Chapter 8 by Kiami Sinno
Alright, for the record, I have absolutely no idea what I was thinking when I followed Obi-Wan.
Now, after spending what seems like hours for that oh-so-well camouflaged bad guy, I've realized something.
I wasn't thinking. Not at all.
Sensing my impatience, Obi-Wan turned to me. "You must have self control, Kiami. We are doing what is right by following this villain. You need to learn that comfort is second to that."
'Oh yeah, Master Kenobi,' I thought bitterly. 'That's so true…not!'
If Obi-Wan had caught my thoughts, he didn't let on. "Besides," he said. "It's not all that bad out here."
"Speak for yourself," I muttered without thinking. I'm doing a lot of that lately, I've noticed.
Biting my tongue, I glanced over at Master Kenobi. He just rolled his eyes without comment.
After many more moments of silence, it started to snow. More than usual, I mean. Before I knew what was going on, we were stuck in the middle of a full blown blizzard.
"Hold on, Kiami!" Obi-Wan yelled over the howling of the storm. "I'm going to try to head back to the capital!"
Well, that was easier said than done. In mid-turn, the engine of the speeder shuddered and died. "Oh, perfect," I said, not even bothering to keep my voice down. When Obi-Wan didn't even bother lecturing me, I knew something was wrong.
He hopped out of the speeder and examined the speeder's engine. Shaking his head in disgust, he closed the engine compartment and walked over to me.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news, Kiami. The engine's completely frozen. There's no hope of defrosting it." I rolled my eyes and growled. Obi-Wan continued, "And we're still too far from the capital to walk. We'll have to find an underground cave for shelter."
"Is there one nearby?" I asked, every moment freezing me more.
Obi-Wan closed his eyes and reached out with the Force. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes again. "Yes, there's one not too far," he answered.
After helping me out of the speeder, we set off to our shelter.
When we got inside the cave, I shivered. The cave wasn't warmer than outside by any means, but at least we were protected from the wind.
Obi-Wan glanced at me. "I know it's not much warmer in here, Kiami, but we have to stay here until the storm dies down. You should try to get comfortable."
Like that was ever going to happen. Sighing, I sat down on the icy ground.
While I was there, I realized how tired I was. Just resting my eyes would help.
As soon as I closed my eyes, Obi-Wan shook me. "You must not fall asleep, Kiami! If you do, you might not wake up. Do you understand me?"
I nodded, partially in shock from hearing the panic in his voice. He was truly worried about me, and he knew that this whole experience could be dangerous for both of us. I was in his charge, and he was supposed to take care of me. The least I could do was follow his instructions.
However, I wasn't sure if I could stay awake for long.