Rey sat across from Kylo, who cut his food and ate it properly. He heard an obnoxious chewing sound coming from across the table.
Rey didn't bother using her utensils to eat and bit straight from the steak itself.
"Have you no manners?" Kylo questioned her with disgust.
Rey's head popped up, looking at Kylo with wide eyes. "Wot?" She replied with food in her mouth, her cheeks stuffed like a squirrel tucking acorns into its cheeks.
Kylo exhaled, giving her a look of disapproval. "Please, chew and swallow before speaking to me, or anyone for that matter," Kylo lectured her, losing his appetite from seeing the mixed mushy food in her mouth.
Rey swallowed all of the food in her mouth and let Kylo teach her table manners.
"You hold a fork like this, and then the knife like so," he explained, holding his knife up. She mimicked his actions.
"You press into the steak and saw through the meat," Kylo spoke as he demonstrated. Rey followed, realizing that it was more convenient to eat like this instead of the way she had been for the past couple of years.
"I've seen others eat like this, but no one so far has taught me," Rey smiled at her food.
Kylo looked at her, feeling pitiful.
"This girl hasn't seen the wonders of the world yet, or even learned much of it," Kylo thought to himself.
Suddenly, Snoke wrapped around his mind like a dust storm, showing him images of the dark side which were all horrifying and enough to get Kylo rattled. All he could see was blood everywhere, the walls, Rey, and his food. He immediately lost his appetite.
Rey noticed Kylo's face turning slightly red, and she leaned towards him to look into his eyes. She watched as Kylo's eyes were completely yellow with red around his iris.
Rey's eyes widened in shock and fear. "Are you-"
"I'M FINE!" He shouted, stabbing the table with his knife. He stood up and walked away for a brief moment, pushing his dark wavy hair back.
Rey wondered what she had done, but she had read in Luke's archives that people who are fully immersed in the Dark Side tend to have yellow eyes temporarily. A former Jedi named Obi-Wan Kenobi saw Luke's father, Anakin Skywalker, with yellow eyes similar to Kylo's. Luke had told it to her the week prior to her journey.
She continued to eat with her freshly learned table manners as she patiently waited for Kylo to calm himself down. Rey tried to take a glance into his mind, only to be violently pushed out. However, it wasn't Kylo who pushed her out, but something more sinister and threatening. It had an aura darker than Kylo's.
Kylo suddenly stood straight, as if he felt okay with the flick of a switch.
He slowly turned around and sat back down. He continued eating, his eyes already back to normal.
"I don't wish to speak about that," he plainly told Rey, almost as a warning to not ask him.
Rey silently nodded, setting her fork and knife down. In retrospect, Rey did not wish to ask about it anyways.
"May I ask my questions now?" She softly asked, almost afraid of him blowing up again.
He nodded silently, looking away from her and down at his food. He was afraid to look at her, to feel pitiful again.
"I've been having this one vision as of late-"
"It's a flashback," Kylo corrected. He felt Snoke creeping back into his mind again, and he panicked. "That is all I will say for the moment. I- I must go," he rapidly spoke before standing up. "You will remember over time."
"Kylo! Wait!" Rey desperately cried out, only to be shoved to a wall by the force.
She was breathless as she watched Kylo storm out of his own room.
Rey walked out of Kylo's room once she had finished eating. Once she exited, she was greeted with two Stormtroopers with a red shoulder plate. They guided her to her room, which was only two doors down the hall. The troopers closed her inside the room.
She was greeted with a bookshelf, holding a number of books about the force. They all looked old with torn and tattered hardcovers. She pulled one out and blew the dust off of it before observing the cover. She assumed Kylo wanted her to study the force in her free time. Not only were there books about the force, but also ones of the dark side, almost as if he wanted to tempt her. She stayed away from those for her own safety, putting the book back on the shelf.
She walked into the bathroom and pressed down on that special area on her backhand, reaching the Resistance base.
"I'm still alright. I'm about to go to bed since Kylo had a room prepared for me. So far he's trained me, showing me the force, but I fear that Snoke holds his mind. He had a meltdown during dinner and left. I was escorted back to my room which is just down the hall. Overall, Kylo has treated me somewhat well and I'm somewhat okay. I love you all. Goodnight."
Rey released the button, tears swelling in her eyes. She walked towards her bed swiftly to grab her pillow and sob into it.
At the Resistance base, everyone heard the cries of Rey.
It tore everyone's hearts, making them look at the floor or to each other from feeling uncomfortable. Leia also was close to tears, until her brother took her shoulder.
Luke nobly stared at the holograms presented to him."She's ok, sister. Just a little homesick I assume," Luke tried to assure Leia.
Leia looked up to the old Jedi. "She's scared, Luke. I sure as hell would be too," Leia responded with a sorrowful look in her eye.
Meanwhile, Poe watched as a tear slipped from Finn's eye. Finn closed his eyes, letting Rey's song of sorrow echo his mind. Finn knew he had to get her out somehow.
BB-8 let out a sad beep beside Poe, noticing that he was staring at Finn.
"I know buddy," Poe patted the droid's head, before confidently saying "She'll be alright, though. She's strong."
He and Finn held eye contact for a brief second before they both looked away, still settling their differences.
Kylo stood outside of Rey's bedroom door, hearing her cry. He crossed his arms, part of him feeling satisfied by the noise, and the other part of him wanting to comfort her. Of course, he had to ignore the other part of him or else he would be whipped back into shape by Snoke.
Hux walked down the hall with his confident stride.
"I see your lab rat is enjoying her stay," Hux gave a snarky remark.
Hux laughed as he walked away, and Kylo let his head hang, resting his helmet in his palm.
It was a terrible night for everyone.
Rey awoke and rubbed her sore eyes. She never really let out her emotions like this. Once and awhile she'd cry, thinking about her family she had awaited for so many years on Jakku. She never cried because she was scared. Rey is known as a trooper and a tough cookie everywhere she went, and she knew that herself. Here? That is a different story.
To calm down, she sat on the floor, legs crossed. Her eyes were closed and she began to meditate. Luke had told her meditating was good to find inner peace and practiced with her every day.
After a few minutes, her brow twitched. She thought nothing of it until her head flew back as she let out a loud gasp, eyes wide.
Rey was home, in Jakku. She was packing up whatever she had. It felt like she was spectating herself, but she was in her body. It was almost like an autopilot mode.
She collected the rations she had been saving, her clothes, and whatever money she had scrounged up. She was around the same age as she is now, but a year younger.
She started to walk out of the ship she had always lived in.
"I'm going to find them. I know I can!" Rey thought eagerly, and almost desperately. She felt useless just living and going through the same old thing. She needed to find them herself instead of waiting any longer.
Rey walked for almost a day, thirsty and exhausted. She dragged herself into what looked like a decent settlement. She walked in, tired and hungry. People gave her dirty glances, but she was already used to that in her other small village.
Rey walked up to a random man in a weak metal suit of armor, who looked to be in authority.
"Excuse me? Is there anywhere I can spend the night?" Rey politely asked.
"You can stay at my place for that bag of yours," he nodded to her bag, before looking at her body.
Stubbornly, Rey turned her nose and began to walk away, asking others in the area for a place to stay. The man gathered some of his men and made a plan against Rey as she kept walking away. Rey didn't realize she had run into a rebel base.
It began to rain, and Rey sighed. She didn't know what she expected from this expedition. Hell, she didn't know where she was even going.
As she was leaving, thinking about going back home, she was shoved to the ground and robbed.
Suddenly, a few shouts were heard in the distance.
"THE KNIGHTS OF REN! THEY'RE HERE!" A woman shrieked.
The people of the base turned to Rey, assuming she led them there. As people fought the Knights of Ren, they tried fighting Rey. She easily took them down with whatever fighting moves she'd learned over the years.
Then in the midst of all the rain and dead bodies of the rebel base, the Knights of Ren followed their leader, Kylo Ren.
Kylo walked towards Rey menacingly, and she stumbled backward as she had done in the other countless flashbacks.
Kylo put away his saber, walking up to Rey fast. He grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the muddy floor.
"She's the last one," one of the knights reported.
"Are you going to kill her or what Kylo?" Another knight complained.
"No," Kylo replied, speaking in his robotic voice. "She isn't one of them. She's different…"
Kylo took her cheek.
"Leave me be," she stared him down, brows furrowed.
Kylo looked up at the sky with a short sigh. "We have met too early, the force tells me. We will meet again at another time."
With that, Kylo waved his hand in front of her face, having her fall into his grasp.
Rey flung forward with yet another gasp, finding Kylo sitting right in front of her with his mask on.
"Now you know," Kylo said, staring at her through his mask.
Rey gave him a confused stare. "That it?" She questioned. She felt like there was more to the story.
Kylo shook his head. "There's more. It will come to you in time. I hope."
Kylo stared at Rey, her light freckles, her neat complexion, her quizzical expression. He wanted her to know more. She had so much power in her, yet she had no idea.
"Careful Kylo…" Snoke spoke to him in the back of his mind. "You must destroy whatever light is in you still."
Snoke wrapped Kylo's mind in smoke, showing him flashes of terrifying images that the darkness had done. Snoke reminded Kylo as to why he was on the dark side; the First Order.
Rey watched as Kylo changed, and she saw him vulnerable as he saw her earlier when she was in her episode.
She took the opportunity to go into his mind, almost like looking through a photo album.
A few times she was shoved out by something that wasn't Kylo, but she eventually cracked her way inside to find grotesque images. She also felt Snoke's presence occupying his mind.
It overwhelmed Kylo, having two people inside his mind. He clutched his head, so Rey worked fast.
She concentrated, creating something similar to a shield in Kylo's mind. It pained her to do it, but it may help her in the long run.
"Kylo, remember who you are now. Remember…" Snoke warned, his voice fading away.
The loudness in Kylo's mind slowly went away. He felt less claustrophobic.
Kylo slowly took off his mask and set it down on his lap in order to breathe. He revealed the tears swelling in his eyes, yet he desperately tried to hide it.
"Thank you…" Kylo murmured, unsure of how to reply. Part of him wants to push her out of his mind and let Snoke torment him, yet the other part wants to hug her and cry on her shoulder repeating thank you like a broken record.
"Yeah…" Rey nodded, looking at Kylo, slightly afraid of how he could react next.
Kylo stood up, put his mask back on, and walked towards the door.
Once the door closed behind Kylo, Rey walked into the bathroom and pressed down on that one area on the back of her hand to see the dim red light.
"I'm awake. It seems that Kylo has Snoke holding his mind. I was able to push Snoke out temporarily, but I don't know how Kylo will react next or what could potentially happen to me."
Rey took the time to put her hair in her three buns with some stray hairs sticking out to add to her signature look. She washed her face with some cold water before exiting the room. Of course, there was a guard waiting for her.
The guard lead her to Kylo's room again, where there was the same arrangement as the previous night.
Kylo sat, already eating his food. Rey quietly walked in, sitting across from him.
Kylo swallowed whatever he was chewing, before saying "Leave us be," to the troopers by his door. The storm troopers saluted Kylo before marching out of the room.
Once the door closed, Kylo let out somewhat of a relieved breath.
"Let's not make a repeat of last night," Kylo spoke in his low bassy voice. He cut the curve of his fork into his eggs, before stabbing it and placing it in his mouth.
"May I ask some questions, and possibly have them answered this time?" Rey asked.
Kylo nodded, paying more attention to his delicious food than Rey.
"In the past, you said the force said we met too soon," Rey stated. Kylo cut her off.
"I sensed that you had the force, I had no clue you had any affiliation with Luke Skywalker. I believe the light in me at the time tricked me."
Rey began to eat her food, not wanting to be rude. It was annoying that she wasn't allowed to speak as she chewed, but she knew it was time to learn her manners.
Kylo set down his fork, intertwined his hands on the dinner table, and looked directly at Rey.
"Even though I feel partially betrayed by myself, I also feel that I wasn't wrong. I see potential in you," Kylo told Rey.
Rey swallowed her food, giving a quizzical stare. "How so?"
Kylo gave an excited smile, one that frightened Rey a little. She never saw Kylo's crooked smile, but only occasional snide smirks.
"I see you as a great asset in the First Order. I can train you in the dark side as my padawan," he told her, his face glowing with the idea brewing in his corrupt mind.
"What good is the dark side?" Rey questioned. "What does it do for you?"
"For me? I feel in charge… powerful…" Kylo listed in wonder. "I'm finishing what my grandfather wanted."
"You can feel that way with the light side too! You just never gave it a chance," Rey told him frankly.
"I have!" Kylo raised his voice. "I had no one until Snoke reached out to me-"
"And started torturing you!" Rey concluded.
"He's helping me!" Kylo shouted, slamming his hands on the table as he shot up from his seat.
The door opened to the two. Both Rey and Kylo turned their heads to the entrance to find Hux, confidently standing as he looked over both of them.
"Well, well. What have we here? A tea party and I'm not invited?" Hux teased both of them.
Rey glanced at Kylo to see he looked annoyed. Rey looked at Hux, to find him looking down at her like a peasant, an animal, something less than him.
"Mmm. Maybe it's best I wasn't invited. You two were in the middle of an intriguing argument…" Hux sounded amused.
"Just speaking to her about why the dark side is important," Kylo replied, before staring down Rey. Rey stared right back, not afraid of Kylo.
"Hurry it up. Snoke wishes to speak with us, and specifically you for some odd reason," Hux tapped his wrist, acting as if there was a chrono there.
Rey and Kylo watched Hux, the two letting out a deep sigh. At least there's one thing they have in common, which was their annoyance with Hux.
"He seems great," Rey spoke with great sarcasm.
"He has his good moments, but mostly bad as of late. Ever since you came," Kylo commented.
Kylo and Rey quietly finished their meal. When they both finished, Kylo stood up. He took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Let's train on the surface. I'm not in the mood for either Hux or Snoke," Kylo shook his head.
"Really?!" Rey gasped with slight excitement.
"Yes," Kylo replied with seriousness. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a saber. "Here. You'll need this. Use it and I won't hesitate to execute you in front of everyone."
Rey took the saber, looking down at it with curiosity and interest.
AN: Poor Rey :( Again, special thanks to SilverLight0, Bonnie Silver 3, DiamondSapphire, Nila, and RGLStarwarsmaster. You're all amazing for leaving such nice reviews, it leaves a tear in my eye :')
Also, my normal schedule for this story is to publish every 2 days (If you haven't caught on already) so I have time to edit and write.
Anyways, carry on and have happy readings!
Reviews help write the next chapter!