The sun peeks into the otherwise dark hotel room through a small crack in the curtains, blinding Stella as she finally wakes.
"Ugh, Kylo close the blinds." She groans, rolling over and burying her face into the pillow. After a moment of silence and no response, she lifts her head and glances around the room. "Kylo? Hello?" Stella rolls off the bed, dragging the sheets along with her as she wraps them tightly around her body. She peeks into the bathroom, even checking behind the open door and in the closet to find him. "Hmph." She hums as she comes up empty. "Where the hell are you, Ren?"
Her feet drag against the carpet as she trudges back to the bed and flops against the mattress. It's about as uncomfortable as her old dorm room mattress in college. Stella sighs deeply, allowing her eyes to droop closed once more as her minds wanders. She drifts into a dreamless sleep, still exhausted from the turmoil and stress of the last few days.
There is a fleeting moment hours later when she wakes that she is certain Kylo's deep voice travels through her eardrums, but as her eyes blink open, Stella finds that she is still alone in the dingy room.
"Maybe he just went to make sure the ship is there.." She thinks, dragging a hand over her face. "Or to get breakfast.. or lunch.. what the hell time is it anyway?"
Stella stares at the ceiling for a moment, glaring up at the discolored spots decorating the rundown building. "What if he just left..?" She wonders outloud. "Oh my god.." Her small frame jolts upright as realization washes over her. If he left, she's stuck on an alien planet.. alone.. with absolutely nothing.. "Fuck." Fear crosses her face at the idea. She drops her head into her hands, blowing out her cheeks as she exhales. "Ok, don't think like that." She mumbles. "I'm sure he'll be back soon.. He loves me, right?"
A mirthless laugh escapes her lips. "No he doesn't. He left." Stella chews on her cuticles as hery eyes glisten with the threat of tears. "I'm sorry, Mara. I failed."
A sharp knock on the door startles Stella from her moment of self pity and she hurriedly wipes away the wetness from her cheeks. No one will see her like this. Quickly, she throws on the fresh clothes Kylo had delivered for her the previous night. Stella jumps, almost falling as she slips into the leggings at the sound of another heavy knock. "Who is it?" She shouts, her voice cracking. This is it. This is the part where i'm kicked out onto the streets.. She thinks.
"Stella?" An accented female voice responds. "Stella, you need to open up. We're here to help you."
"Rey?!" Stella yanks the door open, stunned to see the dark haired woman in front of her. "What is going on?"
Rey glances back at the massive wookie standing behind her and smirks as he grunts. "He's right." She turns back with a grimmer of happiness in her eyes.
"Yeah that literally meant nothing to me." Stella wraps her arms around herself nervously. "Did you do something to Kylo? Is that why he's gone?"
Rey's jaw visibly tightens. "Ben is gone. There's no trace of light left in him." Stella doesn't fail to noice the way the fingers of her right hand splay at her side. "You ne-"
"No!" Stella interrupts, pointing an accusing finger. "Don't try that force bullshit on me! If I'm going with you, it'll be my choice."
"Stella, I wasn't-"
"Don't. I know how you people work." She rolls her eyes dramatically. "Tell me where Kylo is."
Chewbacca's chestnut fur ruffles at the sound of his name, earning a drawn out sigh from the creature. Rey follows suit, mirroring his sigh. "Ben is gone."
Stella's stomach flips. "Gone?" Her balance waivers and she begins to sway on her feet. She blinks rapidly as her vision blurs with tears.
"He told me where to find you."
She nods silently. Kylo is gone.. Her nails dig crescent shapes into the skin of her upper arms, still tightly wrapped around her body as grief and heartbreak wash over her. "Oh.." is all she can muster in response. Chewie reaches forward, resting a gentle hand against her shoulder and groaning something in his foreign tongue. Stella forces a soft smile, assuming it was something reassuring. "Thanks. Um.. he wanted you to find me?" Nibbling on her bottom lip, she cautiously eyes the pair.
"Come with us." Rey insists, grabbing for Stella's hand and tugging her along as they turn and rush into the busy streets of the city, toward the Millenium Falcon.
The legendary ship is far bigger than Stella ever imagined. Her jaw drops at the sight. Rey's brows knit together in confusion. The falcon is hardly an impressive ship compared to the ones she must have seen amongst the First Order fleet. What an odd girl.. She thinks, softly nudging Stella up the ramp of the ship.
Stella's eyes drift around, examining every inch of the interior of the Falcon as she wanders through the ship. It's laid out about as she expected, albeit much larger. She trails her fingertips across the surface of a countertop, her mind straying in a thousand directions.
"This should be thrilling.." she muses internally. "I've always dreamed of seeing this place and I can't even pretend to be excited about it." She scoffs with a shake of her head, a weight settling on her heart. "Kylo can't really be gone, can he?" Stella's feet drag against the metal surface beneath her, leading her to the cockpit of the ship. She stares blankly out of the window she's seen a hundred times in the movies and sighs as they jolt into lightspeed and out of the atmosphere. "Can I even trust the resistance? I mean, if Kylo is dead. Rey has to be the reason.."
Rey's soft voice and Chewbacca's dull road barely register with her. Her thoughts drown out every outside sound as she sits and drops her head back against the hard wall with a thud. "The only reason I'm here is gone. The only person I trusted completely and loved is gone. Now what?"