Three months in the Academy had taught Ben a lot more than he had initially expected to learn. It was true that he hadn't been having the best time. The other students were nice, Coulter included, but they all seemed wary of him. That had been his first lesson: Jedi don't necessarily need friends. After all, Luke was on his own, trying to raise a new generation of Jedi by himself. Ben would've been lying if he'd said he hadn't wanted someone to pay him a little attention, in a positive sort of way. The only time the other kids every really talked to him was when they wanted to know something about his family. This was especially true for James and Olive. They always wanted to know something. Someone always did. It was true that Mariana and Indigo were always extra nice to him, but he could feel the thin barrier. They were afraid of him. Even if they didn't know it.
The second thing Ben had learned was that using the Force was a lot harder when you used your "inner peace." The Force wasn't as eager to respond when he didn't have darkness helping him out. It ignored him, fairly blatantly. He made progress slowly, but he had dropped to the same level as everyone else. It was driving him slightly insane. It had been so tempting just to let his frustration take over, but he had abstained. As annoyed as he had become with trying to find serenity, he didn't want to touch the dark side again. It wasn't that he feared it. Despite what the others thought, it didn't hurt him. Really, he was more afraid of how it made him feel. He felt powerful. He felt unstoppable. Entirely invincible, almost like he was...
Immortal.
The idea was addictive. Heck, the dark side itself was addictive. The darkness had a pull to it. A beautiful, mesmerizing sort of pull. It was hard to see the down-side of something that seemed so good. It made him stronger.
But lesson three had been to keep any of these thoughts to himself. They would've terrified the other Padawans, and Luke certainly didn't want to hear them. He had tried to explain once, in a rare moment where he got to converse with his uncle without an eavesdropping classmate. Luke had quickly quieted him, warning him that such thoughts were dangerous. He had seemed greatly on edge. The way he talked sounded like it was from experience. Ben wondered if the man had ever come close to being enticed by the dark side. He had a feeling he would never find out. That was surely the type of thing that Luke would keep incredibly private. Who knew if even his parents knew?
But the most important thing that Ben had learned at the Academy was simple: he was really, really bad with a lightsaber. It was unbelievable. Even with his developing Force skills and his enhanced senses, the boy was just awful. It had felt awkward holding his toy saber when he had first received it, and this was worse. Trying to fight someone with it was hopeless. He would've had a better shot if he had just tackled his opponent. He was honestly lucky they were using training sabers. Otherwise Ben would've surely already "become one" with the Force. More than once.
So after all of that, the break for the anniversary of the empire's fall came as a huge relief. He sat in the back of the small ship piloted by his uncle, drifting in and out of sleep. They were supposed to touch ground at home soon. Ben was excited to see his parents again, as exhausted as he was. He needed a nap. But nonetheless, he would put it aside. He had missed his two favorite adults. Some nights had been hard. Homesickness was, well, about as fun as shoveling Bantha dung would be.
Normally, Ben would've tried to make conversation with his uncle, but he was having a hard time. The easy relationship between the two had dissipated. Luke had become more stern throughout the course of things. He had really began to fill the role of teacher, which was all well and good. It just made him hard to relate to or talk to. Ben could only see his mentor. He'd be being dishonest if he said he had never thought of the man as Master Skywalker.
They were two different people, really. His Uncle Luke was fun and relatable, with a love for flying and a goofy smile. Master Skywalker was tough and dedicated to the Force, with a need for order and a constant perplexed frown.
The problem was that it was often hard to tell the difference. Like now, for instance. Ben watched Luke carefully. He seemed mildly serious, and Ben was sure he was using the Force to assist him. But at the same time, his expression was lighter than it had been in months.
"Are we close?" Ben dared, deciding the best way to gauge which one the man was now was simply talking to him.
Luke started, mildly surprised. But he looked back at Ben and smiled. "Sure are," he confirmed. "We'll be landing really soon. In fact, I'm going to pull out of light speed now."
So it was his uncle he was talking to. It seemed confusing, thinking of him as two different people, but it was the only way Ben could comprehend it. It was just easier to try to be more relaxed if he thought of Master Skywalker being back at the temple, and Luke being here.
Trying to smile and put the Academy out of his mind, he watched his uncle flip switches and pull levers so quickly that Ben had to take a moment to marvel at it. There was a lurch as they pulled out of light speed. This sensation always made his ears pop, strange as it was. He wrinkled his nose, but all the same, addressed the man, "You're a really good pilot..." he hesitated, it felt foreign coming out of his mouth now, "Uncle Luke."
Luke either didn't notice his apprehension or just chose to ignore it. "Have you ever flown with me before, Ben?"
The boy shook his head, shaggy raven hair getting in his eyes. "No. My dad insisted on flying me to stay with you in the beginning, and then when we went to Coruscant, there was a pilot that flew us there."
"Was there?" the blond sounded confused by his own actions. "Now why would I have arranged that? I was capable of flying us."
"You were meditating the whole flight there," the boy practically giggled. "I think you were more nervous than I was."
The man laughed sheepishly. "I guess that's true. I just hadn't realized you'd never seen me fly. I've always loved it, you know. It's fun."
Ben couldn't help but grin mischievously. "Are you a better pilot than my dad, Uncle Luke?"
"Oh, definitely. I keep wanting to race him to prove it, but your mom hardly approves. She thinks it's dangerous and he's going to end up killing himself. Plus, he has an advantage with the Falcon. It looks like a piece of junk, but it's a pretty fast piece of junk."
"How long have you been a pilot?" the boy questioned.
He shrugged. "Well, not as long as your dad. I knew I could fly. I could feel it. But I didn't really have the chance until I was pretty much already an adult. It came to me naturally. I get it from my father. He was a natural-born pilot too."
Ben stopped. The temptation to ask more about this mysterious father was strong. He decided to proceed very carefully. "He was?" he asked simply, trying to sound intrigued.
"Oh yeah. He was actually a pod-racer."
The Padawan gasped. "No way! He was in a pod-race? But those are so dangerous!"
"I know. He was the first human to ever win the Boonta's Eve Classic... when he was nine," the note of pride in Luke's voice was somewhat wistful. "I've heard all sorts of stories from people who knew him... before..." he trailed off.
The boy teetered back and forth. Should he? Shouldn't he? He really wanted to know. He wasn't going to be pushy. That would irritate and alarm his uncle. Instead, he just murmured, "Before he gave in to it?"
"Yes," the Jedi answered, surprisingly straight-forward. "He was a good man for a very long time beforehand, and he was one in the end."
That was all Luke ever seemed to say on the subject. But Ben didn't want to know about before and after. He just wanted to bluntly blurt, 'What was he like when he was evil?' Again though, he took a different route.
"What was his name?"
"Anakin Skywalker was my father," the man said, his speech confusing his nephew. What an odd way to word it out of the blue.
Ben wasn't exactly dumb, though, and he understood after a second of thinking about it. "Anakin was your father," he agreed, "because that's what he called himself when he was a Jedi, right?"
"That was his name."
"Well, right, but was it his name when he was a bad guy?"
He sighed. "No."
"What was it?"
There was a moment of tense silence. It was deafening. Ben fidgeted, waiting for some sort of answer with bated breath.
Finally, Luke said, his voice shaking a little, "Darth Vader."
No way.
Ben had read about Vader in history class. The man had been a ruthless employee of the emperor's. He was clearly a Force user—his infamous ability to strangle a man without his hands made that incredibly clear—but that was never directly mentioned in the book. Lots of things were unknown about him. His real name, for instance, or why he wore that suit all the time. Its mask had become a symbol that struck terror in many parts of the galaxy. Vader had helped build the Death Star. He had been there when an entire planet had been destroyed. No one thought of him as human. He was a cold, unfeeling robot. No, he was worse. He was a murderer.
"I'm related to Darth Vader?" Ben whispered.
"It's not something to talk about at the Academy," Luke's voice became sharp, but his tone mellowed after a second. "But yes. He was your maternal grandfather, though I think your mom would prefer if you thought of Bail Organa in that light." He paused. "I don't mind if you talk to your parents about this, Ben. I'm not sure they'll be thrilled that you know, but I wouldn't want you hiding anything from them. I would, however, like if you'd wait a couple days. You just got home. This not what they want to kick-off your homecoming with."
Ben nodded. "I understand."
"Thank you," Luke sounded relieved. "We're going to be landing in a second," he added, almost as a second thought.
"Right," Ben answered.
His heart jumped into his throat. It was going to be good just to be with his parents at home. He was so tired of being so far away. He was excited to see his mom and dad. It seemed like forever since he'd talked to either of them. Occasionally, at the Academy, he'd been able to contact them and have a short conversation, but that was the extent of it. There was no Holonet at the Academy, and it was hard to have a conversation over commlink when seven other Padawans were attempting to eavesdrop the whole time.
They had a smooth landing, much to Ben's surprise. The Falcon didn't have many of those. Maybe it was ship itself, maybe his dad was just bad at landings. He didn't dwell on it, he just watched Luke carefully. The man's face was entirely calm. Ben couldn't tell if he was using the Force or not. He had to be. He was almost too good at this to not be. If all of this was natural, then maybe he really did rival Han after all...
"Okay, Ben, well..." Luke took a deep breath of fresh air as they both climbed out of the two-person ship, "welcome home."
The boy practically sprinted towards the front door, a huge grin on his face. Before he grabbed the door knob, however, the door was flung open. His parents stood there, huge smiles on both of their faces. He jumped towards them, and they embraced him joyfully.
"Mom! Dad!" he said, as soon as he had pulled away. "I missed you guys so much!"
"We missed you too, Ben," his mom sounded entirely sincere, and the happiness in her warm brown eyes confirmed it.
Han ruffled his son's hair. "Look at you, champ! You're really starting to look more like your old man, you lucky ba—"
"Han!" she cut in, sounding absolutely appalled.
"Gosh, Leia, I was going to say Bantha. What were you thinking?" he wiggled his eyebrows at her challengingly. His trademark grin was on his face. Ben had missed seeing that every day.
She huffed. "Don't teach your son to lie."
"I'm not! I would never do that! I know the values of honesty, right, kid? I would never encourage you to lie!"
It sounded so scripted that even Ben came close to rolling his eyes. He instead tilted his head. "What about the time we broke the—"
"It really is good having you back, kid," Han grabbed his son and uncharacteristically pulled him into a hug in an attempt to muffle his words. "We weren't going to talk about that, remember?"
Luke chuckled suddenly, seemingly very amused by something. Everyone turned to stare at him, having pretty much forgotten he was there. He cleared his throat. "Sorry," he smiled. "I just didn't realize that Han had actually used the blame the Wookiee method."
Leia gasped. "My broken window? That was you?"
The pilot of the Millennium Falcon glowered at his brother-in-law. "Thanks a lot, Luke," he growled. "Stay out of my head. It's not meant for you to go picking through it. I know that you Jedi don't understand boundaries, but you're going to have to understand that most people don't read people's minds! It's considered rude."
The blond looked apologetic. "Sorry."
"So how was the Academy, you two?" Leia asked conversationally.
Han soured at the mention of it, but just crossed his arms. "Yeah," he deadpanned. "How was the Academy?"
"It was..." Ben searched for the words to describe it accurately. He couldn't find them. His uncle was standing right behind him, and he didn't want to hurt the man's feelings. "It was good," he responded lamely.
"Everyone's made incredible progress," Luke answered calmly, blond head tilted to the side. His blue eyes were calculating. "Especially Ben," he added carefully.
Ben blinked. He had? He didn't feel like he'd made progress. If anything, he felt like Luke had turned him around and made him walk backwards, further and further from his goals. What has he made progress at? His lightsaber skills were dismal, and his Force skills were average. He frowned. Maybe his uncle was just saying that because he didn't want his dad to know that Ben was a failure as a Jedi.
"He has?" Leia stepped in, her voice so cheery it almost sounded forced. "Oh, that's wonderful! I was worried that he'd fall behind since all the other kids are so much older."
The Jedi chuckled. "No, not at all. Ben is right with them, in fact... sometimes he's better. I know he doesn't think he's any good with the Force," he snuck a glance at his wide-eyed nephew as he said this, "but he's really got astounding potential."
"And what about the problem he was having?" Ben's mother questioned, her tone entirely even, her expression entirely mild. "Has that been resolved?"
Problem? Ben creased his brow. What problem? What problem would they have been—
The dark side.
It wasn't even his own though initially. It was almost as if someone had whispered it to him. He knew it immediately to be true. But he blinked, baffled. What had said that? It had sounded odd. Tinged with fear and anger, full of disbelief and irritation. And the voice had almost sounded like his father's. Something occurred to him and he inhaled sharply. Had he...?
Everyone turned to look at him, startled by his sudden gasp. The child cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Sorry," he apologized quickly. "I, um, I'm just so, uh, so happy to be home."
It was a lame excuse but one they accepted. They all just smiled at him adoringly—and admittedly somewhat patronizingly—and went back to talking. Only Luke's eyes lingered on him a second longer. A curious, yet wary look he'd been receiving frequently as of late. His uncle was always staring at him as if he was either going to cure all diseases or destroy the universe at any second.
But Luke shook it off and directed his piercing gaze at his sister. "It's getting there," he said, almost cryptically. "We've worked on it a lot, and I don't believe it's contacting him anymore."
"You don't believe so?" Han sounded sarcastic. "Well, isn't that a dilemma. I wonder how you could figure it out. How would we go about seeing what somebody else is thinking without spying on their thoughts like creepy freaks?"
The blond sighed. "I really don't think that—"
"Look, Luke, if it's too hard of a question, I can drop you a hint. It has something to do with actually ASKING HIM."
"I don't—" he began uneasily.
"Ben," the pilot began, pointedly staring at his son. "Has the dark side been contacting you?"
Ben actually found his father's bluntness refreshing. It was nice. His teacher—no, uncle! His uncle was always so cryptic. And his mom had the same tendency to be too gentle and nice just to point out the problem. At least his dad made it simple.
He hesitated for just a fraction of a second. "No," he lied, doing his best to mask his thoughts. Mental shields were the best thing he had learned in Force training. He stuffed the recent memories of feeling the dark side away. Of course it'd been contacting him! It tried all the time, but he ignored it. Almost always, he just waited it out. Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he brought a few different thoughts front and center. A lightsaber fight he'd been losing, but had used the 'peace and serenity' side of the Force to actually win. Granted, it had been Calum, who was almost worse with a saber than he was, but he had taken it. Another memory he threw at Luke was when he had actually managed to lift a dinner plate higher than anyone else for real. It had wobbled, and only gone a couple feet up before it fell, but he had done it earnestly instead of with the dark side.
"That's good, Ben," the Force-trained man said, sounding mildly suspicious. But he put on a smile. "So Leia, have you heard any news about the Senate?"
"I haven't," she confessed. "Not lately. I did, however..." she stopped, as if considering silence. She cast it away after a minute, deciding to keep talking. "I did get an invitation to come back."
Both men gasped, sounding like schoolgirls who just got an earful of shocking gossip. Ben giggled to himself.
"Oh Leia, that's incredible!" Luke exclaimed, embracing his sister.
Han just gaped at her, slack-jawed. "You did?" he finally managed, sounding extremely flabbergasted. "Why didn't you tell me? When did you get that?"
She adjusted the bun that sat perched on top of her head. "A few months ago, a few days before Ben went to the Academy. I wasn't going to accept until he left. I quit the Senate because I needed to take care of Ben. But I guess my name was on a recent ballot. I believe one of the other senators put it on there, and I got elected to serve another term. They've given me several Galactic Standard months to decide. I told them I couldn't until I knew if Ben was going to stay at the Academy more permanently or not."
"Why didn't you tell me?" her husband repeatedly angrily. "You're just going to run off? Abandon us? With absolutely no warning or reason?"
She crossed her arms defiantly. "No. I don't up and go whenever I feel like it. If I make a commitment, I stick with it. I would never bail out on people that need me."
Her words were pointed, and they seemed to really strike a nerve with Han for some reason. Ben watched them, confused.
The woman glared at her husband, but after a second her clear irritation was replaced with just wariness and exhaustion. "I knew you would be upset. You don't want me to go back, Han. And really, I don't need to. We have plenty of money. It'd be better if I stay here with you. Of course it would. But I... I don't know. I feel like I'm doing something to restore democracy, and to continue my father's legacy."
Ben's heart felt like it stopped. "Darth Vader?" he whispered, unaware he'd even said it at first.
But all three people turned to gape him. He turned crimson when he realized his error. Bail. She'd meant Bail Organa. Her adopted father.
"How do you know that, kid?" Han's voice was actually a little shaky. He shot an accusing look at his brother-in-law. "Where did you hear that Darth Vader was your mom's dad?"
Ben didn't want to sell Luke out. He floundered. "Well, I... I know that mom was adopted, you guys told me that. And I know that Luke was raised by his actual aunt and uncle, and technically mom's aunt and uncle. Neither of them had any siblings but, um, their Uncle Owen had a step-brother and... um..." he had no idea where he was going with this. "That was Darth Vader," he finished lamely.
"That makes no sense," Han informed him.
Luke cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Han, Leia. I told him on the flight here. He was asking about my father and—"
"We didn't want Ben to know," the pilot of the Millennium Falcon interrupted. "We didn't want him to know that he was related to the man responsible for the empire's rise."
Luke sounded oddly defensive. "My father made many mistakes, Han. I know that."
"Mistakes? Mistakes? Your daddy-dearest was a homicidal lunatic made out of more metal than most blasters! He blew up a planet!"
"That wasn't my father. Anakin Skywalker was—"
He scoffed. "Look, we had no problem with the kid knowing about Anakin. More Jedi in the family. Big whoop. It was the Vader we had a problem with!"
"I wasn't trying to—"
"Ben," Leia's gentle voice quieted the room immediately, "you understand that you are nothing like Darth Vader, don't you? And that being related to him doesn't make you a bad person?"
He nodded quickly, though he wasn't sure he understood as well as he wished he did. "Yes, mom."
"Then I see no harm in it," she said dismissively. "But next time you tell him something life-changing, Luke, we'd like it if you consult us first. We are his parents." There was a warning note in her voice.
The Jedi nodded, even faster than Ben had. "Of course, Leia." He stopped, as something seemed to occur to him. "I forgot about that," he murmured, mostly to himself. "You'll have to excuse me, I just realized I have to go attend a meeting with the Senate. Which means I have to be on Coruscant in a couple hours. Unlike you, Leia, I'm not invited as a senator." He winked at her jokingly. "No, I'm just there to talk about the Academy. Defend it once more. They fear that history will repeat itself and it will fall. They think a new empire could rise. Of course, it's ridiculous, but a necessary discussion apparently."
"Did that happen before?" Ben dared.
Luke looked to his sister, his wide blue eyes asking permission. She waved her hand warily, telling him to go ahead.
He turned back to his nephew. "Yes. There was a Jedi temple in Coruscant where they trained younglings. It was where the emperor put his palace. Now we use it as a Capitol building."
"What happened?"
He sighed deeply, running a hand through his hair. "You've probably heard some of this in history class. A Jedi defected and killed all of the younglings."
The boy gasped, shock painting his features. "No! That's awful! Who would do something that horrible and evil? What Jedi would be that cruel and heartless?"
"Anakin Skywalker," Luke responded stiffly.
The youth inhaled sharply. "That was Darth Vader? The history books say it was a nameless, hooded figure."
"That's probably how he looked at the time. He didn't need his suit then," he explained.
"This is why we didn't want you to know about him," Han snapped. "He was evil."
This comment clearly struck a nerve with Luke. His face reddened a shade, and he began to clench his fists. But his training, obviously, allowed him to stop it. He took a deep breath. His hands unfurled and the color left his cheeks. Calmly, he forced a smile. "I really have to go. I'll see you all later. Enjoy your vacation!"
"Luke, if you'd like you can stay for dinner—" Leia started.
He shook his head, walking towards the ship. "Thank you, but that's okay. I really have to go. Some other time, Leia, I promise," he favored her with another, slightly less forced, smile. The gratitude in his blue eyes seemed genuine.
She frowned, hands on her hips. "Are you sure that you—"
"Really, Leia. I'm good. I'll see you soon." He directed his attention towards his brother-in-law next. "Good talking to you, Han. Ah..." he rubbed the back of his neck, "do I need to come back after break?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" the man barked, anoyed by the Jedi's attempted subtly.
He sighed, unhappy with being forced to be blunt. "Is Ben staying enrolled in the Academy?"
Han made a face. "I don't like the idea of it," he grumbled. "But I'm guessing his mother does. So I guess we'll compromise... and Ben will go."
"How is that a compromise?"
"Don't ask me," he shrugged.
A mild amount of anger displayed itself in the pilot's face. He fought it back. He suppressed his frustration, most likely for the sake of his wife and son. It was admirable; Ben smiled. His dad was showing the patience of a Jedi! That wasn't like him. At all. He was trying for them.
"Well, I'll take that as a yes then," the blond said after a second's awkward silence. "I'll see you in a week, Ben," he told his pupil.
The boy tried not to grimace. "Bye Uncle Luke."
The three Solos stood there, watching as Luke climbed into the cockpit of his ship and took off. They were entirely quiet until he became no more than a speck in the afternoon sky. Once he was gone, Leia turned to her son. "So honey, are you ready for our trip to Endor?"
Ben froze. He'd forgotten. Every year, his parents took him to visit the Ewoks on Endor, because it was where they had been when the empire fell. He had been enthralled by the trip when he was younger, but now? He was exhausted from his stay at the Academy. He had just gotten home, he wanted to enjoy it. At the moment, galavanting off to an entirely different planet didn't sound appealing. He really wanted just to be home. But he had never been artful or tactful when it came to words, so instead of voicing his fairly eloquent thoughts, he just said, "Mom... I don't want to go to Endor."
"What?" the woman asked, her warm eyes widening in shock. "Why? We always go to Endor. It's where your father and I were when the empire fell!"
"I know that," he responded lamely, sticking his hands in the pockets of the jacket that he adored so much. It felt good to wear it again. He hadn't been allowed to put it on over his Padawan robes. "But I... well... I just..." his face reddened.
In his head, his words were sweet ones explaining how he just wanted to stay home and be with his parents. His mouth just wouldn't cooperate. No matter what he told it, it wouldn't obey.
"Don't you think I'm a little old to play with teddy bears?"
No! Of all the things to say, it picked that one? That certainly hadn't been what he was going to say. He immediately regretted it. The way his mother's face fell made his heart ache. He wanted to apologize, but, for some reason, he couldn't. He stared at her, slack-jawed.
Both of his parents gaped at him. There was a tense moment of silence. Finally, Leia spoke. Her brown eyes were teary, but she nodded. "I didn't realize, Ben," was her simple response. "You're eight now. Of... of course you're too old. I guess we can just stay home this time." She attempted a smile, but it looked more like a sad grimace. "Han, I'm going to go get ready. We have to go pay a visit to a house a couple blocks from here. We need to make sure that nice girl doesn't come over here to watch the house this week." She exited the room quickly, sounding a little choked up.
His dad blinked, entirely startled. "Ben!" he exclaimed, turning on his son. "You can't talk to your mother like that! We're going to Endor, I don't care how old you are! Those furry little pests annoy me too, but I shut up and I go!"
"But dad, I didn't really mean the teddy bear thing... I just... wanted to spend the holiday here. I'm tired and I just need to rest a little."
"Yeah? Well, you should've said that instead of 'too old to play with teddy bears,' brainiac! Now I've got to go convince your mom to go to Endor, even though I don't want to go myself!"
The raven-haired boy frowned. "But if you don't want to go to Endor then why are you—"
"Look, kid. You messed up and upset your mom, and now it's my job to go un-upset her. Even if that means I have to go 'play with teddy bears.'"
"But I don't understand why she's so upset about this! I am a little old to play with the Ewoks. I'm tired of singing 'Yub Nub' and I'm tired of doing tribal dances!"
Even if he hadn't felt that way initially, he was starting to get defensive. His dad was putting all of this on him. So what if he was too old? Why did his mom care? It was less flying anyways. Less work for everyone.
Han was beginning to look frustrated.
"Look. I'm going to get your mom and so we can go talk to that Nebulae girl, but on the way over I'm going to try to talk her out of this."
"I'll come with y—"
"No," he cut his son off. "You'll stay here. Or go for a walk of your own, I don't care. But for now, just try to steer clear of us. It's nothing personal, kid," he added, seeing the way the eight-year-old's face reflected his hurt. "It's just so you can't remind your mother about why she's upset."
"Sounds personal," he muttered.
The pilot huffed, not justifying that with a response, and practically stomped from the room, clearly eager to find his wife—or just get away from Ben.
Sulking, Ben kicked at the floor. This wasn't fair. Emotions he hadn't allowed himself to feel in months welled within him and he knew he had to get away from them. The darkness filled his mind, clouding his thoughts. He couldn't be around his parents when he was like this. They'd probably take one look at him and know his anger was a sign he was contacting the dark side. Then they'd send him back to his uncle and that accursed school even earlier than expected.
"I'm going to the park!" he yelled, half-hoping they didn't even hear him. He didn't care if they worried.
Flinging open the front door, he stormed outside. Free of their judgments and worried glances, Ben let himself feel.
For the first time in what felt like absolutely forever, Ben felt anger. Pure, unbridled anger. It filled him, heating his face and clenching his fists. He hadn't been allowed to feel this much rage in months! It felt... good. His heartbeat sped up a little, as the fury was accompanied with adrenaline. Real adrenaline. Forget his inner serenity. He knew the dangers of the dark side; Luke's voice was nagging him deep in his subconscious but he silenced it. That didn't matter anymore. He didn't have to care. He could think whatever he wanted to; Luke couldn't listen in. He was free.
But he couldn't really be happy about it. Filled with this much frustration, all he could do was break out into a run. The wind nipped at his cheeks. It was surprisingly cold out. Ben hated to admit it, but he was glad he had his jacket.
After a few good minutes-maybe longer, he lost track-of running as hard as he could, the boy finally slowed. He was out of breath, his lungs felt like they were going to burst, but he didn't care. Most of his anger had alleviated. It was replaced by guilt and exhaustion. He fought a sigh and peered around himself. He blinked, startled. Where was he? He wasn't familiar with this area of the planet. There weren't many buildings. He spotted one or two houses, an inn... and what appeared to be a restaurant of sorts. Many speeders were parked outside of it, but he didn't see anyone near them. Panic rose within him.
Ben was lost. He didn't know anyone anywhere near him, and he didn't have a clue what was going on. For the first time in his life, Ben was completely and utterly alone.
A/N: I really didn't mean for this chapter to take so long to upload. I just kept getting stuck. Originally, this chapter was meant to be quite a bit longer, but I thought what I had was pretty solid. So, I cut it off here and decided to post it, since I figured you guys deserved a chapter.
All that aside, though, I really hope you liked it. Don't be afraid to leave a review if you did! They make my day.