CH5

Sloan, Natara, and Gerik ran full speed toward the ship. Behind them misfires exploded. Gerik lead the trio, and Natara struggled in the back. She was strong, but not strong enough. She lost speed gradually. Sloan knew she wouldn't make it, but he couldn't leave her. "We're almost there!" he yelled back to her, but when he turned around, nobody was behind him. He stopped and called for her. "Natara? Natara! NATARA!"

As routine, Car-re's alarm clock screeched into her ear. It took her a second to remember she'd been dreaming. She rubbed her eyes as her vision focused, and she tried to separate her dreams from what really happened the night before, but her thoughts swirled around in the same confused circles. She stood up, walked into the bathroom and turned the knob in her shower. While she waited for the water to warm, she dropped her clothes to her ankles and stepped out of them.

Warm water droplets slid down her body hugging onto her feminine curves as she tried to rinse away her confusion. The last sensible thing Car-re could remember was saying goodnight to Sloan. The rest of her night seemed so unbelievably real that she thought she might have dreamt the whole thing. It's doubtful that anybody would have been in my room last night. She thought. No, Tynan's definitely not real. I must have fallen asleep after Ferren dropped me off. That brought her to her next question. Did Ferren really kiss her? When was it she fell asleep? Did she even see Ferren last night? Enough steam had filled the shower that she could barely see through the clouded air to find the soap. My head feels just as clouded, she thought.

Every other day, Car-re met with Master Gerik. These meetings were based solely on meditation. Sloan was the best master Car-re could wish for, but Sloan was much more skilled with a lightsaber than he was with mental strength. Like any jedi, he was strong in the force, but nowhere near as strong as Car-re. Car-re's strongpoint was her clairvoyance, and since this wasn't Sloan's forte, Master Gerik offered to teach her in this area.

Car-re liked Master Gerick, he had been Sloan's master when he was young, which meant that he was probably close to sixty years old. But the tall, heavy-built master was not all human, and therefore aged slower than a human. He had no wrinkles and his body was still as strong as it had always been. Then only hint of aging on Gerik were the few gray hairs scattered into his thick, black mane of hair.

The hallway Car-re walked down grew strangely crowded in a matter of minutes. Despising clutter, Car-re stared at her feet as she walked. She didn't worry about where she went. The force guided her away from a collision.

Without reason, Car-re felt the need to look up. She lifted her face, and her eyes immediately found their focus point. He saw her too. Somehow, they'd found one another from opposite sides of the hall. Feeling strangely confident, Car-re flashed a smile and tilted her head in a gesture to her right. She swam around the corner into a less crowded hallway. He followed and caught up to her. She needed to talk to him, but she couldn't do it here. Frantically, she opened the door to a maitenence closet conveniently nearby. The room was dimly lit, dusty and crowded with boxes, but there was enough room for them to stand without breathing down one another's necks. Why then, she asked herself, do I feel so hot?

He stood in front of the closed door facing her and she felt her palms begin to sweat and her heart begin to twitterpate. Car-re took in a deep breath, and with one look at the sparkle in his warm, sea-green eyes, she knew she really had seen him last night. She knew she hadn't dreamt what he did. She knew he was thinking about it.

"Ferren..." She began, but for lack of words, she couldn't continue. She blinked as her eyes began to blur and the room tilted back and forth. Car-re felt hot, dizzy, confused. She breathed deeply and felt the force circulating through her, but she felt as though the steam that filled her shower this morning had floated into her mind and her thinking was now more cloudy than this morning or ever before. Ferren must have seen how faint she felt, because he pulled her to him by the hand and slid his fingers up her bare arms to her shoulder where he held her for fear that she might fall. Her heart drummed hard against her chest from feeling his strong firm hands on her skin. Car-re lost all sense of thought or fear or conscience. She lifted herself on her tiptoes and felt her lips meet his. Electricity seemed to flow through his warm, lushious lips into her body where her heart slammed full speed against her. Instinctly, she slid her hands around the back of his head running them through Ferren's soft, brown hair. His arms traveled around the back of her shoulders and traced her arched spine down to her lower back where he pulled her body close to his.

Their lips parted and Ferren started warmly into Car-re's eyes. She couldn't move as she lost herself in the sea of his eyes. She felt uncomfortable. After years of practice and sneaking into the minds of other people. After welcoming herself into people's deep and darkest parts of their souls, she knew Ferren could see inside her. She saw his eyes dig into her spirit reaching every corner in her mind. She felt him exploring her observing the details of her soul. She felt vulnerable, as though he'd seen her naked. She couldn't hide from his intense gaze, couldn't close the doors he opened. She'd allowed him into her mind but she couldn't enter his. Car-re was too afraid to open up and see what he saw. Quietly she waited wondering what he thought of her. Had he seen everything? Would he reject her now that he knew her imperfect soul?

In fear, a tear glossed Car-re's eye and she tried to supress it behind her eyelids. But it rolled out and danced down her cheek and slid under her nose down to her lips.

Seeing her fear, Ferren smiled reassuringly. "Please don't cry." He said as he wiped the streak away from her face and kissed the tear off her lips. "You can trust me. I won't hurt you."

Caution pulled at her. She'd given Ferren the power to destroy her. Could she ever feel safe knowing she was defenseless against him should he ever betray her? Ferren must have sensed her doubt. He pulled her head to his chest and ran his fingers under her hair across the base of her neck. His other arm clung to her waist.

As Car-re rested in his arms, comfort rose into her. She may have opened the gates of her heart to him, but she didn't have to worry. Ferren would guard her open heart. Ferren would protect her. As long as she had him, she'd never be afraid again.

Ferren looked down at the peaceful woman he held tightly and cherished her. She'd only met him yesterday, but he'd known her for years. He'd see her in the food court, or in passing, and his heart would stop for her. He'd never spoken to her but secretly he wished he could. There was a time when attachment of any kind was forbidden for a jedi. Centuries later, what was described as love could finally be allowed, but few jedi chose to marry because the complications of supporting a family. For a padawan, however, no attachment beside the love of one's family was allowed. No padawan could fall in love until he or she learned to control his or her emotions. Now, the beautiful girl he'd longed for clung to him. Ferren felt a sense of pride in knowing that she trusted him. And tomorrow, he would be a jedi. He could tell her how he felt about her. He could tell her everything. He could say he loved her. It didn't matter that she couldn't repeat the words back to him. Ferren would wait for her. He would wait until she too could share her feelings with him. For now, it was enough knowing she trusted him.