we travel to the Temple where Luke -Master Skywalker- is already waiting for us, his hands folded behind his back. I have no idea what we're doing, so I just follow Jaz who gives me hushed instructions under her breath. We sit on the floor cross-legged.

"There is no emotion," Master Skywalker says.

The others finish, "There is peace."

I am utterly confused so I just listen, absorbing every word and imprinting it in my brain.

"There is no ignorance," Master Skywalker continues.

"There is knowledge."

"There is no passion."

"There is serenity."

"There is no chaos."

"There is harmony."

"There is no death."

"There is the Force."

Master Skywalker nods his head. "Very good," he says. "Good morning, everyone."

"Good morning, Master Skywalker," everyone replies and this time, I do join them.

"Today, you are going to practise your meditating. I want you to be able to not only feel the Force in you, but also in the other students. Look for heartbeats," he instructs. "Raven, Ben, I need you to come with me."

I shoot a quick glance at my brother before nodding. We get up and follow Master Skywalker out of the Temple. He casually strolls down a path.

"Do you know where you are?" he asks.

I shake my head and Ben says, "No."

"Next question, can you name any Jedi rule?"

"They can't get married," Ben says.

"Correct. Love and personal relationships are not allowed," he says. "Anything else?"

"They can't mourn the dead," I say.

"Correct again," he stated. "Anything else?"

I shake my head. "That was the only one I know. Mom told me about it."

Master Skywalker nods once. "Ben?"

"Never attack. Only defend," he says, his dark brows in a slight frown.

"Very good," Master Skywalker says. "You will learn the rest of the rules over the next few weeks. Come on." He speeds up and we have to jog to keep up with him. He takes us to the shore of the island. "Ben, stay here. Raven, come with me."

Ben looks at me for a second before he places his feet next to each other, standing still. I follow Master Skywalker and he takes me to a rock. I frown slightly as he pats the top. "Sit," he says and I sit down. "Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you."

I do as he says, focusing on the crashing of the waves, the chirping of the animals, the rustling of the wind.

"What do you see?"

I frown at his question before breathing in deeply. "The island. The other students. Ben. You. The animals. The ocean," I say.

"What do you feel?"

"The warmth of the sun," I say. "The chill of the wind."

"And between it all?"

"An energy." Realisation dawns on me. "The Force."

"Open your eyes," he tells me and I obey, gasping as soon as I see what is happening around me. The pebbles that were previously on the ground were now floating around me.

"Did I do that?" I ask, afraid to move.

Master Skywalker chuckles softly. "No, that's the Force," he says. "It came to you when you reached out."

"Wow," I whisper.

"Raven, I need you to understand somethin," he starts and I look up at him. The pebbles fall to the ground and I can't help but pout a little. "The Force is an amazing thing. But it can be dangerous when you get drawn to the dark side. Like all things, there is a Light and a Dark side. The Dark Side may call to you but you can never, and I mean never, give in to it. Do you understand?"

I nod, not knowing what to say.

"Good. Go get your brother and send him here," he says and I rise up, rushing back to fetch Ben, who was still right where we left him. "Master Skywalker wants to see you. Just down to the shore."

"What did you do?" Ben asks.

A smile lingers on my lips. "He showed me the Force."

Amazement is clear in his hazel eyes and he rushes down the path, disappearing from my view. I realise Master Skywalker hadn't given me any further instructions, so I sit down in the grass and close my eyes, slowing my breathing.

There it is again. That warm feeling spreading throughout me. Without sight, I can see everything. The grass I'm sitting in, the soil beneath it. Every animal carcass ever buried in the ground and the sprouts of the plants that are feeding on this. In the distance, I can see dark thunder clouds and I hear the ticking of the rain on the ocean.

Raven...

My brows etch into a frown as a sudden coldness washes over me. The grass under me no longer feels safe and alive, I feel the pain of the blades of grass as they are squashed under my legs. My breathing quickens. I want this to stop.

Raven!

My eyes snap open and I try to catch my breath. My hands shake awfully and I am chilled to the bone. I push myself up and wrap my robes tighter around myself. I swallow thickly before heading back to the Temple, where I find Jaz meditating with two other girls. I sit down with them but I don't close my eyes.

"You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Jaz whispers and I nod.

"I'm fine," I say, attempting a smile.

She nods and closes her eyes again.

I realise I can't focus anymore, so I get up again and flee outside, running straight into my brother. "Raven! There you are. Where did you go?" he asks, gripping my upper arms to steady me.

I shake my head. "I-I don't know." Tears prick the corners of my eyes but I fight them back.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks, his voice soft. I nod. "What happened?"

"Master Skywalker showed me the Force and then I tried again on my own, but something happened. I can't really explain it," I tell him. "I saw all of the bad things on this island. Cold, pain, death."

Ben lowers his eyes. "You saw it too," I say softly. He nods.

"Master Skywalker doesn't know but when I felt the Force, I didn't feel the warmth or see the nice things the other boys talked about," he says. "I felt... cold."

"Me too," I mumble. "Do you think it's the Dark Side?"

A thin line creases his forehead. "I don't know."

"Should we tell Master Skywalker?"

Ben shakes his head. "I'll ask Sulfar about it, maybe he had it too. Maybe that's a normal thing for people who've never felt the Force before," he says. "Just like Master Skywalker said, we can't give in. So just stay away from it. Okay?"

"Okay," I agree.