Chapter One: The Beginning

I am Kaila. My brother Brysen was born with mastery of the Force. Me? Not so much. While he goes to the academy, I get stuck here on Tatooine. They say life isn't fair. They're right. Why should he get all the glory? I want to pay him back, to show him that I can do anything he can.

"Hey, watch this!" A handful of sand comes hurtling through the air at my face. Spitting out the dry, gritty stuff, I pick up a handful and throw it back at him. Brysen deflects it with a wave of his hand. "You can't touch me. I know how to use the force. See?" He twirls his fingers, and a miniature sandstorm rises up in front of him. He gives it a few more twirls and it turns into a tiny tornado.

"You may have some cool powers, Kichiro, but they won't do you much good out here at the Academy."

He flinches at the nickname. "Hey, I'm not just lucky. I trained hard to become a skilled pilot. And the Academy is always looking for students with mastery of the Force."

"That's only because some Skywalker kid used it to blow up a space station this one time," I say. "And any good marksman could have made that shot."

"Shooting missiles into a two-meter exhaust vent? That takes more than plain skill, Kai," my brother says with a knowing look.

"Well, see you later. May the Force be with you," I say with a sneer. As he walks away, I throw another handful of sand at his retreating back. It hits him full on, exploding into dust all over the back of his shirt. I laugh at him. He isn't so powerful after all. Jerk. I will teach him to respect me.

I jerked out of my reverie as I cruised along in my landspeeder. Looking out across the pale expanse of the desert, I sighed with pleasure. The dunes glowed with the soft glow of the slowly setting suns. My parents didn't know I was out here, of course. They thought I was in my room, studying hard for the Academy entrance exams. In their mind, I was inspired by my brother's example, driven to hard work and diligent study so I could follow in his footsteps. Well, they were partly right. I would follow his lead, but not by going to the Academy. No. They rarely accepted girls, anyway. Everyone always seems to think that girls have no stomach for war or some silliness of that sort. I snorted. The boys think we have cooties, more likely. Even grown men are intimidated when girls start to really gain power. They like their women nice and meek, so they can be controlled. Well, I didn't intend to be controlled by anyone. Maybe I would even control them, for a change.

The landspeeder stopped at a mud hut in the middle of a wide, empty plain of nothingness. It was all sand and desert scrublands as far as the eye could see. So this was the dwelling of the elusive and enigmatic Amaya? So far, I was not impressed.

A woman appeared at the entrance to the hut and beckoned me inside. I followed, intrigued by her mysterious silence. The woman was wearing a simple black cloak with a hood that concealed her face. She was fairly tall, and she felt powerful. It wasn't just the way she looked; the closer I got to her, the more I could sense it. She was radiating sheer power, a confident aura that surrounded her. She seemed to wear it as comfortably as the dark cloak draped over her shoulders. It was almost intoxicating. I wanted to be like that. I wanted her to teach me.

"Have you come to learn the secrets of the Force?" I jumped as her silky smooth voice finally issued forth from under the hood. "I sense great potential in you, young one. Your blood runs strong with that silent power, but with something else as well. I could feel it as you approached. You harbor much anger and resentment, do you not?"

I had not idea how she knew, but it didn't seem odd that she would. Even I could feel my blood boil when I thought about him. Kichiro. The lucky son. He had everything that I could not have. He was a boy. He could use the Force. Now he was off to the Academy to become a great hero, while I was stuck here as a lowly farmer's daughter. My destiny was always to be the follower concealed under my brother's shadow.

"It is not always luck that brings connection," the woman said. It was almost as if she had read my thoughts. Maybe she did, I though with a thrill. The things I could achieve with that kind of power… "Yes, now you begin to see. Accept your feelings and harness your true potential." The woman's voice was as smooth as velvet, lush with the promise of a new future, one where Kaila would not be just someone's little sister. She knew exactly what to say, and she said it. It was… seductive, that was the word. I couldn't resist. I took the bait.

"Will you teach me?"

The cloaked woman looked at me. I still couldn't see under the hood, but something dark and clever waited just underneath the surface, waiting to reveal itself. "You have much to learn, young one. But I do not know if I am the right one to teach you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, dismayed.

She paused. "Have you heard of the Jedi?"

The word filled me with cold hate. A memory washed over me…

I am standing in front of a panel of men. Men who could decide my fate. I try my best to stay calm as they reach a verdict.

"We have reached our decision," says the man in front of me. His eyes are sad. "You do not have the strength to undergo Jedi training. I am sorry, but it cannot be done."

No, I think. This isn't the way it was meant to happen. Ever since I was a child, I dreamed about becoming a Jedi knight and protecting the galaxy from evil. My brother had just been tested, and HE was allowed to join. He had decided in favor of the Academy, but I was ready to do something more.

It looks like it isn't ready for me.

The man stares at me. He still has those sad, knowing eyes. They burn into me with sorrow and pity, and suddenly I am furious. I hold my tongue in front of these people, so as not to dishonor my family, but the anger and hate course through my veins. How dare they put my brother above me? Am I not just as worthy? It is only because I am a girl, I brooded. If I had been born into a different body, they would have chosen me. If only-

"I feel much anger in you, young one." The man speaks in a grave tone, as if being angry is the most dangerous thing in the world. "I will tell you something that a teacher of mine once said to me. 'Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to the Dark Side.' You must learn to control your anger, lest it control you."

I can't take it any more. This man is not going to sit here and lecture me one moment longer. "What could I do? I don't have the strength, remember?" I say. The man only looks at me sadly. "You'll see. Some day I'll become even stronger than you. Than any of you!" I whirl around, sweeping the whole room. Some of the men put their hands to their heads as my gaze passes over them. The leader's gaze hardens.

"Enough. You must watch yourself, understand what makes you feel this way. My father was like you when he was young, and he died trying to make up for what it led him to," the man said, his voice like steel. "Do not repeat his mistake."

"I don't care about your father!" I shout. How dare he guilt me by telling his sob story? That was his problem, not mine! "I don't care about anyone! It's not fair! This is so unfair!"

My father grabs my arm. "That's enough now, Kaila. Time to go."

"It's not fair!" I repeat.

"Life isn't fair sometimes," he retorts, and drags me from the room. When I look behind me, there is the man again, staring into my soul. I can almost feel his eyes saying, "Just you wait. You'll be sorry. Just you wait."

No, YOU'LL be sorry one day, I think at him. I hope my glare will communicate my message.

The man only shakes his head and turns away.