2.

One, two, three, four, five, six, counted Taylor, taking a deep breath. She and her mom were currently meditating, or at least practicing meditating. They had started a few weeks ago, when Annette had thought Taylor was being too rambunctious. Now the both of them were sitting in an empty room, legs crossed and backs straight.

Taylor really didn't like meditating. Her mommy always said that it was important and she would like it in the future, and that it was a special thing to do. But she didn't like it at all. Sitting still for hours was boring, no matter how good it would be. And she usually didn't do it – any time when Annette came to drag Taylor into meditating, she complained and tried to get away every time.

This time she couldn't just run off, though. Her mom had promised a trip to the stars, and she couldn't just misbehave – that would take her window-seat rights away. So she had to suffer sitting still.

"I can sense you're frustrated," her mother said from her spot. She hadn't moved an inch during the whole thirty minutes they had been there. "Release your emotions to the Force, Taylor. Don't let them cloud you."

The little girl's posture slumped, and she let out an exasperated huff. "I dun' know how, mommy."

"Search yourself. Search the Force. The answer should come to you."

Mom really liked to say hard-to-understand stuff like that. How could Taylor search herself if she couldn't move? Searching the Force was hard enough – it felt really bad to look into it. It was like looking into a- a bad thing, and Taylor often felt sick afterwards.

But she tried. Her mom knew best, even if sometimes the best was stupid and dumb. When she had told mom about the nausea she felt from the Force, she had gotten an ice-cream and a hug. Her mom knew that the Force felt bad. Probably even to herself. But she still searched it and used it.

"Okay," muttered Taylor, and delved deep.

Taylor knew that the Force wasn't supposed to be like this. Here it was not-good, it's existence weird and odd. The Force was supposed to be good and nice. On Earth it followed conflict, aligned to bad things. She had been told by mom that in no way should she try to use these bad things. It was dangerous.

In space, far away from Earth, the Force was much, much better. Compared to the horrible feeling on the planet, it was like hugging Fluffy, her bunny, really tight and close. It was soft, safe, and warm. Sometimes her mom took her on trips to nearby star systems and she could meditate there, but now since the Mirage was broken, they had to do it at home.

So she tried searching herself, or whatever that meant. She thought about the last cookie she had eaten, and how good it tasted, she thought about the Mirage, and maybe how mom would let her turn the hyperdrive on, and she thought about-

"Clear your mind, lively daughter of mine," said Annette, her mouth turned up in a small smile. "I can hear your vivaciousness from here."

Taylor didn't know what vivaciousness meant, but it surely was something stupid. Nevertheless, she stopped thinking about interesting things, and tried to not think about anything. So she thought about the color white, because it was the closest to clearing her mind she could do. Her mom sighed, and stood up.

"This isn't working," she said, as placidly as she could.

"It's hard," grumbled Taylor, arms crossed. "I can't jus' – not think 'bout anything."

"I know, honey. But you'll learn it soon," replied Annette, extending an arm to her daughter, who took it eagerly. "Let's go take a walk, hm?"

They exited the house, going into the bright daylight. It was a Saturday, but Danny was still at work – some important meeting was happening. The street they lived in was currently having a neighborhood-wide yard sale, and many front lawns were filled with interesting knick-knacks and people. Taylor and Annette walked down the road, the former greeting her friends with energetic hand-waves and the latter with polite smiles and nods.

Taylor could feel both wariness and happiness in the people around her. In her city wariness was an emotion often felt, with villains and bad people always around. At least this time they were happy. She saw Ellie, her friend from kindergarten, and tried running towards her, but Annette kept hold on her hand, sending slight exasperation at her. That meant Taylor's lessons weren't over. She pouted.

"You'll have more than enough time to play later," said her mother, amused. "But we should continue our walk."

"Okay," Taylor mumbled. She didn't like waiting so much, when she could have fun playing superheroes with her friend.

They moved on from their home street, moving west. The trees surrounding pathways were losing their leaves, and there were some volunteers swiping them off the roads. Taylor wanted to jump in one of the piles of leaves, but no doubt her mom would deny that.

"The Force is my ally. Yours too, little owl," said Annette, holding Taylor's hand, making sure she wouldn't run off. She was a good girl, but often prone for bouts of brashness. "It surrounds us. It guides us. It connects us all."

"I know that," answered Taylor, ready to argue.

"But do you understand? The Force is-" started her mother, only to pause for a few seconds. "-always there for you. You need to let it guide you; you need to trust it."

"It still feels bad," Taylor said.

"It does. But you remember how it helps you off-world? How it makes you feel more?" She nodded, and her mother continued. "You need to know that the bad feeling you get here isn't because the Force is wrong, but it's because the people who use it are wrong."

"Do others use the Force like us?" she asked, wonder in her voice. She thought she and her mom were the only ones – she'd never thought there'd be others!

"Many do," answered Annette. Then her smile dimmed a bit. "Or, well. Many did. I'm not quite so sure anymore."

"Can we meet them?"

"I'm sorry, young one," said Annette, pulling Taylor along some steps. They were going towards a hill. "But none live here on this planet, and most of our kind is either untrained or not with us anymore."

They climbed the steps, nearing the park on top of the mound. They found a bench without people, and Annette sat on it with Taylor joining her on her lap. The sky was clear, no cloud blocking the bright sun blazing down on the city.

"Close your eyes, Taylor," her mother said, taking on a lecturing tone. "Search the Force."

Taylor did as she was told, and looked. The nauseating emotion she always had while doing this was still present, and she automatically curled back, trying to avoid it. A hand was placed on her head, and she could hear her mother voice in her own mind.

See past the Dark Side, the voice said. Don't ignore it, but don't give it any power. Let it flow past you. Don't let it get to you.

And so she pushed, helped by the warm presence of her mom, and she tried looking, tried finding the Force. She peered underneath, her childish innocence protecting her from temptations and vice, and there she found a glimpse of something. Taylor followed this something deeper, even deeper, and she was guided by it.

She could see anger, sadness, and guilt flowing around her, around Brocton Bay, but Taylor knew that it wasn't all it was. There were positive things too, but all hidden. She kept following the something, and passed through the murky darkness.

There, under all twisted space, she could see the Force as it should be. She jumped into it, letting it smother her, and she was joyed, because it was there – it was everywhere, now that she could find it. The Force hadn't been bad, it was there, and-

She was enveloped in a hug, her mother smiling down at her.

"You found it, yes?" She asked. At Taylor's nod, she released her. "Good. It will be much easier for you to find in the future."

"Can I go play with Ellie now?" questioned Taylor. While she liked the Force, she liked playing superheroes even more.

Her mother sent amusement at her. "No. You still need to learn how to control and release your emotions."

Taylor groaned.

-o-