Hey guys- thanks for the reviews! sorry it's been a few days- I was at Disneyland. JEALOUS? I THINK YOU ARE.
please enjoy chapter two. LUX IS HERE OMG :D
Chapter 2
As Senator Bonteri's shuttle soars through the skies, she and Senator Amidala talk of old times on Naboo. I groan inwardly and tune out the murmured words, surveying the Senator's two handmaidens.
One blond, one brunette. Both the girls look to be about 18 or 20, with slim frames and high cheekbones. They wear knee-length black dresses and dark gray gloves, gray tights stretching to their strange black ankle-height boots. Their faces are coated with gray blush, black lipstick, and dark eyeshadow. Their blank expressions, directed at Senator Bonteri, fill me with angst, and I turn my gaze away from their oddities.
Gazing out the window, my nervousness returns at the sight of the lavender water below us. I can't shake the feeling that my abilities with the Force have faded: for the first time since the start of my training, I feel no energy course through me. I'm exhausted and unhappy, and when I tried to mind-control one of the handmaidens I couldn't do it. All my energy is gone.
I have no idea how to protect Senator Amidala.
"Ah, here we are," Senator Bonteri exclaims. I snap back to attention and look out the window. A magnificent gray and gold building looms before us, built on an island in this strange sea. Stone steps lead from the mansion down to the landing platform.
Suddenly, a surge of energy hits me, and I gasp. A dark figure seated on the edge of the steps looks familiar: the trapping boy from my dream. Padme looks concernedly at me, and slides from her seat by Senator Bonteri. "Ahsoka, are you all right?" she whispers. I spot her brow furrowed with worry and sigh. Padme may be a Senator, but she doesn't need to know about everyone's problems. This is a happy occasion for her: I won't ruin it.
I smile. "I'm fine," I tell her. Her face remains worried, and I place my hand on her arm. "Please. Go back to your conversation. Everything's fine."
She returns to Senator Bonteri, who rises from her seat and heads towards the door. Their conversation returns to times on Naboo, and I grab my bag. My last glance out the window leads me to spot a dock jutting out over the water, confirming my suspicion: this was the place I dreamed of. Now to let events unfold.
At last, the ship lands, and I disembark. For the first time I remember, I feel lost and confused. I shake my head. "FOCUS, Ahsoka," I whisper to myself.
My cloak removed, I step out onto the gray platform, blinking in the bright sunlight. I tune back in to the Senators' conversation, knowing I must focus completely on Padme. "How times have changed since last we met," she says. Senator Bonteri nods, placing her hand on Padme's back. "Let's go inside. There's much to discuss." A boy, about my age, comes down from his perch on the steps and bows, taking Padme's bag.
It has to be the dark figure from earlier…but it can't be. The shadow in my dream was dark, mysterious, completely evil: this guy is the complete opposite.
I have never seen anyone more beautiful in my life.
His black hair accents a bony, well-shaped face: full lips and a thin, straight nose complete the image. He is handsome, for certain. His gray cloak and white collar accent his tall frame, giving him a majestic, yet approachable air. I scan him rapidly before returning to his most prominent feature: his eyes. I've never seen anything like them. They shine in the sunlight: not sparkle, like some boys' I've met. They are the dark gray of a thundercloud on Kamino, radiating an intense, calm energy.
In these precious few moments I take to survey him, he finishes taking Padme's bag and heads for mine. I snap back to attention. He may be handsome, but I can't forget that dream: this boy will be trouble.
He reaches for my bag. "May I?" he asks politely. I nearly faint. Handsome AND good manners. Two things I've never seen paired together in a boy. I refocus, summoning what little energy I have. "I can handle it," I snap, snatching my bag away from him. He shifts his mouth, confusion spreading over his face, and I continue forward before his sweet innocence overcomes me.
I meet Padme in the great hall. "Ahsoka, there you are!" she exclaims. "Mina has gone to finish preparing our rooms. Did you meet Lux?" I nod and absorb his name. Lux. It seems almost royal.
"Who is he? A servant?" I ask. Padme laughs. "No, Ahsoka. Lux is Senator Bonteri's son."
My heart drops, filled with cold dread and suspicion. He's a Separatist: another reason not to trust him. Padme regards me with a worried glance. "Ahsoka, you are not all right," she murmurs. She places her hand on my forehead, and I shut my eyes. I'm exhausted: standing up to Lux drained me completely. I can feel her frown from here. "Ahsoka, you're much too warm. And you look awful. We need Mina: you have to lie down." "I'm fine…I'm fine…" I mumble. "Watch." I take a few steps forward, trying to focus, before collapsing at Padme's feet. I moan as she kneels beside me. I think I'm going to be sick.
This is impossible. The Force has always been beside me, backed me, kept me healthy. And now, just when I need it to help me, it abandons me.
Above me, I hear muffled shouts: Amidala's cry for someone to get over there, servants bustling about, the light steps of Senator Bonteri. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms lifts me, and I put my hand to my head. I ascend the stairs, another pair of feet hitting the steps, and I still loosely clutch my bag in my hand. I am laid down on a soft bed, whispered voices continuing above me. The strong arms vanish, my bag pried from my hand. I recognize Lux's voice along with Senator Amidala's.
"Is she ill? Can I fetch the doctor?" his voice fills the room, and I grit my teeth. He's a grown boy, and still his voice is higher than my own. Handsome, whatever. Padme's soothing words fill the room. "Thank you, Lux. I can take care of her. Please tell your mother I will be down soon: and Lux, thank you for bringing her up here."
I hear a door shut, and I wince. If Lux carried me up here, he saw me weak. I mentally kick myself: a Separatist can never see a Jedi weak. It shows we could be vulnerable. I kick myself again for leaving my lightsabers in my bag. Who knows what he could have done with a limp Jedi padawan in that minute?
A cool cloth hits my forehead, and I sigh, clearing my mind. To deal with these Separatists, I need to be in top form, and I have to heal before I get there. I fall gradually into sleep, pleasant dreams filling my head.
One dream leaps out at me. I stand on the edge of the dock once again, staring at the sky, Lux Bonteri pulling my arm. Only this time, instead of crying and trying to escape, I go with him. The sun rises over the edge of the ocean, turning the water back to lavender from black, and I run gleefully after him back towards the mansion. We reach the bottom of the steps, where he lifts me and whirls me around before kissing me, and I feel this is not the first time he has kissed me. I race to the top of the steps, grinning down at him before opening the front door.
I leap back in shock at the sight of Separatist battle droids. Their commander orders them to open fire, and I hear Lux's yells as blaster fire penetrates my heart.
