Across The Stars // Star Wars (Sequels)

✰Chapter 31✰

"Close your eyes," Snoke tells me as I sit on the ground in front of him. I do as he says. "Let go of all you believe in and give in to that part of you that you avoided." 

My brows etch into a frown as a wave of freezing cold washes over me. I desperately cling to the Force to keep my mind awake, but I can feel myself slipping further and further away from the Light. 

"Give into those feelings of fear, hate and anger. Don't be afraid of them," Snoke continues. 

I focus on the fear of losing my mother. The fear of making the wrong move and losing myself completely. The hate for Kylo Ren for murdering my father. The hate for him for killing Jazcar. The boiling anger toward Holdo for denying me my rights as a Jedi. 

The anger toward Master Skywalker for abandoning me when I needed him most. 

My eyes snap open as my stomach drops at my thoughts. Snoke grins to himself. "Good," he says. I let out a shivering breath and clasp my icy hands together. "That's enough for today." 

I nod softly and stand up, my legs wobbly and unsteady. "Thank you, my Master," I say formally, lowering my head. I depart from the room as quickly as I can without seeming desperate and when I arrive in my quarters, I fight my way out of the black robes I was given last night until I'm just in the pants and top. Crying uncontrollably, I sink down on my bed, hugging my legs close to my chest.

I press my face against my knees to mute my sobbing, but in the distance, I can hear voices talking. 

Slowly, I remove my face from my legs and look up, sniffling. My throat hurts from the sobs and my eyes sting."Rey?" I ask with a shivering voice. 

"Murderous snake!" she snaps, her voice distorted and hazy, but I can understand her perfectly. 

"N-No, I-I didn't mean to-" 

"I know everything I need to know about you." 

"This is not what it looks like" 

"You are a monster." 

And then she's gone. Her presence leaves my mind, leaving me on my own again. The lump in my throat only grows, but no more tears fall. 

***

The day ends quickly and I'm preparing to go to bed, but as I fold back the sheets of my bed, Anakin appears on the foot of the bed. "What are you doing?" he asks. 

"I'm doing what you told me," I state. "Saving my mother."

"Raven, you must know that that wasn't me," he starts. "I mean, it was me, but not this me." 

"It doesn't matter who told me. I know what I have to do to bring my mother back," I say. 

"Coming here was a mistake," he tells me. 

I shake my head. "In one day, I have learned more about to Force than in all those years with Master Skywalker," I say. "Snoke wants to help me."

"Snoke doesn't want to help you. He wants to turn you to the Dark Side so the First Order can rule the galaxy." He states. "That's what happened to me and I'm telling you, you are making a mistake."

"You don't know what you're talking about," I say coldly.

"I think I do. I know you better than you know yourself, Raven," he says. "Do you think your mother would approve of you being here?" 

"That doesn't matter. She's dying and I need to save her," I snap. 

"She's not dying!" he exclaims. "She's unconscious but she's going to be fine." 

"Just leave me alone," I say. 

He looks at me for a second before sighing. Then he disappears. 

***

The next morning, I awake early for my training of the day. After finishing my first training yesterday, I instantly noticed a huge difference between Snoke's and Master Skywalker's training methods. Where Snoke just orders and commands, Master Skywalker would request and encourage. 

I travel to Snoke's throne room where he is already waiting for me. As soon as I see him, my senses heighten. "Master," I greet him, lowering into a bow. 

Snoke raises a hand and motions over one of the guards that are dressed in full red outfits. The guard scurries closer. "Kill him." 

My heart drops. "W-What?" The word leaves my mouth before I can stop it. Snoke just narrows his eyes at me and I quickly compose myself. "Of course, my master." I clench my jaw tightly before raising a hand. After deeply breathing in, I send the Force through my hand and around the throat of the guard. He lets out a choking sound and reaches for his neck, but there is nothing for him to remove. It costs me every grain of energy in my body but I close off his throat. 

I can feel the life seeping out of the guard but I don't stop. Tears build up in the corners of my eyes but I don't stop. My hand is shaking awfully and I try to steady it, but I don't stop.

I don't stop until something inside me snaps. The Force that I sent at the guard whips around and ricochets. It slams into my chest and I fall to my knees, coughing wildly. 

All I can think of is one thing. I failed. 

"Weak," Snoke states. "Take her back to her quarters." 

Two guards come up to me and one takes my arm, dragging me back to my room. The door slams shut behind me and I am once again alone with my thoughts. The Force inside me is all over the place and completely out of balance. The Light tries to take control but the Dark has gotten so strong over the past two days. 

A shivering breath passes my lips before I lie down in bed. I stare at the ceiling and try to calm my racing mind, but I suddenly feel a certain warmth on my skin. 

I frown to myself. This room has never been anything but freezing cold. That could be a side effect of being in space, but I think it's because of the Dark Side.

I sit up and my eyes widen. In front of me, Rey and Ben are sitting across from each other, a crackling bonfire in between. Their lips are moving, but I can't understand what they're saying. I can hear the clattering of the rain on the roof and the thunder in the distance. 

Rey lifts up a hand and slowly holds it out in front of her. Ben hesitates before removing his black glove. He holds his hand next to Rey's before moving them together, they fingertips touching ever so slightly. 

"Stop!" a new voice exclaims and my head whips to the side, but no one is there. When I turn back, Rey and Ben are gone too. 

I don't hesitate to jump out of bed and sprint to Ben's quarters. I burst in without knocking and he springs up when I enter. "Raven!" he exclaims. 

"What happened? Why was Rey here?" I ask him, my heart thumping in my throat.

"What do you mean?" 

"I saw you. Both of you. You were sitting by a fire and... touching hands," I say.

"How did you see that?" he asks. 

"You didn't see me?" 

He shakes his head, lowering his eyes. "I thought it was just the two of us," he says before glancing up again. "Why are you here?" 

"I told you, I'm here to save Mom."

"No, why are you really here?" he asks before both of our attention is drawn away. He feels it too. Our eyes find each other. 

"Rey," we say in unison before we depart to the hangars. Ben waves over two Stormtroopers and they follow us as we walk up to the single escape pod that has entered the Star Destroyer. I peek inside through the glass window and spot Rey's brown eyes looking back with confusion clouding them. I send her a tiny nod as Ben steps aside. One of the Stormtroopers holds up a set of handcuffs. 

The pod hisses open and Rey clambers out. No one dares to break the silence that hangs between us the handcuffs are closed around her wrists and Ben and I take her to the elevator.