Thanks again for reviewing Love. Fiction. 2020! Sorry it's been so long since I updated...
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Amaya stood on the porch, rooted to the spot as Ben came up to her, his face concerned.
"What happened?" Ben asked, looking slightly unsure how to handle the situation.
"He left." Amaya said hollowly.
Ben opened his mouth to say something and then shut it again, drumming his fingers on the porch railing.
"Did he...say anything...I mean-" Ben struggled to find the right words and Amaya shook her head.
Amaya made no reply, all her attention focused inwards on controlling the storm brewing inside her.
"Amaya." Ben said more urgently this time, a note of fear in his voice. Tentatively, he reached out to put a hand on her arm and Amaya flinched, withdrawing in shock before catching herself.
Breaking out of her state of reverie, Amaya looked over at Ben, seeing and feeling the hurt her unconscious rejection had created.
"I'm sorry." She breathed, "I'm just- I just need a moment."
Ben made no reply and Amaya felt guilt swell up inside her. "He was the one who found the island." Amaya said, making the split second decision to tell him what had happened.
"Your brother?" Ben asked and Amaya nodded.
"He noticed some ships owned by my mother's family company were taking longer than usual to reach their destination. He'd been put in charge of some things within the company so he investigated further. One of the captains cracked under investigation - he probably used the Force - and told him where the island was."
"But he didn't come here himself?" Ben asked and Amaya shook her head.
"No, he sent two men." Amaya said. "Neither were Force-sensitive. He should have come himself. It would have been better."
"Then what happened?" Ben asked and Amaya hesitated. She'd never told anyone what had truly happened that day. She'd sworn she never would...but now a part of her wanted to. She didn't want to have to keep this memory to herself forever.
"Let me show you." Amaya said, taking a step towards him.
"Are you sure?" Ben asked, his eyes widening with something akin to fear as he looked at her.
"Please just do it before I change my mind." Amaya said.
Ben nodded slowly and Amaya closed her eyes as he reached out, entering her mind with ease.
Amaya sat on the rocky outcrop behind her house, rereading the same book for the third time. It was a good one and there were still 3 days until the next shipment came and more books would be delivered. Until then, she had to decide between boredom and rereading what she had.
Hearing a low hum, Amaya looked up, wondering whether her mother had started the vacuum cleaner. She folded her book in her lap as a sudden chill passed through her despite the hotness of the air. Amaya stood up, looking around herself as the Force thrummed around her.
Suddenly anxious, Amaya turned to walk back to her house. The humming sound got louder as she walked and Amaya realized with a jolt of fear that it was not coming from her house.
"Mom!" Amaya called, throwing the front door open.
Amaya heard the pounding of footsteps before her mother appeared, her hair falling out of the loose bun she had tied it up in.
"Get inside!" She screamed, grabbing Amaya's arm roughly. "Close that door!"
Amaya felt her blood run cold and froze, unable to process what was happening. Her mother pushed past her, closing the door, before puling her towards the stairs to the basement.
"What's happening!?" Amaya tried to ask but her mother only pushed her to move faster. Amaya ran down the stairs to the basement as her mother closed the door behind them and shut off the light. Amaya reached out for her mother through the dark, her hand closing around her arm.
"What's happening?" Amaya whispered frantically.
"Sh!" Elna Fall reprimanded, pushing her farther into the basement until they were pressed up against the back wall.
Amaya closed her eyes, reaching out through the Force. It was buzzing and humming around her in ways she'd never experienced before. There were presences on the island she'd never felt before...other life forces.
"Someone's here." Amaya whispered, jumping as the ceiling shook from the sound of footsteps walking through the house above.
The footsteps paused outside the door to the basement and Amaya held her breath. After a moment, they continued, moving away from the door. Amaya heard the people begin walking up the stairs and let out her breath.
A long period of silence followed and Amaya began to calm down. She reached out with the Force, trying to gather whatever information she could. There were two of them and from what she could tell, they were both male. They'd come in some kind of a ship. They felt nervous but curious as they looked around the upstairs of the house.
Amaya pulled back suddenly as the footsteps started down the stairs again. This time, they stopped in front of the door to the basement and Amaya's heart stopped. She looked over at her mother, her eyes wide.
"You will turn around and leave." Her mother whispered, her eyes glued to the door.
The footsteps stopped and Amaya thought for a moment the mind trick had worked until the door opened and light flooded into the basement, blinding her.
"They're here!" The man at the top of the stairs called to his friend.
Before the other man could return, Amaya's mother lifted her hand, sending the first flying backward into the wall.
"Come on." Elna hissed, grabbing Amaya's arm as she began to run up the stairs. Seeing the other man, she reached out her hand, choking him in mid-air. Amaya watched in horror as the man struggled to breathe.
"That's enough." Amaya whispered, nudging her mother. "Let him go."
Elna let the man drop to the floor, gasping for air, before turning to the other man who was trying to stand up.
"We mean you no harm." The man pleaded, putting his hands up in surrender as he struggled to climb to his feet. "We're here to help you."
"How did you find this island?" Elna breathed, taking a step closer to him.
"It's not important." The man said. "We came to take you home."
Elna visibly recoiled, the color draining from her face.
"Your husband wants you back. Your son wants you back." The man continued, taking a cautious step towards her. He turned to Amaya, his face softening further. "You have a father and a brother. You come from a good family-"
"Don't speak to her!" Elna screamed, coming in between Amaya and the man.
Amaya looked to her left, watching the other man struggle to his feet as well.
"This is our home." Elna continued, her cheeks becoming flushed. "You have no permission to be here."
"I understand this must be incredibly disorienting; however I ask that you please just give us a few-"
"You need to leave my house now." Elna warned. "I want you out of this house and away from my daughter."
"Quite frankly Miss, you're in no position to make demands-"
"I said OUT!" Elna screamed, the men in front of her being thrown back by the force of her hand. A gun went off as the men crashed into the nearby wall and Elna and Amaya screamed, ducking down instinctively. As the dust settled, Amaya looked around herself, seeing the hole the bullet had made in the wall behind her.
Amaya watched in horror as her mother reached out through the Force, pulling the guns the men had brought out of their hands and hovering them in the air in front of the men, the barrels of the guns pointed down at the men.
"Don't move." Elna whispered, approaching the men slowly, her face pale. "I need you to leave now. Do you understand?"
Shakily, the men climbed to their feet, holding up their arms in surrender. They nodded, inching towards the door as Elna followed them, the guns still hovering in front of them.
Amaya followed them in silence, watching the men climb into the ships they had arrived in and take off without another word. As soon as the sound of their ship's engines had disappeared, her mother let the guns fall to the ground with a clatter.
"They'll be back." Elna whispered, barely loud enough for Amaya to hear. "They know where we live now. More will come now."
Amaya felt her hands begin to shake as the weight of what this meant dawned on her. Their life on this island was over. They'd been found.
Amaya looked up at sky in the direction the ships had gone. She too would be leaving on a ship - sooner rather than later. The thought sent currents of fear and excitement through her in equal proportions. She would finally be able to see the rest of the world. She would be able to meet other people, other races of creatures...maybe even visit other planets...
Suddenly, Amaya felt as if she'd been gifted the greatest gift life could ever have bestowed upon her.
The smile threatening to form on Amaya's lips faded as her mother turned around to face her. There was a look of despair on her face that Amaya had never seen before. Amaya stood perfectly still as her mother walked up to her and pushed a strand of hair out of her face. She smiled weakly, placing a hand on Amaya's cheek.
"You are the best of my life." She said quietly. "I love you. Never doubt that."
Amaya frowned, uneasiness gripping her stomach at her mother's strange behavior. "I love you too." Amaya replied wrapping her arms around her mother in an attempt to fix whatever had gone so wrong.
Elna Fall hugged her back tightly before quickly letting go. Amaya noticed that her eyes had become bright before she turned away to walk back to the house. Amaya let her go, looking back up at the sky where the ships had disappeared. Everything was going to change now. Everything.
Amaya forcefully stopped the memory, only to redirect Ben to another memory moments later.
Amaya lay on the couch, sleeping. It was night now and a cool breeze blew through the open window of the living room. Amaya rolled over, a frown creasing her face as the Force around her shuddered and twisted. She began to shiver, goosebumps forming along her arms, as the room suddenly seemed to become cold. Suddenly, a feeling so wrong that Amaya could not ignore it broke through her subconscious and Amaya woke up screaming.
Coming to her senses, Amaya gripped the blanket around her, shivering violently as she looked around the room.
"Mom!?" Amaya asked, the terrible gut-wrenching feeling that something was seriously wrong filling her chest with dread.
Receiving no reply, Amaya jumped to her feet, her heart pounding and ran out of the room, searching the house for her mother. No, something told her. Her mother was not inside the house.
Pushing open the front door, Amaya ran down the steps, calling out to her mother. The ocean stretched out of either sides of her, dark and turbulent and cold, and for once, Amaya didn't find its presence comforting at all. Still, as if drawn by some invisible thread, Amaya walked towards the water, reaching the cliffs she had chosen as her reading spot. She looked out across the water, noticing something floating on the waves at the bottom of the cliffs.
The dread that had been pooling in her stomach since she woke up magnified and Amaya felt the Force around her thrum violently. Amaya took off down the sandy side of the cliff, half running, half falling until she reached the beach below.
"Mom!" Amaya cried, wading into the water without thinking. She waded over to where her mother lay, floating on the ocean, her hands finding her mother's face as she fell to her knees in the water.
"No, no, no, no, no, no." Amaya muttered, staring down at her mother's pale face and unseeing eyes. "No, please, mom, no."
Amaya pulled her mother's lifeless body towards her, unable to see properly through the tears in her eyes. The Force hummed around her, cold and dark and deep as the ocean around her. It wasn't possible. She couldn't lose the one person she loved. Her only family...the only person she'd ever known.
How could her mother do this to her? How could she leave her alone in this place...all by herself? How could she abandon her like this?
Suddenly overwhelmed with betrayal, Amaya submerged herself into the water and screamed, coming back up when she started to choke on the water. She coughed and spluttered, her mind rapidly spiraling into insanity. She would lose her mind. Right here, today. Her life was over.
Amaya pulled back suddenly, unable to relive any more. As the memory faded, Amaya's eyes refocused on Ben's face in front of her. She stared at him, terror coursing through her veins. Never had she ever shown anyone else this memory. She'd never told anyone else what exactly had happened. What if it had been a mistake?
Before Amaya could say anything, Ben wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tightly. Amaya froze, shocked, before tentatively returning the hug.
Amaya pulled back after a moment, suddenly beyond grateful that Ben was here with her and that he knew everything. She had someone to share her story with now. Someone she could trust with her secrets.
"The men came back with reinforcements a few days later." Amaya said. "I slipped a sedative into the drinks of all except one pilot and then used a Jedi mind trick to get him to fly me to the mainland. I told him to tell my father and brother what had happened...and to let them know it was their fault. You know the rest of the story."
"I'm so sorry." Ben said, the sincerity in his voice making Amaya's eyes water. He pulled her into another hug before her tears could escape.
Weeks went by and still Amaya received no letter from her brother. Snoke, for his part, had been leaving her alone for the most part, and so Amaya had decided to attempt to forget that part of her life and focus on her training. She was getting better, slowly, but still nowhere close to the levels of her fellow padawans went it came to fighting with a lightsaber. In fact, she found that, as compared to lifting rocks, mind tricks, and other mental exercises, the more physical task of wielding a lightsaber came less easily to her. Perhaps its was because it was the only thing her mother had chosen not to teach her, or perhaps, she worried, it was an innate limitation.
On the bright side, she was beginning to get good at shielding her mind from intrusion. While she was still too inexperienced to keep out Snoke, she could usually keep out Ben for at least 5 minutes at a time and she was increasing her stamina every day. According to him, she had nearly surpassed his own ability to shield his mind.
"You know what I think." Amaya said, letting herself fall onto Ben's bed in exhaustion after having successfully blocked him from her mind for over 6 minutes. "I think you don't want to learn how to shut Snoke out."
Ben's face, which had been smiling up until this point, darkened. "Whatever gave you that idea?"
"If I went from being completely defenseless to being able to shield my mind from you in a matter of months, there's no way you can't learn how to block him out entirely if you really put your mind to it." Amaya said, crossing her legs and pulling one of Ben's pillows into her lap. "Not with that Skywalker blood."
Amaya felt her words strike a chord and resisted the urge to calm him down. It was only when he was angry that she ever got any truth out of him. When he was calm he was far too good at keeping his true feelings hidden.
"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe your skill in this area of the Force is to make up for your lack of skill with a lightsaber?" Ben replied cruelly and Amaya's eyes widened in shock.
"Ben!" She cried, smacking him on the arm. "Wow. That was low."
"Doesn't mean I'm not right though." Ben said, shrugging and Amaya resisted the urge to defend herself further. He was expertly diverting the conversation away from himself to distract her and she was not going to let him get away with it.
"Why don't you want to at least try to improve your ability to shield your mind?" Amaya asked. "How could it hurt?"
"It's a waste of time." Ben said immediately. "That's why."
"How do you know?" Amaya asked.
"Because I know!" Ben cried, finally losing his cool. "I've been dealing with this since I was a child, you don't think I would have blocked him if I could?"
"Actually that's exactly what I think." Amaya replied. "I think some part of you wants him to talk to you."
"And why would I want that?" Ben snapped, throwing his hands up in the air.
Amaya hesitated, certain her next words would set him off, "Well because he's someone to talk to, who knows you...and who is proud of all the things Master Luke has been trying to change about you."
Instead of yelling at her like she'd expected, Ben fell silent, and Amaya found that somehow this was worse.
"Look I'm not blaming you for wanting to-" Amaya began quickly, but Ben cut her off.
"No, you're right." He said, looking her straight in the eyes with a quiet certainty that shocked her. "I don't want to block out Snoke because he is the only person who sees me for who I am and doesn't want to change me."
Amaya frowned, "I don't want to change you." She said quickly but Ben shook his head.
"You know what I mean." He said.
"I don't." Amaya insisted but Ben merely turned away, fiddling with a piece of paper on his desk.
Amaya stood up, replacing the pillow on his bed, and quietly made her way over to him. She pulled him into a hug, feeling him relax slowly.
"Snoke doesn't care about you." She said into his shoulder. "He wants to use you. Never forget that."
I know. Ben replied silently and Amaya smiled.
Good.