Curse my stubbornness, curse my stupidity and curse Barry Manilow for ever writing the song "Mandy" because that's the first thing my brain tortured me with when I woke up.

First thing's first though: I was in a crap load of pain.

Since I'm a natural klutz and – as you've no doubt realized – a magnet for bad luck, I've had my share of scrapes and burns and cuts but this topped it all. It was like having your insides stomped together and then twisted until there was only spaghetti left.

Secondly, I was thirsty. My mouth was a sandy desert and I was yearning for a drink of water.

But – and there's always a but – I wasn't fully conscious to make myself heard quite yet. I could hear voices all around me, whispered words I couldn't make sense of and, obviously, the steady and rhythmic beeping sounds always associated with hospital rooms.

Briefly I wondered if I would ever learn to do as I was told and thus stay out of hospitals.

Hopeless endeavor, I suppose.

Minutes passed, maybe even hours. I had completely lost my sense of time. I was, more or less, stuck in a stupor, unable to move, unable to do anything other than think. It's been said that the process of thought and my humble self do not get along quite well. I start thinking up the silliest worst case scenarios ever, knowing full well that they would never happen. But it kept me occupied so I wasn't too worried. Up until I started getting bored.

And we know what happened last time I got bored…

I fought to open my eyes and I tell you, it's the oddest thing fighting your own body. For me, it felt like forever until I made out a slither of light cascading down from above me. A warm, yellowish light and this time it didn't even hurt my eyes.

I blinked a few hundred times, trying to move. I must have looked like a fish, trying to talk. And by God I hope I wasn't drooling.

Eventually, I think I groaned. Inhuman noises, no doubt. If I were in a movie, I'd look perfect. I'd open my eyes with a smile and I'd be happy to be alive! I'd have make-up on, too and there wouldn't be any drool marks running down the side of my cheek. But this isn't a movie. I looked like crap, I felt like crap, my eyes didn't want to obey me and happy to be alive? Pfft.

It hurt.

I heard the swishing sound of a door opening. Then there came tiny little footsteps that would have had me frowning, had I been able to do so.

There was silence for a long while and I was beginning to think I had imagined the sound. But then came an adorable cute little voice, squeaky like a mouse. "Good to see you're awake."

I blinked again and moved my head towards the voice. My neck was stiff, which made me wonder how long I had really been laying here like a vegetable.

"How are you feeling?"

My eyes widened when I saw the small figure standing beside my bed. I suppose it was a she and she really did look like a mouse, with cute little pointy ears and a small snout and huge black eyes. I smiled a little, cleared my throat. "Thirsty."

I was endlessly grateful when the little thing handed me a cup of cool water from a nearby table. I held it in my hand, steadily, raising the cup to my lips – but that's about it. I couldn't move any further. I felt like something was stabbing me in my side.

Oh wait. Been there, done that.

"You must be careful." The little mouse said. Strangely, this little cute thing didn't even freak me out. Could it be? Was I already getting used to this new world? "You are not fully healed yet. Here, let me help you."

I arched a brow at that. She was so tiny, how could she possibly help?

After a moment I realized that she was a Jedi. How did I notice?

Well, pillows don't fluff on their own, now do they?

I stared wide eyed, while I got more comfortable. I sat up a bit straighter with newly fluffed pillows and I couldn't keep a look of bewilderment from my face. "Can all Jedi use this Force thing?" I asked, finally taking a sip from my water.

It was fascinating, it really was. Cool, clear liquid ran down my throat and it was wonderful. It was like finally being able to breathe again. I hate being thirsty.

"Of course. It is why we become Jedi."

"Can anyone become a Jedi?"

She shook her head. "No. You must be a Force sensitive to be able to tap into the Force."

I lay back with a frown. Too complicated for me at that moment so I let the matter drop. I handed her the almost empty cup of water and closed my eyes, trying not to move a muscle.

But that's when everything came back to me, the angry crowd outside in front of the temple, the witch with the knife and her ugly smile when she stabbed me.

Stabbed. Me.

It was unbelievably hard to grasp this fact. Someone deliberately hurt me. On purpose! It was like being back in school again, being bullied around just because you're a wee bit different. Again, I sighed and closed my eyes.

There was so much I didn't know about this place and I feared it.

Honestly, I was so scared I started to tremble.

The little mouse seemed to feel my discomfort because she placed a tiny hand on my arm. I looked down at her and forced a little smile.

"You'll be fine." She said. "Don't worry."

I wasn't worried about my health.

I was more worried about my sanity.

The little mouse – her name was Tekli, by the way – left me to my thoughts for a very long time. I was alone in the room, and so I indulged in what people here call the holonet. I suppose you could compare it to the internet back home, only way cooler.

Holograms that looked real! Imagine surfing the net for neat yummy pictures of Gerard Butler or Hugh Jackman and they appear life sized right next to you! In color! I was thoroughly amazed.

I opted for watching strange shows on the holonet while I lay there fighting boredom. Seems talkshows made it to another galaxy, as well.

Well look at that! The alien version of Jerry Springer. I mean, I know these silly talkshows can be outrageous but this was – yeah, I don't even have a word for it.

There's a young human girl sitting on stage, crying her eyes out. She was holding her hands in her lap, shaking all over while telling the host – a very very handsome man with red skin – about a lost love. This lost love turned out to be a huge, ginormous worm. I'm not joking.

I gaped at the hologram. It was impossible to close my mouth, it was impossible to even blink. This slimy worm was her lost love? So not believable.

So very Jerry Springer.

It was amusing, though. Especially when the girl jumped up to hug her worm and someone from the audience claimed she was hugging her long lost husband.

The media…what can I say?

I switched channels and ended up watching a horribly silly movie. I was a bit relieved to know that entertainment was basically the same anywhere you went. Even the commercials seemed familiar. Add a couple of alien beings and it's just like home.

The door to the hospital room swished open suddenly. I turned my head just a little and heaved a sigh as Master Durron came in with a tall dark haired man trailing along behind him.

Now this guy? Hadn't seen him yet. I would have noticed Mr. Perfect, believe me.

Testosterone on two legs, I swear.

He was tall, much taller than Master Durron, with short dark hair, bright blue eyes and a smile to die for. He wore a lightsaber like the other Jedi but – and this I found extremely cool – he wasn't wearing the robe!

This was, more or less, the first time I had seen someone in civilian clothes but it wasn't really my style. Didn't they have simple jeans and t-shirts around here? It all looked so 1970.

"Hello." I said weakly, switching off the holonet with a control mechanism embedded in the armrest of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" Master Durron asked, coming closer.

I sighed. "I got stabbed. What do you think?"

"Sorry about that, by the way." The other man spoke up with a deep, mesmerizing, perfect voice.

Oh, wow… Who are you and where have you been all my life?

Durron gave the other man a foul look then cleared his throat. "Tekli says you'll be ready to leave in a day or two."

"Well, that's good." I said and I actually meant it.

"And then we really need to talk." He added.

"Well, that's not so good. I don't much like talking, if you haven't noticed."

"You can't run away like this again." Was I imagining it or did Master Durron's voice actually hold a touch of worry?

"It's my fault." The other man piped up, running a hand across his head as if he had an itch. I watched him a moment, the way his forehead furrowed, the way his mouth was set into a straight line, the way he fidgeted. "I should have stayed and –"

"Stop whining, Ganner." Master Durron breathed.

I had no idea what they were going on about. "Stayed?"

"I only went to go get a cup of caf, I swear."

I arched a brow. "Caf?"

"Yeah, caf."

I frowned. "Caf?" I asked again, wondering what the heck this caf was.

"Yes. Caf. Hot, brown liquid to make you stay up for three nights in a row."

"Oh! You mean coffee!"

"Coffee?"

I sat back and waved the question away. "Never mind. So what about the coffee? I mean caf?"

"When I got back you were gone." The man, Ganner, said sheepishly.

I remembered the Jedi robe I had borrowed, the wonderful smell on the thick dark fabric. "Oh." Was all I said. There wasn't anything else to say. Maybe he was waiting for me to go berserk on his ass? It felt like he thought it was his fault that I had snuck out.

Sure, I could just imagine me yelling at him. "If it hadn't been for you, I'd still be locked up in that tiny little room and no one would have stabbed me! This is all your fault!"

Oooookaaaayyy….

"Oh. Well." I shrugged. "Doesn't really matter anymore, does it?" I said, feigning a smile.

"We'll let you rest some more." Master Durron said.

And I surprised myself when I sat bolt upright in bed suddenly. I shouldn't have done that because I fell back against the pillows, gripping my side with a grimace. "Don't go." I whispered between clenched teeth, counting down the seconds it took for the sting to lessen. "I could really use some company." I forced a little laugh. "Do you have any idea how boring it is here? I can only occupy myself for so long watching horrible movies and women lusting over worms."

Ganner laughed. "Were you watching the Neo Jett show?"

Master Durron groaned and shook his head. "How you can endure that stuff I'll never understand."

"Neo Jett?" I asked.

Ganner pulled up a chair from the corner and sat down, crossing his long legs at the ankles. "Yeah, he's a Zeltron guy. Red skin?"

"Ah yes. That's him. And I thought our shows back home were strange."

It turned out that Ganner was a really nice guy. And funny, too. While we talked about all sorts of entertainment stuff – including some really astral music (I learned a new word!) – Master Durron sat quietly and simply listened.

From the corner of my eye I watched him. Calm, seemingly at peace, no frown on his face, no evident agitation.

He seemed at ease.

And the two hours we sat talking about this and that (they answered a ton of my questions, thank God), I actually enjoyed myself.

It was…nice.