Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 3✰

A sigh escapes my lips as I stare out the window. "Will it ever stop raining?" I huff.

"Ask the Force, maybe it'll help," Jaz jokes, making me giggle. She joins me on the windowsill and rests her head on my shoulder.

It has been raining for the past eight days, meaning we had to do all of our activities and training inside. Never in those seven years that we had been on this island had it rained for so long.

"I have an idea," Jaz speaks up after a couple of minutes of silence. She stands up, takes my hand in hers and drags me to the door.

"Jaz, where are we going?" I ask.

"Outside," she says casually.

"What? Why would we do that? It's pouring rain outside!" I protest, struggling against her grip. It is of no use, though, since Jaz is a good five inches taller and a whole lot stronger. She drags me outside and within seconds, we're drenched to the bone. I wrap my arms around myself and shiver.

Jaz lets out a laugh. "Come on." She grabs my hands and starts twirling me around. I hesitate for a few minutes before I join her in her shenanigans. We danced in the rain while laughing our asses off. By the time we decided to go back inside, my stomach hurt.

We change out of our soaking wet robes and into clean ones before wrapping ourselves in thick, soft blankets. The other girls all look at us with amusement in our eyes as we shiver heavily near the fireplace.

"You're gonna get sick," Charlotte chimes.

"Shut up," I pout, trying to control my shivering.

A knock sounds on the door. "Come in!" Lyli calls and the door opens, revealing Master Skywalker. We quickly stumble to our feet. He frowns at our appearance but discards it.

"Today is a very important day," he says, folding his hands behind his back. "Tonight, you will receive your very own Lightsabers during the Saber Ceremony."

My jaw drops and I look at Jaz, finding her looking at our master with amazement in her eyes. And just like that, Master Skywalker leaves without another word.

The girls around me all start chatting eagerly but I can only think of one thing. I'm going to get my own Lightsaber.

"This is insane!" Jaz marvels next to me, excitedly shaking my arm. I laugh at her behaviour. "What colour do you want?" she asks.

"Aren't the only options blue or green?" I say.

"I read somewhere that someone a long time ago had a pink one," Edika joins in.

"No, it was purple," Steffi corrects her.

"It was not purple," Edika says.

"It was!"

"Girls, calm down," Jaz laughs. "What matters is that we'll be getting our own Lightsabers. And yeah, maybe there'll be a pink or purple one, who knows?"

I can't help but smile at Jaz's motherly nature. She always manages to keep the peace between the girls. Things haven't always been easy on the island. There have been fights and arguments, but we always made up right after. Master Skywalker said personal attachments and relationships aren't allowed, but I can't help but think of the others as my best friends. My sisters.

The rest of the day is filled with us chatting about anything and everything until it is time to have dinner. Most of us are too excited and anxious to eat, but we force ourselves to get at least something in our system.

Ben slides into the seat next to me. "Hey," he greets me.

"Hey," I say, scooting over so he can sit properly. "You nervous?"

"Not at all. You?" he says.

I shrug. "Kind of. Mostly excited, though."

"Have you felt it again?" he asks then, lowering his voice.

I swallow thickly before nodding. "Yeah, last night."

"Me too," he says. "It's like it's getting stronger every day."

I look at my brother for a moment. "Did you tell Master Skywalker yet?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "No, I'll talk to him about it tomorrow."

"That's good," I say, nodding softly. We finish our dinner in silence before we go with the others to the Temple where Master Skywalker is already waiting for us, standing next to a large wooden chest. We line up and I make myself as tall as possible with my 5 feet and 4 inches next to my brother's 6 feet and 2 inches.

"Welcome, everyone," Master Skywalker starts and the chatter dies down. "Over the past seven years, you have learned the ways of the Jedi. You learned patience, ambition, endurance, focus, perseverance, and maybe the most important thing, you learned to trust others to defend you. This Lightsaber is a symbol for you as a Jedi and it will help you keep yourself and the galaxy safe."

He opens the chest, revealing a bunch of withdrawn Lightsabers. I can't help but let out a soft gasp, making my brother chuckle.

"Sulfar," Master Skywalker states and Sulfar steps forward. He reaches his hand into the chest and returns holding a slim, dark grey Saber. He holds it up and presses the button to ignite it. A beautiful green blade appears that hums lowly in the dark.

"Wow," I breathe.

"Jazcar," Master Skywalker says and my best friend walks toward the chest, selecting a silver-coloured Saber. When she ignites it, it reveals a very bright shade of cyan blue that makes my eyes widen.

"Ben." My brother steps forward and hesitates for a second, his hand hovering over the many Lightsabers. Eventually, he reaches all the way into the top right corner and withdraws his hand holding a monochrome grey Saber. He presses the button and a blue blade appears. Its light reflects in Ben's dark eyes as he stares at it with nothing but amazement.

"Raven." Hearing Master Skywalker say my name breaks me from my thoughts and I nearly stumble forward. I look into the chest and scan the Sabers that are inside. My eyes land on a dark Lightsaber that rests against the left wall of the chest. My fingers curl around the handle and I lift it from the chest. Master Skywalker's eyes widen a tiny bit as he spots my choice, but I'm only interested in seeing the colour of the blade. I press the button and the blade appears.

It is a beautiful light blue shade that almost looks white. It is like nothing I have ever seen and I can't take my eyes off it, but I know I have to move to the side to let the others have their turn. I press the button and it turns off. I stand beside my brother with a smile on my face.

The rest of the ceremony passes quickly and we all retreat outside where the rain has finally stopped. "You're free for the rest of the night and tomorrow morning to explore your new Lightsaber and celebrate this milestone. I will see you tomorrow afternoon to start a new section of your training," Master Skywalker says and excited chatter erupts from the group.

A couple of the girls return to the sleeping accommodation. A few others join the boys to the forest, but I go for a stroll with Jaz. "Did you see Master Skywalker's reaction to my Lightsaber?" I ask her.

She shakes her head. "No, why?"

"He looked... surprised. Almost shocked," I mumble, playing with the hem of my robes.

"I'm sure it's nothing. It was probably your mind playing tricks on you," she says. We arrive at the waterside and sit down on the cliff, our legs dangling into nothingness. "Are you happy with your Saber?"

I nod. "I love it. When I touched it, it felt like I was coming home. It was like nothing I've ever felt before," I tell her.

She takes her hand in mine. "Yeah, I felt that too," she says, intertwining her fingers with mine. A warm feeling spreads through my body and my heart flutters. I try to hide the blush on my cheeks from her, but she smiles nonetheless. "I'm happy you're here, Raven."

I smile. "Me too." I place my head on her shoulder and we watch the night sky in silence, not a worry on our minds.