Guys, thank you so much for all the follows and review! I'd love it if you left a comment, let me know what you think ;) Here's chapter 2 Xx


Rey's training was hard, physically and mentally, but she never complained. Living and training on the island with master Luke was everything to her; she loved learning more about the Force.

She often thought about Finn, hoping he was regaining his strength back at the Resistance base. She missed him but she wasn't worried about him; he wasn't alone, he had Poe, and Leia, and BB8. Thinking about Finn and her other friends made her feel less lonely, especially now that she felt more and more uneasy because of her visions.

That night, as soon as Rey closed her eyes, she felt the thin thread of Force connecting her to Kylo Ren. She couldn't do anything to resist it, so she let it lead her to him.

She saw him immediately: he was lying on a bed, his naked upper body a pale canvas blooming with blue and purple bruises, red scratches and dark dried blood. He was asleep, once again looking utterly vulnerable.

It would have been so easy to kill him. Rey felt a surge of hatred inside of her. She cautiously stepped forward, looking at him, but she faltered when she noticed two streams of tears rolling incessantly down his cheeks. Rey felt unsettled by the sight. She turned around, unable to keep looking.

"I don't want to see… I don't want to see you like this. How can I kill you like this? Dammit" she muttered to herself. As much as she tried willing herself not to feel even slightly compassionate towards him, it came naturally to her when she saw him so defeated.

"I'm sorry I'm making this so hard for you," he answered in a hoarse, feeble voice. Rey slowly turned back to face him. His eyes were still closed, but his lips were stretched in a grimace. "Although, what's inside my head right now it's far worse than physical torture. Dying would be a blessing, I assure you."

"By all means, let me inside your head so I can see this terrible torture of yours and decide what to do with you," Rey spat out, acidly. In another time she would have marvelled at her own coldness.

"You think…" he paused, a wave of pain cutting his breath short. "You think after last time I wouldn't close my mind to you? I won't allow you in my head, ever again. You're seeing my physical form, and that's it. Bruises and broken ribs don't hurt as much as–" He fell silent, heaving, the fatigue clear on his face.

Rey narrowed her eyes. "As much as what? What's going on in your head?"

Kylo Ren opened his eyes, fixing them on her. She kept absolutely still under his scrutiny, but inside she recoiled: his stare was full of hate, cold and terrifying… but also, surprisingly, terrified. Curious, she focused on that last aspect, and she had a sudden vision of a bridge suspended over a dark abyss, a red sizzling blade and the ghost of a caress on her cheek. She gasped, hoping he hadn't noticed her involuntary peek in his mind. His expression hadn't changed, if anything it had hardened. Hostility was written clearly in the curve of his mouth, in the clenching of his jaw, in the twitching of a muscle in his cheek.

"Go away," he said, his tone cold.

"I will be back. I can't help it. It's…"

"I know what it is, but I still don't want to see you ever again. Go!"

Rey obliged, coming back to her own mind. She took a deep breath, considering the series of images she had glimpsed in her enemy's mind. A suspended bridge, a red blade… that was clearly the moment Han Solo had been killed. And the caress… Rey had felt it on her cheek, but she was sure that Kylo had been the one to receive it, probably the first loving touch he had experienced in a very long time. The last loving touch he would ever receive from his father.

Warm tears started falling from Rey's eyes without her noticing. Startled, she wiped them away with the back of her hand, and a sudden thought occurred to her. That's it! This is what has been eating away at him. Rey felt, once more, a sliver of pity and compassion for Kylo. Now she understood what he meant when he said that torture was better than being in his mind. If he relived his father's last moments, knowing that he was to blame, every time he was left alone with his thoughts… Rey shivered, thinking how unbearable that was. But then she thought about Leia's grief, and Chewie's, and her own pain for Han's death, and her heart hardened. Let him suffer. Let him suffer for what he did.


Luke hadn't lied when he had said that learning to shield her mind from Kylo Ren's would take a long time. Rey just didn't imagine that it would take so much time. They had spent all morning trying to figure out exactly what the connection was: Rey could project herself were Kylo was, and she could sometimes feel his strongest emotions; she didn't know if she could touch him, or if he could project himself where she was and feel was she felt. Luke was convinced that in time the possibilities would develop further if only Rey would accept to explore the Force-bond. For now though he decided to give her what she wanted, teaching her how to protect her mind. Unfortunately, she had been working hard all day without making any progress: it was past sunset and she was back to square one. Luke understood her frustration, because he knew that she would have to go to sleep and see his nephew again. He just hoped that their encounters would result in something good. What, exactly, he still didn't know.

When Rey went to bed she lay awake for a while, brooding, feeling like a convict on the executioner's block. When she finally fell asleep she was immediately transported to Kylo Ren's room. She found him sitting on the floor, apparently meditating; relieved that she could avoid talking to him, she sat cross-legged opposite him without uttering a word, and then she closed her eyes. Rey knew that he knew she was there. She was just glad he too had chosen to stay silent.

After some time – could have been minutes, could have been hours – he asked her "Are you even doing something about this goddamn connection between us?"

She opened her eyes and looked straight at him; his eyes were still closed, his admittedly handsome face almost serene. He looked a lot like Han, although Rey knew that once open, his eyes would remind her of Leia. The scar on his cheek and forehead did nothing to diminish the unique charm of his features.

I gave him that scar, Rey thought, still bewildered.

"Yes you did. It's not a great accomplishment; it's just a bloody scar. Now answer my question."

Had Kylo read her mind through the bond? Had he simply read her face? Rey narrowed her eyes. "I actually am doing something about it. I've been training to shield my mind from you."

"And yet you are here. Your teacher mustn't be very skilled."

Rey's cheeks flared up and she answered, annoyed "I have the best teacher I could ever wish for! It isn't his fault if I can't–"

Kylo Ren opened his eyes, arching an eyebrow. "His fault? Are you training with my uncle?" he asked icily.

"As– as a matter of fact, yes I am."

For the second time Rey felt a wave of feelings that didn't belong to her: anger, envy, longing. She looked at Kylo. His pale cheeks coloured slightly and he rose, punching the wall with violence. He acted so suddenly that Rey flinched, jumping on her feet and yelling "What the hell, you'll break your hand!"

"Leave" he demanded, his voice cracking. "I can't stand you. Leave. Every time you're here I–"

Rey finished his sentence. "You lose control. I make you feel– something." She frowned. "What is it?"

Kylo watched her with pure hatred. She understood and managed to leave, waking up abruptly in her cot.

When Rey saw Luke that morning she recounted everything that had happened. She wanted to understand why she was the cause of Kylo Ren's bursts of emotion.

"He gets so upset whenever he feels something… he's– he's so unstable! He hurt his head the first time he saw me, he nearly broke his hand when I mentioned you, and he was feeling angry but he was also feeling… homesick I guess? How is that possible?"

"Rey, this is a very good thing! Longing is positive, longing could… he's being slowly drawn to the Light. Rey, can't you see it?" Luke's eyes glimmered in the soft light of dawn. She had never seen him so animated.

"But why me? Is it the bond?" she asked, exasperated.

"I don't think it's the Force-bond. I mean, it is useful, but I suspect Ben was drawn to you before you created it. He sought you out and took you on his ship."

"Because he wanted information from me!"

"He could have captured BB-8 as well, but he forgot about him the second he had you. There's something about you."

Rey snorted. She really didn't want to hear it.

"Can we train now? Please."

Luke nodded, a spark of amusement on his face.