Chapter 7-Dashana
Ralya stood there numbly, staring at Dashana's dead body lying there on the ground. "She can't be dead," she whispered. "We would have felt it in the Force. We would have felt her die."
But Brekk noticed something Ralya hadn't. "No," he said. "Not with that."
Ralya looked where he was pointing. Lying on the ground, not too far away, was an ysalamir. "We need to go tell someonem" she said, her words barely audible.
"We should take her with us," said Brekk. "Doesn't seem right to leave her alone."
Ralya didn't seem to hear him. "She's eleven, Brekk. She can't be dead." Tears filled her green eyes, visibly threatening to spill out over her cheeks already damp from the rain. "She can't be dead, Brekk!"
Brekk put his arm around her. "It's okay, Ralya."
"It's my dream," she said as the tears fell onto Brekk's shirt. "It's because of my dream."
Brekk looked at her in shock. "Is that the problem? Do you think this is your fault?"
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An hour later everyone knew. But Ralya didn't care. She had locked herself in her room.
Why? she wondered. Why did this have to happen to Dashana? Why did this have to happen to me?
Her questions were directed at no one, and she received no answers.
Face buried in her pillow, Ralya sensed rather that saw Brekk at her window. She heard the screech of scraping parts as he opened the lock with the Force, then pushed the window up. "Can I come in?" he asked.
"I don't care," she sobbed. "You will anyway."
Brekk climbed in the window, then shut it. He sat down on Ralya's bed next to her. "It's not your fault, Ralya."
"What the sith do you know, Jacorim?" she said, rolling over on her side to face him. "Why can't you leave me alone?"
"Because no matter how much you say you want to be left alone, I think you need to talk to somebody. Or, at the very least, you need to listen.
"Ralya, Dashana's death was not an accident. Someone or something killed her. By shifting the blame to yourself, you're letting a murderer get away with his crime."
"Are you suggesting that we try to find the killer?"
"Hey, it seems like the crazy kind of thing you would do." He flashed her a grin.
Big mistake. "How can you smile?" she shouted at him. "Someone just died!"
"It doesn't mean your life has to end, too!"
Ralya stared at him for a long moment. Then, unexpectedly, she said, "I'm sorry." Pause. "But how did Dashana die?"
Brekk shrugged. "We don't know."
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Ralya stood there numbly, staring at Dashana's dead body lying there on the ground. "She can't be dead," she whispered. "We would have felt it in the Force. We would have felt her die."
But Brekk noticed something Ralya hadn't. "No," he said. "Not with that."
Ralya looked where he was pointing. Lying on the ground, not too far away, was an ysalamir. "We need to go tell someonem" she said, her words barely audible.
"We should take her with us," said Brekk. "Doesn't seem right to leave her alone."
Ralya didn't seem to hear him. "She's eleven, Brekk. She can't be dead." Tears filled her green eyes, visibly threatening to spill out over her cheeks already damp from the rain. "She can't be dead, Brekk!"
Brekk put his arm around her. "It's okay, Ralya."
"It's my dream," she said as the tears fell onto Brekk's shirt. "It's because of my dream."
Brekk looked at her in shock. "Is that the problem? Do you think this is your fault?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An hour later everyone knew. But Ralya didn't care. She had locked herself in her room.
Why? she wondered. Why did this have to happen to Dashana? Why did this have to happen to me?
Her questions were directed at no one, and she received no answers.
Face buried in her pillow, Ralya sensed rather that saw Brekk at her window. She heard the screech of scraping parts as he opened the lock with the Force, then pushed the window up. "Can I come in?" he asked.
"I don't care," she sobbed. "You will anyway."
Brekk climbed in the window, then shut it. He sat down on Ralya's bed next to her. "It's not your fault, Ralya."
"What the sith do you know, Jacorim?" she said, rolling over on her side to face him. "Why can't you leave me alone?"
"Because no matter how much you say you want to be left alone, I think you need to talk to somebody. Or, at the very least, you need to listen.
"Ralya, Dashana's death was not an accident. Someone or something killed her. By shifting the blame to yourself, you're letting a murderer get away with his crime."
"Are you suggesting that we try to find the killer?"
"Hey, it seems like the crazy kind of thing you would do." He flashed her a grin.
Big mistake. "How can you smile?" she shouted at him. "Someone just died!"
"It doesn't mean your life has to end, too!"
Ralya stared at him for a long moment. Then, unexpectedly, she said, "I'm sorry." Pause. "But how did Dashana die?"
Brekk shrugged. "We don't know."
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