A/N: Thanks so much for the encouraging reviews on Chapter 1! I hope you all enjoy Chapter 2!
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There were voices. Angry and shouting. Each clamoring to rise above the other. She covered her ears and tried to block them out, but they kept getting louder. Light burned behind her closed lids, and she shut them tighter.
But then they snapped open of their own accord. Rey found herself curled in a strange chair by an empty hearth, and she was under a blanket—a soft, thick blanket with a plaid pattern. Confused, she blinked and raised her head. Rays of golden sunlight spilled through the windows on her left and across the wooden floor, warming her as it reached her chilled skin. And there were voices, but they were unlike the ones that haunted her dreams.
Curious, Rey sat up and planted her feet on the rug as she peeked around the edge of her chair. Two women sat at a nearby table, chatting and laughing, their plates filled with eggs and bacon and toast. The only other customer was a man sitting in the far corner with a newspaper in front of his face.
"Good morning," said a cheerful voice.
She gasped and turned. Realizing that it was Maz who had approached her, she brushed her disheveled hair behind her ear and blushed with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, dear," the old woman chuckled. "I didn't mean to startle you. When I saw that you had fallen asleep by the fire last night, I didn't have the heart to wake you. You seemed so exhausted."
"I'm sorry," Rey apologized sincerely. "I didn't mean to. I hope I didn't—"
"It's no trouble," Maz interrupted kindly. "I live upstairs, so I was able to lock the place up as usual."
Swallowing, Rey allowed her gaze to drift back to the ashes of the dead fire, and there was a pause. Should she ask? She wanted to, but she feared the answers to her questions. What if they weren't what she wanted to hear? What if they extinguished the desperate hope she had been clinging to all these years?
Finally, Rey looked up at Maz again and saw the old woman studying her closely. "I'm looking for someone," she managed to say, reaching down into her backpack and withdrawing a small photograph. "Have you seen these people?"
Maz took the picture in her wrinkled hands as Rey handed it to her, and after a moment, she shook her head. "No, I can't say that I have."
"Are you sure?" Rey pressed. "It might have been years ago."
"How many years?"
She bit her lip, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Twelve."
There was another pause, and Maz examined the photograph again. Rey glanced at her anxiously, her chest clenching. But the old woman merely shook her head again, her brow creasing with compassion.
"Are these your parents?"
Rey swallowed hard. "Yes."
"I'm sorry, child. We don't have many travelers pass through here, and I'm certain that I would have remembered them."
Her heart plummeted, and it felt like she had been punched in the gut. But she refused to give up so easily. "Well, someone must have seen them."
"I don't mean to pry," Maz began gently, "but what makes you so certain that they came here all those years ago?"
Reaching into her pack again, Rey dug around until her fingers grasped a familiar fold of paper. As she pulled out the pamphlet, she glanced at its cover, and printed in bold black letters was the word "OBSIDIAN."
"Here," she said. "I found this in my parents' bedroom years after they…after they left. I remember them talking about it, saying they wanted to be a part of it."
Maz exchanged the picture for the booklet, and as soon as she saw it, her features darkened. Noting the change, Rey's brow furrowed.
"You know it?"
Slowly, the old woman nodded. "Oh yes—I know it. Obsidian first came to this village six years ago, and Craiton has not been the same ever since. They claim that the government has granted them the authority to 'restore' our historical structures and 'improve' our quality of life. They've already been seizing the property of people in nearby towns, tearing down their buildings and ripping up their roads. But luckily, we have Leia."
"Who's Leia?" Rey asked.
"She is Craiton's mayor," Maz explained, "and we are very fortunate that she is. Otherwise, our little village would be unrecognizable. Leia has taken it upon herself to engage Obsidian in a court battle that has continued ever since their arrival, and things have gotten increasingly…unpleasant with each passing year."
"Where did Obsidian come from? Where were they headquartered before?"
"Manhattan, I believe," Maz answered thoughtfully.
Rey frowned. So her parents could have been working there, where she still lived, for several years after they left. Which meant that—no, that couldn't be right. There had to be something else. Something she was missing.
"Who runs Obsidian?"
"A man called Snoke." Maz's face twisted with disgust as she spoke the name. "But he isn't here often. When he's away, he leaves Hux in charge."
"I need to speak to him then—as soon as possible," Rey resolved, zipping the photo back into the front pocket of her pack.
"I should warn you," Maz added quickly, "Hux is a rude, distasteful sort. He might refuse to meet with you."
"That's a chance I'll have to take."
Stuffing the pamphlet in with the rest of her belongings, Rey stood and hoisted the heavy backpack onto her shoulder.
"Won't you at least stay and have a bite of breakfast first?" Maz urged.
"I, er—"
"Hi!"
Rey's eyes widened in surprise as she turned to see that one of the two women had risen from their table and come over to introduce herself. She was much shorter than Rey, with black bangs and a bright smile.
"You're new here, right? I'm Rose."
"Rey," she replied, shaking Rose's outstretched hand and cautiously smiling back.
"You should come sit with me and my sister Paige. Maz really does make the best breakfast. You won't regret sticking around for a bit longer."
Rey's first instinct was to turn her down, but how could she refuse now? She was in a hurry, yes, but she didn't want to seem rude either. "All right," she agreed finally.
Rose grinned, and Rey followed her over to the table. Allowing her backpack to slide off her shoulder, she lowered it onto the floor and looked at the other woman, who appeared to be a couple of years Rose's elder.
"Paige, this is Rey." Rose gestured from one to the other. "Rey—Paige."
"Nice to meet you," Paige said with a smile.
"Yeah, you too," Rey replied, and as Rose reclaimed the seat across from her sister, she nervously sank into the chair between them.
"So, you're going to see Hux?" Rose inquired, stabbing some syrup-drenched toast and forking it into her mouth.
"Yes," Rey answered stiffly. "I'm assuming Obsidian's headquarters are in town somewhere?"
Paige shook her head. "No. They're in the old mansion in the woods, about half a mile out. It's the only place in Craiton they've been able to get their grubby little hands on."
"Don't worry about getting lost," Rose added when she saw Rey's frown. "Just stay on the main path, and you'll be fine."
"Be careful though," Paige warned, leaning forward slightly. "That place is creepy."
Rey's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
The two sisters shared a glance. At that moment, Maz approached their table with a glass of milk and a plate full of eggs, bacon, and toast for Rey.
"Here you go, dear."
"Thanks," Rey replied with a smile that instantly faded once the old woman had gone.
Neither sister said a word, and her brow furrowed.
"What's so strange about it?" she asked again.
"Well," Paige began slowly, "the mansion was abandoned for years. No one wanted to live there after…after the incident."
"What incident?" Rey pressed.
"Someone died there," Rose admitted finally, "but that was a long time ago. We weren't even born yet."
"Are you saying it's haunted?"
Paige sighed and put down her fork. "I'm sure you're aware of how stories get spread around and change over time. Facts become gossip, then rumors, then myths. And one day, that thing that actually happened becomes a ghost story. A tall tale told around the fire to scare children with overly active imaginations."
"If you don't believe those stories, then why did you warn me?" Rey persisted.
Paige's mouth opened, but Rose cut her off. "Look, we'd be breaking an unspoken rule if we didn't. There's probably nothing to worry about, but just in case there is, we had to tell you."
Rey's gaze shifted uncertainly from one sister to the other as she swallowed a bite of bacon. "Uh, okay. Thanks then…I guess."
She wolfed down the rest of her meal in silence, and neither Rose nor Paige had much to say after their talk of the mansion in the woods. But every now and again, she caught them eyeing her with poorly disguised curiosity. Still, they kept whatever questions they had to themselves, and Rey was glad. She was unaccustomed to conversing with strangers, and she had no desire to speak of her past.
So as soon as the last morsel of food was gone and her glass was empty, she peeked over her shoulder at the chalkboard, then bent over and rummaged through her backpack. Withdrawing the last dollar bills that she had, Rey stood, walked over, and slapped them down on Maz's desk before the old woman could refuse her.
"It was delicious, Maz. Thank you," she said with a genuine smile.
"You're welcome, dear," Maz replied as Rey retrieved her pack and slung it over her shoulder.
"Good luck, Rey," said Rose. "I hope you find what you're looking for."
She hesitated, then nodded. "Thanks."
Heading for the door, she left the pub and stepped out into the morning light. The autumn air was crisp and cool, the cloudless sky deep and blue. Rey inhaled an invigorating breath, her gaze roaming over the charming white and red brick cottages that lined both sides of the street. To her right was the road that had brought her here, and across the way was a narrow lane that passed in front of an old church. On her left, the main street divided into two separate paths, one remaining straight and the other curving beyond her line of sight. Considering that the former was a dead end, Rey concluded that the latter was the one she needed to follow.
Returning to where she had left her bike the night before, she climbed on and pedaled out onto the asphalt. Her tires were still slick, and the road still glittered. But though her muscles were sore from the previous day's exertion, Rey's exhaustion had been replaced by fresh determination. She had a destination—a purpose.
It was time to pay Obsidian a visit.
