"I made the rules very clear," Snoke says, looking down on us from his seat high above, behind a glass viewing window. No one answers and my pulse pounds in my ears. If we get disqualified I'll kill Caleb, right here in this room.
"There are twenty-four players left," Caleb says. "So we technically won."
We all turn to him, this is news to us.
Snoke reaches his hand out and Caleb makes a choking sound. "Quiet," Snoke says. "I've changed the rules." He lowers his hand and Caleb starts breathing again. "I don't know you well, boy."
"It's Caleb, Sir."
Snoke narrows his eyes. "Is it? Then Caleb, I've decided not to disqualify all of you, just one of you. Tell me, who do you think I should disqualify?" Snoke asks.
"Ren," Caleb replies immediately.
"And you, Ren?" Snoke turns his eyes to me. "Who do you think we should disqualify?"
"Caleb," I say.
Snoke nods slowly then sits back in his seat. "Phasma, what about you? Tell me who I should disqualify."
Phasma hesitates. Does she really have to think about that answer, even for a second?
"Hux," Phasma says.
Hux and I gasp. Phasma has an angry expression on her face as she looks at Snoke, ignoring us.
"And you, Brendol? Who do you say I should disqualify?"
"Any of these three but me, Your Supreme Leadership," Hux says.
Snoke clasps his hands together, watching us. "Very well," he finally says. "Go and finish the Game. I've decided only fifteen are needed. If there are more than fifteen left before the end of the night then the count goes down to five for the Game to end."
We don't respond.
"Go on," Snoke says.
Hux bows. "Yes, Your Supreme Leadership." He avoids looking at any of us and marches out of the room.
Phasma bows so low that I know she's being sarcastic. She then turns and runs out after Hux, not addressing Snoke in any way.
Caleb and I bow at the same time.
"Thank you, Your Supreme Lead-" I start to say.
"You are ever wise, my Lord," Caleb interrupts. I turn and run after Hux and Phasma.\
"Hux, would you just wait!" Phasma calls down the hallway. I run to catch up to them but Hux is already in the elevator at the end of the hall. The doors close before Phasma can reach them. I grab hold of the elevator doors with the Force before they're fully shut and open them again.
Hux crosses his arms and does not look pleased.
"Leave me alone Ren," he says to me. Is he mad at me too?
"He was playing games with us," Phasma says. Caleb arrives and I step into the elevator with Hux and Phasma, then quickly close the doors and hold them shut.
"Hey!" I hear Caleb call from the other side.
"Phasma, what were you doing?" I say. "Turning against us? Why didn't you vote out Caleb?"
"Because," she growls. "Snoke was just testing us. If we all voted out Caleb he'd know we were a team, or that we're working together. And he'd kick one of us out. And I couldn't vote you out Ren, because Caleb already did and two votes for you might have proved you guilty and you'd have been kicked out."
"They why didn't you vote yourself out, instead of me or Hux?" I say.
"The same reason you didn't vote yourself out," Phasma says. "Because then I'd be out for sure. If there's one thing Snoke hates more than attachments, it's someone not believing in their own abilities."
Hux doesn't say anything.
"Hux?" Phasma stands in front of him but he refuses to look at her. "You know what?" she throws up her hands. "Let me the hell out of this elevator Ren, it's too stuffy."
I open the doors and Caleb is still standing there, wide-eyed. Phasma pushes him aside and storms past. He loses his balance and topples into the wall, catching his footing.
"Phasma!" I call out. I don't want her out in the Games alone, because I know Aiden's team is hunting singles today, but I also don't want to leave Hux with Caleb. I don't trust him. I step out of the elevator and Caleb steps in.
Hux holds the open button for me.
"Well catch up later," Caleb says, giving me a salute and stepping back from the doors. I don't move. Hux doesn't say anything. Caleb shifts on his feet. Then Hux lets go of the open button and the door closes.\
I wander the halls, expecting to be attacked at every turn. I don't know what's worse, my hunger, my hurt feelings or just not knowing what time it is or where the others are. Each hallway I turn into is empty and I'm reminded of my dream again. I shudder, despite the heat. I should have stepped into the elevator with Hux. But I was waiting for him to ask me to go with them. I don't know why. He was holding the button for me. But then what? I'd be following him and Caleb around, listening to all of Caleb's dumb ideas that Hux would think are brilliant? And be ignored? My mind fills with the images of the boys we killed today, Caleb shooting them over and over when they were already dead. And suddenly I know I made a big mistake in leaving Hux with him.
"Are you alone?"
I turn at the sound of the voice. It's Aiden, looking larger than I remembered him to be. Behind him are six or so other guys.
"Where's Hux?" This time the voice comes from the other end of the hall where five more other guys walk towards me. I'm trapped.
"How many people can you choke hold at once?" another one says as they move in on me. My stomach tightens and I try to think of what I should do next, but my mind seems blocked, with fear.
Aiden stops a few feet in front of me and crosses his arms.
"Give Hux a message for us," he says. "Tell him we didn't kill you because we wanted him to see you suffer and die in person." He nods his head to the boy beside him and they all circle around me. Then he takes out a large needle from his pocked and holds it up for me to see. It's one of the needles used by the medics, that push against your neck and give you a quick injection without an actual needle. The boys suddenly grab hold of me all at once from every side. My heart hammers in my chest. I struggle but they're stronger. I can't think of what to do. 'When you're afraid Ben...' Uncle Luke's words come to me, 'you can use this mantra.'
Aiden approaches me with the needle and I close my eyes. "When I am afraid I put my trust in the Force, the Force that is stronger than my fear," I chant. I focus on the life energy of all the boys around me, and of Aiden's. His heart is racing. He's afraid. I continue chanting.
I can't lift my arms but Aiden's mind is within reach of my Force powers. I can see his thoughts, because he doesn't know I'm looking and doesn't have his guard up. He's scared of my Force powers because he doesn't understand them. He thinks it's like magic, rather than a natural force that works with its surroundings. His biggest fear is of being cursed, with something called the Blind Man's Curse. His brother used to scare him with stories of it and talked of Jedi's casting spells, when he was little.
I stop chanting and open my eyes. "Every hand that is laid upon me," I say. "I will curse..." Aiden stops moving. "With Blind Man's Curse."
I focus my Force energies up to the overhead lights and make them explode. Shouts erupt around me and the hands release me. I continue popping the lights down the entire hall and the emergency lights too, along the bottom. Glass shatters and falls. I cover my head with my arms. There commotion all around and I don't stop until every light is out. Then I lower my hands and look around. There is only darkness and a small frame of light at the end of the long hallway. Glass lies in every direction and I stand in one spot, in my bare feet, surrounded by darkness.