Thanks for reading! I'll be updating this fix 2-3 times a week. This chapter is more like a prologue.
"You what?" Kylo shoved his laptop off his lap, glaring at his mother. The most ridiculous sentence just flew from her mouth, and he can't bring himself to believe it. "I'm sorry, you what?"
"Don't pull that attitude, Ben," his father remarks, rustling the newspaper as he sips his coffee at the dining room table. The Christmas tree stands dying in the corner nearby, its evergreen scent starting to fade as the needles brown and break off. Dad said he was going to toss it today.
"My name is Kylo Ren," Kylo snaps. "Not Ben Solo." That's a dumb name and he's tired of that look in his father's eyes, the look that always sighs without a sound escaping from his father's mouth, the look that says Kylo is as far from his namesake as the devil is from an angel. A photograph of Obi-Wan Kenobi sits on the mantle and Kylo often contemplates shattering it in an oops moment.
"Fine, fine." Dad holds his hands up.
"But you can't be serious," Kylo says, turning back to his mother. "Two exchange students? I know you were considering one, but two? We only have one bathroom here!" And he does not want to have to listen to his parents fawn over whoever these two geniuses are.
"Learn how to put eyeliner on without a mirror; your mother does it," gripes Dad. "And maybe spend less money on hairspray."
Kylo could spit at the man. He curls his fists.
"Han," scolds Mom. "Ben, they're both good kids with exceptional records. They'll fit right in at Crait High."
"I doubt it," Kylo retorts. "Have you met any of the kids at the school?" No, of course she hasn't. She may be principal, but she doesn't know the snakes who slither through those brightly lit halls, curling out and waiting to strike their next victim. He does.
"They're arriving later today," says Mom. "And you will be around for dinner, whether you like it or not, young man."
"Good luck," Kylo tells her, getting to his feet. He stuffs his laptop into his fraying black bag, the one with the metal studded clasps. "I'm going out." Mr. Snoke, the physics teacher, wanted to meet him over break to work out the plans for their engineering project, the one Crait High is known for hosting that starts right after the holidays.
"Where?" demands Mom.
"Out," says Kylo, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. "I'll be back for dinner; you're welcome."
"Simple obedience doesn't warrant a thanks, Ben."
"Neither does calling me by the wrong name." He gives a mock bow as he backs towards the door. Mom rolls her eyes. Dad shakes his head.
Just before Kylo shuts the door, he hears Dad say, "I don't know what we're going to do with him."
You and me both, Dad, Kylo thinks with a snort as he tromps over the cold, crumpled grass. The sun shines brilliantly down on them, but its rays do nothing to warm the winter here on earth. Kylo tosses his bag into his car, the one Dad bought and fixed up for him.
He has no interest in meeting these two suck-ups. They probably wear ties and pleated pants every single day. That or they're dumb fuckboys like his neighbor, Poe Dameron.
Whatever. Kylo turns the keys in the ignition, driving out, driving too fast and liking it.
Finn gapes at the house. The taxi drives away behind him. It's a towering Victorian, with a fairytale castle-like spire. He clutches his suitcase in his hand.
He wasn't particularly eager to come here. Then again, it's not like he has much to look forward to back in his old school and town. No one wanted him there either, but at least it was familiar. Dark windows loom in the house, and he wonders what's behind them.
The door flings open. "Welcome!" A gray-haired woman—the principal herself, or so Finn's been told—hurries out to embrace him.
Whoa. Finn's not used to being embraced by adults. They usually shoo him along like he's a mouse in their way. Is this for real? "Hey. I'm Finn."
"We've heard of you," says the woman. "The most promising engineer at your old school."
"Uh, yeah," Finn says, managing a smile as a man in a leather jacket steps out onto the porch, floorboards creaking under his feet. "That's me. I'm a pretty big deal."
Okay, so maybe he only completed an engineering project because he wanted to escape the losers at his school. Nines was starting to hate Finn for doing well on tests, but what was Finn supposed to do, fail just so Nines could do better? Nines had a goddamn family. A scholarship is Finn's only chance for college.
Which was why he applied for this program. His guidance counselor urged him to, saying that the winner earns a full ride to a local tech college. A good school. A future.
The man arches his eyebrows. "Han Solo. Nice to meet you, Big Deal."
Uh-oh.
"Leia Organa," says the woman, shaking Finn's hand. "This is Han Solo, my husband." Han takes Finn's luggage for him. Finn blinks. He's always had to do everything himself.
They lead him to a room on the second floor. "My son's room is across the hall," says Ms. Organa. "Ben's out right now." A frown crosses her face. Finn nods. His room is small, with a sloped ceiling. A map of the world rests on the wall, and books line the wooden bookshelf above the desk. A huge window sits behind the bed, opening out to a view of a lawn that must be gorgeous when the weather is actually warm.
"Good to meet you," Mr. Solo echoes, waving as he clatters back down the stairs.
"He works as a mechanic," says Ms. Organa. "Doing some work from home right now."
Finn nods. He's surprised the school principal married a mechanic. Supposedly Ms. Organa has her doctorate, and is renowned in the field of education.
"Unpack if you'd like," says Ms. Organa. "Our other exchange student should be here later today."
Finn nods again. "Thanks." He doesn't have much to unpack.
"You think you're so special, applying for that program? They'll never accept trash like you," Nines told him.
And inside Finn thought that Nines was right.
When he got the letter of acceptance, not even his guidance counselor could believe it. They let out a snort of disbelief. A kid who didn't even know who his parents were getting into a prestigious program that kids with famous parents couldn't even get into?
And Finn wonders if their skepticism is warranted. He looks at his hands. He just wants to get to a better future, but since time machines don't exist for him to climb into, this is the best he can do. And yet it's strange, to be in a place he's never been before, to attend a school ranked among the best in the country, to have the chance to be something. People will probably look down on him, and as far as bullying goes, he's probably walked out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Not that he has any expectations of winning. Just having this on his resume will look good for colleges. Finn gulps. He just wants to get into the state school in his hometown. That's all he wants.
It's safe.
"Finn?" calls Ms. Organa.
"Yes, ma'am?" Finn scrambles out of his room, slamming the door.
"Someone's here to see you!"
Huh? But he doesn't know anybody. Oh—maybe it's her son, or that other new kid. Finn scrambles down the stairs.
A handsome boy with curly dark hair leans back against the wall in the entry hall. A leather jacket, worn, covers him. "Hey!" He peels himself off of the wall, sticking his hand out for Finn to shake. "I'm Poe, Poe Dameron." He jerks his thumb. "I live next door. I hear we're in the same grade at school, both juniors, and I—"
"Finn," he says.
"Cool, Finn's a good name. I like it." Poe grins. "I just wanted to introduce myself. If you need someone to show you around tomorrow at school, I'd be happy to help."
"Sure, okay," Finn says. He doesn't understand why someone would want to meet him, or be excited to talk to him like Poe appears to be, or offer to help him out without wanting something.
A dog yips outside the door. Poe curses.
"Poe Dameron!" scolds Ms. Organa.
"Sorry!" Poe calls, holding his hands up. "That's my dog, Finn. He's outside. I've gotta take him for a walk."
"Cool."
"You could come with, if you wanted," Poe offers.
"You should," Ms. Organa encourages.
"I guess," Finn agrees. He grabs is coat and heads outside.
"So where are you from?" Poe inquires. "You must be some kind of genius. Do you know what you want to study in college? I'm entering the contest too, did I tell you that?"
Finn's head swims. A round shiba jumps at him.
"Beebee-Ate!" scolds Poe. "This's my dog, Finn."
"Hey buddy," Finn says, wary. He hasn't been around animals much. Or people. He's always been passed around from home to home, never with people who seemed glad to see him. Ms. Organa encouraging him to talk to people instead of pretend to camouflage with the walls doesn't make much sense to Finn.
"He doesn't bite," Poe says, tugging the leash. Beebee-Ate whines, dropping onto the stoop. "C'mon, Beebee-Ate. He's like, a lazy dog. He would sleep all day if he could."
Finn snorts. Beebee-Ate gets to his feet, trotting alongside Poe. "Have you always lived here?"
"Nope," Poe says. "My parents grew up here, but we lived in Yavin for years. We moved to Crait when I started high school. My parents are old friends of Leia and Han's."
Having a legacy like that. Finn can't even imagine having parents, much less having family friends. "That's awesome."
Poe whistles. The trees spread out up ahead as the side road opens to a busier street. "Leia's brother, Luke Skywalker, teaches biology at the school. He's a bit crabby though, so don't expect much out of his class."
"The Luke Skywalker?" Finn asks, gaping. His boots crunch over dead grass growing in the cracks between the sidewalks.
"Yep." Poe grins. "He retired last summer. From university, but Leia told my mom he was losing his mind all alone, so she got him to teach."
"Wow," breathes Finn. Everyone knows the famed scientist Luke Skywalker, a finalist for a Nobel Prize twice, though he never quite won. His mind whirls with the possibilities.
Poe lets out a yelp. Twisting, Finn sees that Beebee-Ate's pulled himself out of Poe's grasp, darting across the street.
"Get back here!" Poe bellows.
"Figures," Rey mutters, glaring at Teedo, the stupid cab driver who clearly just wanted her money. "Asshole!"
"It's too hard to get to with these one way streets," Teedo croaked, his smoker's voice crackling. "I think it'd be better if you walked. You don't have much luggage."
"Um," said Rey.
"That's not a request," Teedo added, drumming his fingers on his hunk of junk car.
And so Rey had stumbled out onto the street, shivering. Gooseflesh rose on her arms; all she has is a light sweatshirt. "Thanks for nothing."
The car lumbers off, wheezing as if it's on its last legs. Which it probably is.
Shouts echo. Rey pays them little mind as she pulls up a map on her phone. She needs to get to Leia Organa's.
A car's tires squeal. Rey shrieks, dropping her phone, but the car skids to a stop still a few feet from her. A fat dog gallops past, barking.
"Beebee-Ate!" cries a voice. "That's my dog!"
Rey drops her duffel bag and takes off after the dog. "Come here, boy!"
The dog pays her no mind, bouncing into an alleyway behind a coffee shop. Rey curses. She reaches into her pockets and pulls out the remains of her turkey and lettuce sandwich, the one she bought at the bus stop that tasted like salt and feet. But she ate most of it, because it wasn't as if she'd hate breakfast. "You want it, boy?" She crouched down, holding it out.
The dog whimpers, inching closer. It finally snatches the sandwich out of Rey's hand, gobbling it. She scratches its ears.
"Hey!" pants a Latino kid in a leather jacket, skidding to a stop. "Beebee-Ate! Don't do that!"
"This your dog?" Rey asks.
"Uh, yeah." The kid reaches for the leash. "He's always hungry."
Rey snorts. She rounds the corner, heading back for her luggage, only to see another boy dragging it. "Hey! You thief!" she explodes, running at him. Back in Jakku, she couldn't ever drop anything. What was she thinking here? Just because Crait is a safer town doesn't mean she can—
"Whoa, whoa, what?" yells the kid, hands in the air. "I'm not stealing it! I'm dragging it towards you!"
"His name's Finn. He's with me," Poe says helpfully.
Oh. Rey gulps. "Sorry."
Finn hands her duffel bag to her. Beebee-Ate barks and jumps up at her. Rey laughs.
"You new here too?" Finn asks.
Rey looks up at him. She nods. "I just got dropped off. I'm an exchange student for the semester."
"No way!" Poe exclaims. He chuckles.
"Huh?" Rey frowns. Car horns blare around her. Jakku was always like this: noisy.
"So am I," Finn says. "You aren't staying with Leia Organa by any chance, are you?"
Rey blinks. "Yeah. Yeah, I am."
"So am I," Finn says, smiling at her.
She smiles back, at him, at Poe, her hands still rubbing Beebee-Ate's soft neck.
"We can show you the way," Finn offers, leading her down a street that would look beautiful in the summer. Even int eh winter, with dead tree branches knocking at each other in the breeze and the sidewalks white from pulverized salt, the houses rest on sprawling lawns, buildings clearly older, but each other at least four times the size of the place where she grew up. And lawns. Jakku didn't have lawns. It had buildings cramped up against one another. She grew up in a basement apartment with dim lighting and Unkar Plutt snoring on the couch, dented where he liked to sit and with stuffing falling out the back, with car horns honking and people swearing at each other, her upstairs neighbors drinking and smashing things against the walls, and Unkar Plutt telling her he didn't know why he kept her.
It's so beautiful here.
"This one," Finn says, stopping. Rey cranes her next, gazing at the three story, narrow house with a turret. She loves it. If her room's in the turret, she'll die of happiness.
"Mine's next door," Poe says, pointing to the house just past a grove of trees. "See you two tomorrow morning. Oh, can I get your numbers? I'll show you around Crait High. Lord knows Ben won't do it."
"Who's Ben?' asks Rey. Her teeth chatter as the wind picks up.
"Leia's son," says Poe, handing Finn his phone for Finn to enter the digits. "He's our age. Rumor has it he might actually be still three years old, but, you know, he's in our grade."
"Oh," Rey says, taking Poe's phone from Finn and tapping in her own number. I'm going to have two brothers?
"And speak of the devil," Poe mumbles as an engine roars behind them. Rey turns to see a black car surging up the driveway. She frowns as a kid clad all in black climbs out, slamming the car door. Long black hair dangles from his head. He turns and eyes them with a scowl.
"Yo," says Poe. "Solo."
"The name's Kylo Ren," he replies. Eyeliner encircles his eyes like a raccoon. Rey used to feed the creatures when Unkar Plutt wasn't looking, on the rare occasions when she had food to spare.
"Is that your Goth name? Or did you have to take it when you joined the Satanists?" Poe asks with a straight face. Finn cringes.
"Fuck off, Dameron." Kylo pauses. He towers over them all, and Rey's tall. "Who are you?"
"Rey," she says. "I'm from Jakku."
His lip curls. "That place is a dump."
It's funny how hearing him insult Jakku makes her blood boil. "It's home," she retorts.
His eyebrows rise.
"Finn," Finn puts in, holding out his hand.
"You shake hands?" Kylo says it as if it's a personal affront.
"Do you have to be an asshole 24/7?" complains Poe. "Oh wait. Of course you do. Anyways." He turns to Rey and Finn. "Good luck. I'll text you both about tomorrow, okay?"
Rey gulps. Beebee-Ate follows Poe, tail wagging as if he hasn't a care in the world.
The three of them look at each other. Rey doesn't like this Ben or Kylo or whoever he is. Not at all.
"I can get that for you," Kylo says, reaching for her bag. His sleeve rides up, revealing a purple bruise. He probably punched a wall. With his wrist.
"No," snaps Rey, yanking it against herself. "You just made fun of Finn. I don't like that."
Kylo lets out a huff. "Suit yourself." He stalks in front of them.
"You don't have to do that," Finn whispers as they trudge towards the front steps. "Seriously, Rey. You just met me."
"I also just met him. You were nice. He was an ass," Rey replies.
Finn's eyes widen. He looks down at his scuffed boots.
"You going to call your parents later?" Rey asks. "This place really seems incredible." Butterflies flutter in her stomach as she looks at the front door, Kylo Ren climbing the steps. She won't let him ruin this for her.
"No," says Finn. He offers a tight smile. "I don't have them."
Really? "Neither do I," Rey admits. We're both alone.
Kylo glances over his shoulder at them as they climb the steps.
Leia Organa and Han Solo are very welcoming, Leia embracing her and Han gruff, but kind. Rey's room is on the third floor, not in a turret, sadly. But she has the third floor to herself, and the room's larger than the living room at Unkar Plutt's place. She flops on the bed, staring in amazement at the ceiling.
Leia calls them for dinner, which turns out to be quiche, which Rey's never tasted before in her life but loves. She helps herself to seconds.
"Hungry, huh?" Han asks, watching her with his brow furrowed.
She nods. "It's delicious."
"Tomorrow, Rey, and Finn, you'll meet with the guidance counselor first thing," Leia says. "Maz Kanata."
"She's a character," Han says, kicking his chair back. Kylo scowls and stabs his piece of quiche as if he'd like to kill it.
"Looking forward to meeting her," Rey says. She flexes her fingers in excitement. I'm here.
"She doesn't know that much," Kylo says. "She pretends to know more than she does."
"Ben, she's been working at the school since I was a student," Leia says, setting her water down.
"Exactly. She's old and worthless."
Rey's jaw drops. "That's rude."
Han fights back a smile. Finn looks horrified.
"You'd be better off with Mr. Snoke," Kylo tells her. "Both of you. He at least knows what he's doing."
If he's advising you I'm not sure I do. But before Rey opens her mouth, Leia cuts her off.
"I don't trust that Snoke, Ben, you're spending too much time with him."
"He's going to be my advisor for the project," Kylo retorts. "Of course I'm spending time with him." He shoves his chair back.
"We have to get advisors?" asks Finn, tapping his fingers on the table. He meets Rey's eyes and she knows he's thinking the exact same thing: we don't know anybody.
"It won't be a problem," Leia assures them. "Threepio will have a list at the office."
"Good luck," Kylo says sarcastically, sauntering away. He stomps up the stairs. Han buries his face in his hands.
"May I be excused?" Finn asks, pushing his chair back. Rey finds her way to the living room, where she flops on the couch, staring out the window. She's so far from Jakku.
They're never coming back.
If she gets her name in the paper, if she wins this award, they might see her, remember her, feel like she's worth enough to come back. Rey believes that.
As Rey heads up the stairs to her room, she overhears Leia on the phone with a guy she calls Luke.
Skywalker? Rey's heart skips a beat.
"I'm telling you, Leia," says Luke. "With those three sixteen-year-olds under the same roof, your house is gonna blow up."
Rey's lungs feel heavy, as if sand's filling her chest cavity. Why does no one want me?