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Chapter 13:
Rey had been asleep for a little over 12 hours. In that time his mother had tried to contact the First Order several times. He'd ordered that all communications with the Resistance were to be ignored. They were no long negotiating. The Order had everything they came for; their general and the force user. Though he would have rather dealt with his mother than what he was doing right now.
"That girl is the reason your plan failed," Thalia yelled.
Kylo sat on his throne and watched her as she paced back and forth and screamed at him. She was dressed in her battle gear which was made up of flexisteel cloth and durasteel plates. An electro-plasma sword was strapped to her back. She long hair was braided and wrapped around in a tight bun.
"If you would have just let her go we could have the Resistance in the cells of the Vengeance right now waiting to be executed! But now all we all is the bitch you're lusting after," she screamed.
Kylo was barely paying her any attention. He was more concerned with Rey. He'd felt the darkness creeping into her being the same way it had crept into his, so many years ago. He might have wanted the Resistance gone but not at the cost of her Light. Slipping into darkness so quickly would no doubt lead to her killing at least a few members of the resistance before Kylo could get to her to stop her. Whenever she came back to herself she would never be the same. She would never be his Rey…
"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME," Thalia screamed before attempting to slap Kylo across the face.
He froze her with the force and held her there, the force squeezing her slowly. He was still calm. More calm and focused than he'd been in a long time. Seconds later he felt a tingle in the back of his mind and knew Rey was awake. He glanced at Thalia, still hovering in the air.
"I will deal with you later," he said coldly. "Guards take her to the prison. Let's see how the Queen of Jasmenerth does in a cell," Kylo called to the stormtroopers right outside of the door.
Thalia fell to the floor as her weapon flew from her back to Kylo's grip. He could hear her screaming insults all the way down the hall. His stride was hurried as he rushed toward his rooms where Rey was waiting.
He entered the code that allowed only him to come and go. Rey was sitting on his bed staring down. She didn't even seem to notice that he'd come in.
Rey, he tried gently.
She didn't look up.
Rey, he tried again. Go away, she said lowly. I need to make sure you are okay, Kylo said in a gentle voice. Why do you care? You had that ship blow me out of the sky, she hissed.
Kylo stood there awkwardly. He didn't know how to tell her that he could sense her falling to the dark side. Furthermore, he didn't know if she would even believe him. With the energy he was feeling from her at that moment, he knew she wouldn't.
You had that ship waiting for us to take off, didn't you, she accused.
She got to her feet and was staring at him with angry eyes. For a second he couldn't meet those eyes. He remembered kissing her vividly too and it did something to him to see her so angry.
Yes, he admitted.
Rey let out a frustrated scream. The glass of water that he'd left for her flew into the wall near his head and shattered sending glass and water flying everywhere. Kylo didn't flinch as shards sprinkled against his skin. Kylo could feel her anger rising. He needed to do something to defuse the situation.
I did it for you, he said lamely. For me? You did what for me? You shot Tayven out of the sky and killed him. You shot me out of the sky and kidnapped me. Tayven was my friend and he'd never done anything to deserve the end you gave him, she hissed. He teamed up with the rebels. That's enough, Kylo said before he could even stop himself.
This time he did flinch and had to deflect the datapad that Rey sent flying at him. He imagined to the outside world it sounded like they were having one hell of a fight. Which in a way they were but at least she hadn't tried to run him through yet.
You do realize that I am a part of the Resistance, too, she asked incredulously. When he didn't say anything, she moved into his direct line of sight and said, You had that ship waiting for us.
He could feel her mind pressing against his. It was a lot easier for him to put up mental walls against her than the other way around but with her this angry and determined, Kylo felt himself straining. He sighed.
Yes. It was supposed to follow back to the Resistance base, he admitted. And then what, she asked in a near whisper.
He knew she didn't really want to know what his plan was, she just couldn't help herself. She was angry and wanted to lash out. Not that he could blame her, he'd known she was going to be angry when he had ordered Thalia's ship to shoot her down.
"They were supposed to report back to me and then the First Order would come and capture the Resistance," he said aloud.
A book came flying at his head. It thudded against the wall when he deflected it. She screamed in frustration. He wanted to go to her but that would put him in striking distance. She was angry enough to use her fists on him and attempting to restrain her would just lead to more fighting.
Did you think betraying my friends and capturing the Resistance was going to bring us closer, Rey screamed in his head. I try not to think about you when I'm making plans for the First Order. As long as you are safe, nothing else matters, Kylo said not looking at her.
She gaped at him and wanted to slap him.
It may not matter to you! They may not matter to you! Your mother may not matter to you, but she does to me! Chewie matters to me! Finn and Rose matter to me! Poe…
Kylo gave her a look that had made bigger, badder men whimper for their mothers.
You dare mention that pilot scum's name to me after he kissed you! Was it the first time or the tenth? Tell me Rey, he practically screamed at her.
He invaded her personal space looking down into her angry, defiant eyes.
Should I ask how many times you've kissed your…your women, Rey's voice quivered.
Anger and sadness warred in her as she avoided Kylo's question. Jealousy burned through him so hotly he felt as though steam should have been coming from his ears.
Never! You are the only woman I've ever kissed. I'd give anything to know that was the first time you ever let him kiss you. Even give Kalissa and Megum new assignments, Kylo said.
She looked up at him. He would give them up with her right here in the flesh. Even if she didn't want him in that way…having her so close wouldn't allow him to even think about anyone else. He was thinking so loud, he hoped she would hear his thoughts. She looked up at him with so much anger in her eyes. The way she was staring at him made his heart ache. Maybe she had finally realized that no good could come from them being together. He hoped not, he was risking so much for her.
I think we should just stick to working together to be as strong as possible. And for that I need you to train me. All romantic feelings should be put to the side, Rey said as coldly as she could.
Kylo felt like she'd punched him in the gut. He'd thought for sure she would be happy that he was willing to send his other lovers away. She'd seemed upset when he refused to give them up before, so why wasn't she happy now. He tried to feel for her emotions, but she was shielding so hard that he couldn't feel anything from her but the pulse of life.
If that is what you want than I can only agree, which is why you will not be staying in these rooms with me. I have arranged for you to have a set of rooms not far from here that will act as your cell while we are to train. Only another force user will be able to open the door. That is the only way I can keep you safe while you are here. It'll still be a few hours so I suggest you get some rest or meditate. When I come back it'll be to begin your first training session and then take you to your new rooms, Kylo lied quickly.
He originally planned to keep Rey with him but since that's not what she wanted he would have to have the special door installed in the rooms he had set aside for her done early. He turned on his heel and left her standing there.
For the record Poe and I've never kissed before today, her voice came as he made his way down the hall.
…
And I am sorry that you have to stay here now. I will tell my subordinates that I am trying to turn you to the dark side, he sent back to her.
Rey stood there staring at the jet-black metal of the door that Kylo had disappeared through. She'd felt his pain at her words, but she felt it was necessary. He had to be a better person if things were to ever going to work between them on that level. And if she gave into him, gave him what she knew he wanted of her, no matter how much she may want it, things would get too complicated.
Now that she had pissed Kylo off and she was locked in this room for who knows how long, there was nothing for her to do but sleep. Or try and hack the fancy panel Kylo had used to get the door to open. If she could get out of here she could steal a ship and get back to her friends. Or at least get a signal out. Maybe Chewie was out looking for her. He would definitely hear her distress call and pick her up. Kylo would be even angrier but hey they could still train whenever the force connected them again.
Rey frantically looked around the room for any sort of tool that she could use to get the panel off. Once it was off she could just start pulling out wires until the door opened. She'd already proven that she could use the Jedi mind trick on any Stormtroopers she came across, so it would be no problem to take a blaster or two in case she ran into someone she couldn't use the mind trick on.
After 10 minutes of pulling open every drawer, cupboard, and compartment that she could find, she realized there was nothing in there that she could use. Apparently Kylo had thought of her trying to escape again and prepared for it. She wished BB-8 was with her, he'd be able to get them out of this room with no problem.
Since the little astro-mech was hopefully safe back on Olara with Poe and the others, Rey would have to figure out a way to get herself out of this mess. Rey stood in front of the panel and reached out for it with the force. It was harder to sense things like metal and plastic but not impossible.
Rey concentrated with her full might and pulled. She was straining and starting to sweat with the effort but the panel didn't seem to be going anywhere. Instead she tried to feel for the wires and pull on those.
She felt something give and felt a wave of triumph for just a second before she was hit with a mild shock. It sent her flying backwards a little ways but didn't seem to hurt all that much. In fact it just pissed her off that Kylo would even think of something like that.
Where do you plan on going, Rey? Every Stormtrooper on this ship would love to hurt you. Hux wants you dead. What would happen if you ran into a squadron of soldiers and I couldn't make it to you in time, Kylo's worried voice came through their bond.
Their proximity to one another had allowed the bond to open enough for them to communicate but Rey couldn't see him.
I want to go home. Back to my friends. Being your prisoner was never a part of the plan, Kylo. I want out of this room, Rey yelled back. Any ship you steal from here would have a tracker on it that would lead the First Order straight to your precious Resistance. Just sit tight. I will be back in a couple hours with food and then we can start your training, Kylo said.
Rey took his words as truth. Rey could defend herself against any Stormtroopers or even Hux if necessary but the last thing she wanted to do is lead the First Order right back to the Resistance. That meant she would have to stay here until she could either figure out how to disable a tracker or Kylo decided to let her go. She wondered which would come first.
With nothing else to do, Rey decided to go and take a shower. According to Kylo she'd been in these clothes for over 24 hours and they were stiff with dried blood. She stripped out of her clothes and headed into the 'fresher.
The hot water stung when it hit her open wounds and the water that flowed down the drain was tinged with the reddish brown of dried and fresh blood. The soap in the dispenser smelled like Kylo and Rey was hesitant to use it, but in the end figured it was better to be clean. Once she was clean, she stepped out of the Fresher and began to dry off with the fluffy black towels that were in a cabinet right outside the shower door.
She tried not to catch any memories from anything in there. Just being there made her want to shatter everything around her but she contained herself. She didn't want to have to explain to Kylo why his fresher was ruined.
Rey returned to the main area and began rummaging through Kylo's things looking for something to wear. Obviously everything was way too big for her so she threw on one of his black tunics. Then she went back into the bathroom and began washing her under clothes and leggings in the sink.
Luckily there was a hair dryer in a closet near the fresher. After her under clothes were clean she could get them in a sink, she dried them with the hair dryer and slipped into them under the tunic. The leggings however, were another story. It would take hours of constantly moving the dryer back and forth to get them dry. Though she he did feel better now that she was wearing something under the tunic that was more of a dress on her small frame.
She headed back into his room and noticed that the shattered glass, water, broken datapad and the book had all been cleaned up. The clothes and things she had pulled from his drawers were put back. There was even a new data pad on his desk. She wondered if a Droid or several droids came in to do the cleaning or if there were Stormtroopers whose only jobs were to clean up after the new Supreme Leader.
Rey saw the holo-transmitter on Kylo's desk and rushed over to it. Maybe she could get a message out to the Resistance, not that she would want anyone to run the risk of trying to rescue her from the First Order's new flag ship. She immediately thought better of it because there was no way Finn and Poe would want to leave her on this ship. She sat heavily in the chair in front of Kylo's desk.
After she'd been sitting there she was starting to think that drying her leggings would be the only way to pass time until Kylo came back with food. As boredom began to settle in, she felt Kylo's mind pressing against hers gently. She opened herself up enough so that they could communicate.
I'm just checking to make sure you're okay and you haven't completely trashed my room again after CD-0897 came in and cleaned up the mess you made earlier, his voice was emotionless and cold inside her head.
It reminded her of the way Luke had talked to her when she'd first tried to convince him to come back to the Resistance with her. She hated to hear Kylo's voice like this but it was her own fault. She'd told him that they couldn't allow their romantic feelings for each other to continue to grow but Rey was just now realizing what that meant.
If she and Kylo didn't feel anything for each other on that level, that essentially made them enemies again. Would he really try to turn her to the dark side, now? Would he train her the same way Snoke had trained him?
Look, Kylo. I think we should talk, Rey said, in a small voice. I don't. If you need something to do, you can begin the first training exercise that I have for you. I don't need to be there for this. I am sure Luke had you doing the same thing. I want you to meditate, clear your mind of everything except for the Force and once you've done that I want you to lift my desk chair and hold it at least a meter off of the floor, Kylo said, sternly. For how long, Rey asked instead of arguing. Until I bring you dinner, Kylo said and then was gone.
Rey felt a little lonely with his presence being suppressed so thoroughly. Of course, she was still furious with him, but she was now all alone in enemy territory and her only ally treating her exactly how she'd asked to be treated; indifferently. She shouldn't have cared, she'd made her mind up long before arriving on this ship that she couldn't feel anything personal for Kylo Ren, he was the type of man who could only succeed in hurting her. So why did it hurt so much that he was being so distant?
Instead of thinking too hard about it Rey decided to do what Kylo told her. She settled on the ground with her legs crossed. She began breathing deeply and clearing her mind of all thoughts. Though one particular thought kept creeping into the back of her mind; she was in Kylo Ren's bedroom and they would be all alone. She'd dreamed of him enough that heat crept up her neck into her cheeks.
She quickly banished any thoughts headed in that direction, after all Kylo was having her very own rooms set up for her right this minute. They would probably only see each other for meals and training. She couldn't complain now. She was the one who wanted to keep things professional between the two of them. They needed to save the galaxy.
After a few minutes she got her mind to cooperate and was able to feel the force in and around everything around her. Even the inanimate things like the data pad on the heavy stone desk and the plastic and leather of the chair that Kylo wanted her to lift. At first it was easy to keep the chair the full meter off of the floor but the longer she had to hold it there, the more of a struggle it became. Within 20 minutes sweat was beginning to form on her forehead and her breathing was slightly uneven.
Remember if the chair touches the ground you have to start all the way over, Kylo's voice came through her mental barrier and Rey found it would take too much concentration to reply so she didn't.
…
He could feel the moment Rey slipped into her meditative trance. He was impressed with how deeply she was able to immerse herself so quickly. Maybe her training with Luke had been more thorough than he'd first thought.
"Ren! Ren, I asked you a question," Hux's annoying voice crashed through Kylo's thoughts. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT: REY OF JAKKU, FORMERLY OF THE RESISTANCE IS MY NEW APPRENTICE? AS LONG AS THE RULE OF TWO STANDS AND THE TWO OF US ARE THE ONLY FORCE SENSITIVE PEOPLE IN THE GALAXY, SHE WILL BE MY APPRENTICE! GET OVER IT, GENERAL HUX, unless you would prefer a different position within the First Order," Kylo said, barely able to regain his calm.
He had been a briefing for the last couple hours with the senior officers of the Order, only a few who were still loyal to Snoke or Hux. The few who were loyal to Snoke and Hux had spent the whole time questioning almost every order he'd given since becoming Supreme Leader and in a few weeks' time he would no longer have to deal with the insufferable men seated in front of him, including Hux. Kylo had to focus to keep the smirk off of his face. He chanced a glance at Phasma who was standing behind him and a little to the left, making it clear who she supported.
"We understand the need for the rule of two, Supreme Leader. We are just skeptical in your choice of apprentice. Rey of Jakku is a known Resistance fighter who killed Supreme Leader Snoke. She must be punished," Chief Officer Hunana demanded. "Yes, Supreme Leader Ren, she must be punished," Hux agreed. "Also we would like to know why Queen Thalia of Jasmenerth is in a cell, while the scavenger girl is sitting comfortably in your quarters," Officer Reighnen said.
Kylo grimaced. He'd almost forgotten about his earlier encounter with the hybrid queen. He supposed he should let her out before their relationship deteriorated even further. He needed to figure out a way to appease everyone in this room as well as the Jasmenerthian queen, at least for a little while longer. Once Rey had completed her basic training she would be able to defend herself against anyone who stood against her.
"Thalia needed to learn a lesson. She tried to assault me. She's lucky she was only thrown in a cell and that she didn't lose her life," Kylo said.
Many in the room nodded in agreement but Hux, Hunana and Reighnen all had looks of disapproval on their faces.
"You brought the Jasmenerthian Queen onboard and into the inner workings of the First Order because she has just as much reason to hate the Resistance as you do but all you two have been doing lately is fighting? Could that have anything to do with that filthy scavenger girl," Hux accused. "More so that she couldn't handle the fact that I don't want her by my side, General. If you are so concerned with Thalia, why don't you take her to your bed so that she is less concerned with what I am doing," Kylo said dismissively.
Hux turned a bright red. Kylo had felt Hux's lust for Thalia when they'd first met her and it hadn't diminished even knowing she'd slept with Kylo Ren. If Hux could keep Thalia busy for a little while, Kylo would be grateful. He thought they were perfect for each other and could almost hear the schemes the two of them would come up with the get rid of Kylo. He chuckled.
"And the reassignments of KA-1991 and MO-2778 as of 2 hours ago," Hunana asked. "MO-2778 would be more useful under Saveign Ren working on securing weapons on Jasmenerth and KA-1991 will be helping train the newest recruits. I felt they both deserved a promotion," Kylo said as he absently paged through the files on the datapad that the officers had dropped in front of him. "And what did they do to earn such promotions," Reighnen asked. "Loyalty to your Supreme Leader has many benefits, Office Reighnen. I assure you," Kylo said.
More than a few of the men in the room chuckled at Kylo's implied joke. Again Hux, Hunana and Reighnen looked like they disapproved. Kylo didn't care. Little by little he'd replaced any officers that were strictly loyal to Snoke and Hux so that most of the men in the room were loyal to the new Supreme Leader and knew better to question anything Kylo did.
They were loyal to Kylo because they respected and feared his position as the last Sith Lord, even though Kylo knew he was no true sith. The dark drowning brown of his eyes proved that. He was still the strongest Force user in the galaxy, at least until Rey was fully trained. He'd felt her power enough to know that eventually the raw potential in her would translate to unparalleled Force power, making her even stronger than he, or Skywalker or even Darth Vader.
"You know, Hux, if you ever got laid maybe you wouldn't scowl so much," one of the younger officers Maatis said with a slight grin.
Again the men in the room shared a laugh, this time at Hux's expense. Kylo had never heard so much laughter aboard one of the First Order ships. He wanted to make the First Order a better place for the people who joined up and that's what it was now, people joining up.
One of Kylo's first orders as Supreme Leader was to stop the practice of kidnapping children from their families. Instead he'd set up recruitment stations on any planet that would allow it. The officers manning the stations offered anyone who wanted to join up 50,000 credits a year and after 7 years you could retire and never have to worry about being a slave ever again for anyone in their family. Some members of the First Order didn't like Kylo's new decree as they had been a part of Empire before the First Order and didn't like change.
"What I do in my free time is no one's business," Hux snipped quickly. "Is it when you make everyone around you miserable," another young Officer by the name of Nikkinem said with a snicker.
Hux's face sneered at the young male. Hux's hand went to the blaster at his hip. Kylo snatched the blaster from the recently unlatched hostler and kept it suspended in the air. Kylo knew Hux couldn't stand being the butt of too many more jokes before he started shooting at people in the room. Kylo would never allow that to happen.
"Hux, go and let Thalia out of her cell. I think the rest of us can handle the rest of the briefing," Kylo said dismissively.
Hux looked shocked; after all he was the general of the First Order's armies. He shouldn't be dismissed at such a critical point in time. Ren's plan had failed and now they had no way of tracking down the Resistance. What was Ren's plan now?
Kylo could read Hux's thoughts just as easily as reading his datapad. He glared at Hux as he waited for the ginger to either go do what Kylo told him or to question him yet again. Kylo was betting on the latter.
Instead Hux shot him a smug look and turned on his heel. The other men all watched him go. Then they went back to discussing the plans for selling off the weapons that the people of Jasmenerth were currently making as well as the developments made for the weapons that would be sold to the First Order. Kylo was working on making the First Order independently wealthy. His need not to depend on anyone was showing in this aspect. Gaining control of Jasmenerth was the first step.
Kylo felt that the meeting was a success when he left the conference room two hours later. As he made his way to the kitchen the pickup dinner for himself and Rey, Kylo reached out to feel for her in the Force. He could tell that she still had the chair lifted off of the ground but could also tell that she was losing the battle of keeping it a meter off of the floor steadily.
He collected the food and returned to his quarters. When the door opened and he stepped inside, Rey let the chair drop to the floor. She jumped to her feet to greet him and he found himself speechless. She was wearing one of his tunics with no leggings on under it.
Her wonderfully tanned skin looked good with the midnight black of the cloth. Sweat coated her skin and plastered her long brown hair to her head. She looked tired but also excited.
"Are you hungry," Kylo asked, in his deep, indifferent voice. "Starving," Rey admitted.
Kylo walked over to his desk and set down two plates with a bunch of different foods that Rey had never even seen as well as utensils that Rey had only gotten use to over the last couple of months. Kylo motioned for Rey to sit down on the other side of the desk while he sat in the chair that he'd had Rey lifting for almost 4 hours.
Kylo knew it was a little extreme but he needed to speed train her. The faster she was trained in the ways of the force, the sooner they could move onto combat training. He was better at combat and using the force as a weapon than he would ever be at meditation and patience.
"What is this," Rey asked, picking at a bright green vegetable. "Just eat it. It's good for you. It'll help with you energy level," Kylo said, drowning his own green vegetable in some kind of oily sauce.
Rey took the oily sauce and poured it over all of the green things on her plate. Kylo grimaced as she began shoveling the food into her mouth. She ate ungracefully and Kylo had to remind himself that before joining the Resistance the only food she'd ever had had been rations. She'd never seen fresh vegetables or meat or fruit. She was done much sooner than Kylo and looked deeply pleased with the meal.
"Did you enjoy the food," Kylo asked as he pushed food around his own plate.
…
Rey nodded excitedly. That meal was the best thing she'd ever had. Even better than the food they had back on Olara. Now that she had some food and water in her belly she was ready to get back to training.
Kylo seemed pleased that she had liked the food he'd brought her. She should have said that she hated it but the pleasure on her face was too easy to read. He was still being indifferent to her and she didn't understand why she kept expecting something else. After all that is what she had wanted. They were no more than teacher and student.
"I would like to get back to training now," Rey said finally. "I would have thought you would have liked to get some sleep after the work out I gave you earlier," Kylo said and Rey hurriedly shook her head.
She wouldn't tell him that part of the reason she was so eager to continue her training was that as soon as her training was complete she would be going back to the Resistance. Whether he would let her go or not. Once she was trained in the ways of the Force, Kylo would be the only one able to stand in her way.
"So what's next," Rey asked. "I want you to meditate and lift the chair again," Kylo said and saw the irritated look that Rey gave him.
Kylo chuckled lowly and it pulled at things low in her body. The sound was deep and velvety. Rey fought to keep her face neutral as she tried not to think about the affect this man seemed to have on her.
"But this time I want you to do it while preforming a handstand," Kylo said.
Rey felt her eyes go wide. She'd only ever done handstands for fun as a child. She wasn't even sure she still could do a handstand. She looked to see if Kylo was serious and he was looking at her expectantly.
"I don't know if I can even do a handstand," Rey admitted. "For someone as impressive as you, I doubt it will be very difficult. Besides you are young and agile," he said, now looking down at his plate again.
Rey was skeptical but got up from her chair and attempted to stand on her hands. She didn't even get her legs in the air before she fell to the side. She chanced a peek at Kylo and found that he was still staring at his plate, for which she was grateful. She attempted the handstand 5 or 6 more times before she was successfully stood on her hands with her legs as straight up in the air as she could get them.
She would have felt some sort of pride had she not fallen over almost immediately, tumbling to the ground unceremoniously and ungracefully. As she got up to start all over again she thought she heard Kylo's dark chuckle again. She shot him an evil look but again he wasn't even looking at her.
After 30 minutes of attempting to get into the handstand and staying that way, Rey finally found herself comfortable standing on her hands. Now all she had to do was sink into her meditative state and lift the chair that Kylo Ren was still sitting in.
"Do you plan on getting out of the chair so I can lift it," Rey asked, already feeling a sense of calm dropping over her. "You can't lift it with me sitting in it," Kylo asked in an almost bored tone.
Rey let out a frustrated sigh and then began meditating. The calm of it came easily even with Kylo sitting a few feet from her. She could feel the force pulsing through him as she felt for the force around the chair. After struggling for a few minutes, she got the chair to rise to the full meter off the ground.
Rey breathed deeply as she focused on the chair and not Kylo Ren, though she could feel his eyes on her. She didn't know which was harder, holding the chair at a meter with Kylo's added weight or staying in the handstand. This was a thousand times harder than she'd thought it would be.
"Tell me…Have you accepted that you come from nothing," he asked suddenly.
Her control of the force surrounding the chair wavered for a second as she felt a phantom caress across her foot and the chair wobbled some. Rey tightened her focus.
"That was a dirty trick," she said through gritted teeth. "You are avoiding the question. Once you fully accept where you came from you can finally let go of the past. Once you do that you can unlock that raw potential that scared the old fool," Kylo said.
Rey tensed, anticipating another brush of the force to follow his words like last time. Instead she felt a sharp pain in the bottoms of her feet. The chair dipped almost to the floor this time. Rey took several deep breaths and opened her eyes to see Kylo standing a couple feet from her holding a ruler from his desk. She glanced over at the chair and found a droid sitting in Kylo's place.
"What are you doing," she asked. "I am starting to think Skywalker taught you nothing on that island," Kylo said, the beginnings of annoyance leaking into his voice. "He taught me to feel the force around me. I kind of taught myself everything else," Rey said.
She could feel Kylo's annoyance spike in the force between them. Then she felt the ruler slap the bottom of her left foot and the chair almost hit the floor again.
"Stop that," she hissed as the chair righted. "Focus," he snapped back. "I am trying." "Do it or don't. There is no try," he said.
She closed her eyes again and tried to focus. Her arms were getting tired from completely holding her weight so long. Once she sunk back into the meditative state she was supposed to be in it wasn't so hard.
"You still haven't answered my question, scavenger girl," he said. "I know what you told me is true, but I can't just erase this longing that I've had for over 14 years. I am working to get stronger but…letting go isn't exactly my strong suit," Rey said calmly.
She could feel conflict in him, but it wasn't what usually had him so tore up inside. She tried to press into his mind and almost forgot about the chair. The cleaning droid known as CD-0897 beeped frantically as the chair tipped forward. Another slap from the ruler came, this time on her right foot.
"Stay out of my head, Rey. You may not like what you find," he warned, and her eyes snapped open. "Sorry," she said in a small voice.
She thought she had been kind of subtle but Kylo's defenses were stronger than they'd been before, and her focus was split. Suddenly there was a beeping sound. Kylo moved away from her and did something so the beeping stopped.
"You better have a good reason for interrupting me," Kylo hissed at someone Rey couldn't see. "Supreme Leader, the special door you requested is done. The locksmith is waiting for you there," a voice came back. "Good," Kylo said.
He must have ended the Holo-transmission because he came back into Rey's field of vision. A flick of his wrist and suddenly the chair was much lighter. Rey looked up into his eyes in confusion.
"That is enough for the day. I want you to do these two exercises everyday before I visit you in the evenings," he said. "Okay," Rey said still confused but grateful not to have to maintain the handstand any longer.
She gently lowered her feet towards the ground and then stood up and stretched. She looked to Kylo for what next and was shocked to see him holding a pair of restraints. She began to back away from him.
"This is the only way you can leave this room without someone shooting you on sight. Your room is not far from here, but I'd rather not take the chance," Kylo said moving toward her. "I thought you told them I was your student or whatever, who would risk your wrath," Rey asked incredulously. "I haven't been Supreme Leader that long," he said as if that it explained it all.
Kylo put the restraints on Rey and led her out of his room. He was right, the place he was leading her to was only a short walk from his room which made her feel a little better. The man standing outside the door told Kylo how to open it from the outside and then handed him a piece of paper that explained how to open it from the inside which he slipped into his pocket. Rey realized too late what it meant for the man when Kylo asked if he was the only one who know how to open the door. The poor man said yes and before Rey could make a move to stop him Kylo's lightsaber was in his hand and ignited. Rey screamed as Kylo put the blade neatly through the man's heart.
"How could you," she gasped as he opened the door and took off the restraints.
He pushed her inside without saying a word as two Stormtroopers came around the corner. Rey pounded on the shiny black door for a second before giving up and sinking to the floor and burying her face in her hands. What was she going to do now?
Will Kylo be a good enough teacher? How long will he keep Rey on the Vengeance? Will Rey really end up being stronger than Kylo? How long until she tries to escape again? Can they work together to stop this new evil before falling for each other? Find out next time on Two Parts of a Whole: A Reylo Star Wars Story.
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