Disclaimer: I own nothing but my mind with the words and ideas it forms.

Last time… "How long have you been here Master?"

"Long enough to see why you lost. I brought guests" Obi-Wan said, motioning to Yoda and Shaak Ti who were shifting near the entrance. Anakin frowned.

"Hoping to see you both, I have been" Yoda commented.

"I've waited a long time to see my padawan face her older brother." Her face betrayed no emotion, but I heard the trace of excitement in her voice that I had hoped to find.

I moved to stand in front of Anakin and tried to school my face into some sort of mature look, but it came out as a small smile.

"Be our guests… you're just in time."

Chapter Two

"I personally believe it's high time we see you two show your skills" Obi-Wan said.

"You mean one of us…" I muttered under my breath. It had been meant to distract Anakin, but apparently I had been a little too loud.

"Silara!" Shaak Ti warned quietly. She knew I had a very un-Jedi like habit of trying to get my opponent worked up.

It's a lot easier to manipulate and distract them when they're emotional. And believe me, it works like a charm on the other students who haven't mastered control of their feelings yet.

"Sorry, Master" I blushed. Pretty soon I remembered why I was here: to embarrass my brother in front of his master.

Turning around, I had been about to rile him up more, until I realized it was his turn to insult me. Instead, his lips found their way to my ear…

"Well if we can't be arrogant around them, at least we can get cocky around each other" he whispered.

I giggled behind the privacy of my hand before quietly 'ssh'ing him.

"Prepare to lose, Lara" his light laughter floated like music through the air.

"So sure about that? I hope your pride isn't wounded too much when I beat you in front of them."

"Feeling confident today, are we?" he chuckled.

"You have no idea" I remarked more to myself than him before turning to our silent audience.

"Master Kenobi," I began with mock formality, "will you do the honors?" I asked gesturing to a glass orb in the center of the floor.

"Of course, Silara."

Anakin and I took a couple steps away from each other until there was enough room for Obi-Wan to step between us. Without much ceremony, he launched the delicate ball straight up into the air. As soon as his fingertips left its surface, Ani and I simultaneously directed a force push towards the orb, which was now hovering midair. The inside was instantly filled with the light energy of the force inside us. Its bright rays were almost blinding.

I tried my best to concentrate all of my energy on it; I couldn't get it to budge at first. Anakin's triumphant stare met me when my focus shifted from the orb to him, and it slid closer and closer to me. Taking a moment, I closed my eyes and sorted my feelings while trying to force it away from me. When I opened them, I let a small smirk play on my lips as it sailed towards him. That's when he made a crucial mistake.

The beacon of light was all too quickly back in front of me and I saw Anakin's composure momentarily falter. I then realized that he had been holding out on me. Of course, I have a rather high midi-chlorian count, but the force is even stronger with Anakin. Withdrawing some of my energy, I reached out to him in my mind. We had discovered that we could communicate mentally through the force if the other person allowed it.

"I don't mind losing once or twice. You want them to see your potential, your strength? Don't hold back! Show them everything you got! Show me!" I gave him a subtle nod and steeled myself for whatever would happen.

With that, I felt a huge surge of power flow the room, and the orb, shining brighter than ever, came flying towards me at an alarming speed as I stood frozen in awe of his strength. It would've smashed into my face, but Anakin redirected it, with a simple flick of his wrist, to shatter into a thousand pieces on the wall behind me.

Time seemed to stand still as we all stopped to marvel in the aura of power surrounding him and dominating the entire space. It was fascinating! Not to brag, but I was one of the most powerful padawans that the temple had to offer. For me to be defeated so easily was not something to be taken lightly. Obi-Wan was the first to snap out of the trace.

"That was rather good, Anakin…"

"Thank you, Master."

Shaak Ti was still grasping for words and Yoda looked rather thoughtful.

"Yes, very impressive that was" he mumbled more to himself than out loud.

Realizing that they had nothing to say to me, I made my way over to my Master's side and waited for her to say something.

"Lara, we can work on later." I can only assume she saw the wheels turning in my head and quickly notified me that I had held out well. She placed her hand on my shoulder in the motherly manner she always had. "Hey, Anakin's a special case, but so are you. He may be stronger than you, but the same goes for you compared to most Jedi. It's no reason to be discouraged."

She knew me so well… Shaak Ti had taken in interest in me from the moment I'd walked into The Temple. When we were introduced to the Jedi, Ani had been a bit old, but I had been of a respectable age to begin training. Claiming me as hers to train almost immediately, I had been a bit worried as to what life would be like with my new master. Luckily, I soon realized she was not as strict or cold as I had expected a member of the Council to be.

Leaving my mother at such a young age was hard for me to handle. Ani had been quite excited to leave; to have a chance at freedom, but I wanted to stay. I'll never forget what my mother said to me before I left.

"Mother, please!" Tears flowed freely down my stained cheeks.

"This is your opportunity, Lara! I can't give you anything, darling. You deserve so much better than this…

"I don't want to! I won't leave you!" I cried clinging to her skirts refusing to let go, but she pried me away. Grabbing my shoulders she said "I'll always be there with you, in your heart. I love you my sweet girl."

Inside, I had known that I would never see her again. Her words will always remain as fresh as the morning dew in my mind. She loved us enough to do what was best, even if it meant losing us. I could never admire someone more. To give up both of your children selflessly and dedicate them to a cause that you could only hope would give them life was something I knew I would never be capable of.

"Lara?" A concerned voice shook me out of my reverie. Coming back to my surroundings, I realized it was just us now. "You miss your mother…" It was not a question.

"Yeah, but I'll never see her again."

"A little reminiscing never hurt anyone" she said, gently.

"1 It doesn't do to dwell on dreams and forget to live… It doesn't matter, anyways. I have you now." I looked down quickly, fearing that she would see the tears gathering in my eyes.

"That doesn't mean you have to forget! Never forget! Each moment of joy and every scar from the pain we endure… that makes us who we are. Would we be complete without them?"

"No…"

"Remember, Lara. Always remember."

1 –Albus Dumbledore (J.K. Rowling)

Authors Note: Okay, so I'm really sorry I haven't updated in months. There are other things occupying my mind right now. Prom is next week, I'm finishing my freshman year, and my Cecchetti exams in ballet are coming up next month. I have to go in for three hours all by myself with two old women staring at me and waiting for me to mess up. Maybe it's just me, but I find that concept horrifying…

Do not expect frequent updates on this story. So if you want to know when there's a new chapter up, just follow the story instead of checking it frequently. If you have any questions, corrections, or think something is not accurately explained, please PM me. I would love any advice! (Fanfiction is not my primary means of writing, but I still enjoy it a lot.) Love you!

PS: This is set about three years before Attack of the Clones. That makes Silara 15 and Anakin 17.