Chapter 22

Rey could feel Kylo Ren's presence as he neared her cell. It bothered her that her whole being seemed attuned to his presence. She told herself that it was only because of her isolation and boredom. It wasn't because she felt anything for him.

How could she feel anything for him? He chose his path and she chose hers. There was no point in lingering on what could have been.

Still, that didn't stop her pulse from racing when the door slid open. Thankfully, her expression did not betray her. She kept up her serene and meditative façade, despite the fact that all of her other senses homed in on his presence. It was everything she could do just to keep her eyes shut and her breathing even.

She was going to ignore him this time. There was nothing he could do to move her. He needed to learn that this, whatever this was, was pointless. They were nothing to each other. Not anymore.

She was so focused on ignoring everything that she was caught completely off guard when something soft hit her in the face. Opening her eyes to see what the offending object was, she was completely unprepared for the sight in front of her.

Kylo Ren stared down at her. His expression was intense, but what arrested her attention and stole her breath was the sight of his naked torso. He was shirtless, again. Just like before, she found his state of undress to be completely flustering. Her mouth went dry and she struggled to form a coherent thought.

The only thing she could process was his broad shoulders and raw strength. He had a muscular physique that was clearly earned through grueling effort.

Rey could feel herself blush as she reacted to him. Why did he affect her so strongly? She had never reacted to anyone like this before. Not on Jakku and not to anyone that she had met since leaving the desert planet. It was just him. The one person she could not feel for.

It took her a moment to register that he was talking to her. These were not the first words he had said to her since entering the room, but her brain still had trouble processing anything other than his body.

When he took a menacing step forward, everything snapped into place and his words registered. She couldn't have him come any closer to her. Not until she got ahold of herself.

Seeing him turn around she made quick work of changing into the new clothing. The pants were made of a tight stretchy material that hugged every inch of her. The shirt clearly had not been sized for her. She practically swam in it. Still, it was clean and the fabric soft. Once she looped the belt around her midsection a couple of times it was perfectly serviceable.

Looking up, she was unprepared for the intense hunger in Kylo Ren's eyes as he looked at her. Everything on her was covered but his expression left her feeling naked and exposed. She was grateful when he ordered her to follow him and turned away from her. She didn't like how much his expression affected her.

Following Kylo out of the room, Rey soon became distracted by her surroundings. She had been unconscious when she was brought here so this was the first time she had seen anything besides the confides of her cell.

She marveled at the landscape before her. Each planet she arrived on was so different. Jakku was a sea of sand with blinding horizons. Takodona a lush landscape of forests and lakes. Kashyyyk was an enchanted world of treetops. Polk was a watery nightmare of mud and darkness. She had no idea where she was now, but this was a world of stone and lava. Rey was so arrested by the sight she didn't even protest when Kylo grabbed her elbow and hauled her along. She just kept looking at her surroundings, taking everything in.

This entire place seemed to dwarf her with its intimidating presence. She had never felt more insignificant. The ceiling soared far overhead. Only unlike Kashyyyk, where the heights filled her with a sense of freedom, this place felt crushing. Like she was an insect in the land of giants.

Finally, they stopped in front of another door. Kylo opened it with a wave of his hand and stepped back. Clearly, he expected her to go in first. A silent test of wills began to play out, but Rey conceded quickly before walking into the room with her head held high. She needed to save her strength for the real test to come. Allowing Kylo to bait her at every instance only demonstrated the power he had over her.

The room was clearly a training facility of some kind. To be honest, it was very similar to her cell. The only real difference was that this room was sparsely furnished.

Pouring as much boredom as she could into her tone, she asked Kylo what this was about.

His response chagrined her and pricked her anger.

He wasn't wrong. She had not fared well against him in their last few altercations. It was unsettling. It was almost as if they had changed places. Before she had been so confident, so sure in the rightness of her actions while he had been filled with conflict and doubt. She couldn't sense any doubt in him anymore.

Rey was prepared to draw a line in the sand and refuse him whatever it was that he wanted from her until he did something completely unexpected. He tossed her a staff. The weight felt good. Testing the balance, she twirled it around in a series of maneuvers that were second nature to her. What did Kylo hope to gain from this? He had to know that a staff was practically an extension of herself. She had never been beaten while she wielded this weapon.

Feeling her confidence grow, she allowed herself to respond to his attack. This was her chance to reassert her dominance. There was no way he could beat her with this.

Their bodies fell into a familiar rhythm. No words were said as they fought. The more they battled the deeper the force connection seemed to grow between them. That didn't help her though. Time after time, Kylo dropped her.

Each time he did she felt her anger ratchet up a notch. Unlike the confrontation in the forest on Starkiller base, this time her anger didn't help her. Before it sharpened her focus, guided her movements. Now it just made her attacks sloppier. Which led to him defeating her quicker which led to more anger. It was a downward spiral that she couldn't get out of.

Finally, after a particularly vicious drop, she stayed down. Her actions a testament to Rey's defeat. She couldn't even muster up a rebuttal to his commentary about her needing a teacher. She just wanted to lie there and for him to disappear.

She ignored him to wallow in her misery until he sat down beside her and offered her some water. She was much too thirsty to resist. Drinking from the container she watched him move around the room.

A shine of sweat glistened on his entire torso. It looked good. He looked good. She drank in the sight of him until he tossed her a towel. Her entire body was soaked. The fabric of her shirt clung to her form. She was fine now, but soon it would leave her feeling cold and the soreness from the battle would set in. She wished there was something other than the floor to stretch out on in her room.

Rising from the floor, she reluctantly followed Kylo out of the room. She didn't know how much longer she could endure the boredom of her cell. They walked back in the direction that they came. This time, her surrounding couldn't hold her attention. Instead, she stared at Kylo's broad back. His shoulders were strong and tapered gracefully into his waist. Everything about him spoke of power and in this moment, Rey hated him all the more for it. Her pride had suffered in that demonstration, and she was sure it was a demonstration.

He wanted her to feel helpless. This was not the same person that asked her to join him. The person in front of her would never say please. Whatever vulnerability in him was gone. Leaving only ruthlessness in its wake.

She had to admit, she didn't know this Kylo. She had known him as a mindless drone, Snoke's enforcer. She had seen him when the conflict ate at him, leaving him a lost soul. She had seen his rage, but she had never seen this Kylo before.

She thought that he would deposit her back in her cell, so she was surprised when he continued past it. Her curiosity over what would happen next took over. It continued until they reached their destination. When the door open, her curiosity vanished. Looking into the chambers, real fear replaced it.