Jaina sat outside of the door to her brother's room. He had locked himself in there ever since they had arrived. He had shut her out of the bond after he tried to kill Freya.
She hadn't even visited her room yet. Not that her father noticed. He was waiting for her mother to wake up in the medcenter. Yet she sat out here, waiting for her brother.
But she was realizing the time to wait was over.
"Jaysa?" She called out the childhood nickname.
There was no response.
"Jaysa, stop shutting me out," she said, the unfallen tears stinging her eyes. "Please. I want to talk about what happened, I don't want you to be alone. Please, let me in. I can take it."
Nothing happened.
Jaina got up, whirled around, and pounded on the door. "Open the kriff up, Jacen! I'm tired of putting up with your bantha poodoo!"
She leaned against the door, listening for any signs of inhabitation on Jacen's behalf.
The door slid open, and she fell in. She immediately scrambled to her feet to see Jacen standing over her, in loose white pajamas with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders like a poncho.
"I missed you," Jaina said.
"I needed to be on my own," Jacen said.
"Can we at least talk about this?" Jaina asked.
Jacen shrugged. "You're here."
Jaina took that as the most welcome invitation that she would get, and she went past Jacen into his room. The place resembled perfectly his mental state. Blankets and pillows were tossed everywhere, with the curtains set to maximum darkness, with the lights turned off. As Jaina's eyes adjusted, she realized the only source of light within the room was Jacen's datapad hooked up to the wall next to his bed.
She sat on his bed, and he reluctantly took a place beside her as the door closed, locking them in shadow. They sat there for a moment, as Jaina screwed her courage to the sticking place.
"I want to help you."
"I know." He looked guilty, saying it. Jaina waited patiently, and he swallowed thickly. "I don't know if anyone can help."
Jaina raised her eyebrows in an infuriatingly-sisterly expression.
Jacen sighed. "I can't sleep, Jaina, but I don't want to be awake. I don't even want to think right now. All I can see is Maia, and how she died. She died because I tried to tell Snoke no. It's my fault she died."
"Hey, hey, it is not your fault," Jaina said. "The Queen-Mother Jocasta and Snoke were planning to use her. You were trying to get both of you out. Maia couldn't have gone back home after it was over. It wasn't your fault. You didn't know, and you didn't kill her."
Jacen swiped at the tears gathering on his cheeks. "I hate him for doing that. For threatening you and killing her. I don't hate him for torturing me. Does that make any sense?"
"I think so." Jaina lied.
She embraced her brother.
"And he was manipulating me when Freya—" he stopped, because he wanted to cry so badly that he couldn't breathe. "What if he follows us, Jaya?"
He sounded so small, like a toddler afraid of the dark.
"Then I'll kill him." Jaina was never more sure of anything in her life. "He hurt Dad, Mum, you, Tash, Kyp, Maia— nearly everyone we know. He killed Elora, and started this whole kriffing war. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure Snoke will never hurt anyone again."