Chapter Six – Ben
Ben knew he should have been concentrating on the Force evaluations, but he was so distracted by Rey's presence. He kept catching himself staring at her, neglecting the person in front of him. She was an enigma, a mystery. Possessing the same name and face as the woman he'd known at nine years old, yet she hadn't aged a day in twenty years. Not that she acknowledged even having been there.
Yet, the moment their eyes had locked, he'd felt intensely connected to her. He studied her as she watched Alkos doing evaluations on the other side of the room. She appeared fascinated by the process they used to find Force-sensitive people. She insisted on watching, offering to go last. He'd agreed, not wanting her to leave. There was no question she had the Force, she practically blazed with it. He suspected she even knew how to use it. Fluttering erupted in his stomach as she laughed at something Alkos said.
"So do I got the Force thing?" The man in front of him looked at Ben expectantly.
Ben blinked. "Let's do it once more. I'm just going to stand behind you and just touch your mind. You need to focus on the pebble. It's such a tiny pebble. Can you push it, even just a little?" Ben opened his mind slightly, barely brushing against the man's mind.
The man grunted, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried desperately to push the pebble with his mind. The pebble refused to obey.
Ben got no inkling of the Force from this man. He gently laid his hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm sorry, no."
"Didn't think so. Just thought I'd check since you Jedi people were here." The man tromped down the ramp.
A blond woman stepped forward, a coy smile on her red lips. "Ready for me?" she asked in a breathy tone, bright blue eyes gazing up at him.
He smiled and gestured her to come to him. "Hello. Do you believe you might be Force-sensitive?"
She ignored his question. "Are you really a Jedi Prince?"
He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He hated being called that. "Just a Jedi," he replied. "I'm going to stand behind you and just touch your mind. You need to focus on the pebble-" He almost bit his tongue as she pressed herself against the length of his body. Her ass rubbed against his pelvis.
Jealousy
The emotion hit him out of nowhere, then faded. It was so odd, like the emotion didn't really belong to him. He surely felt no jealousy towards this woman. It hadn't been the first time somebody attempted to seduce him during one of these evaluation sessions. He felt more bored annoyance than anything.
He stepped back away from her and his gaze landed on Rey. Her eyes were narrowed as she glared at the blond woman. Ben realized with shock that not only was Rey jealous of this woman trying to seduce him, but he could feel her emotions!
The woman stepped back into him again. After such a revelation, he needed to get away from her. He lightly pushed her forward. "I'm sorry, you're not Force-sensitive."
The blond woman turned pursing her red lips. "Are you sure? Maybe you could give me a private lesson?" She ran a finger down his bicep. "Maybe in your bedroom."
This one was bold. "I don't think so. You may leave now. Good day."
She frowned as she stared up at him. Then she shrugged. "Your loss." The woman then stalked over to Rey. She whispered, but not low enough that Ben couldn't hear her words, "You're still nothing but a dirty sand rat, Rey, whether you have the Force or not. I'm telling Plutt you're here."
Rey's eyes widened.
Fear
Anger
More emotions that didn't belong to him. They definitely came from Rey.
The blond woman stalked towards the ramp.
Ben, who couldn't look away from Rey, saw her focus on the woman's back. She pressed her lips together then flicked her fingers out.
He whipped his head around in time to see the woman get knocked over and go sprawling on the floor. A young man who'd been in line waiting for an evaluation helped her get up and guided her down the ramp.
Rey, a smirk on her face, walked in the opposite direction. She sat down in the corner on the other side and watched Alkos evaluate a young girl.
Ben closed his eyes, attempting to re-center himself and focus on the task at hand. He'd deal with what had just happened with Rey later. After a few moments of calm, he called the next person in line. He and Alkos worked steadily through all the people who'd requested an evaluation until none remained except Rey. The light outside dimmed into twilight and shadows surrounded them. Alkos excused himself, giving Ben a wink behind Rey's back. Ben almost Force-pushed him to the ground.
Rey smiled shyly as she walked over to him. "My turn? Should I push the pebble with my mind?"
Ben laughed. "I saw you push something much bigger than a pebble with your mind."
Her smile turned sheepish as she looked at the floor. "You saw that, huh? I probably shouldn't have done that. It's not the Jedi way. It's just that Adalinah and I go back a long way, none of it pleasant."
"She deserved it. The only thing you hurt was her pride. Besides, that young man never came back so I think she got her claws into him."
"Poor guy," Rey giggled. She stepped closer to him.
Ben's heart sped up as her eyes locked with his again. They air seemed to heat between them, sizzling. He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms. His muscles tensed.
Rey bit her lip. Then she closed her eyes and stepped back. The spell broke.
"I should go," she said in a sad voice. "It's getting dark."
Ben shook his head. He definitely did not want Rey to go. "Stay here. We have extra rooms. You're the only Force-sensitive person we've found here so far."
She licked her lips, which almost made him groan. "I promise I'll come back tomorrow."
Without thinking, he did something he'd never done before. Something forbidden to him as a Jedi. He took her hand, which looked so small in his, and pressed a kiss into her palm.
Rey drew in a shuddering breath, her eyes smoldering.
A spark of desire flared up in Ben. He couldn't be sure if it was his own emotion or Rey's.
After a moment, she slipped her hand away from him. "Tomorrow, I promise. Good night, Ben."
Ben nodded. He wouldn't force her to stay. "Good night, Rey." He followed her down the ramp and watched her walk the three blocks to the inn down the road. Even in the dark, she shone like a white beacon to him.
Spinning around, he jogged up the ramp and hit the button to close it. He planted himself at the comm unit. Glancing at the chronometer, he figured it should still be daylight at the Jedi Temple despite it being night here on Jakku. He activated it.
Luke's face appeared on the screen. His beard had gone completely gray, as well as much of his brown hair. However, he'd kept both short and well-groomed. His right blue eyes seemed curious. A thick scar ran through the side of his face where his left once was. "Ben! How is it going on Jakku? Have you found any Force-sensitive people?"
"Uncle Luke, I mean Master Skywalker, no. I mean, yes. I found... someone." Ben cringed at the confused quality in his own voice.
Luke looked at him questioningly. "Ben, take a breath then tell me what's going on."
Ben sucked in a cleansing breath. "I found Rey. Do you remember Rey?"
"I remember Rey."
"But she's exactly the same as she was twenty years ago. I mean, exactly the same. She hasn't aged at all. How is that possible?"
"Has she said she's the same person from twenty years ago?"
Ben shook his head.
"What has she told you?"
"I asked if it could have been her mother at the training temple, and she said her mother abandoned her on Jakku when she was five years ago. She had no knowledge of her mother's prior activities. This woman here would have been an infant back then, if she'd even been born yet!"
"Ben..."
He closed his eyes and ran his hand over his face. "Sorry. Why was Rey there at the training temple all those years ago?"
Luke grimaced. "I made a promise to Rey back then that I wouldn't discuss the circumstances of her visit with anyone. I won't break my word to her."
"Alright. But there's something else. Something I don't understand that's happening between us."
"Go on," Luke prompted.
"I can sense her emotions. Not just sense them. Strong emotions flood through me. It's just for a moment and I'm not even sure sometimes which emotions are hers and which ones are mine. It can be overwhelming. There's some kind of bond connecting us. How could that be happening?" Ben bounced against the chair, blowing off nervous energy.
"Have you ever heard of a Force Dyad?" Luke asked, studying his nephew through the screen.
Ben shook his head.
"It means two that are one in the Force. There's some prophecy about it, not that I'm too keen on listening to prophecy. Most of it's just bantha spit, but we can research it when you get back in a few days." Luke looked like he was jotting down a note off screen.
"We'll have to research quickly. I'm only going to be there for a day before my father picks me up to go to the lake house. Remember, there's a concert on Naboo. Are you going?" Ben asked.
Luke groaned. "I forgot about that. Your mother wants me to go, but I'm not sure if I can. I'll figure it out by the time Han gets here. In the meantime, you need to ask Rey direct questions. Don't make assumptions. If you are able to read her emotions, it's unlikely she'll be able to lie to you without you realizing it."
Ben nodded. "Good night, Uncle."
Luke gave him a grudging smile, allowing Ben's slip of the tongue. "Good night, Ben."
Ben switched off the comm unit and trudged back to his bedroom. The conversation with his uncle brought more questions than it had answered. Who exactly was Rey? Why did he feel so connected to her? What the kriff was a Force Dyad? He quickly changed into sleeping clothes and climbed in bed. He fell asleep with Rey in his thoughts.