Chapter 1. Emma
I stared in disbelief at the DVD that hovered in the air. I blinked once, twice, sure that I was imagining things. I must have watched Star Wars one too many times. I wished that it was real so much that I had actually imagined I had Force powers!
I slowly lowered my hand, and the DVD drifted back to the floor.
I must be dreaming. I pinched my arm. Hard. I winced. Nope, not dreaming.
Confident that this scenario was just a product of my overactive imagination, I focused on the pile of toys that lay in the center of my bedroom. Surely it could not happen twice …
Slowly, I raised my hand. Malibu Barbie and the Kanan Jarrus action figure slowly floated into the air.
"No way!" I screamed. The toys dropped back to the carpeted floor.
I stared at the toys for a minute. Then I glanced around my bedroom, eyeing the TV on my dresser. I wondered …
I took a deep breath and raised my hand again.
The TV wouldn't budge.
"I knew I was dreaming," I mumbled to myself.
I felt strangely disappointed. It would have been so amazing if I had actually lifted those toys and my DVD …
I took a deep breath and tried again.
This time, the TV rose about four inches into the air.
"It can't be," I breathed, shocked. I shook my head and quickly dropped my hand back down to my side.
The TV crashed to my dresser and then rolled onto the floor.
"Emma!" my mother called from downstairs. "What is going on up there?"
"Uh … the TV fell!" I called back.
"I'll be right there," my mother said. In another minute, she was standing at the entrance to my room.
"How did that happen?" my mom asked as she lifted the TV back up onto the dresser.
"Um …" I wasn't about to tell her I had lifted the TV in the air with the Force and then dropped it. I still wasn't sure it was real. "I was running and accidentally knocked into it. It fell over." I gave her a sheepish grin.
She looked at me and smiled. "It's a good thing this is a small TV!" She laughed.
I smiled back at her. I love my mom so much. My mom, Lara Kenobi, looks much younger than forty years old. I got my chestnut-colored hair and super fair complexion from her. She works very hard as a nurse, juggling her job and raising a ten-year-old daughter by herself.
"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes," my mom said.
"Ok," I said. "What are we having tonight?"
"Salad with spaghetti and meatballs for you," Mom began.
"Yea!" I interrupted her. Spaghetti and meatballs is my favorite meal.
"And chickpea burgers and brown rice for me," Mom finished.
I laughed. "At least it's not tofu!" I love to tease my mother about her super healthy eating habits. I am not a vegan like my mom, but I do enjoy most of her healthy meals.
"Did you finish your homework?" Mom asked.
"Yup, everything is done," I assured her.
We walked downstairs and I helped Mom set the table. I noticed the vase of roses and violets on one of the counters. Mom must have stopped at the flower shop on her way home from work. I smiled, looking around at the bright and cheery room. My mom worked hard to make a good home for us here in New Jersey. I sat down at the table, suddenly ravenous.
My mom sat across from me and held up a pitcher. "Iced tea?"
"Great, thanks," I said as I handed her my glass.
"So how was school today?" Mom asked as she bit into her chickpea burger.
I swallowed a mouthful of rice before answering. "Good. I got an A on my spelling test. And the book fair was great! I bought three new books. I can't wait to start one of them later."
"Let me guess … they're all Star Wars books?" Mom asked with a twinkle in her brown eyes. She loves to tease me about my Star Wars obsession. And I am obsessed. I'm not afraid to admit it. I love all things Star Wars. My room is covered in Star Wars posters. I have all the movies and TV series on DVD, plus many toys and books. I have a Star Wars comforter on my bed. And I have as many Star Wars clothes as my mom can find.
The coolest thing about me, I think, is that my last name is Kenobi. As in Obi-Wan Kenobi. It's fun to imagine that the Jedi Knight was actually my father. Not that the devoted Jedi would actually have violated one of the key rules of Star Wars and ever formed an attachment or had a family. But I love that it's my last name!
After dinner, I sat in the living room with Mom and we drank strawberry smoothies while we read our books. I looked up from my new book about Star Wars Rebels to gaze at the family pictures on the mantle. Most of them are just me and Mom. Pictures of us smiling together at the beach, at the aquarium, on the merry-go-round at the mall, around my birthday cakes. But my favorites are the ones of me, Mom and Dad. There are just a few of them. My dad died when I was five years old. His name was Owen Kenobi, and he was a general in the Marine Corps. He was stationed in the Middle East when he died protecting his troops in an ambush. He was very brave and I am so proud of him. My memories of him are a little hazy, but I remember that he was very kind and loving. He could be serious at times, but I could always make him laugh.
I gazed at my favorite picture on the mantle. It was the three of us –me, Mom and Dad, taken when I had just turned five. It was my birthday party in the park, and I am sitting in front of a gigantic chocolate cake. Dad has his arms around me and Mom. They are kneeling beside me on the bench. We all have huge smiles on our faces.
I sighed and turned my attention back to my book. But I couldn't concentrate. Even though the book was focused on my favorite character, Kanan Jarrus, I couldn't seem to pay attention to the words I was staring at. My mind kept turning back to what had happened right before dinner-had I actually lifted my toys and the TV with the Force? It wasn't possible. As much as I would love for it to be real, I knew that Star Wars was not. It was a fantasy world, a place to dream about and escape from reality, nothing more. And yet … I had this nagging feeling that I had not imagined the whole thing.
There was only one way to find out.
"I'm going upstairs," I announced to my mom. I closed my book and headed up the stairs to my room.
"Ok, honey," Mom replied, giving me a smile.
Once in my room, I closed the door and took a deep breath. I looked at the pile of toys in the middle of the room and stood before them.
The phone rang as I closed my eyes.
I gasped when I opened them again.
The toys were in the air, high up by the ceiling.
"It is real!" I cried, incredulous, blinking my eyes furiously. The toys dropped to the floor with a thud. "It's either real or the greatest dream ever."
I sat down on my bed. I could not believe this. No one would believe this.
What in the world was I going to do? There was no way I could tell anyone about this. No one would ever believe me. And was I really going to demonstrate Force powers to my mom or my friends? If, by some chance, I was actually able to do this in front of another person, they would think I was some freak and I would end up in some science lab experiment or in some special government program.
I had to keep this to myself. At least for now. And I had to decide what, if anything, I was going to do about this.
I glanced at the clock on my bed. It was 7:30 p.m. It was way too early to go to sleep, even on a school night. And I didn't think I was going to get much rest tonight anyway. I needed a distraction. I decided to call my best friend, Amanda, and just talk about our plans for the weekend. We were supposed to go ice skating. I had to do something to try to take my mind off the very real possibility that I was not hallucinating and I somehow had special powers.
Amanda answered the phone right away. "Hi, Emma!" she greeted me. "I am so excited for the weekend. I hope I don't fall like last time. Maybe you can help me with my balance. And you have to skate slower this time, because I couldn't keep up ..."
I half-listened to her chatter on about skating and her upcoming math test. My mind was still on what had happened earlier.
After about a half-hour, we said goodbye and hung up. It was a little after eight. I decided to try to read my new book. I had just opened the page to a picture of fourteen-year-old Caleb Dume, who would later change his name to Kanan Jarrus, training with his Master, Depa Billaba. I stared at the picture of him holding his lightsaber. What must it have been like to be a teenager during the Clone Wars and actually fight in a battle? Just like my dad did …
I shook my head briefly. I was putting way too much thought into this. It's just a story, Emma, I reminded myself as I turned the page. It's not real. It can't be …
The doorbell rang just as I turned the last page of my book. Who could it be? I thought as I glanced at the clock. It was after 8:30 p.m.
I heard my mom speaking and then a sob. What was going on? I walked to the stairway and peeked downstairs. What I saw made me gasp in surprise.
My mom was standing very close to someone. It was a man. He had his back to me so I couldn't see his face, but he was hugging my mom and whispering something into her ear. My mom had tears streaming down her face, but she was also smiling and half-laughing.
I had no idea who this was or what was going on.
Just then my mom glanced up and saw me. She wiped her eyes and smiled at me.
"Emma," she called. "Would you come downstairs, please?"
"Ok," I said, puzzled, and walked quickly down the stairs.
The man had turned around so that he was facing me. I stared at him. He looked so familiar, just like ... No that was impossible.
He smiled into my startled eyes and took a step closer. I found myself staring into familiar blue eyes. I felt a jolt of recognition.
"Hello, Emma. I am Obi-Wan, your father."
