Daylight

63. You're No Good To Me

"Ironic you pick a place like this," I muttered as he pushed me inside the old and abandoned schoolhouse meant for children. 

It reeked of mold and dead creatures as we passed a few dead birds on the way in. Pushing me towards a half-broken table and the only chair left intact, he glanced around the place as I felt through the force, feeling nothing: no person, no creature, no nothing for miles. Keeping my guard up, I kept a small connection through the force so Ren and his knights could find me as I looked down at my bloody leg. Shifting into an uncomfortably seated position, I tried to ignore the stabbing pain into my breast from Ren's lightsaber. Why the hell did he have to make it so different looking!?

"I'd thought it might bring back some good old memories for you, little Jedi. Surely you remember?" He spoke as he looked beyond another entrance area before returning to the main floor we stayed on. 

It was an open-concept schoolroom. Desks were broken and slightly burned, chairs were half disintegrated, the main desk where a teacher would sit was bare, but you could see the markings where a table sat. Old papers, writing utensils, chalk, anything found in schools were spread throughout the floor plan as if everything was left behind to be forgotten. It made me wonder what happened to the children.

"That fire was an accident caused by your son, no less." I didn't want to remember how it started as I had erased half those memories by force. Eyeing the man that was once deemed dangerous to the kingdom of Sylas, I watched him with intent to know why he brought me here.

"Hm, so I was alerted." He said while bringing his large weapon from around his back to lean against a half-broken chair left standing. Feeling a strong pull in the force, I tried my best to grip my jacket closer to my body as I felt the saber start to move, a sign Ren was noticing it was missing, no doubt. Just a little longer Ben.

"Why am I here? Or a better question: why are you? Surely you didn't come this far to avenge your son's death?" I spoke with a bored tone but kept my guard up just in case he would try anything. Knowing he was Bex's father, it wasn't something to not watch for.

"You're right. I didn't. But I will make you aware of this, sweetheart. After what my son put you and your family through, I wouldn't expect you to not go after him, especially after he killed his mother. What I didn't see coming, and neither would your father, is how you would kill him."

"Two choices were given to me, Ronan. You told us taking the stronger one to better oneself was always the right choice-" I spat on him before taking a hard and loud slap to the face as I didn't realize how close he'd become to me.

"Your father wanted you to do nothing with the dark side! Why do you think we trained you those few years in Sylas!? Huh! For you to take on both sides at once!? We worked too hard, went through Hell and back to make sure you stayed on the Light Amara! How could you defy your own father's wishes!" With his words came pure fury towards me, something I half expected as he gripped me quickly enough to be tossed to the other side of the room. Something I didn't expect him to do. Hitting the old and tattered walls hurt like hell since I was still injured from the first fight this morning as I slowly gained my strength to stand, his every move in clear sight.

"Was it worth it? Did you get everything you desire? Did Ben turn to the Light? Are you happy, Amara? The answer to all of those is no." He taunted me; I could not only see it but hear it as he spoke his words slowly. He made sure I would listen to every syllable. He approached me like the top of the food chain predator would.

"Always trying to be the better person, the stronger one, the cold-hearted one. But the way I see it, standing here in front of you. You're still the same frightened little girl with a power she'll never control. You haven't changed a bit, Amara. Heh, no wonder that foolish Solo doesn't love you. You're weaker than he thought."

A loud warrior's scream rang from my throat as I pulled out Ren's crossguard saber to attack Ronan. Everything about his comment hit me hard, like a bullet to the heart. He avoided me with difficulty as I ignited the saber and the plasma blade sliced Ronan's left arm quickly. But the moment I went to spin on my heel to attack again, a blasting sound went off as pain erupted from my right side. Looking down, I saw blood dripping from where the open wound now sat below my ribcage, the red stain seeping quickly against my top. With the deadliest weapon in the galaxy, one the First Order could not have, staring me down as he raised it from my stomach to where my heart was, a sudden fear washed over me but briefly as the spark of resistance sparkled in my eyes. A sight no one has seen in years. It made him laugh.

"Ah, there it is. The spark that ignites the flame of the Resistance. Your mothers' rebel side is still inside you, just as the dark fighter that is your father's. Hm, maybe you have changed, and now, I see it."

"Sure about that?"

"It's not a light at all, is it, little Jedi? It's not even a spark. What was it that Leia called it...Hope maybe?" My eyes must've shown it. The anger, the fear, the shock of him saying a single word, so small to others, but in the wrong hands, the word meant so much. all the cards were on the table, yet the queen was missing. And after my reaction, he had it.

"Yes, I know about the girl. And from what Leia has already told my men and me, you're looking for her location, correct?"

"She's nothing to you!" I angrily spat with venom in my voice, which only made him smile more as he raised his gun higher—the hole of the blaster aiming for my throat.

"But she's everything to you, Amara. Quite strange since you've never met her. Yet, you're so attached. Why?"

"I'm not obliged to answer."

"I wonder if he has my answer then. The Solo boy."

"Ren knows nothing about her, and he's not going to. Not until he's less of a threat even to me." I shook my head to silence his thoughts. With him as the Supreme Leader, Hope would be killed or worse if Ren found out. If anything, Ren would use hope to force me to side with him and then kill her. I tried not to think of that kind of pain as I was pulled by a heavy force backward. Feeling the wind pick up when all was quiet, I flipped around as I landed hard on the ground, the building shaking with it. Flipping my hair back, I could see the force projection of Kylo Ren in all his glory, standing before me with one hand outstretched to me. Or should I say his saber? Still laying on the ground as I held his saber tightly to my face, his face darkened every time I moved the object closer.

"Give it to me." Within seconds, it was as if we were the only ones standing in that room, that building, this city.