CHAPTER 11: I TRUST YOU
Ben and Rey avoided each other for the next few days, neither of them game enough to speak first. They would catch glimpses of each other and every now and then but they did a pretty good job of ignoring one another. Rey entered and exited using her doors and Ben made sure that their meals were delivered to their separate rooms. Rey would even make sure they didn't run into each other in the bathroom. She would wait at the bathroom door, listening to see when Ben was finished so she could just simply brush her teeth.
Ben would disappear at the same time everyday to meet with Snoke and Hux and Rey would use that time to train. Although they weren't talking, Ben was sure to leave her surprises every now and then, such as a decadent fruit or a piece of Jedi history. Today she found an envelope with her name beautifully written across the front. She opened it to find an old photo of an unmasked Knight of Ren. Her heart stopped, it was her father. He had a beautiful smile, one that was too bright for a Knight. His curly hair sat closely to his scalp and you could just make out the tiny freckles that lined his nose. She felt a single tear slip from her eye but she wasn't unhappy, she was finding closure.
She walked into Ben's room to find him reading peacefully on his bed. He lifted his head for a brief moment to look at her before he went back to his reading.
"Okay, enough." Rey's shoulder's rose and fell with an exasperated breath. "I'm sick of us ignoring each other. I get it okay? We can't be together. But I don't want us to ruin what we had, you're too important to me. I can't stand the idea of you hating me." Her mouth became a tight line and her breathing faltered.
"Is that what you think, that I hate you?" Ben's gaze dropped from her's and onto the floor, his eyebrows knitting together in obvious pain. "Rey, I won't ever hate I you. I hate myself for pulling you into this mess. I've really fucked up and I can't fix it." He threw his book against the wall and Rey flinched.
"You can, I will help you." She met his gaze again, lifting her chin in confidence.
"Rey, you can't do anything. The First Order, Snoke they're too powerful. We're not strong enough to fight them." His hands curled into fists in his lap. "I've got to go see Snoke." He rose from the bed quickly, not looking back at a shocked Rey. He picked up his mask and slammed the door behind him, leaving Rey standing vulnerably in the middle of his room.
"Thanks for the photo." She yelled out after him, sure that he wouldn't hear. Enraged, she stormed into her room and grabbed her Lightsaber. She needed to go punch something. She darted down the hallways not concerned who saw her. She was usually cautious when she was by herself but right now she didn't care.
Abruptly, her chest tightened and her vision blurred. Her head became filled with images of a darkened hallway, lights lined the ground. Answers stayed hidden within the darkness. Feeling every beat of her heart pounding on the cold stone Rey was taken further into the tunnel. Only one sound was to be heard; the sound of her own pulse throbbing in her ears. The fear slapped her like a knife stabbing her in the stomach and twisting. The deeper she stepped, the dimmer the lights became, until she reached a metallic door. The door scraped open only to reveal blackness.
When her vision cleared she felt the cold concrete pushed up against her hands and knees. Her eyes adjusted and she grasped that she was looking at the ground of the ship.
"What the Hell was that?" She whispered to herself, shaking her head. She rose from the ground and continued down the corridors.
"Supreme Leader." Ben dropped to one knee in front of the large hologram.
"Kylo Ren." Snoke choked out between breaths "Any progress on your apprentice?" He leaned forward in his chair.
"Yes, master. She hasn't had a breakdown since that night but I can still feel the darkness pulsing through her." His chin pointed high as he lied through his teeth.
"Good, good. And she still trusts you, even when you keep her in a cell?" Snoke's eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Yes, she believes she can still save me." Ben let out a wicked grin.
"Mhmm" Snoke lent back into his seat. "Kylo Ren, you are lying to me. I know very that you aren't keeping her locked up. Hux came to me, voicing his concerns about your relationship with the girl."
"Master, I don't know what you're talking about. There is no relationship, just a Dark Knight trying to turn a Jedi to the Order." He stepped back, furrowing his brows.
"You've become too close with the girl; your judgment is clouded. I have sent two of your Knights to fetch the Jedi. She will now be trained under my guidance." Ben's face contorted into confusion, his mouth opened to protest but closed again. I need to warn her he thought desperately to himself.
Rey, He whispered into the Force, praying that she would answer him. There was still no reply. Rey! He shrieked a little more desperately.
Ben? She questioned. She hadn't expected to hear from him.
You need to hide, now! He told her frantically, desperately trying to shot his emotions towards her through the Force. He could feel her confusion radiate back at him. The Knights are coming for you.
Where do I go? Rey murmured nervously.
Anywhere, just do it now. I will find you, I promise. Ben reassured her tenderly and he snapped back into his conversation with Snoke. He needed to stop Snoke from taking her, if he was to train her it would mean one of two things- she would be tortured into the Dark Side or she would die fighting it.
"Master, let me prove my loyalty to you. I will bring her to you myself. I will show you my progress and you will understand she is best suited to train with me." He was pleading with his master now, almost begging for her life.
"Very well, you have 15 minutes." The Hologram disappeared and Ben dropped to his knees in pain.
Rey, where are you? He reached into the Force, urgently trying to save her before his Knights reached her.
I'm under the floor in the medical wing. He could feel her heart beating rapidly and he sighed with relief. They were unlikely to go searching for her in there.
Don't move, I'm coming for you. Ben jumped up from the ground and ran out the door. Panic stricken, he dropped his mask in the hallway, he couldn't see a blasted thing with it on. He used the Force to knock out anyone who turned to look his way. Taking a sharp right, he halted suddenly at the entrance of the Medical Wing. He took in a deep breath, calming himself. He needed to act inconspicuous and not draw attention to himself.
He entered the room and was instantly approached by a droid. "Anything I can help you with, Master Ren?"
"No, just looking for something." He said in his usual bitter tone and waved the droid off. He stepped carefully around the room with his ear slightly titled towards the floor, listening for any movement. Ben reached into the Force searching for her presence. He felt her trembling over in the corner. He moved over in two large strides and lifted up the metal grate in one quick movement.
"Rey." He breathed a sigh of relief when her eyes met his. He squatted on the edge and reached down into the hole, slipping his arms under her's. He lifted her up easily and placed on her feet beside him.
"Ben." She wrapped herself around him, squeezing him tightly. He curled one arm around her back and the other he used to pull her head against his chest.
"Rey, I need you to listen to me very carefully." He whispered into her ear, searching the room to make sure no droids were around. "You're not going to like this but it's the only way I can keep you safe. I need you to come with me to Snoke's chambers." Rey stiffened and pulled her head away from him. "Hear me out, he doesn't believe that I am training you properly. He thinks my feelings are getting in the way, he wants to train you himself. Rey, I need you to tap into your Dark Side. He needs to believe you are succumbing to the darkness." He ran his hand down he cheek, and his eyes followed the curve of her jaw.
She bit her lip in thought. "Okay, Ben. I trust you." She gave him a slight nod.
"Good, we can do this. If at any time you need to speak to me, use the bond. Snoke is not aware that we have one." He overturned his bottom lip and shrugged his shoulders.
She looked at him with such compassion, he never told his Master about the bond? Did he want to keep her safe that desperately? She took his hand in her tiny one and squeezed it in reassurance. He smiled and lightly tugged her arm to pull her in the direction of Snoke.
As they walked hand in hand down the hall, she noticed Stormtooper bodies scattered all over the floor. At first she was in complete shock but the more bodies she passed, the more she realized there was no blood.
"Ben, did you do this?" She asked slowly, knowing very well that he was the only one who had the power to do such a thing.
"Uh, yeah." He scratched the back of his neck. "I didn't have my mask on and I didn't want any of them to follow me when I was looking for you." He was right, if they saw him running panicked down the halls, they would definitely follow behind him loyally. He searched the ground until he found what he wanted, he bent over and picked up his mask with his empty hand.
They finally reached the dark hallway and Rey felt a vortex of pain and fear. She had this feeling earlier, this was the hallway she had a vision about. She looked over to Ben and noticed him take in a sharp breath and his grip on her hand tightened. Suddenly, it hit her…that was his vision. It was his fear that she felt.
"Ben, it's okay." She whispered to him as she lent her head on his shoulder. He closed his eyes, trying to steady his manic breathing. Rey turned her head to place a kiss on his shoulder and let her lips linger on his cloaked arm. Feeling him calm, Rey pulled him slowly toward the solid metal door.
They halted and Ben gave her a distressed look and she knew it was time to put on her act. She let her defenses down. All her emotions came rushing in, bashing into the walls of her chest. She felt it all, all her pain, all of his pain. Each new memory, flashed a new reaction and she slowly felt herself slipping towards the Dark. Ben released her hand to pull on his mask and waved the door open.
I don't really have anything to talk about here so I'm just gonna say that I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter…"I couldn't hear you"