Alex Rider: Jedi Knight

Jedi Goat

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider, Star Wars, or iPods, just my OCs (and they aren't very important).

Author's Note: Expect slower updates over the next few weeks as I'm going to be very busy with exams.

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Chapter 9: Homecoming Troubles

For the next few days onboard the ship home, Alex and Sabina carefully avoided each other. It broke Alex's heart, but it was the only thing he could do; there was no way any apology would get through her cold, hard blue stare.

If Jack or Yassen noticed any change in them, they wisely kept their observations to themselves. The days had become so eerily quiet Alex could barely stand it; he wanted to scream, if just to break the invisible barriers that had somehow built up around them seemingly overnight.

On the last morning of their trip, the four of them settled in the cockpit. Alex was eager to return home and do something, even if that meant going to school. He needed to escape the lonely, silent cage that his life had become.

Yassen's voice shattered the silence. "Alex. Would you like to pilot?"

Alex glanced up, dazed. "What?" He forced himself to register the words. "Oh, right. Sure."

He got up and took the pilot's seat, eyes skimming the controls in front of him. I've done this before. I can do it again.

Pushing his brooding thoughts away for another time, Alex pulled down the ignition lever. The ship jerked forward and the stars outside streaked together into a bright blur. Hyperspace.

He reigned over the buttons and flashing screens as the ship whistled toward Earth. And when they reached the planet, he brought the ship down to a low speed.

The stars regained their individual identities of sparkling dots, racing by and dancing through the heavens.

Then Earth appeared, as if a curtain had been raised to reveal the feature presentation.

The planet took Alex's breath away. For a moment, he was suspended in time, just him and the beautiful sea of blue, white and green below humming with energy. Sprawling land masses of green were surrounded by so much more blue, tendrils of cloud chasing each other across the surface. The Force vibrated with so much life, making the planet radiate like a beacon of light. Home. Nostalgia rushed through him. We're going home.

Then he was back in the cockpit.

"Oh my…" Jack whispered, as awed as Alex. Yassen was gazing forward coolly, but there were the faintest traces of a smile on his lips.

Alex glimpsed back over his shoulder to see Sabina's reaction. She had stood up, staring transfixed out the viewscreen with her hands clasped together in front of her chest. Alex felt hope swelling in him. Maybe she's finally loosening up…?

"Hang on," he warned, kicking the ship back into gear. They swooped downward, the planet engulfing the windows. The vast expanse of Europe loomed ahead and then swallowed them up; they were so close to the surface now that cities stood out like giant spots. Alex turned on the ship's cloaking device before gripping the controls once more, his complete focus on the landing.

Individual buildings came into view, each fighting to be the tallest and most prominent in his vision. Alex swung the ship away from the metropolis and past the square blooming fields of the farmers. He nudged the ship a little farther, until they dipped down into a copse of trees. Alex intended for the landing to be as light as possible, but the ship still shuddered when he set it down.

He leaped up and slid the ramp out. "Now there's only a short walk and we're home," he stated, breathing in the wonderful atmosphere of Earth. It's great to be home.

Yassen stood up. "I will leave you now."

"No, you won't," Jack unexpectedly shot back. "You will be a guest at our house tonight. After what you've done to help, it's only right."

Yassen shrugged. "That is your choice."

Alex jumped down from the ship. He was surprised; he'd have thought that Jack would have been more than happy to get rid of the assassin. But whatever was going on wasn't his problem. He had enough on his mind already, wondering whether there was still a chance he and Sabina could get back together or not.

A little while later Alex found himself alone in his room. He'd locked himself in as soon as he had returned home; he needed to be alone for a while. Downstairs, Jack seemed fine without him. She had been happily assigning housework duties to Yassen.

Alex flopped down on his bed, turned up his iPod and began sorting through his backpack. He gone directly from school to Coruscant, and so he hadn't had a chance to empty his bag before going on his mission.

Alex pulled out his cell phone and checked it for messages, even though he knew there would be none. He was rather surprised to discover a text message from Sabina, but his hopes fell when he realized it was from a few days ago. He read over the message, smiled sadly with the memory of the fight that had started this downhill roll, and leaned back against his pillows, closing his eyes.

He longed to go back in time with this message, to a time when he and Sabina had been friends. But those days were a distant memory; their friendship and that something more that they might have been had shattered, destroyed by a secret. His secret. If I wasn't a Jedi, if I wasn't a spy, then maybe Sabina would like me. But she only likes normal guys, Alex thought bitterly. He knew it was very unJedi-like to brood about the past, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't believe it was over between them.

Alex's phone rang, and he pounced on it, thinking it was Sabina.

"Hello?"

"Alex?"

Sabina slid her key into the lock and stepped into her house, breathing out a deep sigh of relief. Finally. I'm home.

"Mum? Dad?" she called, letting her backpack slip off her shoulders and land on the floor with a loud thump.

"Sabina? Oh, God, is that you?" Her parents raced in from the living room. Tears running down her face, her mother embraced Sabina against her tightly. Sabina hugged her back, blinking back her own tears. You have no idea how much I missed you, she wanted to tell them, but she bit her lip, knowing she had to stick to the story she'd created on the way home.

When her mother finally stepped back, it was her father's turn to hug her. Pulling back, he asked sharply, "Where were you, honey?"

"We were so worried!" her mother chipped in.

Sabina shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. "I was visiting a friend out of town. I wanted to call you, but their phone lines were down."

"What about your cell?" inquired her mother.

"It was out of batteries," Sabina lied. She stooped to pick up her backpack, letting her hair hide the fact that her face was burning with shame. "Now, if you don't mind, I have some homework I need to get done." She turned and raced up the stairs, trying to disguise her limp.

Sabina entered her room, closing the door quietly behind her. After hastily pushing a chair against the door, she flung herself down onto her bed. Hot tears spilled down her face. She hated this lying thing!

Sabina was halfway through dialing Alex's number before she remembered – I'm still not speaking to him. With a sigh she ditched her stuff on the bed and prowled over to her mirror.

"Grow up!" she spat at her teary-eyed reflection. "You're fifteen. Deal with this!" But the angry words did nothing to help her; her heart still brimmed with ache and a fierce anger at herself burned at her insides.

She needed help. Sitting on the edge of her bed wearily, Sabina reached for her phone. Not to call Alex. She needed someone who could understand and sympathize with her, someone who could show her what to do.

The ringing phone echoed in her ears. Sabina waited until she heard the voice on the other end say, "Hello?"

"Katie!" Sabina leaned back against the covers, feeling relief wash over her just at the sound of her friend's voice.

"Sab? You weren't in class the last few days. Where were you?"

"I was sick," Sabina pushed the subject away quickly. "Look, Katie, I need some of your wondrous advice."

"I'm listening."

Sabina took a deep breath, comforted by the patient presence of her friend. Katie would hear her out, no matter how long – or how emotional – her speech was. "A few days ago, I had, like, a big argument with this guy I know. Knew. He wasn't really my boyfriend or anything," Sabina added quickly, even though her fast-beating heart told her otherwise. She forced those thoughts away as she continued, "But we were still pretty close. And now he probably hates me and for a while I hated him, too. But now…now I'm not so sure." Sabina's voice had dropped to a choked whisper. "I think I want him back. What should I do, Katie?"

There was silence for a moment as her friend was deep in thought. Sabina gazed about her room for something to distract her from the frenzied thoughts and desperate hopes chasing each other in her head.

Her eyes settled on a tube of lipstick lying on her dresser. She focused on it, the vibrant pink interior seeming to shimmer in front of her face. Abruptly a deep feeling of calm washed over her, like a huge warm wave. Sabina closed her eyes, but she could still feel everything in her room around her. A distant part of her screamed, What's happening?! She tuned it out.

In her relaxed state of mind, Sabina drifted without worry in a void, separated yet connected to everything in the universe.

"Sab? Sab?"

Sabina jolted back to Earth. "What?" she asked dazedly. "Sorry." She shook her head, trying to clear the memory of the strange occurrence that clouded her mind.

"I said," Katie repeated calmly, "I think you should call the boy. Pretend you want to know the homework assignments or something. Then call me back and we'll judge how mad he is."

Sabina absorbed this slowly, and then she smiled. "Brilliant, Katie. Except he doesn't go to the same school as me."

"We'll think of something else, then."

"Okay. I'll call you back in a minute." Sabina hung up, gathered her courage, and dialed Alex's number.

To be continued...

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