"Why do you force me to hurt you?" he askes in his deep voice. I can barely keep my eyes open, but when I see him I almost feel relieved. They always stop when he is there.
"I'm not making you do anything Kylo," I mumble through swollen lips. I feel his hand on my cheek. It is a gentle touch, but the bruises make it painful.
"If you would just listen to him, this would be over. The hurting would be over."
"You know I can't listen to him."
"You can! I did! I became more powerful than I ever could listening to Luke! Just give into Snook. He will show you the way." I tense against my restraints and life my head to look at him in the face.
"Never. I will never join him." I spit at him. I can taste blood in my mouth. I can feel the room getting colder around us.
"Then join me," he says quietly. I almost think I heard him wrong.
"What?" I say. I am so defeated I almost let him see it in my face.
"Join me, together we could take down Snook and anyone who stands in our way. We could rule the galaxy, we could become king and queen of everything." He looks excited now, he takes my shoulders in his hands. "We don't need him. You and I are powerful enough to take him down together. Together we could get rid of him rid the galaxy of his filth."
"To what end? Rule it like the emperor did? With evil twisted agendas?" I spit back.
"We could start a new Jedi order, just me and you. But change it, let us use the dark side and the light." I am tempted by this. Together we could do what he is saying. And it would be much better then what it is now. "We could finally belong to something Rey, together." I thought of Jakku. I thought of how long I stayed on that planet alone, waiting for my family to come back.
I thought of how much I wanted to belong to anything but the desert. I look up into his dark eyes. I can tell he sees that what he is saying is working. I don't want it to work. I don't want to listen. But I do.
"We could change things, stop Snook and bring the Jedi order back?"
"Yes. But without the flaws it had before. We could bring peace to the galaxy. You and I, together." He seemed to like the idea of us together. And honestly it didn't sound aweful. His hands slid to my face, and they cupped both cheeks. "Rey. Please, we could save each other. You and I." I try to reach up to touch his face, but my hands are still manacled. I look down and try to control my emotions. If I let them go I will follow him. What he says sounds right. It sounds good.
"You would come back from the dark side?"
"The dark side gives me power!" he says a little harsher then he meant it. He sees he made me frightened, he looks away. "I will come closer to the light if you were with me." I want to believe he is telling the truth. With all my heart I want to believe. His name slips out of my lips before I can stop it.
"Ben." Suddenly he jerks away from me, and he covers his face with his hands.
"Ben is dead. Ben was weak." He screams at me.
"NO!" I yell back. "Ben was not weak! He was stronger then you. I didn't know you then, but I can still see him in you!"
"No! He is dead."
"HE is not dead. I see him, he is tormented, and he is twisted, but he is there. He is the only reason you have made it this far!" My voice echoes around the cell. And he turns to look at me. His eyes are glistening with tears. I want to reach out and touch him. Tell him it's alright. But he won't let me. He puts his helmet on: the helmet he uses to hid his tears.
"Think over what I said." He tells me. And he storms out of the room.