Ch 23

Ben

When I woke up I thought I was back in the in between. There was lush greenery everywhere, the call of different birds all around me. The difference here was that there was a blue and orange sky that seemed to stretch forever.

I felt the pounding in my head again and realized the ground beneath me was strange. It was hard but grainy and kind of warm from facing the sun all day.

I was eventually able to gain control of my limbs and sat up slowly. The pounding in my head eventually subsided and I looked around. This place felt familiar, but the actual location of where I was, was an absolute mystery.

I stood up slowly and carefully, not wanting to agitate the headache any further.

I looked down and realized I had been lying on the shore of a lake. There was sand all over me and the sun had just set, rays of gold and orange hit the navy-blue sky and the stars began to come out one by one from the horizon.

I wasn't sure of what was going on, was I really back? Or was I dreaming?

If it was the latter I hoped I never had to wake up, I prayed I could sleep for eternity if it meant living again.

I decided to walk towards... well I'm not sure, but I started walking along the shore. The darker it got the more the temperature dropped and I started to get cold, my cape would definitely be appreciated right about now.

After about an hour or so of walking I started to see the shore was curving, and across it was a large familiar structure. One I'd visited as a child.

I was on Naboo at the Lake Retreat on Varykino.

The closer I looked the more that different memories began to pop in my head. The few vacations my parents and I took, swimming at the lake with mom and letting the sun dry us as we lay in the sand. The many shooting and flying lessons I had with my father.

I could swim across the lake without a problem, the entire swim would only take about 10-20 minutes, it was something I was accustomed to.

My biggest issue was the water temperature. During the day the water was very refreshing, but at night Naboo could prove to be a very cold planet, the water would be near freezing.

I decided in that moment to walk back towards the forest, maybe I could find some driftwood or a hollow tree to use as shelter for the night, or at least to build a fire. I could sense all around me that the weather would soon be colder, winter was approaching on Naboo.

I managed to find a few small pieces of wood and I carried them back to the shore. one thing my mother taught me, was how to survive in the wild. She was a very smart woman, she could bring hope and a meal out of any situation. I was very grateful in that moment for her all she taught me.

I started the fire with two small dry stones and the wood I found and sat back down to try and warm my hands at least. There was a slight breeze and suddenly there it was.

The connection.

I was still on the beach but now I could see her laying down.

She was asleep so she didn't know I was there.

Having her so close, I knew I was back. Truly back and alive. I knew it because the connection now felt just like it did before I was gone. It felt like I was whole, like I was seeing the sun for the first time. I walked closer to her and moved some of the hair from her face, carefully as to not wake her.

She stirred a little bit but didn't wake. She was so beautiful.

I knew she was close, I connected to her mind and searched for where she could be.

Two things surprised me, one was the fact that she was on Varykino under the pretense that she was Rey Skywalker.

The second was how devastatingly... heartbroken she had been over my death.

I began to cry, my heart shattering with hers.

The thing about our connection is that no thoughts or emotions were hidden from the other. We were completely vulnerable. Being alive and experiencing that again was a little shocking.

It was an unwelcome feeling at first, but eventually it was comforting to have someone know me for who I really was and still love me, still accept me and still help me out of the dark void I was in.

I would never take her for granted again.

She began to stir and at that moment the connection closed. I looked towards the manor and knew that I had to somehow get to her, no matter what it cost me, I had to try.