In Perfect Light
"Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night." - Sarah Williams
She was no stranger to the cold.
Rey had felt it all too often – curled beneath a matted blanket as the searing day gave way to shivering night. She hated its sting; the way it seeped into her veins and made her very heart clench.
But the cold isn't what brought me here… she realized, her eyes fluttering open after several hours of induced unconsciousness.
And the cold isn't why I'm trembling…
She didn't see him at first, for a blessed few seconds. Her eyes were slow to process anything darker than the meager shade offered by a tent, but it didn't change the fact that he was there – crouched in front of her, head tilted curiously to the side.
The scavenger swallowed hard, having seen enough predators to know what that posture meant. He was studying her. Taking inventory on her potential strengths and weakness now he had her cornered and – judging by how she couldn't get her body to move – very tightly restrained.
The cold might not have been foreign to her, but this newfound sense of helplessness was. And as she fought to keep her eyes fixed on the dark figure, her mind screamed at her to run. To disappear.
As though he could read her mind – and truly, would that be a surprise at this point? – her captor warned, "There's no escape from me, little girl. You should know that by now."
His voice was low and muffled, but she clearly heard his amusement. His satisfaction at having the unequivocal upper hand. And although Rey had been trembling before he spoke, she was now stiff with rage.
"I don't usually run." She leered, balling her hands into fists. "You were an exception."
"Oh?" he sounded surprised. Almost innocent. "Should I be flattered?"
She felt her cheeks redden, imagining the smug expression that was likely beneath the haunting mask.
"What I meant to say was that I'm not usually so repulsed." Amended Rey, further annoyed by the fact that her vitriol was met with soft laughter.
"So eager to fight." he observed, resting his chin against the ridges of his knuckles. "I don't believe we've even been properly introduced."
Rey openly laughed at his gall. At the very thought that she would be interested in niceties with her kidnapper.
"It's somewhat ironic, you know," she began, shooting the man a daring look. "A man with a mask asking to get better acquainted."
It should have been obvious to her much earlier on: his intricate facial prosthetics likely covered a multitude of weakness. Ones she could potentially exploit.
But her newfound sense of confidence began to fade once he was actually standing before her. He was tall… or perhaps it just felt that way, especially as he stepped closer, causing her to instinctively press her body impossibly closer to the metal frame ensnaring her.
He didn't argue. Simply raised both hands to his head and began to remove the device. This was her first clue that she was in trouble – or, at least, more trouble than before. But it was when the mask was gone that she truly regretted crossing that line.
"Perhaps now," he began slyly, dropping the mask to the ground so that he could run a gloved hand over her gleaming cheek. "We can speak more… openly to one another?"
Rey wasn't susceptible to men. Or pretty faces. But what stood before her possessed a raw power that no man she'd even met came close to wielding. And as she followed the round slope of his cheek towards his brown eyes, Rey knew that only a complete idiot would describe him as pretty.
"Kylo Ren." She murmured, the words falling from her mouth before she could catch them.
Ren's expression softened, if only for just a moment, at the mention of his name. He watched her carefully, as though searching for something in Rey that he dared not find within himself, before reverting to his usual demeanor.
"Well, do my scars upset you?" he teased, dragging his fingers downward to grab her chin.
She dealt with his proximity by shutting her eyes. Tightly.
"I don't appreciate you being this close." She said hotly, jerking her face from his leathery hold.
She felt more than heard him chuckle, sensing that he had placed his rejected hand just inches from the side of her head.
"Tell me about the map and I'll leave you alone." He said, with and almost convincing air of truth.
Rey didn't acknowledge his words, focusing instead on rekindling some fragile of security within her panicked mind. It wasn't until her captor grew impatient and struck her table with enough force to make the entire metal frame vibrate that her eyes flew open again. Forcing her to cope with the fact that his face was just inches from hers.
"Keep in mind, I can take whatever I want at any time." He informed smoothly, his eyes roving up and down her lithe form. "I could make you do whatever I like. Could make you say and… do things you'd find distasteful." She watched in horror as her arm rose to cup his face. With the sort of look that sent white hot bursts of electricity throughout her system, Ren leaned into it, closing his eyes. Enjoying her warmth.
"Tell me," he began, face, still resting against her hand, with the sort of familiar tone that one would use when asking favors of a close friend. "What was on the map?"
The girl bit her lip, feigning thoughtfulness. She would later wonder what in the galaxy possessed her to lean her head forward ever so slightly, so that she could just barely feel the raven locks of hair covering his ear against her mouth, and whisper "No." But for now, she dared not even ask.
"You…" Ren seemed disconcerted by her boldness, pulling away almost instantly. He must have also sensed the color that had seeped into his cheeks, because he turned on the spot and began walking furiously towards the door. She half expected him to leave, but he eventually regained his composure – glaring at her from over his shoulder.
"You're nothing." Said the Sith, his face now as icy as his tone. "I shouldn't even be wasting my time here."
Don't, she told herself. Don't say it.
"Then just leave, you coward." She shot back, ignoring the way his eyes went from granite to flame. "I'm sure one of your imps will succeed where you fail."
There was a pause… several seconds that stretched into an uncomfortable eternity. And then without a word, he raised a gloved hand in her direction.
Not for the first time in her life, Rey felt every muscle in her body unwillingly contract. But unlike her last experience, she felt a pressure at her neck that made it difficult to breathe. She tried hard not to gag, even as her tormentor glided closer. The lack of oxygen causing clouds to appear in the corners of her vision.
"You prefer a strong hand to a gentle conversation?" he sneered, eyes fixed on his wriggling prey. "I didn't expect that from you, little scavenger."
She struggled to move her lips, eyes wide with desperation.
"My – my name…" she managed to choke, sensing that something inside of her was starting to fight against his hold. At first she thought it was anger – rage at this man and all he had done. But she would be kidding herself to describe it so simply. No, it was far stronger than her hatred. More concrete than her fear. She squeezed her eyes shut, coaxing this foreign presence further into the open, and found that it was more than willing to oblige.
She took a deep, calm breath. And, with her eyes glowing dangerously, she addressed the bewildered Ren in a clear voice.
"My name is Rey. Not scavenger, and certainly not nothing. Not anymore."
He stared at her, lowering his hand with frustration and disbelief. But he sensed her confusion beneath the raw power radiating from her body, and he acted on this vulnerability almost instantly.
Rey gasped as he suddenly grasped her head with both his hands, draining her energy. Incapacitating her just as he did back in that forest.
As her consciousness spiraled, she heard him summon the guards from outside their doorway.
"This one's too dangerous to leave here." He told them urgently. "Remove her bonds and take her to – "
And that's when her entire world fell to darkness.