The ride to town had been pretty quiet. True hadn't said much, and Luke hadn't pressed her to talk, though he was incredibly curious about the ship she had been flying. But Luke thought it probably wasn't the best time to ask her about it. Instead he sat in silence, feeling like a jerk for being unable to make decent small talk.
As they'd approached Anchorhead, True had insisted that Luke drop her off in the middle of town. She said she'd get herself home and that Luke would be better off not to know where she lived. Luke begrudgingly obliged her and as he sped away he glanced back to see her watching him go.
For the next few days, Luke caught no sight of nor heard no talk of True Knightley. It was as if she had disappeared. He'd been to town every day but everyone was talking about Biggs and his flying the Stone Needle. Luke went to the Canyon but no one there knew where she was. No one was mentioning True or the wreckage that Luke had seen still lying out at the base of the Needle.
The third day after the Needle, Luke once again found himself surveying the crowd in the Krayt's Nest. His shoulders sagged when he didn't see her in there. Luke was turning to leave when he ran into Biggs.
"Luke, haven't seen you much around lately. Owen keepin' you busy?" Biggs said grinning at Luke.
Luke smiled back and shrugged.
"Me and the others are having a drink, want to join us?" Biggs asked as Tank, Doc, Dennis, Kinn, and Camie came in laughing. They all said hi to Luke, and Luke thought he saw Camie give him a glare as she passed.
"I can't, I gotta get these condenser parts home," Luke said. Luke looked around, and lowering his voice he leaned towards Biggs. "But I do have a question…"
"Sure."
"Have you seen True around town in the past few days?"
Biggs didn't answer for a moment, draping his arm over Luke's shoulder.
"Let me give you some advice, Luke," Biggs turned his head towards the table where their friends sat. "Forget that girl, she's trouble. You've got Camie here practically begging you to be with her, why go for the b-,"
"Don't say it," Luke growled to Biggs.
Biggs released Luke and held his hands up defensively. "Just giving you some friendly advice. And no, to answer your question, I haven't seen her. I'll see ya 'round, Luke."
Luke watched Biggs go to the table and sit, and a few minutes later the group burst out laughing and Luke swore he saw Kinn and Camie whisper and look his way.
Luke clenched his jaw and left the tavern, heading back home to more chores and another hot afternoon repairing condensers.
As Luke steered the landspeeder out of town he thought he saw a flash of blond hair in the crowd, but as he looked back it was gone.
Three days stretched into a week and Luke felt like he was going mad. He banished himself to the back fields, just to keep busy and to keep his mind from replaying that day over and over...
Luke was surprised one afternoon to come back to the house for lunch to find Biggs waiting.
"Luke, where have you been!" Biggs said as Luke took a long drink of water and wiped the dust and dirt from his sweaty face.
"I've been busy. The harvest is coming up and we've been having a lot of trouble with the vaporators in the South field," Luke said as he sat with an audible sigh in the shade of the domed entryway, his back to the wall.
"Well all work and no play makes Luke a dull boy," Biggs laughed. "I want you to come out with me tonight. Me and the others are going to Mos Eisley. Tell your uncle you'll stay over at my house, surely he can spare you for one day."
Luke was tempted. He hadn't been out in a very long time and sitting around here brooding over True wasn't getting him anywhere. Luke took another drink of the cool water and nodded.
"Excellent. I'll come back near sundown and pick you up," Biggs climbed back into his own landspeeder and waved to Luke as he took off across the pale sands.
It had taken some careful timing and coercion, but Luke managed to convince his aunt and uncle that one night out would be fine and that he would stay over at Biggs' and be home by mid morning the following day. Of course he left the bit about going to Mos Eisley out…Luke knew better than to even try and ask. There were some things he knew his uncle wouldn't budge on.
Near sunset Biggs arrived and picked Luke up. Luke was starting to feel like a normal kid again as they joked and laughed all the way into Anchorhead. Then they stopped to pick up Camie at the Krayt's Nest (much to Luke's chagrin), and some new girl Biggs was seeing, Hallie.
Luke was uncomfortable with the situation already. He had a bad feeling this was a set up. It felt a little too much like a double-date. He and Camie were forced to the backseat of the landspeeder while Biggs and Hallie sat up front. Luke sat, trying not to sulk, as Biggs steered the landspeeder towards the edge of town.
As they were leaving, they were waved down by Tank, Doc and Dennis.
"Hey!" Biggs stopped his speeder next to Tank, who was driving his own. The three guys surveyed Biggs and Hallie, then Luke and Camie. They gave each other knowing looks.
"Hey, I had no idea you all were doubling tonight," Dennis jeered, smirking at Luke and Camie. Luke turned red in the face while Camie just glared at them
"We aren't," Luke snarled, unable to help the nasty tone. Hallie suddenly laughed out loud, and everyone looked at her.
Luke avoided looking at Camie, but he could feel her stare. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he wasn't interested. Luke felt growing anger and resentment towards Biggs for setting this up.
"Yeah, Luke is saving himself for that True girl, even though she can't fly," Tank chimed in, and everyone laughed, even Biggs.
Luke, who had been second guessing his decision to go out ever since they picked up the girls, grew so angry he couldn't even speak. Instead he stood up quickly, the laughter fading, and jumping out of the speeder he started walking back towards town.
"Luke!" Biggs jogged up behind him, matching his step. "Come on, they're just kidding with you."
Luke shook his head. "I'm not going to put up with comments like that all night-you go without me. I'll get Uncle Owen to come pick me up," Luke started walking faster, hearing faint echoes of laughter and yelling from the kids he'd left behind.
As Luke walked back into the Krayt's Nest he was confronted with a crowd of people and aliens he'd never seen in the vicinity of Anchorhead before. They were seated all over the cantina.
Luke crossed to the back corner where it was less crowded and contacted home on his comm. link.
Uncle Owen was less than pleased to venture out in the growing dark to pick Luke up, and they didn't speak on the ride home. For once Luke was glad for his uncle's habit of punishment by silent treatment. Luke didn't want to explain why he didn't stay with the others.
As they approached the homestead, Owen secured the landspeeder and went inside. "I'm locking us down in five minutes, Luke," he called back.
Luke sighed and made to follow his uncle in when he saw movement in the dark shadows near the doorway.
"Who's there," he called, his heart rate increasing.
"Me," a soft voice said as True stepped out of the shadows.
Luke was speechless, a million questions running through his mind. How'd she get here, why was she here, when did she get here…
She stood there as Luke slowly came to his senses, the shock of her sudden appearance wearing off.
"Do you need a ride home?" He asked stupidly, taking a step closer to her.
"No!" she answered vehemently, her voice thick with emotion.
"Luke! Inside!" Owens voice rose from the sunken garden.
"Coming!" Luke looked at True, fighting with himself over obeying Uncle Owen, or making sure True was okay.
True took another step towards him. Her cheeks were wet with tears.
"Come inside," he whispered, his decision made as he reached out and grasped her hand. She didn't resist and allowed Luke to pull her inside. He paused at the bottom of the steps to make sure the halls were clear-then he led her to the garage. Moments later Luke heard the sounds of the doors locking them in for the night.
"Well, you're stuck here now," Luke joked as he motioned for her to sit. He turned on one of the overhead lamps and as the darkness was engulfed by light, Luke was shocked at what he saw.
True's face was a mess, blotchy and red from crying, and one of her eyes was rimmed in a black and blue bruise. She had tried to cover the contusion with her hair, but it was still painfully obvious.
"What happened to you?" Luke exclaimed as he sat next to her, moving her hair out of the way and looking at her swollen cheek and eye.
She simply shook her head.
"Tell me," Luke said softly, pleading for her trust and urging her to confide in him.
"My father and I don't get along," she offered, her eyes tearing up again as she shrugged, as if to say, Oh well.
"That's…" Luke's voice faded as he pounded his fist on his leg. He didn't know how to verbalize his anger or frustration.
True gave a small smile. "It's the way it is."
She sighed and suddenly stood, pacing the room. Luke sat where he was, stewing in anger.
"It's my fault."
Luke opened his mouth to protest.
"There are things about me you don't know," True added, cutting Luke off before he could say anything.
"What could you have done that would be so bad that your father would hit you?" Luke exclaimed, his anger evident in his voice.
True shrugged. Luke followed her with his eyes as she paced. Soon she was standing with confidence, her arms crossed over her chest.
"I don't know why I came here, like you can do anything," she spoke softly, but with conviction.
Luke wasn't sure how to answer, so he just looked at his shoes, scuffed and covered in Tatooine's fine dust.
"I hate it here," True said, moving across the room and sitting against the opposite wall. Luke looked up and found her smirking at him, as if daring him to argue with her.
"Why?" Luke consciously took the bait, unable to help his intense desire to know all he could about this still mysterious girl sitting in his garage, piercing him with her ice blue eyes.
"It's not home," was all she offered.
For a moment Luke wanted to scream. Why can't you simply answer the question with a complete thought!
"You're making me crazy…where's home?" He asked her instead.
True grinned. "Well, I was born on Coruscant, and grew up on Balmorra."
Luke unashamedly gawked at her. "You were born on Coruscant! Now you're about as far from there as you can get."
True nodded. "Yeah, that's my point. I don't remember Coruscant, and I haven't lived there since I was very, very young. But Balmorra was almost an extension of Coruscant. My father works, or worked, for the Imperials there."
Luke felt his excitement drain away. "You're father is part of the Empire?"
"He developed technology for the Emperor," True spoke this with obvious pride.
"That ship I crashed, the reason for this latest bruise, was one of his last projects. Before we were asked to leave the Imperial Settlement, my father put the last touches on it, bringing it with us as a possible way back in. He didn't want to leave Balmorra. It was kind of my fault that we had too."
Luke was completely perplexed by this girl. First she's vulnerable and abused, then she's a supporter of the Empire, then she's a troubled kid who does things so bad her father has to leave his job and his home…
Luke shook his head at her, echoing her words to him from the week before.
"I don't get you."