Daylight

46. The Way I Used To

THIRD POV

Amara strolled into the large room filled with shelves and books from generations over time as the walls arched above her; the giant stained-glass window made it seem like she was at a church of some kind as she admired the colors, the paintings, and the scene. The very scene of two boys standing in front of a woman dressed in a beautiful olive-toned dress as a man wearing a crown stood beside her, a sense of royalty filling the air. Winding stairwells stood in all corners that led up to a second floor that wrapped around the edges of the library as Amara suddenly felt overwhelmed yet calm as she pulled her jacket from her shoulders and laid it gently over a chair covered in burgundy leather. Everything in the room looked expensive as she admired the work and detailed it took to create such vast structures and sculptures that covered every surface she gazed at. The statues created with marble of past kings and queens stood tall on either side of the rows and rows of books that Amara now faced as she frowned inside and out.

"This is going to take hours." Scrunching her nose, something she rarely did out of annoyance and impatience, she looked behind her as the dark wooden table sat there with chairs complimented the edges as an idea struck her mind.

Hmm, it couldn't hurt to try. She spoke to herself in her mind as she jumped up onto the table only to cross her legs over the other as she faced the rows and rows of a million books before her and closed her eyes. Focusing on her father just through her mind and the force, she summoned anything that would be of value to her and her father.

Hearing a few rumbling and shaking noises, she heard the flapping of books coming her way as loud thuds sounded from either side of her body. She peeked one eye open to see a few books on the table, but none that she recognized to help her. Picking up a random book to her left, she couldn't help but siphon the force from it as it practically glowed in her eyes, and low and behold, the was power through the force around it. Feeling that it was something of total darkness, she knew it was something that couldn't help her as she tossed the book onto the floor below her feet and searched the other four books around her body—all of them ending up the same as the first.

Trying again. She thought as she closed her eyes and thought of her father's legacy, hoping it might trigger something different. 

And it did the trick a little too well as various books came flying towards her, one in particular in direct contact with her head until something moved it away from her face. Feeling utter shock from the moment, she turned in her position to see Kylo Ren standing there in his usual uniform, but this time, she could she had no gloves on, his belt was gone as his outer vest was slit open, revealing a black undershirt. His aura was calm, still dark, but calm, and it threw her off as he stood behind the table she sat on, one hand crossed over by holding the opposite wrist.

"Do you need this room, Commander Ren?" He knew she was exhausted, as she said mentally and physically. Seeing her in this room, doing this kind of work, stumped him.

"You should rest, Amara." He commented as she physically rolled her eyes at him before turning back around. The very notion enraged him like crazy as he tried his best not to lash out at her.

"Can't...busy." That was all she said as he stepped around the table to see her with eyes closed as various books from different shelves began to float from their units but were suddenly dropped to the floor. It almost made him laugh at whatever she was attempting to do.

"I've heard various things from everyone here, including how the overuse of the force will practically render you unconscious for several hours, if not up to a full day. You need to sleep, Amara-"

"Well, I can't, ok. Not until-" He watched her take a deep breath the minute she raised her voice at him. Rubbing her head, he couldn't see into her mind but feel her emotions. Everything was becoming too much as she dropped her hands from her head and opened her eyes, but didn't look at him.

"Not until those hunters are killed, and that family is safe. I won't watch Sara lose her baby again." A silence passed over them as Kylo listened for the small detail she spoke about the wife.

"This happened before?" He was genuinely curious and not just trying to ease his way into her mind and heart as he stepped closer to her by leaning against the cold, wooden table. Heartbreak suddenly became strong enough to feel as he watched her face turn into something of a pain.

"The first time it happened, the three of us were being reckless. We were young, drunk, loud, and I didn't see the ground shuttle coming until I pushed both of them to the side. Stefan cracked his head, I had a few broken ribs, and Sara...she had a miscarriage." Her voice broke when she mentioned the incident as she spoke Sara's name and looked further down to the floor, avoiding Ren altogether. The heartbreak, the pain, the guilty feeling of thinking it was her fault-Ren felt everything as he watched her eyes begin to water. But nothing came as she lifted her head and wiped her eyes with her bare wrist. By now, Ren had realized her jacket was sitting behind her, laying over a chair as her breasts were in full view.

"It's taken me years to gain back the love and the trust from her, to keep her safe and alive, and I will not lose this baby, though it's not mine to lose." Her voice began to shake as he looked away for a split second as he heard Amara take a deep breath.

"Amara-"

"Do you need this room, Commander?" The irritation in her tone was much clearer now as Amara couldn't help but feel it.