Saving Grace
By KnightMara
A/N: I don't own any familiar characters; I am just playing in the GFFA, that's all. This is just another young Luke story that explores the idea that everyone needs saving, now and then.
Chapter 1: The Cabinet
It was utterly dark, and worse yet, it was utterly silent as well. Knowing that this could only mean that this wing of the school was completely empty, Luke Skywalker dropped his forehead to his knees and moaned. With his knees crammed against his chest, his head didn't have far to go. The sound of his low moan echoed off the metal walls of the tiny cabinet into which Fixer had rudely shoved him nearly an hour ago. He'd hollered himself hoarse and banged against the locked door until his hands ached, but it had been useless, and at last he'd given up hope for a rescue any time soon. He only hoped one of the custodial droids would notice his knapsack on the floor when they came around in the evening—that is, if Fixer hadn't taken it with him.
He let out a long, despairing sigh. Why did he have to mouth off to Fixer when Biggs was off on a trip with his family? He should have known better than to get on the older boy's bad side without Biggs around to defend him. Then again, the only way Luke could keep from getting on Fixer's bad side was to avoid him all together. Somehow, whatever Luke did or said resulted in either bullyish taunting, an icy brush off, or this—imprisonment in a school cabinet or whatever other confined space was nearby. At moments like these, Luke wished he were older, or bigger, or somehow better able to defend himself against classmates who were bigger and older than he was. That, or he wished he'd never passed those stupid exams that had promoted him a whole year. How had he even passed? He wasn't even all that smart—must have been a mistake! There was no way he belonged in Seventh Year!
Nothing, however, changed the fact that his eleven year-old body was now horrifically cramped in a space much too small for someone even as little as he was. He didn't want to think about how sore he was going to be when he got out. He'd only been trapped for an hour, and already his legs were screaming for a release from this confinement. He also didn't want to think about what he would tell his aunt and uncle when he got home. And what must Tank be thinking right now? They were supposed to ride home together. Had Tank even wondered about where he was? Had he gone to the Lars homestead to tell them that he was missing? Would his aunt and uncle be panicked when Luke got home?
He moaned again, knowing he would only find the answers if and when he got out. As it was right now, he was completely helpless.
Suddenly, he tensed as a dull drone broke the silence. Hope surged in him. "Please let it be the droid. Please let it be the droid," he whispered over and over to himself.
But the more he listened, the less it sounded like the whirring motors of the custodial droid. In fact, it sounded incredibly like human voices. Grasping at the tiniest thread of a possible rescue, he pounded his already sore fists against the metal door and cried out as loudly as his strained vocal chords would allow.
"I can't believe it worked," Lara giggled as she and her best friend Grace walked discreetly down the corridor from the Tenth Year wing.
Grace tucked a rebellious tendril of auburn hair back behind her ear and pushed up the sleeves of her oversized tunic as she remarked confidently, "I told you she was an idiot. I mean, she had the datacard right there on her desk, clearly labeled when we left the class, and it was still there when we went back. Like I said it would be. Could she be any dumber? As if we can't read 'Clone War Literature Exam' right on the stupid card!"
"So I guess this means I'm going to your place to 'study' for the test, right?" Lara blinked her big brown eyes at her companion and tossed her long chestnut hair over her shoulder. It was easy to see why she had several boys fawning over her constantly.
Grace gave her a quick nod, still amazed at her teacher's stupidity. "And she even left her door open, for crying out loud!"
Lara shrugged. "The Empire's finest. At least the education's free. Could you imagine if our parents were paying for this?" She started to laugh but stopped as Grace froze mid-step. "What?"
"Did you hear something?" Grace whispered, looking around frantically.
"Shavit, you don't think security is still here, do you?" Lara's panicked voice whispered back. Her complexion grew noticeably pale.
The two stood silent and still for a moment before Grace jerked. "There it was again!"
Puzzled, Lara frowned and looked up and down the corridor. "It sounds like banging."
Tiptoeing along the corridor, Grace listened at each door, trying to tell where the odd banging sound was coming from. She stopped in front of one of the Seventh Year classrooms. "I think it's coming from in here," she whispered to Lara.
There was a glint in Lara's eye as she breathed, "A rendezvous, perhaps? You know what they say about those Imperial instructors."
Grace had to struggle to keep from laughing, and she glared at her friend. "If so, I don't want to know what they're doing," she quipped back. She pressed her ear to the door to listen further. Abruptly the banging stopped. Then she heard what sounded like a muffled voice swearing. Exchanging curious glances with Lara, Grace opened the door and peered inside the room.
"Anything there?" Lara asked from behind.
Grace shrugged. "Looks like an empty Political Science classroom," she answered, looking around. She pointed to the shelves along one wall that held several model structures in various stages of completion. "Hey, remember when we had to do that project? Stars, I hated it!"
Lara poked her head into the classroom and crinkled her nose. "Oh, yeah. The ancient civilizations project. I think I failed that one." She stepped into the room to take a closer look. "Wow, some of these kids are taking it seriously. Look at some of these models. I mean, they're—"
Without warning the banging started again, and the two girls spun around, startled. Seeking the source of the sound, Grace's eyes roved the classroom. There was a row of cabinets along the floor on the opposite wall and Grace moved quickly toward the one on the end. "It's this one," she said to Lara as she began to jiggle the handle. "Hello?" she called into the cabinet.
"Help," a tiny, hoarse voice replied from within.
Lara's jaw dropped. "You've got to be kidding me."
Grace finally managed to work the unlocking mechanism and opened the cabinet door. Inside was the most miserable looking boy she'd ever seen, folded and twisted inside the tiny confines of the cabinet's interior. Beckoning Lara over, she and her friend pulled the kid out and watched as he stretched himself out on the floor and took the first deep breaths he'd managed in quite some time.
"Thanks," the kid panted, looking up at the two of them with the bluest eyes Grace had ever seen. "I thought I was gonna' be stuck in there 'til morning."
Grace observed the boy with some confusion before venturing, "Mind telling us how you got there?"
The boy grimaced and remarked irritably, "How do you think?"
She threw an exasperated glance to Lara, who only looked back at her in amusement but said nothing. Turning her attention back to the kid, she asked, "Okay, so what are you doing in the Seventh Year area, kid?"
The boy scowled back. "I AM a Seventh Year!" he growled as he picked himself up rather stiffly from the floor. Looking around, he asked, "Have you seen my knapsack?"
Grace shrugged her shoulders a split second before spotting a well-worn, sand-colored bag sitting on a shelf that was much too high for the kid to reach. She grabbed it and held it in front of him. "This it?"
The kid nodded and graciously took the bag from her hand. Brushing his sun-bleached hair out of his eyes, he gave a tentative smile and said, "Thanks again." Then he turned to leave, walking with a slight limp toward the door.
Ignoring Lara's puzzled expression, Grace sprang after him. "Whoa, there kid!" she interjected, placing herself between him and the door. "You sure you're alright?"
The kid shrugged. "Yeah," he replied flatly. "I was only locked in a cabinet."
At this point, Lara stepped forward. "Yeah, but why?"
The boy looked down at his shoes. "Some kid thought it would be fun, I guess."
Grace frowned. "Do you get picked on a lot?" she asked, her voice laced with uncharacteristic sympathy for the little kid before her.
In response the boy shifted uncomfortably, saying, "Look, I've got to go." He quickly dodged around her and sprinted out the door without another word.
Lara arched her eyebrows and shot Grace an amused look. "Well, that was weird."
"Yeah," Grace agreed, following the boy out of the classroom and watching him disappear down the hall. Something about the kid had her concerned. "Sure hope he gets home okay."
"Is that you, Luke?" Aunt Beru's voice asked the moment Luke had stepped through the door to their modest but cozy home.
"Yeah," Luke replied flatly, dropping his knapsack in its usual spot by the door and heading toward the kitchen. His stomach was grumbling loudly, upset that the afternoon snack had been delayed by the unfortunate incident with the cabinet.
As soon as he entered, Aunt Beru turned from the food she was busy chopping and fixed him with a questioning gaze. "You're a bit late, aren't you?"
Luke merely shrugged his shoulders and reached for one of the biscuits she kept stashed in the cupboard for him. "I got held up working on the poli-sci project," he answered, taking a biscuit in each hand. "I guess I forgot about the time."
If Aunt Beru suspected anything, she kept silent and continued to chop up her vegetables with merely a sidelong glance.