On the planet of Chandrila, everybody knows that it is rather unlucky to be the eldest of three children. You are normally the first to fail should each child go to seek their fortune.

Rey's parents, Jyn and Cassian Andor, were well-to-do and ran a clothes shop in Hanna City. Her birth parents had died when she was four years old and left her under the care of the couple who, unable to have children of their own, had already adopted twin girls, Rose and Paige Tico, both younger than Rey. Despite the couple having unwillingly had their estranged and troubled friends' daughter dropped at their doorstep in the middle of the night, they treated all of their children with equal kindness.

Rey, Rose and Paige were their parents' pride and joy and were sent to the most prestigious school in the city. Upon finding out the common belief, Rey resigned herself to the idea that she would not be having a very riveting and exciting future, but she was happy enough to help look after her sisters and prepare them to pursue their fate when the time came. Since their adoptive parents were always busy in the shop, the responsibility fell on Rey to keep an eye on the twins. There was the occasional screaming match and hair pulling between the pair, so Rey would have to step in and separate them, usually having to mend their clothes afterwards.

Everyone in Hanna City began to talk of the Wizard of the Waste, Snoke, again. The rumour was that he had threatened the Queen after she ordered the royal wizard, Wizard Dameron, to go to Jakku and defeat Snoke. However, he had not only failed his mission to kill Snoke, but it had also resulted in his own death.

A few months later, a tall black castle arrived on the hills surrounding the city, ashy and dark smoke puffing from its towering chimneys. All the citizens were certain that Snoke had come to terrorise everyone as he had done once before. At night, the streets were empty and silent; nobody dared leave their houses in the dark. However, the castle didn't move and Snoke didn't appear. Nonetheless, everyone was cautious and worried, and there were even talks of asking Queen Apailana for help.

Eventually everybody found out that the castle didn't belong to Snoke but to a wizard by the name of Kylo Ren. To the people of Chandrila, Snoke was terrifying; however, to their despair, Wizard Ren didn't seem to be any friendlier. Although he was never seen or encountered, there were stories that he collected the hearts of young girls and took away their souls. Some even said that he consumed the stolen hearts. No matter what story was heard, the common opinion shared was that Wizard Ren was a heartless and cold man and that no one was safe from him should they be caught, especially young girls. All the women in the city were warned to never go out by themselves, much to Rey and her sisters' chagrin.

Sadly, the dangerous tales of Wizard Ren were far from their minds when their father unexpectedly died just as Rey turned 18 years old. They all soon realised that their school fees had left the family with quite the debt, so when all was taken care of and the funeral had finished, Jyn sat her daughters down to talk.

"I'm sorry, but you two will have to leave school." She looked at Paige and Rose sadly. "I'm trying my best to keep the business running at the same time as taking care of all of you, but I can't do both." Rose and Paige slumped in disappointment. First their father, now having to leave school early. What next?

Jyn tried to fake a smile. "But don't worry, I've sorted it all out. Paige-"

"I want to keep learning." Paige sat up straight and determined.

"And you will," Jyn replied. "I've organised for you to be an apprentice at the bakery in Senate Plaza. They're known for treating all of their students well, and I'm sure you'll be very happy there."

Paige smiled the kind of smile that you do when you get a gift that you didn't want. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, she thanked her mother and said, "It's lucky I like to bake."

Jyn turned to Rose, "I know that you're the youngest and you're not allowed to work properly right now. You know my old friend Maz Kanata?"

"Is she the one who is short, has the thick glasses and is a bit weird?" Rose fixed her dark brown eyes on her mother. "She's a witch, isn't she?"

Jyn nodded. "With a lot of clients, and she's a good woman. She'll teach you all there is to know."

Rose gave in, "I guess so… she's nice enough."

Rey knew that Jyn had set everything up as it was meant to be. Knowing what was to come next, she wasn't at all surprised when her mother turned to her and said, "I know that it's not what you want, but it seems right that being the eldest, you should inherit the shop. I would like to take you on to teach you. Is that alright?" She looked at her daughter anxiously.

Accepting her fate to working in the shop, she gave a reluctant smile and nodded.

Jyn sighed in relief. "All settled then!"

Rey helped Rose pack her clothes and the next day said goodbye as Rose headed off to where Maz Kanata resided. As Rose would have to pass over the hills where Kylo Ren's castle sat, Jyn was understandably worried for her daughter, and so she sent her on her way with a close family friend.

"She'll be fine," Paige said, her voice wavering. She refused to have anyone help her pack, and she marched off to the bakery. Later that night a message was sent to Jyn and Rey informing them that she was okay and that she was having fun. A message from Rose followed a week later confirming that she had arrived safely and that all was well, which put Jyn's mind at ease.

Rey already knew the skill of sewing very well. From the moment she had arrived at the Andor household, she had been surrounded by yards and yards of fabrics of all kinds, from soft and silky to coarse and tough, from dark to bright and colourful. She knew every kind of material by the time she was six, and she could remember the names of all of the shop's regulars. She knew all the tricks of the trade, and she could design and stitch the most elaborate patterns on a ball dress within three hours.

So Jyn taught her how to sell the clothes, how to interact with the customers, but in all honesty, Rey didn't spend much time at the front of the shop. Instead, she spent most of her time in the workshed sewing and stitching and designing. She quite liked doing it—she was a creative spirit—but it was a lonely and sometimes arduous job. Everyone else in the workshop was at least 20 years older than her and still treated her as their boss' daughter rather than a fellow worker.

The rumours of Wizard Ren still buzzed throughout the city, especially in the workshop. The workers' voices became whispers, as if at the mention of his name Kylo Ren would appear. The next month, the gossip turned from Wizard Ren and Snoke to all about Paige. The bakery had suddenly become extremely popular, very much so with the young gentlemen of Hanna City. Apparently there had been some marriage proposals already and much to Rey's relief, all had been firmly turned down.

Growing used to the isolation, Rey had taken to talking to the clothes instead. She began to flatter that clothes as a salesperson would customers. Complimenting the dresses, and shirts, and cloaks, she would say to a blue dress she held up in front of her, "You are going to get your life together and get rich." She picked up some dark trousers, gold and red stripes down the sides—"You are going to be the luckiest thing in the galaxy."

She carried on in this fashion, usually giving extra compliments to the plainer and duller clothes.

The shop grew more popular and busy as the anniversary celebration drew nearer. Having to work in the shop and sew the rest of the time, she finally conceded that her life was officially boring. Her eyes grew red rimmed from working through the night and her hair was kept in three buns to keep it from falling in her eyes as she hunched over to work. She told herself to give herself a break to visit her sister, but she never did. She grew more and more lonely and with less people around, she became more tentative to do things other than sew. Realising that she was losing who she used to be, a strong and determined young woman, she made her mind up that when the shop closed for the anniversary, she would go to see Paige. After all, the bakery was just a few streets away, less than a five-minute walk.

The anniversary day finally arrived and the festivities began. The streets were crowded with people celebrating. Jyn had to leave early so Rey remained behind to finish up. Her only comfort was that Paige would be working as well, the bakery being open until late that day. She watched people bustle by in their colourful clothes, people wandering the streets selling all kinds of foods and drinks. Even with the shop door closed she could feel the joy and exhilaration of the crowd. Putting on a grey shawl over her grey outfit, she stepped outside and into the street.

For somebody who had spent the last few months in mostly quiet, the noise was overwhelming and the people too many. She felt as if she were a crotchety old woman instead of a 19-year-old girl. Trying to avoid being squashed and trodden on, she edged her way through the crowd, jostled by people's elbows and shoulders.

She reached Senate Plaza and it was even worse. Not only were there huge crowds, but now there were young men swaggering both cockily and drunkenly, whistling and catcalling the girls. All the girls weren't surprised; this was just part of what happened every year at every anniversary. They weren't going to let it stop them from having fun. Trying to walk as inconspicuously as possible to avoid being accosted, Rey bumped into a tall man dressed in black, sporting a cloak equally as dark as his attire. He looked at her in surprise as she tried to shrink away.

"Don't be afraid," he said, not unkindly. "You don't need to look so scared."

Rey felt embarrassed as she felt him looking at her and feeling sorry for her. She didn't need his pity. Drawing herself up straight, she looked at him in the face. And it was a rather handsome and sophisticated one at that. He was well-built and well into his twenties, with raven hair and fascinating eyes that seemed dark one minute and lighter the next. Judging by the way he was dressed, he wasn't too eager to be noticed either, but unfortunately, with all the bright colours around them and his height, he stood out like a sore thumb.

"I'm fine" she replied firmly, "I'm on my way to see my sister."

"Well, I'll let you carry on your way then," he said.

Rey felt her face turn red and she dashed away. She pushed her way into the bakery and located Paige in the crowd of assistants behind the counter.

Paige, looking slightly shorter than usual, noticed her older sister in the doorway, her face breaking into a smile, "Rey!"

"Can we talk?" Rey yelled, being jostled about by the other customers. Paige nodded and asked a girl next to her to take over for her. Paige lifted the flap of the counter and let Rey through.

Paige grabbed Rey and dragged her to sit. She rummaged around one of the bags holding an assortment of baked goods and handed her sister a delicious and warm iced bun, "You're gonna need this."

Rey plonked down onto the chair and bit into the cake, breathing in it's sweet and rich scent, "I'm so glad to see you, Paige."

Paige took an anxious breath, unsure of how her sister was going to react, "I'm so glad to see you too but I'm not Paige. It's me, Rose."