Chapter Nineteen

Rey lost all sense of time. The only light in the room was artificial and food was delivered at irregular intervals. At first, she scoffed at Kylo's version of punishment. Isolation, ha. She was always alone on Jakku. This was nothing.

But she was wrong. On Jakku she had activities to keep her mind engaged. There was always something to do. At first, she kept occupied with physical activity. She practiced combat maneuvers over and over, until sweat ran down her body. Eventually she exhausted herself.

Next, she tried meditation. She cleared her mind and focused on emptying herself of all thought and emotion. To simply breath, to simply be. This was much harder than the physical exertion. Rey was a creature of action. Emptying herself of everything felt unnatural and she found that she could only maintain her focus for limited periods of time. Not nearly enough to fill the hours of the day. Or maybe it did, she had no way of knowing.

Finally, she tore a long strip of fabric from the bottom of her tunic. It was wider than she meant to make it, leaving a line of her abdomen exposed to the air. Oh well, she mused. It wasn't like the room was cold and no one came to visit her except the most basic of droids.

Rey had to snort at that. Apparently, she couldn't be trusted with regular droids. All the models that entered her cell had the most limited functional capabilities. None possessed the brilliant AI of BB-8. The droids shared another common feature. All their external hatches and junction boxes were welded shut. This made it impossible for her to steal parts from the droids. Apparently, Kylo knew she would not be a good prisoner and would try to escape. Or she mused, this was another part of his punishment. He knew she liked to tinker. That working with her hands soothed her. Perhaps this unending boredom was part of his torture.

She had to admit, she was surprised. She didn't know what she thought would happen when she woke up in this bizarre room, but this was not it. She was well fed and unless you count that first fight, she hadn't been harmed. No, that wasn't right either. Kylo had not really harmed her in their fight. If anything, it had been humiliating losing so completely. The lack of physical damage added to that humiliation. He didn't need to break her to win. He had completely dominated her, and it didn't even seem like it was much effort for him. What had changed?

And, where was he? Rey didn't want his company, but all of his fierce declarations made it seem like each day he planned to torture her. Not that she was complaining. She much preferred not being tortured. Apparently, he just wanted to lock her away and forget about her.

Picking up the piece of fabric, she used the Force to levitate it in the air. It was certainly lighter than the rocks on Crait, but she realized that weight and size really had nothing to do with it. Concentrating, she focused her efforts into controlling the movements of the fabric. She watched it move around the room, varying the speed of its flight and rapidly changing its direction.

When that too got boring, she focused on manipulating the fabric into different shapes. That took a lot more effort. It exhausted her but not nearly as much as trying to meditate. Still, what else did she have to do?

…..

Two days, that was how long Kylo was able to resist going to her. He wanted to prove to himself that she didn't matter. That the scavenger didn't hold any power over him and that his desperate need for her would abate now that he had her in his possession. He was wrong.

His need for her continued to grow. He craved to be near her. That was the real reason why the left the planet. Not because he was needed elsewhere, he could have issued his commands from anywhere. He needed to demonstrate that he was the one with all the power.

In the end, he had to return. The distance between them was too agonizing. He craved her too much. No longer in a mindset to deny himself, he disembarked from the carrier and went directly to her cell.

Seeing her again filled him with relief. Just being near her soothed him. She stared fixedly on a piece of fabric as it levitated in the air. The fabric was shaped like a circle before morphing into a square. She was clearly practicing with her powers. Good, Kylo thought. This wouldn't be nearly so fun if she just rolled over and gave up.

Seeing him broke her concentration. The piece of fabric fell to the floor. They stared at each other in silence.

Finally, Kylo stepped into the room. "I see you've been practicing."

"Oh, you know how it is. A girl must find time to practice no matter how busy her schedule is."

Kylo smirked at her sardonic reply. Clearly the two days in total isolation hadn't improved her manners. He was glad.

"Of course," he replied in a matching tone.

"In fact, I am much too busy for any kind of interruption so if you don't mind, I would like you to leave."

"I don't think I will. It would be a shame not to test your progress. Clearly, you've been working so hard."

Kylo advanced into the room and stood before the fallen strip of fabric. He exerted a subtle amount of energy and lifted it into the air.

"Take it from me," he commanded.

Rey glared back at him. She wore that familiar expression on her face. Getting to her feet, she looked like she wanted to tell him to go to hell.

"I am not in the mood for games today, Kylo." She practically spat out his name.

"No?"

Kylo kept his tone light, belying his actions. Lashing out, he used the force to throw her into the wall behind her. Taking advantage of her surprise, he continued to use the force to turn her to face the wall. She struggled but was unable to break his grasp.

She gave a slight gasp of surprise when the piece of fabric tied itself around her wrists. She now had both hands tied behind her back.

"Break out," Kylo commanded.

"Go to hell," was her sharp reply.

Ignoring her words. Kylo leaned against the wall next to her.

"I told you. You need a teacher."

Rey continued to struggle but was unable to budge from the wall. Looking at her with mock sympathy, Kylo tsked his distain.

"Maybe you need an incentive," he mused.

He moved away from the wall and circled behind her. She couldn't see where he was now.

"I'll make you a deal. If you can break free using only the Force, I will reward you. Fail, and I will punish you."

Rey growled out her frustration, but she did what he asked. Sweat broke out on her forehead and Kylo could feel her powers pushing against his own. She practically hummed with concentration but despite her best efforts, she was unable to break his hold on her. Having indulged in this game long enough, Kylo released his hold on her. What he didn't do was untie her hands.

The serving droid rolled in. Breaking the tension between them. A wicked grin spread on Kylo's face as he looked down at the platter of food.

Once again, he used the Force to manipulate Rey's body. This time he forced her to her knees. Picking up the tray of food he gazed down at her for a long moment. He loved seeing her like this, on her knees before him with a look of angry defiance in her eyes.

Settling down in front of her, Kylo picked up a piece of food.

Her expression morphed into one of frightened incredulity. "What are you doing?"

"This is your punishment," was his reply. He brought the piece of food to her lips.

"Eat," he commanded.

When she didn't open her mouth, Kylo's expression grew hard.

"You would prefer another punishment?"

The menacing tone he used made Rey shiver. She studied him intently, clearly weighing her options. Just when he was about to force the issue, Rey opened her mouth.

The smile returned to his face. He feed her every piece of food by hand. She clearly hated this but was unwilling to push him any farther. Good, he thought. The soft movements of her mouth held him transfixed. He longed to touch her lips, but he wouldn't. At least not yet.

They didn't speak. He fed her slowly, clearly enjoying her torment. Then, when there was only one morsel of food left, he brushed his thumb over her lower lip. It was soft and smooth.

Rey was so surprised she fell back. Kylo didn't say anything. He released her from her bonds, got up and left the cell.