Author's Note: I had way too much fun with this chapter lol
Chapter 8
She dropped to her knees, grasping for her shoes as if they were her only hold on reality. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them again. The darkness was so thick she could almost feel it—she stared into it for a long moment, trying to make out something, anything. She turned both shoes over and shook them at the ground.
A few, tiny drops fell from them, glowing like jewels before they trailed away and left her again in darkness.
She sat down with a thump.
Everything in her wanted to stay there, to not move for hours, days. She felt heavy, and even the hard ground seemed comfortable compared to the thought of standing, and forcing herself to walk. But—she had to do something. She couldn't just sit here—no one would ever find her.
Slowly, she slipped her shoes back on. They squished as she forced herself to her feet, sending out glowing droplets like sparks. The stream. If she found her way back to the stream—
Something nudged at her mind.
She blinked. Hello?
Again, that nudge.
Hello? What are you?
Whatever it was, it didn't seem to understand her words. But the nudging grew stronger, urging her forward down the passage. She could feel the walls about her, like a presence. Something was calling her.
The presence grew stronger as she walked, and soon, she was running, her footsteps echoing far ahead of her, following the feeling like a lifeline. The passage twisted and turned and the stone floor grew steeper and steeper beneath her until she was half-running, half-tumbling downward. The ceiling opened up with a suddenness that made her gasp, and she stumbled forward and fell to her knees. She just sat there for a moment, her hands pressed into the stone, gasping. She could feel the giant space surrounding her, a cavern where every breath and tiny movement echoed. She ran her hands over the floor around her. It seemed flat—
The presence flooded into her mind like a broken dam, nearly knocking her to the floor again.
"Whoa!" She jumped to her feet, throwing her hands in front of her as if she could stop it. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you? Where are you?"
No answer, just the ebb and flow of the strange presence within and around her.
Wait.
Could she only talk to it with her mind?
What are you?
Who are you?
The answer rumbled through the ground, up to the impossibly high ceiling, vibrated through the air. It wasn't so much a word as a big, bubble-like idea that filled up her mind until she thought she couldn't contain it anymore.
Alone.
Alone?
Alone.
"But what—" Wait. But what are you?
A sense flooded through her, an unmistakable sense of self. It was as though, whatever it was, it was simply saying I am me.
She blinked.
Yes, but what—that's rather obvious, isn't it? What are you? Where are you? Do you have a body? A shiver cut through her. The creatures in the Revolution. But what could be so powerful that it could shake the very air with its thoughts? So powerful that she could feel it, even on the surface of the planet?
Maybe she shouldn't be speaking to it.
Please. It wasn't so much a word as a feeling. A need. Something grasping for her, something desperate. Please stay.
She started. Could it sense her like she could sense it?
A waterfall of images and jumbled words cascaded into her mind. Core. Close. Here. Rey. Rey, standing above a floating orb. Standing above me. Standing on me. Katerina. Rey? Rey. You are Rey.
Almost like it was testing it. Playing with it.
Like small child, learning to speak.
A smile quirked at her lips. Yes, that's my name. What's yours?
Confusion.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Alright, let's try something a little easier. Where are you?
Beneath you.
Now she was getting somewhere! Her eyes popped open and she looked at her feet. Darkness. She stomped her foot and little jewels of light flew from her shoe. Stone. Just stone.
Was it beneath the stone? Something flowing through the core of the planet? Water? The spring?
Around you. Above you. Beneath you. Around you. Words, images, jumbled and tangled together. The cave surrounding her. Tree roots shooting into the ground. Herself, running along the surface of the planet like a bug. A flowing string of connection between the tiny girl and the presence that surrounded her.
First.
You—are—the—first.
First? She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to make sense of the jumble of ideas that assaulted her. First? What are you?
First—to—find—me.
Her eyes popped open. Was she the first to set foot in these caves? She took a careful step forward, out into the great, dark expanse. Her hand drifted to her staff. Was it the sort of thing one could fight with a staff?
Well—it didn't seem hostile.
Where are you? Here, in the cave? The jumble of images flashed through her mind again. Surrounding—around me—above me—below me. First—to—find—me. The thoughts formed jerkily, as if it wasn't used to speaking in words. First—to—able—to.
Able to?
She blinked.
First to be able to?
You're a genius, Rey. The Doctor's words flashed through her mind. She remembered the creatures from the Revolution, saying she had mental capabilities above many humans. The psychic paper, the newspapers.
Has no one ever been able to speak to you? The realization sent a chill through her. An existence of pure loneliness, never speaking to another living being. Trying to speak to the humans that walked about above it, but never reaching them. She dropped to her knees, pressing her hands into the stone. Is that why you're so lonely?
Yes—yes.
She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath. The presence felt like an eager puppy, attacking her with an influx of hugs and kisses.
She wished she could hug it back.
Please—is there any way you can show yourself? Can I see you?
See? See….for a long moment, it seemed to be puzzling out the word. She could feel it probing around in her mind as if trying to understand. And yet—it didn't feel wrong. It felt like a friendly child, asking odd questions as children often did. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to focus on giving it a sense of seeing—of blue sky, rolls of sand, sun through the trees, shadowy caverns.
She could feel the realization sear through her like a burst of laughter.
See! Yes! See! Open—eyes!
Hope flooded through her and she opened her eyes with a gasp. She would finally be able to see the creature!
Darkness.
Nothing but darkness.
She slumped.
I can't—
Yes! Yes! See! The presence seemed eager, as if it wanted her to understand. Around you! Beneath you! Core. My core! I am—me. I am—planet?
She let out a little gasp. Everything snapped together like puzzle pieces in her mind. Planet?
It seemed proud of itself. Yes! I am planet!
"You're the planet!" The words echoed around the cavernous expanse and she jumped to her feet, grinning. "You're alive! The planet's alive!" Of course—it all made so much sense! The presence had been beneath her, hidden in the core! The water, bubbling up from the spring—which bubbled up from the core. The—
Pain?
Pain?
I felt your pain.
A slight shudder ran through the stone floor, and pain burst in her mind. She slumped forward, gasping. A memory—it was only a memory. A memory.
The planet's memory.
More memories, like a flood. Waves of pain, earthquakes rippling across the surface. The planet, crying out and groaning, trying to speak to the humans, begging them to stop—
Who are they? She nearly shouted the words in her mind. What have they done to you?
Drills. Drills, like white-hot needles. Splitting rocks, collecting bits of the planet itself. Clawing away its life-force, bit by bit.
Pain.
Pain.
Pain.
More drills. Deeper, deeper, closer to the core like scraping along a raw wound. Shuddering pain, releasing itself in earthquakes.
Mines.
They don't know—they don't know you're alive. The realization seared through her with a pain so sharp she could almost feel it. They were hurting the planet, coming closer and closer to its core. What would happen when the mines reached its core?
She hugged her arms around herself and shuddered at the thought.
She had to do something. She stood, her hand going to her staff. Whoever they were, wherever they were, she was going to find them. And she was going to stop them.
